Tag: Columbus Crew

U.S. Open Cup shock as Pittsburgh Riverhounds, Birmingham Legion both stun MLS foes

What’s better than one cupset? Two cupsets!

Wednesday night’s U.S. Open Cup fixtures couldn’t have gone better for the USL Championship, or for upset-loving neutrals.

The last two remaining lower-division teams in the tournament both defeated MLS opposition. First, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds shocked the Columbus Crew 1-0 at Highmark Stadium. Just an hour later, Birmingham Legion matched that scoreline in eliminating 10-man Charlotte FC.

That makes it three Open Cup tournaments in a row where at least two lower-division teams have advanced to the quarterfinal round. St. Louis FC and New Mexico United made that run in 2019, while last year Union Omaha of USL League One went to the quarterfinals. Sacramento Republic FC went even further, going to the final before falling to Orlando City. The Open Cup wasn’t held in 2020 or 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In Pittsburgh, the Riverhounds showed the organization that has long been their hallmark under veteran coach Bob Lilley. The home side held a heavily rotated Crew side to just seven shot attempts in 90 minutes, despite the visitors holding 75% of the possession and completing over 700 passes on the night.

Despite those stats, the Riverhounds had the better chances throughout, and only needed to make one count. USL Championship Golden Boot leader Albert Dikwa was unsurprisingly the man for the job, sprinting in alone to fire past Evan Bush after a midfield turnover from the Crew.

Pittsburgh would see substitute Edward Kizza sent off deep into stoppage time, but still managed to keep Columbus at bay for what is the deepest run in their Open Cup history.

Down in Alabama, the scoreline was the same, but the path to it was a bit different. A Birmingham side starting eight players with MLS experience spent the first half largely pinned back by Charlotte, only for the visitors to lose center back Adilson Malanda to a second yellow card early in the second half.

From there, the Legion sensed their opportunity, changing their posture and making Charlotte work hard to hold them off on a hot night. That helped set up their goal, with Charlotte not recovering quickly enough to prevent Prosper Kasim from isolating Derrick Jones before pinging a low shot into the bottom corner.

The rewards for the the final two non-MLS teams left in the tournament are a bit different. Birmingham will be a popular pick to keep their run going, as they host a quarterfinal match against a stumbling Inter Miami side that managed to beat Nashville SC on Tuesday. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, has a far more daunting pairing, as they will head to Ohio to take on high-flying FC Cincinnati.

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F.C. Cincinnati vs. Columbus Crew, how to watch, live stream, channel, time, lineups

How to watch the ‘Hell Is Real’ clash between FC Cincinnati and Columbus #AllForCincy #Crew96

The battle for Ohio is coming to Major League Soccer on Saturday.

The upcoming leg of the “Hell Is Real” derby between F.C. Cincinnati and Columbus Crew will feature two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference facing off–But this time the tables are turned.

During MLS play, Columbus has won five of the 10 meetings. Only one derby contest has been won by Cincinnati in addition to their lone U.S. Open Cup clash.

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch Cincinnati vs Columbus” link=”https://apple.co/3ogo72K”]

But in 2023, Cincy is the favorite. Cincinnati is pacing the Eastern Conference, holding down first-place having won seven-straight outings at home. Meanwhile, Columbus enters the weekend in fifth place, nine points behind Cincy.

However, the Crew will carry some momentum down to the Ohio River basin. Columbus snapped a four-game losing skid on Wednesday against L.A. Galaxy in 2-0 fashion. Is the Crew back on track enough to knock off their rival?

Ahead of the pivotal matchup for both teams, here is everything you need to know to stream the action:

F.C. Cincinnati vs. Columbus Crew

  • When: Saturday, May 19
  • Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
  • Location: TQL Stadium (Cincinnati)
  • Watch: Apple TV

Major League Soccer Starting Lineups

F.C. Cincinnati possible starting lineup:

Celentano; Hagglund, Miazga, Murphy; Gaddis, Nwobodo, Kubo, Moreno; Acosta; Badji, Vazquez

Columbus possible starting lineup:
Schulte; Moreira, Quinton, Vallecilla; Farsi, Morris, Nagbe, Amundsen; Ramirez, Cucho, Zelarayan

[afflinkbutton text=”Watch Cincinnati vs Columbus” link=”https://apple.co/3ogo72K”]

Major League Soccer Odds and betting lines

MLS odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Odds were last updated Friday at 6:00 p.m. ET.

