Massive Report - All Posts

[PODCAST] The Story Of The Improbable Win

2013-06-18T02:11:29Z

THE CREW BEAT MONTREAL. Well, that was unexpected!!! Was that the team that we should have been watching all year or was it just our 2013 anomaly. The podcast staff this week is joined by long time Crew fan and observer, Jim Bach. The staff is also joined by Australian correspondent Chris Edwards. The group discusses the win over Montreal, the loss to Chicago in the U.S. Open Cup, and previews the upcoming Chicago match in league competition. There were some mini rants, but they were nicely brought together in the lightening round.

Podcast Powered By Podbean

And Now, The End Is Here...

2013-06-16T22:46:51Z

Sometimes I wonder what is real and what is a dream. It's far easier to live in a dream world and not have to deal with reality. Alas, that would be utopia, which we all know does not exist. The trick, my friends, is to take it one step at a time and hope for the best. One calculated foot in front of the other, always striving to do better and to be better. But, when mediocrity is accepted as the norm, you are doomed. There's not enough scotch to deal with Doom. The hole that was (and still is) being dug is getting exponentially larger with each passing day.

Although human emotions generally tend to overshadow reason, there comes a time when one must say, enough is enough. Who, in a position of power, has the cojones to step up and declare "Enough is ENOUGH"? When was being mediocre an acceptable happenstance for a professional soccer club? A perennial "mid-table team" is just going through the motions, which equals mediocrity any way you slice it. That's not to say that it can't be changed. It can. Fortitude, willpower, cojones and a burning desire to make money (an American pastime, most assuredly) are what it will take to rise from the primordial ooze of mediocrity.

Thus, we have arrived at the crux of the biscuit. There are three quotes from Robert Warzycha that jumped out and slapped me across the face, reinforcing the notion of someone who seems to have lost touch. Either that, or I'm watching a totally different series of games than he is. The first came from the beginning of the dip in the level of play when asked if he was frustrated about not winning. "I'm not frustrated", he said. "Really?", I thought at the time. The Black and Gold had just lost lost 2-0, at home, to Colorado. I thought my head might explode from that statement, coupled with the fact that losing 2-0 at home didn't seem to faze him. It must be the Eastern European stoicism that was instilled in him from a very young age growing up behind the Iron Curtain. Look it up, kids. It was real.

The second quote to leave me pondering just what was going on inside that melon of his, came after the 2-1 win in the Third Round of the U.S. Open Cup (at home) vs the Dayton Dutch Lions. This was a Dayton squad that played with a 10 man team for the better part of 76 minutes. This was also the match where Eddie Gaven was stretchered off the field with an ACL injury. He said, I'm glad THAT'S over...", to start his press conference. This was a team that they should have beaten, without all of the drama.

The third, and final quote, comes from the post-match press conference after beating Montreal (top of the table in the East) 2-0 at Crew Stadium. "The game didn't look different from the games we played at home before. The difference was the goals", Robert said. "If you remember the game against Colorado, against New York, against Houston, I think they were good games." And "BOOM", my head exploded. Could I really be hearing from him that he thought they were "good games"? Against Colorado, they lost 2-0. Against New York, they lost 1-0. And, against Houston, they tied 1-1. All of these were at home. They lost on aggregate, at home, 4-1 in a 30 day span.

These instances, on the surface and alone wouldn't necessarily call for the coach's head on a silver platter. But, taken in the larger context of his tenure as the "Head Tylzycki in Charge", you must realize that it is time for the Crew to cut the umbilical cord and move on. Doctors in maternity wards do this on a daily basis. It really is a simple process. SNIP!!, and you move on.

Now why would I say that Robert Warzycha must go? If all of you don't already know the answer, maybe it's time to look at some history. Bear with me, you'll be a more educated fan for it.

Having played, and been an assistant coach, for the Crew since the inaugural season in 1996, Robert Warzycha was elevated to the head coach position in 2009. In the four and a half years since taking the reigns, full time, of the Crew, he has won exactly ONE piece of silverware (Supporters Shield, 2009). In that time, he has not advanced past the Conference Semifinals in the MLS. He has advanced to the Final in the U.S. Open Cup only once (and the Round of 16 twice), before bowing out. And, he has failed to qualify two out of four years for the CONCACAF Champions Cup/Champions League, advancing to the Quarterfinal round twice before bowing out.

