Columbus Crew SC (2008, 2020, 2023 MLS Champions)

[TDG]

I haven't posted about the team in awhile because, frankly, I've been too discouraged. But I must mention that yesterday we announced, with little fanfare, that we have chosen to not pick up the contract options for Hejduk, Padula, Oughton, and the legend Guillermo. It's tough for me to put into words how disgusted I am with this organization right now.

 

[BuckTwenty]

I'm gonna attempt to get this thread back on track here. Too much Crew news going on right now for a lack of discussion here.

- The Crew ended up winning the return leg at home, 2-1 against the Colorado Rapids, which tied the 2-game series in aggregate at 2 goals apiece. If Connor Casey hadn't scored a goal with ~5 minutes left in the match, Columbus would have gone to the next round. OT ensued, and both teams couldn't get that winning goal. So they go to penalty kicks. Each team hits their first 4. The Rapids convert their 5th. Caroll steps up to the dot and misfires it high over the bar. Colorado wins, and everybody in Columbus Crew Stadium is in shock and disbelief, including myself.

- Colorado goes on to beat San Jose in the Eastern Conf. finals and defeated FC Dallas in MLS Cup 2010 last night. Would have been the easiet road to MLS Cup ever for the Crew. Very unfortunate.

- Crew brass have decided that they are going to go with a younger, faster team next year and decided not to exercise options on about a quarter of the roster. Two of them are "the face of the franchise". Players that didn't have their contracts continued:

Guillermo Barros Schelotto -- the best player to ever where the Black and Gold
Frankie Hejduk -- Our captain and the embodiment of "America's Hardest Working Team"
Duncan Oughton -- Our longest tenured player
Gino Padula
Jason Garey
LeAndre Griffit

- Today, MLS teams had to reveal their protection lists for the MLS Expansion Draft (happening Nov 24th). With Vancouver and Portland coming into the league next year, both teams will draft 10 players from existing MLS teams. Those existing teams get to protect 11 players from being drafted, not including Generation Adidas Players (who are also excluded). This is who the Crew decided to protect:

GK William Hesmer
D Chad Marshall
D Andy Iro
D Shaun Francis
D Danny O'Rourke
M Eddie Gaven
M Robbie Rogers
M Emmannel Ekpo
M Dilly Duka (Generation Adidas)
F Emilio Renteria
F Andres Mendoza
F Steven Lenhart

- This is who the Crew decided to not protect and will be available to being selected in the Expansion Draft (Crew still holds players' rights despite not signing them to options):

GK Andy Gruenebaum
D Eric Brunner
D Frankie Hejduk
D Gino Padula
D Josh Williams
M Duncan Oughton
M Leandre Griffit
M Kevin Burns
M Adam Moffat
F Guillermo Barros Schelotto
F Jason Garey

- 1 player who the Crew was going to leave unprotected (and was basically a shoe-in to get picked up in the expansion draft) was Brian Carroll. Thus, Crew front office decided to trade him to the Philadelphia Union in exchange for a conditional 2nd round pick in the MLS Superdraft and allocation money instead of getting absolutely nothing for him.

- I'd put money on Eric Brunner being our first guy selected in the expansion draft. He'd be a team's starting center back from day 1, and he wouldn't cost an arm and a leg to get him.


- MLS Superdraft pecking order:

1. Vancouver
2. Portland
3. D.C. United
4. Chivas USA
5. Philadelphia
6. New England
7. Houston
8. Toronto FC
9. Chicago
10. Kansas City
11. Seattle
12. Columbus
13. New York
14. Real Salt Lake
15. San Jose
16. Los Angeles
17. FC Dallas
18. Colorado

- As of this moment, this would be Columbus's starting 11:

GK Hesmer
RD O'Rourke
D Marshall
D Iro/Brunner
LD Francis
DM Moffat/Burns
RM Ekpo
CM Gaven(/Duka)
LM Rogers
F Renteria
F Mendoza

- LOTS and LOTS of sad Crew fans (myself included) to see so many amazing players get tossed aside like this despite them helping us win 2 supporters shields and an MLS Cup the past 3 years. I could see a few players not kept, but to have this kind of turnover so fast is beyond ridiculous.

 

[BuckTwenty]

- I'd put money on Eric Brunner being our first guy selected in the expansion draft. He'd be a team's starting center back from day 1, and he wouldn't cost an arm and a leg to get him.

Expansion draft was today. Eric Brunner selected in the 2nd round by Portland, Adam Moffat selected in the 3rd round by Portland. Crew protected Kevin Burns after Brunner was selected. Worst case scenario happend to the Crew in the draft, considering who was left unprotected. I'm still in shock we protected Burns and left Moffat to be selected. Burns is FAR from starter material and Moffat was one of only two players on the entire team who was dangerous pulling the trigger from long range (Renteria is the other). Loved the way Moffat hustled and played with reckless abandon... Burns makes WAY to many mistakes in a position where he can't afford to make them.

