Columbus Crew
The Crew players were greeted with the oppressive Mid-Atlantic heat and humidity on the team walk today through the Dupont Circle area of Washington, D.C.. There was a chorus of resounding "It's so hot..." statements as the team walked to Mitchell Park for a morning stretch. As you can see from Julius James' back in the photo above, many of the players broke a sweat during the stroll. Chris Birchall came prepared however, using napkins to wipe the sweat off his back throughout the walk.
It won't be much cooler at the time of kickoff this evening. Weather.com predicts it will be 89 degrees Fahrenheit with 55-percent humidity, making it feel like 96 degrees. What's more, the concrete structure of RFK Stadium will trap in the heat for tonight's match to make it even more oppressive.
Tonight will be a test of endurance for the Black & Gold, so look for the Crew to come out firing from the opening whistle just as it did two weeks ago against D.C. in search of an early goal in this muggy D.C. weather.
I'll have more from RFK Stadium later as kickoff approaches.
Today would have been Lamar Hunt's 80th birthday. From all of Crew Soccer Nation, thank you Lamar for your passion and vision for soccer in America!
Following the Crew's 2-1 victory in Kansas City on Saturday, the Black & Gold has been racking up the weekly awards around various media outlets. Here's a guide to all the accolades the team has earned this week:
Jairo Arrieta was named Player of the Week for his multi-goal effort by MLSsoccer.com, ProSoccerTalk, and Soccer by Ives.
In addition, Arrieta earned Team of the Week honors for by the above outlets and Sports Illustrated. Unfortunately for the Crew, Andy Gruenebaum's five-save effort wasn't enough to edge him past Chicago's Sean Johnson, who was the unanimous selection for the goalkeeper in the above outlets' First XIs.
For the hard-earned road win, Robert Warzycha was honored as Coach of the Week by MLSsoccer.com. It's the second time the Crew skipper has earned that honor this season.
Finally, remember to vote for Jairo Arrieta for AT&T Goal of the Week and for Andy Gruenebaum for Save of the Week.
Greetings from Kansas City,
After going their separate ways for breakfast, the players and coaches gathered in the hotel lobby this morning to catch some Olympic action before embarking on the team walk through the city.
Following their Olympic viewing, the players enjoyed the sights of Kansas City on the team walk.
Eventually, the team found a nice shaded are to stretch and mentally prepare for tonight's match against Sporting KC. Eddie Gaven shared his veteran insight with rookies Ethan Finlay and Matt Lampson.
Finally, before heading back to the hotel to rest, these guys insisted on posing for a buddy pic:
The Crew Juniors U-19 advanced to the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championship game with 2-1 victory over Empire United SA Syracuse on Thursday morning behind goals from Mike Walker and Cole Denormandie. The 2012 National Championship game will be televised on Fox Soccer Channel at 8pm Saturday night live from Rock Hill, SC. Midfielder Wil Trapp will join the U-19s for the National Championship, fresh off a fourth-place finish with the United States U-20 Men's National Team at the Milk Cup in Northern Ireland.
Captained by Crew Soccer Academy product and Akron standout Wil Trapp, the United States U-20 Men's National Team beat Turkey 1-0 on Monday to advance to the third place match on Thursday against Chile. The U-20s rebounded from a 2-1 defeat to defending champion Denmark in their opening match on July 21.
The U-20 National Team's assistant coach Brian Bliss will return to Columbus following Thursday's match to resume his duties as Technical Director for the Crew. Soon after, Trapp will return to Akron to begin training for the 2012 season.
Major League Soccer announced its inactive All-Stars on Wednesday afternoon, with one obvious snub: Crew goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum. Gruenebaum should have been at least a reserve--if not a starter-- in tonight's MLS All-Star game in Philadelphia. To not even include the Hebrew Hammer on the inactive list is just downright mindboggling.
Here's how Gruenebaum stacks up against the four goalkeepers selected to the All-Star team:
| Player | GP | GS | MINS | SHTS | SV | GA | GAA | PKG/A | Sv% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andy Gruenebaum | 18 | 18 | 1620 | 85 | 65 | 19 | 1.06 | 2/3 | 76 |
| Jimmy Nielsen | 21 | 21 | 1890 | 68 | 50 | 19 | 0.90 | 3/3 | 74 |
| Dan Kennedy | 19 | 19 | 1710 | 86 | 61 | 21 | 1.10 | 1/1 | 71 |
| Nick Rimando | 20 | 20 | 1800 | 71 | 47 | 24 | 1.20 | 1/2 | 66 |
| Jon Busch | 20 | 20 | 1755 | 76 | 48 | 24 | 1.23 | 2/3 | 63 |
The numbers speak for themselves.
The Crew will look to improve on its 9-4-2 record in international friendlies as the club hosts Stoke City F.C. of the Barclays Premier League Tuesday night at Crew Stadium. The Black & Gold has hosted teams from various countries around the world, including England, Germany, Mexico, Guatemala, Argentina, and Chile. Against the Premier League specifically, the Crew holds a 2-3-1 with its most recent match coming last season against Newcastle United, resulting in a 3-0 defeat.
Here is a look at the results of the 15 past Crew friendlies:
| Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 05/14/1997 | Leeds United (Premier League) | 2-1 W |
| 05/24/2000 | Hamburg SV (Bundesliga) | 4-2 W |
| 07/26/2000 | Newcastle United (Premier League) | 2-2 D |
| 05/29/2001 | Bayer Leverkusen (Bundesliga) | 4-3 W |
| 05/15/2002 | FC Nurnberg (Bundesliga) | 7-2 W |
| 06/26/2002 | Tigres UANL (Mexican Primera) | 2-1 L |
| 06/04/2005 | CD Universidad Catolica (Chilean Primera) | 4-1 W |
| 07/27/2005 | Fulham FC (Premier League) | 2-1 W |
| 07/26/2006 | Everton FC (Premier League) | 1-1 D |
| 11/08/2006 | CSD Municipal (Liga Nacional) | 2-0 W |
| 07/28/2007 | Aston Villa (Premier League) | 3-1 L |
| 11/13/2007 | Estudiantes Tecos (Mexican Primera) | 2-0 W |
| 07/9/2008 | Club Atletico Independiente (Argentine Primera) | 2-1 W |
| 07/20/2008 | West Ham United (Premier League) | 3-1 L |
| 07/26/2011 | Newcastle United (Premier League) | 3-0 L |