Add to this the fact that his record as a coach is mid-table, at best. He's 60-45-38 (2009 through 6/15/13) in regular season MLS games. That is the record of a coach that is serviceable for a mid-table coach. That is NOT the record of a coach whose President and GM states at the beginning of the season, that they are making gainful strides towards the clubs goal of 10,000 season ticket sales and says that they want to WIN the MLS Cup at the end of the season.

Add to that, between 2009 and 2012, they have an average attendance of 13,905. It doesn't show a sharp drop off in numbers, but it is trending downwards. The club cannot hope to reach their 10K Goal on the backs of fickle and casual mid-west fans that ask "What have you won for me lately?"

Are you still with me? Did you refill your beverage of choice for the end bit? You did? Good.

This all brings our long and convoluted journey back to the game on June 15, 2013 against Montreal. It all started in the concrete jungle, among the tents of various fans and supporters groups. Walking with trepidation, lest any ogres jump out and attempt to bite me, I observed the masses in their natural game day habitat. While one fan slapped a brat in my hand and many others tried to bribe me with beer, I searched out the leadership of the three main supporters groups. I hoped that they might shed some insight into what their members were thinking and feeling about the club. Don't get me wrong, I knew they were ardent supporters. But, I also knew that they had opinions longing to be set free.

After what seemed like hours, I stumbled upon the Crew Supporters Union (est. 2006) tent and dragged their President (since 2007), John Clem, away from that throng of humanity. Thrusting a beer into his hand as I edged my recorder closer to him, he began to speak. "Our official stance is that we try not to be too antagonistic, either way, because we're always trying to support the team. At least at this point in time. We know that our members aren't happy. As an individual, I'm not thrilled with the direction the team is currently headed." Being the political beast that he is, and I don't fault him for this, he gave very "spin-like" answers. He's doing what's best for the group. But, knowing this about him, I also knew that he would be a tough nut to crack.

Enough with being oblique, it was time to hit him point blank. Besides the coach, I asked him if there were other changes that could or should be made. "I know that people want to be hard on (Mark) McCullers, and I get that. HSG (Hunt Sports Group, owners of the Crew) tells him to focus on the business. I don't think he's involved in the day-to-day operations, that falls to Warzycha and Bliss. I feel like the blame falls to them for that. But first, you have to question some of the choices about who gets on the field on a day-to-day basis. Are you playing the best people in the best positions?"

He closed with this, "We've got to do something better than what we're currently doing." Which is astute, to say the least. I thanked him for taking the time to speak with me, before thrusting another beer in his hand and weaving my way through the sea of humanity surrounding his corner of the world.

Dodging the rows of corn-hole games in progress amid this sea of tailgating nirvana, I sought out the masked leadership of the Hudson Street Hooligans (est. 2006). No names, as it was all very hush-hush. Interestingly, I found the skull on his mask disturbingly comforting. I found him holding court above a bevy of members that listened with rapt attention to every word that slithered from his lips. Glowering at me like I was some two-bit wanna-be, he told me his tale of discontent.

"I think it's past time", he said of firing Robert Warzycha. "At this point, it's no longer about performance on the field. Robert Warzycha is impacting the ability of this club to turn a profit." Well, what do you think about that, I thought. I've hit the mother lode. "He's impacting the ability to sell tickets. He's impacting the ability of the club in reaching Mark McCuller's goal of Goal 10K. I think that Robert Warzycha is severely impacting the ability of the club to make money."

The true feelings of the hardcore supporters was standing before me, in all of its' glory. These are the hard-working people who spend their discretionary money on buying Crew tickets, week after week. As for the allegations of collusion between the Crew and FC Dallas (both owned by HSG), he said "This is Hunt Sports Group taking power and giving it from one brother to another. FC Dallas is in the chase for an MLS Cup. The Crew is all but done in 2013. This was nothing more than family helping family. The members of the Hooligans have enough smarts to call it the bullshit that it is. It is collusion"

With my head reeling, I spun away from him and went in search of a beer. The supporters knew more than what many in the media would give them credit for. As I used my superior powers of olfactory prowess, the Modelo scent was wafting my way and marking the trek to my final destination of the consigliere to whom I was speaking with today. It was calling me to La Turbina Amarilla (est 2006), home of great food, good beer and footy passion that formed the fabric of their culture. The Latin American "flair" was what I most wanted (and needed) to hear.

