Columbus Crew Soccer Club is an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. Crew SC competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference. Crew SC began play in 1996 as one of the ten charter clubs of the league. The team is owned by Anthony Precourt and Precourt Sports Ventures LLC. Precourt became the second owner in the history of the club on July 30, 2013. The club's head coach is Gregg Berhalter, a former player of the United States men's national soccer team.
The franchise was founded in 1994 and originally known as the Columbus Crew, without any markers of its membership as a soccer club, until late 2014, when the club revealed a new logo and the addition of "SC" to its moniker. The "SC" in the team moniker stands for "Soccer Club", but the team name is officially "Columbus Crew SC".
The Crew currently plays its home games at MAPFRE Stadium (known as Columbus Crew Stadium until 2015), the first soccer-specific stadium ever built for a MLS team, with a seating capacity of 19,968 as of the 2015 season. From 1996 to 1998, Crew SC played its home games at Ohio Stadium on the campus of The Ohio State University. In 2014, the club's 19th season at MAPFRE Stadium, the Black & Gold set club attendance records for both most cumulative attendance and most sellouts.
The Crew has won five major trophies: MLS Cup 2008, the 2004, 2008, and 2009 Supporters' Shields, and the 2002 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The Black & Gold have qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League (or its predecessor, the CONCACAF Champions' Cup) three times, reaching the quarterfinals each time.
Maps, Directions, and Place Reviews
History
The Beginning: 1994-1998
On June 15, 1994, Major League Soccer announced that Columbus, Ohio, would be home to one of the ten founding members of the new top flight North American professional soccer league. Columbus had promised construction of a soccer-specific stadium and had sold over 12,000 season ticket deposits. MLS investor Lamar Hunt, and his son Clark became the owners of both the Columbus Crew and Kansas City Wizards in 1996. The first players for the Crew were South African national team veteran Doctor Khumalo, by assignment, and Brian McBride. McBride was selected as the first overall pick in MLS's first draft in 1996. Former U.S. National Team coach Timo Liekoski would be the team's head coach for its first season.
The Crew played their first game on April 13, 1996 in front of a home crowd of 25,266 in Ohio Stadium against D.C. United and won 4-0. Columbus would struggle, however, winning only 5 of their next 21 games. After the 6-16 start, Tom Fitzgerald replaced head coach Liekoski. The Crew, under Fitzgerald, won 9 of their last 10 games to finish fourth in the Eastern Conference. They went on to lose in the conference playoff semifinals.
The Black & Gold finished 15-17 in both 1997 and 1998, which put them in third and fourth place, respectively, in the Eastern Conference. Each season ended with losses in the Conference Finals to D.C. United. The Crew reached the 1998 U.S. Open Cup Final, which was postponed due to a hurricane and controversially relocated from Virginia Beach to Soldier Field in Chicago then the home of Chicago Fire, who won the match 2 to 1 after extra time. Stern John, in his first of two seasons with Columbus, was the 1998 scoring champion, amassing 26 goals and 5 assists.
A New Home: 1999-2003
Columbus' 1999 season began with the opening of Columbus Crew Stadium, the first soccer-specific stadium in the United States. Columbus won their first game in the stadium, 2-0, against New England Revolution in front of a sell-out crowd of 24,741. Columbus would finish in second place in at 19-13, but would lose in the conference finals to D.C. United for the third straight season. The 1999 season was the last for Stern John who scored 52 goals in 65 games for the club. The team had the lowest goals against average in the Eastern Conference, and Mark Dougherty became the first goalkeeper in league history to record 50 wins, with a 4-2 win over the MetroStars on August 18, 1999 at Giants Stadium.
Dante Washington was acquired from the Dallas Burn to replace John, but his 13 goals in 2000 was not enough to propel the Crew to the playoffs. For the first time, Columbus failed to reach the postseason. Columbus got off to a slow 1-3-2 start in 2001, which led to the replacement of coach Tom Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald, who had coached 161 of the Crew's first 183 MLS matches over parts of six seasons between 1996 and 2001, was replaced by Greg Andrulis. Andrulis would lead the Black & Gold to a 2nd-place finish in 2001 but the team was ousted from the playoffs in the league quarterfinals.