F.C. Cincinnati (-115) vs. Columbus Crew (+260)

Draw: (+260)

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USMNT midfielder Morris admits he’s considering Canada switch

Snatching the 21-year-old away from the U.S. would be a major coup for Canada

When the CONCACAF Nations League preliminary rosters were released on Friday, Aidan Morris found himself on two.

Morris making the U.S. roster wasn’t a surprise: The 21-year-old has earned his first two USMNT caps this year and has marked himself as one of the more promising two-way midfielders in the pool.

But the other country was unexpected. Morris was called up by Canada, a country that he is eligible for through his father.

The Columbus Crew midfielder, who is also eligible for Italy, was born and raised in the U.S. but in an interview with ESPN, he said he is unsure if he will continue with the USMNT or switch to Canada.

“It’s tough. I’ve got family from the U.S., I’ve got family from Canada,” he said. “But then there’s also the sense of playing and going to a World Cup. There’s a lot on my mind right now. I don’t think I have an answer in terms of what I’m going to do, or what I’m thinking of. So my only answer is I have time and this is a big decision for me and I don’t need to be rushed because this is a big decision for my career.”

Morris would be cap-tied to the U.S. if he plays in the Nations League or Gold Cup this summer, and he admitted that he could hold off until after the summer to make a decision on his international future.

“I think if the thought comes to me, then I think I’d love for it to come to me before summer, so I can take part in as much as I can,” he said. “But yeah, if it doesn’t, then I’m fine with that as well. It’s a three-and-a-half year process to the World Cup.”

Morris has had a breakout 2023 campaign with the Crew, starting all 12 of the club’s MLS games and chipping in with three goals and an assist.

He’s also impressed in his USMNT appearances. Interim head coach Anthony Hudson said Morris was “fantastic” after coming off the bench in last month’s 1-1 draw against Mexico.

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USMNT boss Hudson: Aidan Morris was ‘fantastic’ vs. Mexico

The 21-year-old impressed against El Tri in just his second cap

Anthony Hudson was full of praise for Aidan Morris, who impressed in just his second U.S. national team cap during Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with Mexico.

Hudson brought Morris off the bench in the 64th minute of the Continental ClĂĄsico, with El Tri holding a 1-0 advantage after Uriel Antuna’s second-half opener.

As Hudson shifted to a three-man back line in search of an equalizer, Morris helped steady the midfield with an accomplished performance that also displayed the physicality he brings to the center of the park.

The USMNT would eventually grab a late equalizer through JesĂşs Ferreira, securing a 1-1 draw that made it five games unbeaten against El Tri.

Morris, 21, has already had a breakout 2023, earning his first two USMNT caps and scoring three goals for the Columbus Crew while starting all eight of the club’s MLS matches so far.

Last week, the Crew signed their academy product to a new contract through 2026.

In his post-game press conference on Wednesday, interim USMNT coach Hudson said he was happy with what he saw from Morris — a player he knows well from their time together with the U.S. U-20 side.

“I was so pleased for Aidan Morris, I thought Aidan was fantastic,” Hudson said. “I’ve known Aidan since he was with the [under] 20s and followed him ever since. And he’s a young man that just keep stepping up. Whatever challenge is put in front of him, he’s always going to step up to it. He’s a tough, tough, tough character. So I was pleased with Aidan.”

With the USMNT lacking a robust supply of defensive-minded central midfielders, Morris could be ready to step into a bigger role as the team prepares for a summer with the CONCACAF Nations League finals and the
Gold Cup.

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Atlanta United played without Thiago Almada. It didn’t go well.

Without Almada, Atlanta had a rough night at the office

Thiago Almada is arguably the best player in MLS, and is pretty much inarguably having the highest-caliber start to the season of any individual player in the league.

