Bliss is Back

Longtime Crew fans might remember Brain Bliss, one of the inaugural members of the Crew. He's just been hired as a technical director.

In MLS, that can mean he'll do everything from coordinating scouting efforts for new players to helping the coach with strategy to PR. The good news is, Bliss coached in MLS with KC for a year on an interim basis, and has coached at various other levels of soccer, so he'll be another great mind to throw in there with Sigi and Bob. Kudos to Mr. McCullers for making this hire.

Never Believe It's Not So...

Scott Mitchell's blog on the Dispatch website confirms the rumors we've been hearing for weeks: The Columbus Crew are in talks with Maciej Zurawski, the Polish national team striker.

"One source in Poland with ties to the Polish national team and Celtic said that “he was 90 percent” sure a deal would happen, possibly as early as Tuesday."

Again, if you missed it earlier, here's his Wikipedia entry.

What might the lineup look like? How about:


Goal: Hesmer
Backline: Marshall, O'Rourke
D-Mids: Hejduk, Carrol, Miglioranzi
Mids: Rogers, Schelotto, Gaven
Forwards: Zurawski, Moreno

Zurawski is the key to a potent offense this season. It would not be impossible to envision the Crew getting 12-15 goals from him, and because of the attention Maciej will draw, ditto with Moreno. Also, both Moreno and Zurawski know how to get fouled, meaning more free kicks for Guillermo.

Then throw in Robbie Rogers, who is only getting better, and Eddie Gaven, and you're talking about a suddenly potent offense!

Oh, and the best news? The Crew signing the captain of the Polish national team will absolutely piss off all those dumb skinhead Shitecago Fire fans.

Oh, Oh, it's developing....

Chat with Frankie Hejduk

The Man. The Myth. The Hair.

Frankie Hejduk will chat it up with the fans on The Crew's website this Wednesday.

Hopefully they read my question:

Frankie,

How much "apple juice" did you drink this offseason?

Sigi on Schelotto

No, that's not a sexual fantasy...

"During the buildup to the draft, rumors ran rampant that Guillermo Barros Schelotto was unhappy in Columbus and wanted to stay in Argentina. However, Crew coach Sigi Schmid asserted the opposite is true....

'As for all the rumors, it was much easier for us to play 'bad cop' for Guillermo because of all the pressure on him to help his hometown club [Gimnasia y Esgrima de la Plata, which is in a relegation battle]. Everyone is telling him he's the club's savior and he wants to help because that's the type of pro, type of person he is, just a great guy. It's all fine with me because that's part of the game you have to play sometime'."

Very good news there. Also interesting in the article is that the Crew are training with Aston Villa in England as part of their preseason.

The fact that the Crew are willing to help a player out so he can fulfill his obligations while at the same time keeping his longtime fans happy will help them lure players here. It's a good step for an organization that hasn't taken too many in recent years.

U-23 Callups

A couple of items to take care of:

The Crew send Eddie Gaven and Robbie Rogers to train with the U-23 national team. Interesting that for a team that had trouble scoring last season, the two players we send to the U-23 squad are forwards.

The team trains this week, then Coach Peter Nowak will decide who to bring back for the CONCACAF tournament in March. The top two teams from that tourney will move on to the Olympics this summer.

Here's the thing: It's a good thing if our guys are getting some quality PT on the international stage. Problem is, with the Olympics this year, we would lose these guys if they make the team, and if the team makes the Olympics (which they should).
Then consider the fact that if we get Zurawski, as is hoped, he would most likely be gone in the summer for Euro 2008.

That's a lot of offense to lose in the hot summer, when we'll need depth. Hopefully, the Crew has a plan to cover all of that.

Also congrats to Willie Hesmer, who is working with the US national team in preparation for the US-Mexico bloodbath on Feb. 6th.

Goodbye, Defensive Man

As much as I was hoping this was just a wacky transfer window rumor, it sadly is not. Marcos Gonzalez has been transferred to Catolica of Chile. The amount of the transfer was not disclosed, but both Mark McCullers and Sigi Schmid have said that the transfer fee was a "one-time" only deal. Catolica is trying to advance in Copa Libertadores, and wanted him desperately. Gonzo would have been out of contract after this year, but hopefully, the league and the Crew were well compensated.

For those not in the know, Gonzo was the Crew's best defender last year, and would have been a veteran we could have relied on to provide some sure footing on the back line.