The soaring scent of grilling meat and tortillas was making my mouth glisten like water flowing over the Hoover Dam. With the drums beating a tattoo of chants into my skull, I did my best to keep my mind focused on the task at hand. "This year, at the beginning of the season, we had high hopes", Blanca Rico said to me, "And now, I think that our members think that a change in the coaching staff would definitely be beneficial. In order to make effective change, you have to make several changes. That includes Front Office, Coaches and sometimes, unfortunately, players."

Tomas Quintana expounded on Blanca's remarks. "The futbol, or soccer, culture in Latin America... if you do badly for 5 or 8 games, everybody revolts. Here, it seems like everybody is like 'let's give him a chance' and he always has excuses like 'We had chances, but we couldn't make it happen'. But, once it starts sounding like the same tape being played after every game, after a while we wondered 'are they focused on winning or do they know they already sold us tickets for the season, so...'

"I can't speak for the other (supporters) groups, but I believe they, as well as us, have had a decline in membership. The loyal core will come out, no matter how bad the team plays. We're supporters and not just fans. We're here for the good and the bad. I remarked that it seemed as if Robert Warzycha had a double edged sword held against his throat, to which he replied, "If he doesn't put out a lineup to win the US (Open) Cup, people give him a hard time about that. But if he does and an injury happens, everybody hates him for it. But, you want him to play to win."

"Overall, I would say that he's had a chance, he tore apart the squad that everybody loved with the promise of young talent coming up, but he mismanaged that talent. He left us wondering, what is the outlook? What is he looking to get out of this?" At this point, I was a pile of goo. The supporters are way more knowledgeable than most people give them credit for. I suspected this. My talks with these people confirmed my suspicions.

As I stumbled toward the confines of the relative safety of Crew Stadium, I tried to process all of the heated, varied and hotly contested opinions that I had just heard within the circumference of my cerebral synapses. There was but one conclusion that could be derived from not only the supporters, but also from the historical record of the last 4.5 years of the present coach. Robert Warzycha's time as the head coach of the Columbus Crew is at an end. In America, it's all about the Benjamin's. "Show me the money", as the saying goes, holds much weight. Hunt Sports Group does this to make money. The end of the "Warzycha Era" is here. It is time to cut the cord and move on.

[PHOTOS] Columbus Crew vs Montreal Impact

2013-06-16T05:27:49Z

View this gallery here.

Columbus Crew Beat Montreal Impact In Decisive Fashion

2013-06-16T03:05:20Z

After being blown out in Philadelphia and a nightmare trip to Chicago, the Crew were on the ropes. A home date against the Eastern Conference leaders Montreal Impact coming off of an off week was a recipe for yet another home loss, but it was the Black and Gold that came out strong and eased their way to a 2-0 win in front of the biggest crowd of the season at Crew Stadium.

The Crew got on the board early as Matias Sanchez picked up a loose ball from a fouled Dominic Oduro and then fired a shot towards goal. The shot was clipped and was redirected into the net. It was the second fastest score on the year for the Crew.

Oduro nearly doubled the lead in the 15th minute after receiving a slicing cross from Federico Higuain. Troy Perkins parried the close range shot just wide. The Impact would likewise be stymied by the Goalkeeper as Andy Gruenebaum kick saved Andrew Wenger's open shot.

Oduro would get his goal halfway through the first half. He would strip the ball from Collen Warner and sprinted towards the Impact goal. He eluded the chasing defense and side footed a finish past Perkins for his seventh goal of the year.

The Impact would settle and press to cut the lead pressing the Crew defense. Wenger would get another chance late in the half, but he put his shot well over from a tight angle and Montreal was kept off the board in the first half.

The Crew would regroup after the break and keep hold of possession better coming out of the locker room. The Impact offense had gained confidence in the first half struggled again as the Crew played the best defense, possession offense. They didn't test Perkins, but Columbus kept the Impact from any offensive rhythm.

Even though it was Montreal that was pressing to get back into the game, the best chances of the second half would fall to the Crew on the counterattack. Higuain found Oduro on the breakaway, but the Ghanian's half volley was parried by Perkins. Higuain would once again lead the break, but his looping volley from 30 yards cleared the crossbar by 10 feet.

The Crew moved to 5-5-5 on the year. Their 20 points puts them in a tie for sixth place, two points out of the final playoff spot. After all that had gone wrong in June, Columbus has a chance to right the ship. They face Chicago next week at home before heading to a pivotal matchup with Sporting Kansas City. Two dates with Eastern Conference foes gives them a shot at moving further up the table. Now they just need to win.