The front office better step up and sign some amazing players to replace these guys with, because next year is gonna be a disaster if we have ANY kind of injury problem on this team. This team is dangerously thin, and all that we've received in return for our losses is the alocation money and 2nd round pick from trading Carroll.

Projected starting line-up:

GK Hesmer
RD O'Rourke
D Marshall
D Iro
LD Francis
DM Burns
RM Ekpo
CM Gaven/Duka
LM Rogers
F Renteria
F Mendoza/Lenhart

 

[ScriptOhio]

Guillermo Barros Schelotto -- the best player to ever where the Black and Gold

I basically know nothing about the Crew/MLS and I have never even heard of him. However, do you really think he was better than Brian McBride?

 

[BuckTwenty]

I basically know nothing about the Crew/MLS and I have never even heard of him. However, do you really think he was better than Brian McBride?

Guillermo did two things in a Crew uniform that McBride never did: won an MLS Cup and was league MVP (both in 2008). Those are the deciding factors for me, though you could argue either player the Crew's best ever pretty easily.

 

[TDG]

Thanks for keeping the thread updated, I haven't the time, energy, or heart. The roster is half-empty at this point, and outside of the draft (which Warzycha and co have not had much success with) there are no indications as to how it will be filled. Maybe it's just the paranoid Columbus/Cleveland fan in me, but I suspect that this is not so much rebuilding as much as cost-cutting. Rebuilding implies that there is building being done, but we've not even seen indications that this is the case... we're just dumping well-payed players. The Hunts' most successful team is now Dallas anyway, so they may just turn their attention there and leave Warzycha and crew little money with which to continue wrecking the franchise.

On the bright side, I will never have to watch Adam Moffat in a Crew jersey again.

And for the record, Guillermo is ten times the player McBride was in my book, though I still have a lot of respect and admiration for Brian.

 

[BuckTwenty]

MLS

The Crew was one of two teams that participated in the 1st stage of the Re-Entry draft. Former Houston (and Crew) F Joseph Ngwenya was taken at #1 by DC United, and the Crew picked up D/M Aaron Hohlbein at #10 from Sporting Kansas City (aka Kansas City Wizards -- name and logo change for the club).

Stage 2 of the draft happens Dec 15th, where teams can negotiate on the salary of the players. Should be a LOT of fireworks that day, considering some of the names still on the table (Angel, GBS, Conrad, Hejduk, Garcia, etc.).

Hohlbein is a nice step-up from Jed Zayner, IMHO. Potential starting material. Hoping he'll fit in nice chemistry-wise with Marshall/Iro/Francis. If not, he makes great depth considering his versitility and experience. Good, young signing (only 25 years old) and glad to see the Crew spending some of that newly freed-up money.

 

[IronBuckI]

Good pick up in my IMO.

 

[BuckTwenty]

Just now finding out that it is not a given that Hohlbein will be in a Crew kit next year. Apparently, he's been looking overseas prior to the draft and there's a chance he might sign a contract with another club. If he does, the Crew will still hold his rights if he returns to the states. No word yet on what he intends to do.

Seven players from the Crew Socccer Academy are in the NCAA Men's soccer final. Five from Univ of Akron (Chad Barson, Ben Speas, Thomas Schmitt, Eric Stevenson and Andrian McAdams) and two from Louisville (Aaron Horton and Alex Obbey). Horton, in particular, is having a stellar post-season. He scored the game winner for Louisville in the 89th minute against UCLA to send them to the final four, then chipped the goalkeeper last night, again in the 89th minute, to beat North Carolina 2-1 to send them to the finals.

The Crew Youth Development Program has now ascended into the top 10 boys youth club rankings this week (No. 8). They are only one of 7 programs represented by MLS clubs in the top 30 and are the 2nd highest ranked MLS club program (behind the Chicago Fire at No. 7).

There is some organizational stuff that needs to be done beforehand, but MLS is really trying to get back to the basics with regards to player development, including bringing back the reserve league. Some MLS clubs (the Crew included) have done a stellar job developing home-grown talent like the Crew Youth Development Program and the Crew Soccer Academy. The Crew could really reap some benefits from those programs in the future with those players graduating to the full-squad.

 

[BuckTwenty]

With the #10 pick in stage two of the Re-Entry Draft, Columbus selected former Crew F Jeff Cunningham from FC Dallas. Only player selected from Crew was Frankie Hejduk, who will be going to Sporting KC. The unpicked players (GBS included) are officially on the waiver wire on a first come, first serve basis. That said, GBS is said to be looking to go back to Argentina to play if he wasn't picked.

LOVE this pick. Cunningham has proven he's still VERY dangerous and is still one of the hardest to go up against 1 v 1 in MLS when he's got the ball. Won the Golden Boot Award 2 years ago with 17 goals and 8 assists, and led FC Dallas to the MLS Championship game this past year with 12 goals (1 in the post-season).

Imagining him up top with Renteria... with Lenhart and Mendoza off the bench... wow. Dramatic change between last year and this year up top. Lots and lots of athleticism.