Unfortunately for Atlanta United, they had to play without the World Cup winner Saturday night. You’d expect them to have a harder time creating chances, and maybe attempt a more cagey approach without their 21-year-old attacking dynamo.

What you might not expect is for them to get completely obliterated, but that’s just what happened. The Crew stormed to a 6-1 win over an utterly hapless Atlanta, blowing things wide open after halftime.

A rocky start saw Columbus take a 14th minute lead, with some stagnant Atlanta defensive work and a bad bounce allowing the home side to capitalize. Alexandru Mățan attempted a low diagonal ball to the back post that was deflected…right into the path of Aidan Morris.

Atlanta struggled on from there, but at halftime it was just 1-0. That’s salvageable, right?

Not so much. About 90 seconds after the break, Christian Ramirez finished off a low cross from Jacen Russell-Rowe after Atlanta’s Noah Cobb missed his clearance attempt.

That’s about when the wheels fell off. Atlanta couldn’t get anyone on Philip Quinton for a 51st minute corner kick, which resulted in the Crew defender powering home a header.

Ramirez grabbed a brace, and it’s not a goal Atlanta’s going to want to see back. Steven Moreira walked forward into the midfield and, under no pressure, looked to play Ramirez through.

The big striker was also left completely unmarked, and just strolled into the box before shooting low past Brad Guzan.

Atlanta’s nightmare continued at the back, with Crew players making the game look like a training ground exercise. Mohamed Farsi got into acres of space along the right, and his low cutback found Russell-Rowe so open that the only problem he had was calling Ramirez off of it before finishing the move past Guzan.

Brooks Lennon picked up a late goal to at least spare Atlanta the embarrassment of being shut out, but even then, they found the Crew unstoppable at the other end.

Once again it was easy work: Will Sands saw some hesitation from defenders around him, waltzing out of token pressure along the touchline before crossing for Max Arfsten. Yet another open look ended with yet another goal, with Arfsten side-footing home in stoppage time as an exclamation point.

The only saving grace for Atlanta? When the New York Red Bulls come to Georgia on April 1, there’s at least a chance they’ll have Almada available.

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Vanzeir shows flash of enormous potential with dramatic late winner

The Red Bulls striker found the net late to provide a glimpse of his ability

HARRISON, N.J. — Dante Vanzeir broke through for the New York Red Bulls on Saturday night, the pricey transfer scoring the game-winner and providing an important glimpse of his finishing potential.

Second-half substitute Vanzeir’s first MLS goal came in the 86th minute, making the difference in a 2-1 win for the Red Bulls over the Columbus Crew.

Not only did it give the Red Bulls their first win of the season, but it showed the value of Vanzeir in the final third. The sample size is admittedly small — Vanzeir has just 54 minutes of MLS play across three appearances — but his movement off the ball and timely, well-taken goal is certainly something that the Red Bulls haven’t experienced much during Gerhard Struber’s time as head coach.

Calling Vanzeir “football smart,” Struber feels he might finally have a striker capable of big plays in important moments.

“We can see that his mechanisms, he directs some players in different directions and their good moves, he has good mobility and, in the end, he knows in which position he can come and score,” Struber said.

“Of course, there were good moments in training and also we know a little bit more from him right now (about) where is exactly his strength. This is not so much from my side. I know him exactly but this is more that the team comes in touch with him and realizes more and more in which direction he wants the ball, in which direction he can help the group.”

The Red Bulls, built not upon star power but rather the premise of team effort and work rate, brought in the highly touted Vanzeir this offseason to be a difference-maker. Once capped by Belgium, the 24-year old striker was purchased from Union SG for $5 million, the second-highest transfer in club history.

While the Red Bulls have had some talented teams over the past few years, they’ve universally lacked the kind of elite player who can score in key moments, something that their playoff failures of recent years emphatically underscores. Vanzeir’s pedigree certainly points to being a different kind of player.

On the goal, Vanzeir showed exactly what the Red Bulls were missing the past two seasons under Struber: a forward who not only finds good positions but can finish them off.

Cristian CĂĄsseres Jr. played in John Tolkin, the Red Bulls left back, down the flank. With one touch, Tolkin took the bouncing ball and looped it to the back post.

