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After playing in four closed-door friendly matches since the start of the preseason in January, Columbus Crew SC is set to compete at the 2020 Visit Tucson Sun Cup starting this weekend and all three Black & Gold matches in Arizona will be live-streamed for the Crew’s broadcast area, the club announced.
The Crew starts its campaign in the tournament on Saturday when the Black & Gold face United Soccer League’s (USL) Championship side Phoenix Rising FC at 9 p.m. ET at Casino Arizona Field, in Tempe, Arizona. The next two matches will be at a different stadium, though, as the Crew will play both the New York Red Bulls, on Wednesday, Feb. 19, at 8:30p.m. ET, and the Houston Dynamo, on Saturday, Feb. 22, at 7 p.m. ET, at Kino North Stadium, in Tucson.
Both matches will be streamed on the club’s website for the Crew’s local broadcast area only. The streaming will be available at www.ColumbusCrewSC.com/Tucson.
The Crew is still undefeated in preseason after wins over USL League Two side Ventura County Fusion and fellow MLS teams the San Jose Earthquakes and Sporting Kansas City and a tie with the Vancouver Whitecaps.
As the season opener against New York City FC on March 1 approaches, head coach Caleb Porter focuses on fine-tuning the playing concepts this week.
“We’re only three and a half weeks in, but we have a lot of continuity in our group though,” he said. “A lot of those pictures and messages and ideas and concepts of how we want to play are already embedded in there. The new guys, they picked up things pretty quickly. With some of the guys that are still fighting for position in that first 11, they still need to progress. But I am pleased with their mentality, their attitude has been excellent... We can’t lose sight of the fact that we’re winning games, that never hurts, that winning habit.”
It will likely be the first opportunity for Crew fans to watch new signings Matt Lampson, Vito Wormgoor, Axel Sjoberg, Darlington Nagbe, Chris Cadden, Derrick Etienne Jr., Lucas Zelarayqan and Fanendo Adi and Homegrown products Sebastian Berhalter and Aidan Morris in a Black & Gold uniform.
If you can’t watch the games, Massive Report will provide full coverage.