 

[IronBuckI]

thecrew.com

Crew make four selections at SuperDraft

Crew makes trade, four selections Thursday at 2011 MLS SuperDraft


After selecting Indiana University defender Rich Balchan with its first-round selection (No. 12 overall) at the 2011 MLS SuperDraft, the Columbus Crew made news by acquiring another first-rounder (No. 15 overall) and allocation money in exchange for forward Steven Lenhart. Per club and league policy, no further terms of the deal were disclosed. The Crew then used the 15th pick to select University of Michigan forward Justin Meram.

With its second-round selection (No. 28 overall) the Black & Gold tabbed Duke midfielder Cole Grossman, then capped its day at the Baltimore Convention Center by taking University of South Florida midfielder Bernardo Anor in the third round (No. 48 overall).


cont'd

 

[BuckTwenty]

To catch the thread back up:

- To help shore up the back line, the Crew signed 30 year old Chilean D Sebastian Miranda away from Santiago Chile's Union Espanola. He was the captain of the club and can play all four positions on the back line. Has the potential to be a great signing.

- Jeff Cunningham and Aaron Hohlbein were given offers and gave counteroffers back to the Crew. Both were rejected. Both players are looking overseas currently. I think Cunningham was looking for a raise after this past year and the Crew was looking for him to come off the bench and the Crew's offer reflected that. He made about $220,000 last year. Out of the two, I think Cunningham would be the most likely to return. Won't be surprised whatever happens with both of these guys, but no matter what happens, the Crew will hold onto their MLS rights.

- We traded Steven Lenhart to San Jose (near his hometown) for allocation money and a 1st round draft pick (#15 overall) which we used to pick up a forward from TSUN. The TSUN kid's supposed to be a really good one, but if we were going to trade Lenhart (which the idea in itself wasn't a good one), we should have gotten more for him. Lenhart's going into the final year of his (bargain) contract and, at 24, will command a nice salary at this time next year.

- Crew picked up Charleston Battery/Carolina RailHawks F Tommy Heinemann. He had a fairly long trial with the team last year but the Crew didn't pick up his option. With the mass exodus, we needed a striker bad and Tommy fits the bill. 14 goals and 6 assists last year playing with those two teams. He's 6'4" and is very good with his head. Could see him being a potential fan favorite off the bench (ala Lenhart) with his wild hair and exciting goal celebrations.

- Crewture has a great write-up on our four new draftees from the 2011 MLS SuperDraft. Good film on most of the newbs too. He's very optimistic about our draft, and with the amount of players we currently have, there is good reason to believe they will have a fairly big effect on our team this year as opposed to other years. The TSUN striker in particular looks to be a good one on film... playing soccer anyways =) (click the link to see what I'm reffering to)

Overall in the SuperDraft, we took 1 versatile D/D-Mid, 1 speedy forward with quicks, clinical finishes, and passes very well, 1 D-Mid with solid handles and passing ability, and 1 (project) midfielder who can play out wide, in the center of the park, or as a withdrawn forward. Addressed 3 BIG needs in this draft. Still need some depth in the midfield, though.

- There are some rumblings that Warzycha, Bliss and Co. are looking to add 2-4 more signings on par with that of Sebastian Miranda (not a DP or a minimum salary player, but a value-added middle-of-the-road salary player). In an article from yesterday, thecrew.com reports the two are targeting a midfielder from an English Premier League team as one of those potential new signings. Of course, no name to the player just yet.

 

[BuckTwenty]

In an article from yesterday, thecrew.com reports the two are targeting a midfielder from an English Premier League team as one of those potential new signings. Of course, no name to the player just yet.

Lots of rumors and such about the potential EPL signing for the Crew. The most smoke is that it's likely French international center mid Malaury Martin, currently playing for Blackpool. Former captain of the U-17, U-18, U-19, and U-21 French National Teams. I'd liken him to Gaven in that despite his age, he's got loads of experience. He also signed a 1-year contract with Blackpool in August, so it fits the bill that he'd have 6 months left on his contract when the MLS season starts.

There are a handful of other names being thrown around, but this one is almost always brought up.

 

[TDG]

Well, this year is certainly going to be interesting. We've pretty much jettisoned every single terrible players we have, which is cool but a bit drastic. The roster is going to be half filled with brand new players, so even if they're all competent there's going to be a good long period where they haven't yet gelled as a team, we don't know what our best lineup is, have no chemistry, etc. I'd like to trust that Warzycha knows what he's doing, but I don't.

In happier news, now that he's been freed of the "burden" of the greatest player in franchise history (who's back in Argentina at Gimnasia de la Plata), and we're no longer in the Champions League thanks to his stupidity, he is out of excuses. His contract is up at the end of the year: if the team under-performs again, he's gone.

 

[IronBuckI]

Chemistry is definitely the problem that I see with all of these moves. The likelihood that we make it past RSL, in The Champions League, is slim, but at least we don't have to face an in-form Mexican squad in late February. I'll still try to get to the Feb. 22 match vs. RSL, but I'm not expecting great things this early.