Player
Crew captain Chad Marshall reflects on the strong, silent leadership he brings to a team fighting its way back to the league's elite.
With William Hesmer out for the season following hip surgery and Andy Gruenebaum recovering from a lower back contusion, it leaves rookie Homegrown Matt Lampson as the only healthy goalkeeper on the Crew's roster for Wednesday's match against the Philadelphia Union
Although Eddie Gaven won Save of the Week honors back in 2010 and Chris Birchall has put on 'keeper gloves for fun in training, it's not likely Robert Warzycha 
would have felt comfortable having one of the two midfielders as the number two goalie against the Union.
Fortunately for Warzycha, Major League Soccer has a rule for this type of situation: The Extreme Hardship Call-Up.
From the 2012 MLS Roster Rules and Regulations:
Pool 'keeper Scott Angevine has joined the Crew in Philadelphia, and will serve as Lampson's backup in Wednesday's match. Angevine is a rookie from Coastal Carolina University and currently trains with Sporting Kansas City, his hometown club, to stay sharp. Angevine and Lampson have a similar history as both redshirted the 2008 season at Northern Illinois before transferring and going their separate ways.
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.
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.
Crew goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum continues to garner accolades for the stellar season he is having. Most recently, Gruenebaum was tabbed as the goalkeeper in Soccer America’s Midseason Best XI. According to the famed soccer publication: “The longtime veteran has been peppered with shots…and he’s compiled a 1.06 goals-allowed average and made more saves than any keeper except Matt Pickens of Colorado.”
July 6, 2011 - This date in Crew history Jeff Cunningham broke the Crew’s all- time scoring record held by Brian McBride with 62 goals. Cunningham scored his 63rd Crew goal in thrilling fashion at Vancouver with a stoppage time goal that also allowed him to tie Jaime Moreno for the MLS all-time scoring lead (133).
READ: Cunningham's record goal
Crew fans get ready to "Put out the Fire" not only on the pitch but also on Twitter! Fans are encouraged to use the hashtag #VoteCrew to help spread the word and get out and vote for the Black & Gold for MLS All-Star on July 25th in Philadelphia. The Chicago Fire will be using the hashtag #VoteFire during the same time and just before kickoff on Saturday, June 23rd we will calculate the results between the two teams to see who is the winner.
To vote for your favorite players log onto MLSsoccer.com/allstar or text the player’s last name only to 22442.
Twitter Voting for the First XI players to be named MLS All-Stars will run from 12 p.m. ET on Thursday, June 21 through 11:59 p.m. ET on Friday, June 22.
The terms for Twitter voting are as follows:
- An eligible vote consists of #MLSAllStar and the player's full name (first and last required), with or without a space.
- A user may vote for multiple players in a tweet; however, a user may not vote for a single player multiple times within one tweet.
- All users must follow @MLS for their votes to be eligible.
The tweet doesn't actually count as a vote, but the hope is that other fans will be encouraged to participate and vote.
Use the button below to tweet your support!
Newest Crew signee is on his way to Columbus! Jairo Arrieta will join the Black & Gold for a week of training this week then head back to Costa Rica before joining the club later in the Month to help bolster the attack. Welcome Jairo!
Jairo Arrieta on his way to join the Columbus Crew tonight!!futbolconsultants.com twitter.com/Futbolconsulta…
— FutbolConsultants (@Futbolconsultan) June 1, 2012
The Black & Gold won two games in week 12, and Emilio Renteria was a big factor, scoring two goals in the process. He takes home top honors in MLSsoccer.com's Top 3 performers this week, joined by Kei Kamara and Alvaro Saborio.