Now? Word is Danny O'Rourke, who we're actually big fans of, will make a permanent move to center back, and will share the back line with Chad Marshall, assuming his noggin is sound. Also, the Crew can work Andy Iro, the new draftee, and Ezra Hendrickson in as well. Considering Gonzo made $162,000 with the Crew last year, his contract coming off the books will give the Crew even more money to spend on the new stage.

Er...I mean, to bring in that DP we've been waiting for since last year. Right.

Magic Move Could Come Soon

According to both
The Daily Mail and Setanta Sports, Celtic Striker Maciej "Magic" Zurawski may be the European striker the Crew have targeted. According to both of those sources, Crew assistant/legend Robert Warzycha sounds fairly confident the deal will get done.

“Our offer is concrete. Zurawski is very interested in joining us because he wants to play in Euro 2008,” Crew assistant Robert Warzycha told the Scottish Daily Express of his fellow Pole. “His agent Mark Donaghy is now negotiating with Celtic over the transfer fee. We believe it will be between €200,000and €300,000 (£150,000-£225,000)."

This is great news for the Crew. Zurawski is a striker with the pedigree that will fit in nicely with GBS, and hopefully, will show the youngsters how a world-class striker can perform. Also, assuming all works according to plan, the Crew will be the only MLS team with a European player who will play for his national team in Euro 2008.

By the way, the correct pronunciation for this guy's name is "Match-ey ZHuravskee". For more, check his Wikipedia or watch the youtube video we posted earlier.

More News on Our NAIA Draft Picks

Apparently, the Crew was the only team to draft from the NAIA this year. We got both Ricardo Pierre-Louis and Steven Lenhart from those...ahem..."lofty" ranks.

Read the full article here. Some quotes that are a little disheartening:

From Pierre-Louis -

"My international playing experience is what helped me the most," said Pierre-Louis. "I thought I was the best striker in the combine. I'll see what Columbus has to offer and then I'll decide if I'll go overseas or play in the MLS. I want to do what is best for my career."

Uhh...MLS better be as far as he can go right now. He's the most exciting pick we have, as far as a scorer, and I don't want to see him overseas until we get a good look at him.

Then there's this gem from Lenhart -

"I haven't really had time to sit down and think about it. I never thought I would play professional soccer, but it would definitely be cool for my future to try to pave a new road and do something different. I never dreamed of playing soccer after college until it just started becoming a reality over the last couple of months."

Great. Apparently, the only person more surprised the Crew picked him was Lenhart himself. Meanwhile, Xavier Balc is sitting there, he with his Big 10 and OSU records, and 1st team All-American status. Hopefully we cna pick him up in the supplemental draft on Thursday.

The Crew Get Their Draft On...

Everyone give a nice CTID welcome to the 2008 Superdraft Class! Remember, it's not an MLS draft unless it's Super!

*gags*

OK, now that we got that out of the way, here are the new recruits the Crew picked up in the draft:

1. Andy Iro

Defender
6-5 205 lbs.
UC Santa Barbara
Big West Defensive Player of the Year for 2005-2007.

Interesting Note: He's from Liverpool, England. So, he'll never walk alone.

Analysis: We really like this pick. There was some rumor that he might head overseas, but he committed to the Crew at the draft and seemed very happy. It was because of that uncertainty that he fell to number six overall. He should compete right away to start on the back line.

Replacement for: Chad Marshall/Ezra Hendrickson
(Not that either are leaving, just saying, you can't have 3 center backs)


2. Geroge Josten

Forward/Midfielder
6-0 180 lbs.
Gonzaga University
34 career goals tied for third all-time at school

Analysis: He reminds us very much of Jason Garey, which could be good or bad, depending on how you feel about the rarely utilized Crew forward. I think he will end up sticking as a reserve who maybe comes in as a sub, if he sees the field at all.

Negative: Known for his ability to play with his back to the goal. Sigi likes this about him. I don't.

Let me ask a simple question: Why the hell do we need ANOTHER forward who plays with his back to the goal? Does Sigmund not know we already have Eddie Gaven AND Alejandro Moreno? I like both of those guys, but we need someone who can fly to the goal and finish, not another possession forward that doesn't finish.

Replacement for: Jason Garey/Kei Kamara


3. Ricardo Pierre-Louis

Forward
6-1 177 lbs.
Lee University (NAIA)
NAIA 2007 Player of the Year

Interesting Note: He has 26 caps with the Hatian senior national team, including the Gold Cup.

