Top Flight Security

Apparently, my last post about the security at last night's Crew game caused a lengthy thread over on Big Soccer. Point goes to me, I guess. Anyway, I was trying to think how best I could sum up my thoughts on the CSC guards, when I remembered one of my favorite movies, Friday After Next. Obviously, it was the weakest of the Friday movies, but I still found it funny.

In the movie, career underachievers Craig (Ice Cube) and Dede (Mike Epps) have to get jobs, and do so as security guards. Top Flight Security guards, no less. And one of the two decides to make the most of his newfound power.

(NSFW language, by the way)



Whice one of these guys do you think is CSC material?

No mo' Nico...

Nico Hernandez was waived this afternoon by the Crew. Mitchell's blog has confirmed the fact, but has not explained the why. Here's what we know:

- Hernandez would have made $99,999.96 this season, and that contract would have been guaranteed starting Tuesday.

- Brian Bliss recently took a trip down to South America.

- The Crew's only forwards that have seen significant time are Mr. Seven Nation Army, Jason Garey, and the Cabbage Patch Skinhead. Not much depth there.

With the Olymipics coming up, and with Rogers and Ekpo sure to be swiped away for that length of time, the Crew are going to be left with two slow, aging attackers (Moreno and Schelotto) a midfield of Eddie Gaven, Brad Evans, Brian Carrol, Duncan Oughton, and a back line of Marshall, O'Rourke/Iro, Frankie and whoever can stay healthy at left back.

Are the Crew getting ready to make add a couple of players, seeing how they also released Guiherme So' this week? Let's hope so.

Morning Afterthoughts: Crew are "Ekpo"-nentionally Better.

(Photo courtesy of G. Bertram/ Getty)

The Crew got goals from Guillermo Barros Schelotto (off a PK earned by Moreno) and Emmanuel Ekpo, who got his first MLS goal in stunning fashion, putting in a solo effort for the game winner. Here are some random thoughts I had while watching the game.

- 30:21. That was the first time I bothered to look up at the scoreboard in the first half. I am a perpetual scoreboard watcher, usually checking every three to four minutes to see where we are in the half, how long it's been since we've had a shot, things like that. Today, the Crew dominated possession in the first half and played very entertaining football for the first half hour of the match. Sadly, they did not get results in the first half, but the 2-1 victory was fair, if a little closer than it should have been.

- "Moreno REALLY looks slow." And just as I thought that, he made two guys miss and earned the penalty. He's not fast, but his work rate is unbeatable and he is very savvy. I just have to adjust my preferences to fit this team; we have speed (Rogers, Expo, Hejduk) on the edges and workhorses (Marshall, Moreno, Carrol) in the middle of the field. I like to see more speed through the middle of the park, but this team works with what they have. Sigi is getting this team to win even while missing some of the guys he brought in to help.

- "Why is that guy in the US Natty Team Jersey dragging people out of the section?" This guy ran past me three or four times, a couple of times nearly knocking me over, to go get some of the smoke bombers. I asked him why he felt like he had to be such a boyscout, and he told me he was undercover security. I asked him to see his badge and he told me to "f#ck off". So that was nice. Later, though, I did confirm that he works with the CSC with one of their uniformed employees. I then told her that he should wear some ID so someone doesn't haul off and hit him for being a jackass. She nodded her head in agreement.

Just an FYI to all the fans in the Nordecke: the Crew FO so appreciates your business that they are now committing 4 CPD officers, 10 CSC guards, undercover agents, and the ever-trusty spy cams sitting on the lighting grid. I guess I didn't realize Crew Stadium was making so much bank at the gate that they could start affording to terrorize their best fans with all the paranoia-inducing, Big Brother kind of security they seem to be using now. Maybe we should come up with a secret handshake or something...

Also, kudos to the security guard for being the douchebag who doesn't have Crew gear, so he wears any soccer-related item he can find. I love it when I see fans walking around in Brazil or Chelsea kits at Crew Stadium. No, really, I do.

- "Is Iro-O'Rourke really better than "O'Rourke-Junge?" I think so, but Iro still needs a lot of work. Due to his height, he obviously is very good in the air, and can be strong with the forwards. But he needs to work on his positioning and fouls. Both can be corrected, especially in a rookie. Sadly, I think Sigi will put O'Rourke back in the middle once we're back to full strength.

And finally:

- "EKPO!!!!! WHAT A GOAL!!!!" When I saw him take the ball through what seemed like 92 defenders and STILL beat the keeper, I was so stunned/amazed/excited all I could do was laugh. I could not cheer, or scream, or do anything other than go "Wow!" and laugh. Truly an amazing goal.

But now, we must forget about the Dick's from Colorado, as it is now time for Chicago week. That's right. Two huge Eastern Conference foes are throwing down in my town halfway through the season to see who is going to be in the driver's seat for the 2nd half of the season to get a playoff position. Here's hoping we exploit every injury the Fire have and annihilate them 5-0.

Saturday Update: Schelotto in 2009?

Just read this excellent article about Guillermo from the Dispatch. And one particular passage stood out to me:

How much longer will Schelotto go on?

"This year and the next, for sure," said Schelotto, who is in the second and final year of his contract. Asked whether he is in contract negotiations, Schelotto, who last winter hinted that he wanted to return to Argentina, grinned.

"My thought is to stay here with the Crew," he said.

Told his most talented player was considering another season, Schmid grinned, too. "I've heard that," he said. "That's not a problem."

Is it too much to ask? Would we still want him next year? I say yes, but only if he plays like he has in the Chivas and L.A. games, and not the way he played during our 4 game losing streak.