Game Day 15: Columbus Crew v. Montreal Impact

2013-06-15T14:48:15Z

Tonight's game is a study in contrast. One team has had two weeks off to rest, the other played just over two days ago. One team is at the top of the standings, the other is dropping well behind the playoff pace. Yes, the Impact are coming to play the Crew.

The Lineup: No Jairo Arrieta, Glauber picked up a torn ACL against Chicago and the best case is that Josh Williams and Chad Marshall may be ready to return. Either way, Robert Warzycha is going to switch it up. GK: Gruenebaum; Wahl, Gehrig, Marshall, Williams; O'Rourke, Sanchez; Meram, Higuain, Oduro; Schoenfeld

Crew on Offense: Score goals. Well, more likely finish chances. The Crew are solid at creating chances and getting them on goal. They are 7th in the league in both categories, but they are 12th in scoring. Troy Perkins and the Impact defense have been stout this year with Perkins especially being sharp.

The other key is to get Higuain space to work with. Oduro has been good at extending the defense, but Aaron Schoenfeld provides holdup play and allows the Crew to play the direct style they are accustomed to. Schoenfeld put in a good shift during the second half of the Philly disaster a week and a half ago. With Schoenfeld holding up the ball, it allows Oduro and Higuain to work off of him.

Crew on Defense: Marco Di Vaio is a clinical finisher. He knows how to time a trap and will do it tonight. The key will be to limit the amount of times he's able to do that and that means cutting off supply.

The problem is that the Impact have to many players that can get a pass off. Patrice Bernier is a quintessential deep lying playmaker, Felipe is gifted at finding the right ball to play, and Justin Mapp has found a good run of form. The Crew will have to be strong in midfield.

Final Walkthrough:

Montreal 2 - Crew 0

Glauber Tears ACL; Out For the Year

2013-06-15T04:13:32Z

The Crew lost Glauber to a knee injury in the sixth minute of the Open Cup on Thursday, yesterday the Crew confirmed that the defender tore his ACL and will miss the rest of the year. He joins Eddie Gaven on the injured list.

On the field, Eric Gehrig is likely the first choice to replace Glauber. Head Coach Robert Warzycha has several others who have played centerback for the team recently. Kevan George and Tyson Wahl have played in the middle this year at times and it's Josh Williams natural position. Long term, Williams may be the best option as he has impressed at center back when he broke into the lineup last spring.

Off the field, Columbus is now in a tough spot. They can't recover any salary budget space for Glauber or Gaven. That's nearly 15% of the team's cap that is dead for the year. With the team stating repeatedly that they won't be in the market to add players, it appears the Crew will try to make do with the limited resources on the team.

Crew's Latest Slide Already Costly

2013-06-15T03:35:58Z

The world of sports is a results based business. Through the first two months of the season, the Columbus Crew were getting results. Despite not playing the most attractive soccer, the Crew found themselves with a record of 3-2-3 and 12 points. General Manager Mark McCullers' prediction that this team would make the playoffs was starting to look like it could come to fruition.

Since the beginning of May though, things have not gone as well for the Black and Gold. They started off the month with two straight home losses, first to the New York Red Bulls, then to the Colorado Rapids. They responded with a win in Toronto on May 18, but have not won again since.

There was a stretch of three games without a loss - four including the 2-1 Open Cup win over the Dayton Dutch Lions - but that came crashing down with the 3-0 loss to the Union in Philadelphia.

Throughout this stretch of six games, where the team has gone 1-3-2 and collect just five points, Columbus has dropped five points back of the last playoff spot. It is still early in the season, but points lost at this stage can come back to haunt a team come October.

The Crew have had to deal with a flurry of injuries over this period, losing Eddie Gaven and now Glauber for the season to a torn ACL and others, including Chad Marshall, Josh Williams, Danny O'Rourke, and Dominic Oduro, have missed games do to ailments.

The real issue has been that Columbus could have easily improved on their record and continued their decent start to the season.

In the Red Bull game, the Crew more than doubled New York in shot attempts and were awarded a penalty kick in the second half, yet still found a way to lose 1-0 on a late goal. The Rapid game was similar, as Columbus allowed Colorado to score on their first two attempts and outshot them 22-4, yet lost again.