Analysis:This is the guy who can fly to the goal and finish. He scored 101 goals in 63 career games at Lee. We know it was in NAIA, but how can you overlook a goal and a half per game? That's unreal. Regardless of the level of competition, the fact that he can put shots on frame is very encouraging, especially witnessing the anemic attack we had last year. If he can keep his form and find any sort of regularity against MLS competition, it's not unreasonable to expect him to chip in 8-10 goals this season.

Also, he and Josten both scored in a game at the combine where they were paired together, which no doubt helped the Crew make their decision to trade up to get Pierre-Louis after they landed Josten.

Color us "excited" for this pick.

Replacement for: Andy Herron/Jacob Thomas


4. Ryan Miller

Midfield/Defense
5-11 160 lbs.
Notre Dame
Named to Big East 2006-2007 Academic All Star Team

Analysis: He's a decent pickup, nothing spectacular. Sigi likes him because he's a left-footed defender, something we can always use. With the uncertainty at left back last year (see: Rusty Pierce, Tim Ward), and the possibility of Marcos Gonzalez being transferred, this is a necessary and sound pickup.

Replacement for: Rusty Pierce/Tim Ward/Marcos Gonzalez


5. Steven Lenhart

Forward
6-1
Couldn't find his weight, so we go with 223 lbs. Here's hoping he's built like Chris Wells.
Azusa Pacific
MVP and Outstanding Offensive Player of the 2007 NAIA Tournament.

Analysis: Our final pick, he is another scorer, having hit 16 goals this season, including 9 game winners. Doubt if he ever sees the pitch for the Crew, but you never know. Here's hoping he's the next Ante Razov.

Err...the version that everyone else got, not Razov the Crew got. Right.

Also, we're really excited that that Steven Lenhart went to APU...




Overall, this looks like a good draft for the Crew. We'll know more when we see what these guys become over the next few years, but it's good to see that we're getting a huge presence in the back, and some scoring options. Hopefully Iro lives up to his billing, and one of the forwards we picked up can turn into a scoring threat.

The Million Dollar Man

As you may know, each team in MLS is able to use one slot on their roster to pay a player outside of the salary cap. This rule has created what has affectionately become known as the "Designated Player". For examples, see Beckham, Blanco, and Juan Pablo Angel.

The Crew are said to be in the market for a DP of their own. And rumor has it that last year they offered Brian McBride $1 million to come back to his former team. Sadly, that amounts to about 17 British pounds, and he decided to stay on with Fulham.

Assuming the Black and Gold are willing to spend at least that figure, who might they be looking to grab in the transfer window? Here are the latest rumored players who could be the one:

Jacek Krzynowek - 31 year-old midfielder with a cannon for a left leg. He plays for Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga, and has caps for the Polish national team.

Reason for Rumor: Wolfsburg has had some shakeups in the front office, and could be looking to make some deals. Also, Sigi has connections to Germany, and Warzycha to Poland.



Maciej Zurawski - 31 year-old forward whose nickname is "Magic". Also a Polish national.

Reason for Rumor: He has been linked to the Gals, so there's a chance he's looking to make a move to the states. Also, the connections to Eastern Europe as mentioned above.

Doubts: He could come with a hefty transfer fee. Are the Hunt's pockets deep enough? Would he be worth it?



And finally, in unlikely-but-we-can-dream-can't-we rumors,

Benny Fielhaber - 22 year-old midfielder who has shown plenty of spark with the USMNT.

Reason for Rumor: Word has it there is some interest in transferring him from Derby County to MLS. He had been rumored to be going to Israel. Also, his connections to Sigi Schmid cannot be ignored.

Doubts: He's quite expensive, and might be out of the pocket reach for the Crew. Also, he would be a natural fit for expansion side San Jose.



Let's put it this way. If the Crew ended up with any of these three players, they would have to be considered a top 5 team on paper. These guys are that good. Hopefully the Crew can get one of them.

Black and Gold Transfer Rumors

The Columbus Crew are hopefully going to finally stick their toes into international waters for their next transfer, at least according to this Dispatch article. The Designated Player could be anyone, but Crew fans shouldn't be expecting Didier Drogba.

Of course, this info is a week old, and we haven't heard anything, so take it for what it's worth. While I wish I could be excited about this, I kind of feel like one of Britney Spears' relatives listening to her explain how she's getting her life on track.

Hopefully I'm wrong.