Struber called Tolkin’s play “very sexy,” adding “this makes [Vanzeir’s] job much easier to score.”

With Tom Barlow making an intelligent run to the near post, Vanzeir went wide where he was unmarked at the back post. With his first touch, Vanzeir went near post and beat Eloy Room.

“It was a difficult angle and I think to put that ball at the second post most of the time (that) needs a little curve and I was next to the post,” Vanzeir said after the match.

“I think first post for a goalkeeper is sometimes difficult to react to and also unexpected.”

That Vanzeir tallied so early in his MLS career should provide an exhale for the team and the player.

“I think every goal you make kind of gets you a good feeling. There’s not a lot of pressure on me, I’m still new to the league, new to the country,” Vanzeir said.

“But it’s a great start and it’s also good for the team. Three points, our first victory. Many more to come hopefully.”

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After yet another late-game collapse, Columbus Crew fire head coach Caleb Porter

Needing just a draw to make the playoffs, the Crew lost the lead and the game at Orlando on Decision Day.

The Columbus Crew have fired head coach Caleb Porter after four seasons in charge.

The final straw for Porter came on the last day of the MLS season, as the Crew lost 2-1 to Orlando City after holding a halftime lead. Columbus missed the playoffs with the defeat, having needed just a draw to reach the postseason.

The second-half collapse continued an unfortunate trend for the Crew in 2022. Under Porter, the club dropped 24 points from winning positions this season — the third-worst mark in MLS — including an incredible 11 points dropped just in second-half stoppage time.

“This is not a decision we took lightly, and I need to first and foremost thank Caleb for his tireless efforts for the Crew during his four seasons with the Club. He joined the club ahead of 2019 and provided steady leadership at a critical moment of historic transition for the Crew,” said Crew President and General Manager Tim Bezbatchenko in a statement.

Porter took over in Columbus ahead of the 2019 season after previously serving as Portland Timbers head coach for five seasons.

The 47-year-old missed the postseason in three of his four seasons with the Crew but in 2020, he led the team to the MLS Cup in the pandemic-shortened season. It was the second MLS Cup win for Porter, who also lifted the trophy in 2015 with the Timbers.

The next Crew coach will inherit a team full of talent, namely the dynamic attacking pair of Lucas ZelarayĂĄn and Cucho HernĂĄndez.

In a statement, Porter said: “We accomplished a lot of wonderful things together, including winning MLS Cup and Campeones Cup, and with a beautiful new stadium and training ground and an amazing fan base, I have no doubt the future is bright for the Crew.

“Our players and coaching staff gave everything we had, but unfortunately the past two years we missed the playoffs on Decision Day. It’s a bottom-line business and I accept responsibility for the club falling short of our goals.”

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‘It’s an embarrassment’ – Pat Noonan went scorched earth on refs after ‘Hell is Real’ draw

The FC Cincinnati coach was not about to let a possible offside call go unaddressed

Pat Noonan did not hold back in his post-game press conference after his FC Cincinnati side drew the Columbus Crew 2-2 in the “Hell is Real” derby on Saturday, calling the officiating an “embarrassment in our league.”

Steven Moreira equalized for Columbus deep into second-half stoppage time to earn a valuable away draw, but it was the Crew’s first goal that Noonan was very eager to address after the game.

Derrick Etienne appeared to be offside on his 74th-minute header, which was not reviewed by the video assistant referee.

When it was posited to Noonan that observers were interested in the Crew’s first goal, the FC Cincy coach was ready with a response.

“They’re interested because it’s f—–g clear,” Noonan shot back.

“That’s why they’re interested, because this has happened to a point now where it’s an embarrassment in our league. It’s not just us, I will continue to say that, but it is a huge problem that guys that put in that much continue to get punished by just really really poor officiating across the board.

“And the reasons you get for the offside goal, the checkpoint’s different than what they see in Atlanta [at the Video Review Center]. How can the checkpoint be different? How do you not have that view? How can you not just look at that and say, ‘I should check this. This is something that doesn’t look right.’