The two ties, against New York and the Houston Dynamo could have both been big wins for the Crew. Columbus had the lead on the road in stoppage time, but against conceded a late goal and gave away three points in New York. In the Dynamo game, the Black and Gold again controlled the game but were unable to produce more than a penalty kick goal and had to settle for a draw.

The faithful that fills Columbus Crew Stadium have seen their team win just once in person this season. In MLS, teams that hope to make the playoffs must at least get wins at home and then compliment them with points on the road. The Crew have been getting points on the road on a fairly regular clip, but have not found the victories in their friendly confines.

An inability to finish chances, defensive lapses, central midfield woes, and injuries aren't even the most frustrating parts of Columbus' poor stretch.

During this run the Crew have played five Eastern Conference opponents, but have only managed five points from those games. If the team had only drawn at home against the Red Bulls and held on in stoppage time to win in New York, thus taking four points from a conference opponent, they would sit tied with the Red Bulls on 21 points for the final playoff spot.

The four teams above Columbus in the standings are within five points, yet having played two of them in the last two games, the Crew could have closed that gap or past both the Dynamo or the Union.

Over this stretch, Kansas City and Philadelphia each took home 11 points, while the New England Revolution and Houston each managed eight. While this is respectable, these teams left the door open for Columbus to make up ground and put themselves in good position heading into the summer.

The missed opportunities in the last six games have set the Crew behind the eight ball. While they are still only nine points out of the top spot in the East, the schedule does not get easier for the Black and Gold as they move forward.

With the summer comes a more intense schedule, with games being played closer together. This will not help the injury situation, but the Crew will want to get as close to full strength as possible in order to begin their climb back up the East.

The collar is beginning to get hot for head coach Robert Warzycha, as the results continue to disappoint. There is obvious talent on this team, yet for some reason it is not resulting in wins. The very disheartening 3-0 loss - where the Crew allowed all three goals in a span of six minutes, outshot their opponent, and had more possession - has everyone involved in the organization frustrated.

If things are going to turn around for the Crew, it needs to happen quickly. Not only because Warzycha could be out if they don't, but also because this team is all too familiar with trying to catch up with the playoffs late. Last year Columbus missed out on the post season by one point after making a late surge.

The Crew will hope that this substandard recent form will not cost them at the end of the season.

MLS Eastern Conference Round (15) Up

2013-06-15T03:26:56Z

EASTERN CONFERENCE FORM

The first handful of games in any league can be more about finding chemistry than earning results. With that, here are things look in terms of Points Per Game (PPG) if you take out the first five games of each Eastern Conf club.

PPG : TEAM

2.00 : l’Impact de Montreal

1.82 : New York Red Bulls

1.67 : New England Revolution

1.44 : Houston Dynamo

1.40 : Philadelphia Union

1.40 : Sporting KC

1.00 : Chicago Fire

1.00 : Columbus Crew

0.38 : Toronto FC

0.22 : DC United

What to expect is for Columbus to hold current spot and Chicago and Philly swap places. Not expecting much change from the rest.

HALF EAST IDLE

Half of the Eastern Conference is idle this weekend. Outside of the Columbus Crew / Montreal Impact match, fans will get to see bottom feeders DC United and Toronto FC face off. Neither of those two have won a match since March 9th. I expect it to be very ugly. Only other Eastern Conf team playing is NE Revs (vs. Vancouver).

The MLS schedule has gotten swiss cheese-y while in the midst of World Cup Qualifying.

NASR?

The North American Soccer Reporter site stopped listing how their members voted. Looks like it happened around week ten of the MLS season. I rather liked this feature because it gave fans an inside look at which beat writer voted for who. Anyhow, not much value in it for me now. MLSsoccer.com still lists the winner. Here they are, week to week.

Week 15: Olmes Garcia (Real Salt Lake)

Week 14: Diego Fagundez (New England Revolution)

Week 13: Marco Di Vaio (Montreal Impact)

Week 12: Eddie Johnson (Seattle Sounders)

Week 11: Will Bruin (Houston Dynamo)

Week 10: Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)

Week 9: Tim Cahill (New York Red Bulls)

Week 8: Jack McInerney (Philadelphia Union)

Week 7: Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo)

Week 6: Ryan Johnson (Portland Timbers)

Week 5: Will Johnson (Portland Timbers)

Week 4: Juan Agudelo (Chivas USA)

Week 3: Bill Hamid (D.C. United)

Week 2: Robert Earnshaw (Toronto FC)

Week 1: Mike Magee (LA Galaxy)

Only two East teams not to have a player earn this award are the Chicago Fire and Columbus Crew.