In 2002, Columbus would win the U.S. Open Cup for the first time in team history. They advanced to the finals by beating the Richmond Kickers, NY/NJ MetroStars, and Kansas City Wizards. In the final, they beat LA Galaxy, who had just won the MLS Cup earlier in the week. Freddy García scored the only goal and keeper Jon Busch posted the shutout in Columbus's 1-0 win. It was the first championship in team history. The Crew finished 11-12-5 in the regular season and finished in a tie for first place. They lost in the league semi-finals to New England. Kyle Martino won rookie of the year in 2002, a first for the Crew. By winning the 2002 U.S. Open Cup, Columbus received a bid to play in the 2003 CONCACAF Champions' Cup. They advanced to the second round by beating Árabe Unido (Panama) 4-2 on aggregate in the first round before losing to Monarcas Morelia, 6-2. McBride would play his final season with Columbus in 2003 before joining Fulham of the Premier League.
Transitions: 2004-2006
With the departure of McBride, Columbus added Robin Fraser and Simon Elliott to the club. These additions proved to be vital as Fraser went on to win the Defender of the Year award in 2004. The Crew set a franchise record for points, 49, by going 12-5-13, thanks in part to an 18-game unbeaten streak (8-0-10) to end the season. Despite winning the Supporters' Shield for best record in the league, the club would be eliminated from the MLS Cup in the Eastern Conference semi-finals. In his last season for the Black & Gold, Jeff Cunningham scored his 62nd goal, which tied him with McBride for the franchise record.
Over both of the next two seasons, Columbus battled injuries to several players and struggled to win games. Despite winning the MLS Coach of the Year Award in 2004, Andrulis was replaced on an interim basis by Robert Warzycha midway through the 2005 season. After missing playoffs in the 2005 season, the club would hire former L.A. Galaxy and UCLA head coach Sigi Schmid. Schmid had won an MLS Cup and U.S. Open Championship in six seasons with Galaxy. Warzycha remained on staff under Schmid. In 2006, the Crew went on a 13-game winless streak (0-7-6) between June 10 and August 19. The season ended on a tragic note when team founder and owner Lamar Hunt died on December 14, 2006.
The Barros Schelotto era: 2007-2010
The 2007 season in Major League Soccer started with news that global icon David Beckham signed with the Los Angeles Galaxy. The Crew followed suit by signing Guillermo Barros Schelotto on April 19, 2007. Columbus also signed forward Alejandro Moreno to bolster its attack. Even with these new players, the Crew still missed the playoffs in 2007.
In 2008, the Crew won its first MLS Cup. Led by Barros Schelotto, who scored seven goals and had 19 assists and won the MLS Most Valuable Player Award, the team also won its second Supporters' Shield. After going 17-7-6 in the regular season, the Black & Gold won playoff games against Kansas City and Chicago Fire before beating the New York Red Bulls 3-1 in the final. Chad Marshall won MLS Defender of the Year award, and Sigi Schmid won Coach of the Year.
After the 2008 season, Sigi Schmid left Columbus to coach the Seattle Sounders, and the team named former player and assistant coach Robert Warzycha head coach. In 2009, Barros Schelotto was rewarded with the honor of becoming the franchise's first Designated Player. The club went 13-7-10 in the regular season, good enough for 49 points and their second consecutive Supporters' Shield. The Crew was eliminated by Real Salt Lake in the two-legged Eastern Conference Semi-finals, 4-2 on aggregate. Chad Marshall won his second consecutive MLS Defender of the Year award.
Columbus started the 2010 season in the CONCACAF Champions League. They reached the quarterfinals, but lost to Toluca FC of Mexico in March. The club finished the season 14-8-8, but lost in the quarter-finals of the MLS Cup to the Colorado Rapids. The Crew lost 2-1 in the 2010 U.S. Open Cup Final at Qwest Field, home of Seattle Sounders.
Warzycha's Final Years: 2011-2013
In 2011, the Crew finished ninth in the league at 13-13-8 and lost in the wild card round of the playoffs to the Colorado Rapids.
In 2012, the club finished sixth in the Eastern Conference with a 15-12-7 record. They narrowly missed the playoffs.
On September 2, 2013 the Crew parted ways with Head Coach Robert Warzycha after an embarrassing home loss to the Seattle Sounders, combined with a highly frustrated fanbase. Brian Bliss, the Crew's technical director, took over as interim head coach. This effectively ended his stay with the club since 1996, when he joined the club as a player.
The Precourt era: 2013-present
On July 30, 2013, Anthony Precourt became the second investor-operator in the history of the club. Precourt wasted little time in getting to work by upgrading portions of Crew Stadium, as well as evolving the team's brand in a way that identified with the city of Columbus, all within his first 15 months with the club.
