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

[BuckTwenty]

Yes, Speas just completed his JR year, but like the NCAA in other sports, you can leave early to go pro. It's really up to the player when he wants to join MLS... or any league around the world for that matter. Speas' stock is at an all-time high, so this would be a great time for him to go.

For MLS's rules on eligibility, think back to the old NCAA basketball rules where you don't have to go to college to join the NBA... you can go straight from HS to the pros. There have been at least 20 or so that not only joined MLS before their 18th birthday, but played in their first MLS game before they were 18. The Crew's own Eddie Gaven was 16 when he played his first game for NYRB and I think Freddie Adu wasn't even 15 yet before he played in his first MLS game.

 

[IronBuckI]

Good looking prospect, great story, and he's a Buckeye!!

mlssoccer.com

Columbus sign GK Lampson as second Home Grown

OSU, Crew Academy GK makes MLS jump after 3 years in school


COLUMBUS, Ohio ? The Columbus Crew announced on Thursday the signing of their second Home Grown player in former Ohio State and Crew Academy goalkeeper Matt Lampson.

Lampson ranks as one of the best ?keepers in OSU history ? he ranks second with 24 shutouts in three seasons with a .86 goals-against average and was named the the All-Big Ten First Team in 2010.

?This is a dream come true,? the 22-year-old said in a statement. ?It has been amazing to me because I grew up a Crew fan and, as a youth player, your goal is always to play professionally and to be able to play for your hometown team. This is just an incredible feeling. I can?t wait to put on the Crew jersey and work with great guys like Will [Hesmer] and Andy [Gruenebaum] and Robert [Warzycha], and do whatever I can to help the team.?

The Hilliard, Ohio, native also has a riveting personal story, having survived late-stage Hodgkin?s Lymphoma.

 

[CHU]

Columbus Crew No. 15 on Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl's list of MLS Ambition Rankings.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/grant_wahl/12/15/mls.teams.ambition/index.html

 

[BuckTwenty]

Good looking prospect, great story, and he's a Buckeye!!

mlssoccer.com

Great Stuff!! Welcome to the Crew family, Matt!!

"This is a dream come true," the 22-year-old said in a statement. "It has been amazing to me because I grew up a Crew fan and, as a youth player, your goal is always to play professionally and to be able to play for your hometown team. This is just an incredible feeling. I can't wait to put on the Crew jersey and work with great guys like Will [Hesmer] and Andy [Gruenebaum] and Robert [Warzycha], and do whatever I can to help the team."

You gotta love a player that is as siked-up to be part of the Crew as Matt is. There's a bunch of great pictures up on the Columbus Crew facebook fan page of Matt taken earlier today that are pretty awesome. Best of all, he gets to learn under Hesmer and Gruenebaum and be brought up through the system. This is what the Homegrown program is all about.

This was great too... would love to hear what Meram says!- tOSU (Lampson) v. TSUN (Meram)

 

[TooTall]

Great Stuff!! Welcome to the Crew family, Matt!!



You gotta love a player that is as siked-up to be part of the Crew as Matt is. There's a bunch of great pictures up on the Columbus Crew facebook fan page of Matt taken earlier today that are pretty awesome. Best of all, he gets to learn under Hesmer and Gruenebaum and be brought up through the system. This is what the Homegrown program is all about.

This was great too... would love to hear what Meram says!- tOSU (Lampson) v. TSUN (Meram)

Exactly. Really pumped about this. Sign of things to come for the Crew. They've really done a solid job with the Crew Academy. Now we need to sign Speas ASAP. Get a solid draft. If E. Ekpo is gone, I strongly suggest a CDM and another attacker. Possibly a left or right back. Or sign a couple of players to fill those positions of need. Gotta start building a squad, not just strong spots throughout the field. Robbie Rogers has absolutely got to break out next year, and I think that's a good possibility. All these young guys around players like Eddie G and Chad Marshall makes for one solid squad.

EDIT: Showing Ekpo is on the current roster. TIFWIW

 

[BuckTwenty]

We were really looking for a 3rd GK on the team last year, but with roster constraints the way they were, we really couldn't hold another GK. To get a 3rd GK that is a local guy whose dream has always been to play here AND is a roster protected Homegrown player... perfect fit. Would much rather have our own guy in there than an "MLS pool GK" if Hesmer and Gruenebaum were to go down with injuries... again. If we have to give someone real game experience, I'd rather it be one of our own players and not some hired mercenary with no alliegence to the team.