MLS RESERVES

USL Pro is about 13 weeks into their season and MLS Reserve sides have yet to really make their mark. All in all, they have only earned 3 wins out of 12 total matches.

With the way the schedule works out (each of the 13 USL Pro clubs play a MLS team twice) one could neatly add in a 14th USL Pro side called ‘MLS Reserves’. Here is how the table would look (as of June 13th) :

PPG : TEAM

2.46 : Orlando City

2.20 : Richmond Kickers

2.08 : Harrisburg City Islanders

2.00 : VSI Tampa Bay FC

1.92 : Charleston Battery

1.67 : Dayton Dutch Lions

1.40 : Charlotte Eagles

1.36 : Los Angeles Blues

1.17 : Pittsburgh Riverhounds

1.17 : MLS Reserves

0.83 : Wilmington Hammerheads

0.64 : Phoenix FC Wolves

0.58 : Rochester Rhinos

0.00 : Antigua Barracuda FC

CREW LOSE TWO IN US OPEN CUP

In trying to stave off another loss and early exit for the third time in four years the Columbus Crew fielded a strong lineup against the Dayton Dutch Lions on May 29th. Late in the game, up 2:1, Eddie Gaven was chopped down on the edge of the box on in a manner that tore his ACL.

Fifteen days later, in the 4th round of the same tournament, the Crew lose their starting left Center Back Glauber to the same injury. Bad luck? Injuries happen to every club, but the Crew are looking down the barrel of a long 2nd half of the season.

Chicago, New England and DC United are the Eastern clubs still alive in the tournament. For a complete listing of US Open Cup results, go HERE.

CHICAGO WITH PLAYOFF SHOT?

Robbie Rogers re-entry into Major League Soccer sent a very good Mike Magee to the Fire where he joined another recent acquisition in Chicago defender Bakary Soumare who had previously played with the club back in 2009.

After not so much as being able to earn points in two consecutive games through the first 10 games the Fire have strung three results in a row... A draw away at Rio Tinto, win against DC at home and a hard earned draw against a good Portland Timbers team. Ironically, the only other teams to carry a three game points streak right now are two of those opponents (RSL, Portland) plus the Fire.

That said, the hole the Fire find themselves in after the first third of the season might prove to be too much to overcome, but I do expect them to join the playoff hunt by the end of the year.

DATA RICH BUT WHO SCORED

A few weeks ago a site called WhoScored.com started pulling together all of the Opta data out there in a readable way recently. Unfortunately, they don’t appear to be updating it fully and some of the basic individual player stats are incorrect. Many out there are looking for stuff like this but more often than not, it’s too much to pull together. Appears that it’s not a sustainable endeavor, which leaves MLS sort of where it’s always been. Data rich, information poor.

MLS ATTENDANCE UPDATE

Last count has aggregate down 7% year over year. From what I can tell, it seems to be bouncing between -6% and -9% from last year. No change should be expected, just not the way the market works.

Through 137 Games : Tickets Sold

2012 : 2.23 Million

2013 : 2.07 Million

This is an odd year for Major League Soccer. They have been in expansion mode for so long they might have forgotten what the sting of a no growth in attendance year feels like. Which is why, after touting attendance numbers for the past few years, league watchers have noticed that MLS has gone dark with it. Next year is an important one for the league with the World Cup being played in prime time. Lots of overlap since MLS plays a Spring/Fall schedule.

NEW ENGLAND

What was once a team I was explaining with riddles upon riddles is now a very dangerous team with a mountain of young talent. Diego Fagundez is leading that charge but also Kelyn Rowe with league leading five assists in less than 900 minutes.

The Revs also tore apart a strong NY Red Bulls side in the US Open Cup this week in Boston. They are already in a playoff spot, would not be surprising to see them climb further up the table.

CASTROL INDEX UPDATE

Here’s how the Crew players look according to the Castrol Index (in top 100):

Castrol Rank : Columbus Crew Player

34 : Dominic Oduro

38 : Josh Williams

41 : Chad Marshall

60 : Andy Gruenebaum

65 : Federico Higuain

79 : Jairo Arrieta

87 : Glauber

Next up are Ben Speas (157) and Agustin Viana (158). At one point this year Josh Williams was in the top 10. Fair enough.

All I’ve got for now, thanks for reading.

----------