On November 6, 2013, Precourt announced that Gregg Berhalter would be the club's new head coach. Berhalter also became the first sporting director in club history.
The 2014 season saw Columbus return to the postseason for the first time since 2011. Under Berhalter, the Crew finished the year 14-10-10, good enough for the third seed in the Eastern Conference of the MLS Cup Playoffs.
The Crew also sent two of its players to the 2014 FIFA World Cup, center back Giancarlo Gonzalez and left back Waylon Francis, who both represented Costa Rica during the tournament. Gonzalez was hailed for his performance, being named to ESPN's Best XI of the group stage.
Berhalter was nominated for 2014 MLS Head Coach of the Year. Likewise, goalkeeper Steve Clark was nominated for 2014 Goalkeeper of the Year and Michael Parkhurst won the Individual Fair Play Award for the third time.
Off the field, the Black & Gold announced sports industry veteran Andy Loughnane as its new President of Business Operations on August 16, 2014. The team set the all-time attendance record and sellout record for a single season at Crew Stadium. The combination of the club's on-field success and off-field resurgence capped a successful full first year for Precourt and Berhalter.
On October 8, 2014, the Precourt ownership changed the name and logo of the club, changing the name from "Columbus Crew" to "Columbus Crew SC."
The beginning of the 2015 season started in late 2014 with the return of Kei Kamara. Kamara proved to be beneficial as he scored 22 regular season goals and 4 playoff goals. Along with Kamara, Ethan Finlay and Waylon Francis received spots in the MLS All-Star game versus English Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur. On September 26, 2015, Crew SC hosted their largest sellout crowd since 2008 with an announced attendance of 22,719. Crew SC came into the playoffs with a bye in the first round after securing second place in the Eastern Conference. Following the Eastern Conference semifinal and final match-ups, Crew SC played host to the Portland Timbers in the 2015 MLS Cup Final. This was the club's second-ever MLS Cup Final appearance after the 2008 MLS Cup championship. The Crew was upset by the Portland Timbers at home following the 2-1 loss. All three goals were scored in the first half including the lone Crew SC goal scored by Kamara. Kamara was nominated for the Landon Donovan MLS MVP Award. Kamara was also nominated for and won the MLS WORKS Humanitarian of the Year Award. Wil Trapp was nominated for the MLS Comeback Player of the Year Award.
Columbus Crew Youth Soccer Video
Colors and badge
The official colors of Columbus Crew SC are black and gold. Columbus' usual primary jersey is predominately bright yellow with black trim, and has been nicknamed the "banana kit" or "canary kit" by fans.
The alternate uniform has historically been black. In the latter part of the 2000s, The Crew began shifting more towards a white uniform with yellow and black trim or stripes. Even so, the away uniforms are seldom worn by The Crew due to the strong favor shown to the traditional home uniform; and also due to the fact that the historically black jerseys compound the summer heat in the United States climate. For the 2015 season, Crew SC has returned to a black jersey for its alternate uniform.
Prior to the initial MLS season a citywide public contest was created to decide the name for the team, the very first entry was a hit, and the Columbus Crew was born.
The club badge from 1996 to 2014 was unique amongst MLS teams in that it featured people, containing three silhouetted males wearing construction hats beneath a stylized "Crew" wordmark. The logo was intended to represent a crew of hard working people, much like the hard-working, blue collar image the city of Columbus cultivates.
Citing a disconnect between what the crest stood for and the 21st-century identity of the city of Columbus, owner Anthony Precourt initiated a rebrand upon assuming ownership in 2013. Precourt said that Columbus was no longer a true blue collar town, and that the industrial/manufacturing motif was no longer representative. In fact, Columbus had grown into a 21st-century city and become much more "dynamic and diverse."
On October 8, 2014, the Crew unveiled a new badge. The new circular-shaped badge features the club's classic black and gold colors, a minimized original crest with "96" overlaid on top, and the black and gold checkerboard pattern predominantly seen on flags waving in the Nordecke. A great deal of symbolism was packed into the new badge. The horizontal stripes are representative of the ten original MLS franchises, and the shield is an homage to the club's original badge with the 96 representing 1996 -- the club's first year in competition. The inset "O" in the badge mimics the same shape found in Ohio state flag, a nod to Columbus's role as the state's capital city. Finally, as a significant point of pride for the city of Columbus, "Columbus" was added to the new badge, along with "SC" to further define the brand more accurately as a soccer club.