Interesting article with a bit regarding Speas from the Cols Dispatch:

Bliss said he has texted Speas a few times within the past week and also spoke with his coach. The plan is to “probably sit down with him next week,” Bliss said.
“Look, he had a good year but he had a great year down the stretch. He couldn’t have wrote a better script. He’s put himself in a good position, but we’ve also got to evaluate within our club – not that he’s not good enough, but do we have the financial resources and the roster room to accommodate him? It depends on what his parameters are to getting a deal done.”

With players and their salaries that have left this team in the last year, there shouldn't be any trouble signing Speas at this time. The fact that Bliss says they're making sure they have the "financial resources" means we most likely have some negotiating/roster news upcoming here... which is exciting. Hopefully we're putting a BIG chunk of that money towards a good international CM...

Interesting bit about Ekpo still being on the roster. It's been said by Bliss and the FO that Rogers and Ekpo were going to ply their trade overseas. He's definetly out of contract with us at this time... I can tell you that much. We haven't resigned him at this time. We protected Rodgers in the expansion draft to keep his rights if he were to come back to MLS, but we left Ekpo out there, so he's basically what would amount to a "free agent" in MLS. Me thinks its a typo, but who knows.

 

[BuckTwenty]

Also, just saw that Andres Mendoza will join Mexican club Atlante FC (linky- in spanish). To Atlante, I say "Good luck with that".

 

[BuckTwenty]

Columbus just signed Chad Marshall to a contract extension that will keep him in Black & Gold through the 2015 season.



:cheers:

 

[IronBuckI]

Rogers' agent is saying that he could still stay in Columbus. I don't hate Rogers like a lot of people do, but I think that he only makes us marginally better, and his presence is keeping younger guys from developing. Also, I think that his career has become stagnant, and he needs some new challenges. If the rumors about him going to Leeds are true, then I feel that would be the best thing for him. Leeds is currently in sixth place in the Championship, and is in the promotion playoff hunt. In my IMO, it really would be good for everyone involved if Rogers moved on.

 

[TooTall]

Rogers' agent is saying that he could still stay in Columbus. I don't hate Rogers like a lot of people do, but I think that he only makes us marginally better, and his presence is keeping younger guys from developing. Also, I think that his career has become stagnant, and he needs some new challenges. If the rumors about him going to Leeds are true, then I feel that would be the best thing for him. Leeds is currently in sixth place in the Championship, and is in the promotion playoff hunt. In my IMO, it really would be good for everyone involved if Rogers moved on.

Agreed. He needs some playing time overseas to improve on his game. He's not doing anything to improve by playing for the Crew in my IMO.

 

[BuckTwenty]

Rogers' agent is saying that he could still stay in Columbus. I don't hate Rogers like a lot of people do, but I think that he only makes us marginally better, and his presence is keeping younger guys from developing. Also, I think that his career has become stagnant, and he needs some new challenges. If the rumors about him going to Leeds are true, then I feel that would be the best thing for him. Leeds is currently in sixth place in the Championship, and is in the promotion playoff hunt. In my IMO, it really would be good for everyone involved if Rogers moved on.

Well said. A good change of scenery for everybody involved.

That said, makes me wonder with Rogers' agent saying what he did, maybe talks aren't going well with other clubs?

 

[TooTall]

Not Crew related, but MLS related.

Kasey Keller on the state of the MLS

Basically tells ESPN like it is about lack of coverage. I like this guy. (hated him when he was a Flounder though.)

 

[BuckTwenty]

More MLS related stuff: Scuttlebutt that Ronaldinho could replace Beckham in LA. (french link)

(translated to English)

Thursday, December 22, 2011 12:45
At the heart of a big business between the agency Traffic, which pays most of his salary, and his club Flamengo (Brazil D1), Ronaldinho could leave the club in 2012. According to our information, the international playmaker aged 31 years is again in the sights of Los Angeles Galaxy, which could well lose David Beckham, bound for Paris Saint-Germain, after losing Juninho, returned to Sao Paulo FC . The champion of the United States would be willing to pay him an annual salary of around $ 10 million dollars (7.6 million euros).

Wow. IF this were to happen...

 

[Merih]

More MLS related stuff: Scuttlebutt that Ronaldinho could replace Beckham in LA. (french link)

(translated to English)



Wow. IF this were to happen...

It would be sold out arenas nationwide.

 

[TooTall]

More MLS related stuff: Scuttlebutt that Ronaldinho could replace Beckham in LA. (french link)

(translated to English)



Wow. IF this were to happen...

While these other MLS teams may not have the payrolls LA has, it's becoming a trend, they've GOT to sign a player who's been successful overseas. NY has Henry, LA has Donovan, Keane, and Beckham. I hope, if Super Pippo still wants to play, he come to the MLS. Maybe not on Crew, but in the MLS. He'd be great for more international exposure.