Columbus Crew
The Columbus Crew is an American football franchise of the Major League Soccer ( MLS) from Columbus, Ohio. The franchise was founded in 1994 and participated in the inaugural season in 1996 on the game mode. The team is one of the ten founding members of the MLS.
Owner of the franchise was Lamar Hunt, which included even the Kansas City Chiefs and FC Dallas until his death in 2006. After his death, his son, Clark Hunt, head of the Department. The home games are since 1999, held at Columbus Crew Stadium, the first pure football stadium, which was built by an MLS club.
The team has so far once the MLS Cup, the final of the play-off win. Best team in the regular season was the crew 2004, 2008 and 2009. 2002 was won the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
- 4.1 Current squad
- 4.2 Existing Players
- 4.3 Coaching staff
- 4.4 Existing trainer
- 6.1 record this season
- 6.2 Club Records
- 6.3 Visitors section
History
The franchise is one of the ten founding members of the MLS in 1996. 1998 reached the final of the Department Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Originally, the finale, where the crew met at Chicago Fire SC, will be held in Virginia Beach. Because of a hurricane, the game was moved and into Soldier Field, the former stadium of the Chicago Fire, misplaced. Chicago won 2-1.
Between 1997 and 1999, the crew reached three times the semifinals of the playoffs, but missed every time the jump in the MLS Cup. After a brief period of weakness of the club in 2002 again reached the semi-finals of the championship, where one had to be narrowly defeated the New England Revolution. In the same season, the crew of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup won by a 1-0 final win against the Los Angeles Galaxy. 2004 Crew won the MLS Supporters' Shield as point- best team in the regular season. In the playoffs, they lost in the quarter- final against New England.
In recent seasons, 2005 and 2006, the team finished each recent and 2007 the last place in the Eastern Conference. The casual descent also fell audience.
In 2006 died the team owner Lamar Hunt. His son, Clark Hunt has since been pursuing the business of the association.
Columbus Crew won 23 November 2008 with a 3-1 victory against New York Red Bulls MLS Cup 2008. In the regular season the team was able to reach the first place in the Eastern Conference and as Punk Best of both Conferences the MLS Supporter 's Shield. win The scorers in the final in Carson (California ) were Alejandro Moreno, Chad Marshall and Frankie Hejduk.
For the 2009 season changed Sigi Schmid, coach of Columbus since 2005, the newly founded club Seattle Sounders FC. New coach was former Polish international Robert Warzycha. Warzycha was 1996-2002 himself as a player for the crew. With the team he won his first title as a coach in 2009 the same. Columbus won the first place in the Eastern Conference and was awarded as best team in the regular season with the MLS Supporter 's Shield. In the subsequent play-offs they lost against Real Salt Lake in the Conference semifinals.
Also in the 2010 season was one of the crew of the most successful teams in the MLS. The team headed by coach Robert Warzycha reached in the Eastern Conference second place and was therefore unable to qualify for the playoffs and U.S. Open Cup in 2011. In the play-offs but different from the team in the quarterfinals against the Colorado Rapids in the final penalty shoot-out. In the U.S. Open Cup Columbus managed to reach the final, where they lost against the Seattle Sounders FC. At the end of the season left the previous performers of the team, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, the Crew in the direction of Gimnasia y Esgrima de La Plata.
Stadium
- Ohio Stadium; Columbus, Ohio (1996-1999)
- Columbus Crew Stadium; Columbus, Ohio ( since 1999)
- Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium; Columbus, Ohio (2005) 1 game in U.S. Open Cup
From 1996 to 1999, all home games were played in Ohio Stadium, located on the campus of Ohio State University. Normally, the games of the college football team Ohio State Buckeyes will be played.
On 5 May 1999, the Columbus Crew Stadium was opened. This stadium was designed as a pure football stadium and was the first of its kind in Major League Soccer.
Fans and rivals
Fan groups
The club has with Crew Supporters Union, Hudson Street Hooligans and La Turbina Amarila three major fan groups. Since 2008, these accumulate in the eastern North curve, which is called as a throwback to the German roots, Columbus' north corner.
Rivalries
True rivalries with other MLS teams have not been developed. Since 2008, however, played out between the Columbus Crew and the Toronto FC of the Trillium Cup. The name is derived from the forest lily, a flower is the official flower of the Canadian province of Ontario and is the official wildflower of the U.S. state of Ohio.
Agreed these annual games were from the two mayors of the cities. The loser mayor must wear the jersey of the winning team. The Columbus Crew won all the games so far.
Players and staff
Current squad
As of June 26, 2013
Existing players
→ Main article: List of Players of the Columbus Crew
Coaching staff
As of June 26, 2013
- Robert Warzycha ( Trainer)
- Ricardo Iribarren (assistant coach )
- Mike Lapper (assistant coach )
- Vojislav " Scoop" Stanisic (assistant coach )
- Brook Hamilton ( Fitness Trainer)
Previous coach
- Finland Timo Liekoski (1996 )
- United States Tom Fitzgerald (1996 - 2001)
- United States Greg Andrulis (2001 - 2005)
- Poland Robert Warzycha (2005, interim coach )
- Germany United States Sigi Schmid (2006 - 2008)
- Poland Robert Warzycha (since 2009)
Achievements
- MLS Cup Winner ( 1): 2008
- MLS Supporters' Shield Winners ( 3): 2004, 2008, 2009
- Winner ( Playoff) ( 1): 2008
- Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Winner ( 1): 2002
- Finale ( 2): 1998, 2010
- Further success Trillium Cup ( 3): 2008, 2009, 2010
- Carolina Challenge Cup ( 1): 2004
- Lamar Hunt Pioneer Cup ( 1): 2007
Statistics
Record this season
Club Records
These records relate to the regular season up to and including the 2011 season:
- Most Games: United States Mike Clark, 221
- Top goals: United States Jeff Cunningham, 64
- Most Assists: Poland Robert Warzycha, 61
- Most clean sheets: United States William Hesmer, 41