The club's nickname, the Crew, also evolved from its original meaning as a hard-working construction crew to a new, more relevant one as "a tight-knit group of people who come together to share a passion for our club and the sport of soccer." The nickname, Crew, is now meant to symbolize a unique brand of family and friendship between the club, the fans and the communities who unite to embrace and celebrate the authenticity and heritage of the sport.
With the rebrand, the club also identified three brand pillars: original, energetic, and authentically Columbus, in an effort to celebrate its history as a team of firsts - first club in Major League Soccer, first soccer-specific stadium, first major professional championship for Columbus - its youthful, passionate energy, as well as Columbus's young, progressive culture.
Stadium
On May 15, 1999, the Crew opened Columbus Crew Stadium, the first soccer-specific stadium in Major League Soccer, as the Crew beat the New England Revolution 2-0 before a sold-out crowd of 24,741. It has been the model stadium for the rest of the league, and one of the stadiums used by the United States national team in World Cup qualifying. In 2015, the naming rights for the stadium were purchased by Madrid-based insurance company Mapfre, whose U.S headquarters is in Boston and who maintain a regional office in Columbus.
Previously, the Columbus Crew played their home games at the 102,000-capacity Ohio Stadium, home of the Ohio State Buckeyes college football team. They ended with a 33-20 record while playing there.
The team has also played U.S. Open Cup games at two other stadiums: two games in 2005 and 2016 at the Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, also owned by the Ohio State University and home of the OSU soccer teams; and one in 2014 at the FirstEnergy Stadium-Cub Cadet Field on the campus of the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio.
Revenue and Profitability
Having lost money in 2011, in 2012 the Crew identified three financial goals with the aim of achieving financial stability. First, the team wanted a different jersey sponsor, which it achieved when they reached a deal with Barbasol. Second, the team wanted to sell naming rights to Columbus Crew Stadium, hoping for $15 million over 10 years. Third, the Crew had announced in September 2011 that it aimed to increase season-ticket sales from its current levels (later revealed to be 4,000) to 10,000. By November 2012, Crew season tickets were at 6,000, and by August 2013, the Crew had surpassed 7,000 season ticket holders.
Under Precourt Sports Ventures, Anthony Precourt, and Andy Loughnane, Crew SC's goals have shifted from exclusively focusing on season ticket sales to selling out MAPFRE Stadium. In 2014, the club set all-time stadium attendance records for highest overall attendance and most sellouts in one season. Loughnane confirmed that the club was trending to increase its season ticket membership by 1,000 members per year and also stated his intent for the club to assimilate into the corporate community and fan culture, adding that he believes this transformation is happening rapidly. On March 3, 2015, Crew SC announced that they had agreed to a multimillion-dollar stadium naming rights partnership with MAPFRE Insurance, a first for the stadium. In 2015, Crew SC and EAS Sports Nutrition agreed to a naming rights deal for its training facilities. Merchandise sales grew double digits since the previous year, as did food and beverage sales. It was also announced that the club gained over 1,000 new season ticket members from the previous year.
Sponsors
Glidden was the Crew's shirt sponsor from 2008 to 2010, a deal worth $1 million per year. In early 2012, they signed a five-year deal with Barbasol, which is based in Dublin, Ohio, for an undisclosed fee.
In late February 2017, Columbus Crew SC signed a three-year deal with Acura, making the company the Official Jersey Partner and the Official Automotive Partner of the team. The deal was also as the largest annual commercial transaction in club history.
Club culture
Supporters: The Nordecke Transformation
Before the 2008 season, the Columbus Crew front office demolished the north stands where the most ardent of Crew supporters stood, in order to build a stage that would provide additional revenue by facilitating concerts and other events. Prior to this, the team's three supporters groups (Crew Supporters Union, Hudson Street Hooligans, and La Turbina Amarilla) sat apart because of differences between the groups ranging from age to ethnicity. The building of the stage forced the groups to come together into the north corner of the stadium, forming one large block of vocal and artistic support. Putting their differences aside, the three groups formed the Nordecke ( ) which is German for "north corner", celebrating the city's German heritage.
In 2006 a large contingency of fans from the Nordecke began traveling together to support the Crew during their away campaigns. In late 2009/early 2010 the term "NorOnTour" grew popular on social networking, to describe the frequent fan traveling support.