“But again, that’s the norm. So right now I’m the excuse guy and that stinks, but I want to protect our players because they put too much into it to be robbed like that.”

The draw saw Columbus stay in the seventh and final playoff position in the Eastern Conference, one point above Cincinnati in eighth place.

Watch Noonan’s post-game rant

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MLS Madness spreads nationwide as league breaks goalscoring record

MLS was, even by MLS standards, completely bonkers Saturday night

Summer in MLS can be a rough time. You’re too far away from the real pressure of making or missing the playoffs, it’s hot and humid everywhere, teams are figuring it out after transfer window moves. It can feel very much like everyone’s biding their time for September and October.

Not August 6. MLS Madness™ took hold in nearly every corner of the country, with goals galore, teams scoring and conceding in the deepest depths of stoppage time, big-name stars scoring bangers, and everyone basically went bananas. It was a perfect advertisement for the league: fun, flawed, weird, and inexplicable.

For one thing, MLS broke a league record for goals scored in one night. Across 13 games Saturday night, teams combined for 57 goals, an average of well over four per game. The old record of 46 was left in the dust.

As the league itself once said, This Stuff Kicks!

In chronological order, let’s go through one of the wildest nights in MLS history:

En un partido de soccer, fans alzaron 22 carteles como protesta por contrataciĂłn de Deshaun Watson por los Cleveland Browns

El sĂĄbado, durante el minuto 22 del partido en el que Columbus Crew’s perdiĂł 1-0 contra Nashville SC en el Lower.com Field, los fans en la secciĂłn de Nordecke alzaron 22 carteles que leĂ­an “Le creemos a Jane Doe”, haciendo referencia a la decisiĂłn …

El sĂĄbado, durante el minuto 22 del partido en el que Columbus Crew’s perdiĂł 1-0 contra Nashville SC en el Lower.com Field, los fans en la secciĂłn de Nordecke alzaron 22 carteles que leĂ­an “Le creemos a Jane Doe”, haciendo referencia a la decisiĂłn de la familia Haslam de la transferencia y contrataciĂłn de Deshaun Watson con los Cleveland Browns, por un contrato de cinco aĂąos y $230 millones.

El sĂĄbado fue el primer partido en casa desde que los Haslams, quienes tambiĂŠn son los dueĂąos mayoritarios de Columbus Crew, y los Browns hicieron el movimiento para adquirir a Watson despuĂŠs de que dos grandes jurados declinaron acusar al quarterback con cargos penales por conducta sexual inapropiada.

Pero Watson aĂşn enfrenta demandas civiles de 22 mujeres que lo acusan de conducta inapropiada durante citas para masajes. Watson y su abogado han rechazado las acusaciones.

TraducciĂłn: “Le creemos a Jane Doe” multiplicado por 22.

 

Las acusaciones contra Watson incluyen que Watson se descubriĂł a sĂ­ mismo y tocĂł a la terapeuta de masajes con su pene sin su consentimiento, y que intentĂł forzar a otra para que le hiciera sexo oral.

En una conferencia de prensa, Jimmy Haslam dijo que le habĂ­a dado a su esposa Dee, quien ha sido la cara de la participaciĂłn en el Crew, y a su hija Whitney Johnson el poder de veto sobre cualquier acuerdo potencial para adquirir a Watson. Jimmy Haslam dijo que Watson fue “muy vetado” antes de que trataran de obtenerlo.

Un vocero del Haslam Sports Group dijo que los Haslam tienen pensado discutir la adquisiciĂłn de Watson con los lĂ­deres de Nordecke:

“Respetamos la capacidad de nuestros fans de expresarse, siempre y cuando respeten las polĂ­ticas y procedimientos del club. La semana pasada, agendamos una reuniĂłn con el comitĂŠ de Nordecke y nuestro grupo operativo inversor para discutir sobre este tema, y algunos otros, en pro de continuar con nuestra intenciĂłn de crear una relaciĂłn constructiva, positiva y transparente para apoyar a nuestros jugadores y fans de Crew de la mejor forma.”.

 

ArtĂ­culo traducido por Ana LucĂ­a Toledo

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