Mascot
The Columbus Crew SC's first Mascot was "Crew Cat", who have been the franchise's Mascot for almost 20 years. Columbus' official mascot is "S.C", who is the son of the original mascot for Columbus Crew, "Crew Cat" that was introduced for the 2015 MLS season.
Rivalries
The Crew has a rivalry with the Chicago Fire. Columbus is roughly a six-hour drive away from Chicago. Due to the relative close proximity of the two cities, it is not uncommon for supporters of both teams to make the trip to support their club in matches between the two. In the 2008 season, Columbus defeated Chicago in the Eastern Conference Championship match. In 1998, Chicago defeated Columbus for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
MLS frames matches between Toronto FC and Columbus as a rivalry, creating a trophy called the Trillium Cup, awarded to the team that wins the season series. The Crew contests F.C. Dallas for the Lamar Hunt Pioneer Cup. Lamar Hunt was the owner of both of these teams until his death.
Some FC Cincinnati supporters claim the Crew as a rival, although most Columbus supporters do not consider it a rivalry. The match is currently called the "Hell Is Real" match, based on a Christian billboard along I-71. The two sides first met in a 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match in front of 30,000 spectators, the largest non-final crowd for an Open Cup fixture.
Broadcasting
For the 2016 season, Crew SC games will continue to air on TWC Sports Channel (now Spectrum Sports), but will also be simulcast on Sinclair Broadcast Group-operated stations in Columbus. The majority of games will air on The CW affiliate WWHO, but selected games will also air on WSYX, WTTE, and WSYX's MyNetworkTV subchannel. Dwight Burgess and Neil Sika serve as co-hosts.
In March 2016 Crew SC announced a regional television simulcast partnership that expands the club's cable distribution via Buckeye CableSystem. In addition to the Black & Gold's partnership with The CW Columbus, FOX-28, ABC-6, MyTV Columbus and Time Warner Cable SportsChannel, Crew SC regionally televised matches are simulcast on BCSN2 for Buckeye CableSystem subscribers in the Toledo and Sandusky, Ohio areas.
English radio broadcasts can again be heard on 102.5 WWCD-FM with simulcast audio from Burgess and Sika. Spanish radio broadcasts can be heard on 103.1 FM WVKO-FM with Juan Valladares calling all home and road games.
Players and staff
Current roster
Out on loan
Coaching staff
Crew SC Academy
Executive staff
Head coach history
Crew SC have had six different head coaches since joining the league in 1996. Timo Liekoski, the only Finnish head coach in MLS history, was the first head coach in 1996, but started 6-16 and was fired midseason to be replaced by Tom Fitzgerald. Sigi Schmid managed the team for three seasons (2006-08) Robert Warzycha was the head coach twice, the first time on an interim basis prior to Schmid's arrival and then immediately after Schmid left until September 2, 2013, when he was fired and Brian Bliss became the interim coach. On November 16, 2013 it was announced that Gregg Berhalter would become the Head Coach as well as the first Sporting Director in club history.
Fitzgerald and Warzycha are currently tied for the all-time leader in regular season wins (70).
General manager and sporting director history
Honors
- MLS Fair Play Award (5): 1997, 1999, 2004, 2007, 2016
Record
- All-time regular season record: 270-257-135 (Through end of 2016 regular season)
Year-by-year
* Won MLS Supporters Shield
+ Made the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Giants Cup which was held instead of the CONCACAF Champions' Cup in 2001
International tournaments
- 2001 CONCACAF Giants Cup
- 2003 CONCACAF Champions' Cup
- 2009-10 CONCACAF Champions League
- 2010-11 CONCACAF Champions League
Columbus holds a 12-6-3 all-time record in international friendlies.
Player records
Appearances
Bold denotes players still playing for the club.
Source: Columbus Crew SC Stat Page
Goals
Bold denotes players still playing for the club.
Source: Columbus Crew SC Stat Page
Assists
Bold denotes players still playing for the club.
Source: Columbus Crew SC Stat Page
Shutouts
Bold denotes players still playing for the club.
Source: Columbus Crew SC Stat Page
Average attendance
- All-time highest attendance for a home game: 31,550 on September 15, 1996 at Ohio Stadium.
Affiliations
- Pittsburgh Riverhounds - United Soccer League (2nd division)
- Michigan Bucks - Premier Development League (4th division)
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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