Smitty's (abbreviated) Silly Game Preview

I've been debating on whether or not to return to doing the Silly Game Preview. You see, for the past two weeks, I've been waist deep in home improvement projects and work, both of which having prevented me from posting the preview. During the same two weeks, the Crew have taken 4 points in two road matches and scored 6 goals after not scoring any for 4 straight. Am I saying that the Crew have been so angered by not seeing a silly game preview, they've been playing a level or two up to make me put away time to do the Silly Game Preview?

Of course.

But I've wondered if doing a preview will jinx the good mojo the Crew seem to have going over these last few weeks. I was honestly thinking of just not doing one this week, to see if we can get back to winning at home. Then, out of nowhere, the mythical soccer gods I don't believe in provided a path for me...

I was looking for some good Crapids material to post, a funny picture I could photshop, anything to get me in the creatively funny direction. While searching for a picture of Pablo Mastroeni, I came across some of the most brutally disturbing pictures I have ever seen. They were taken by the New York Times back in 2002, and they feature some of the greatest soccer products America has produced, wearing God-only-knows what posing in a way that would make Richard Simmons mudwrestling with Sigfried and Roy seem like average heterosexual activity.

See cases in point, complete with nicknames:


Brian "Blueboy" McBride



Kasey "Come Hither" Keller


Clint "Wanna Tap This?" Mathis


Cobi "Spread Eagle" Jones

And finally, the picture that started it all off:



Pablo "My Ass Now Ready" Mastroeni

Seriously, how did I go for 6 years without seeing this? And how did these guys end up being the best WC team the US fielded in over 50 years? Does this in some way diminish what they did on the field?

One thing is certain: The soccer gods I don't believe in made no doubt about the fact that I am not meant to writer a Silly Game Preview, because I may possibly be projectile vomiting and crying the rest of the night.

Still, while I go search for eye, brain, and heart bleach, here are the basics:

Game Preview here. This one is the FSC Game of the week. So set them DVRs.

My prediction: It's time for Ekpo. He gets his first goal, and Big Willie styles to another clean sheet, after a terrible performance against L.A.

Crew win 2-0, Toronto wins 3-2, and Sigi coaches the MLS All-Star Team to a bunkertastic draw.

The Return: Smitty's Morning Afterthoughts.

Schelotto draws the Crew level. (AP Photo/Danny Moloshok)

As some of you may have noticed, I have not been posting very regularly over the last couple of weeks. This has mainly been to a Massive home improvement project I'm working on, as well as some internet outage.

However, as an atonement for my lax posting and missing my Silly Game Preview the last few weeks, I have decided to do a running blog of my Morning Afterthoughts from rewatching the game. I haven't done that in a while, mainly because it takes about 4 hours to watch a full game, because of all the pausing and writing. Not complaining, just saying, I'm doing this for you. Really.

As Michael Bluth would famously say, "Here we go..."

Soundtrack: Weezer - Make Belive
Beverage: Sam Adams Irish Red
Mood: Relaxed

PREGAME

Welcome to the Home Depot Center! It has been quite the oven in L.A. this week, and in describing the field temps, our two intrepid Gals announcers have the following exchange:

Announcer 1: "Tonight's temperature is 89 degrees, and a humidity of 39%. I went to junior college for 5 years, does that mean it's going to be sticky?"

Announcer 2: "I think it's going to be pretty sticky out there. These guys will get a lather worked up pretty quickly, out there in between the lines."

Number one, that sounds disgusting. And number two, if this is what passes for "sticky" heat in L.A., then I'm done listening to West Coast types complain about heat. Come to Columbus when it's 90 degrees and 90% humidity, and tell me about "sticky".

Also, did anyone else see, "You don't mess with the Zohan?" It was sticky as well.

FIRST HALF:

2:28 - Guillermo Barros Schelotto takes his first corner kick, and places it completely on the other side of the box. Just out of curiosity, if Guille keeps hitting thses crosses so far wide, shouldn't we stick someone back there?

3:25 - Poor clearance by the Crew almost leads to the first Galaxy chance. Chad Marshall attempts to clear the ball off the six, but Danny O'Rourke's hand gets in the way. Fortunately, the ref did not call the inadvertant palm, but the ball did sit in the box for what seemed like a minute before O'Rourke cleared out to the side.

3:41 - And the poor defense continues. David Beckam sends in a cross, which causes William Hesmer to come off his line to attempt a save. The ball skips of Hasmer's fingertips, leaving Donovan alone with the ball and an open net. 1-0 L.A.

I'm still not sure what Hesmer was complaining about. Beckham's dead-on cross off a side volley drew Hesmer out, and he and Donovan collided mid air, but it was a 50-50 ball. Unless Hesmer was complaining that he was distracted by Donovan's odd hairline, he really didn't have an argument.

5:59 - Speaking of hair, we get our first closeup of Mr. Hydrogen Peroxide himself, Abel Xavier. My wife watched this game with me last night, and asked me three times if Xavier had some kind of weird diease.

6:25 - Nico Hernandez takes the 3rd Crew corner of the game, with much the same result as the previous two: nothing. As for his hair, let's just say that Hernandez looks like he hasn't had a shower ever.

7:25 - Guille gets clocked by Mike Randolph. I believe that defensive tactic is typically referred to as "the slamdance."

7:49 - On the ensuing freekick, the Gals announcer says "Here's where Columbus is dangerous.." Umm...since when? We are watching the same Crew team, right?

9:25 - Ladies and gentleman, your reality check on Ryan Junge. As David Beckham brings the ball down the right, Junge sits on him and leaves an overlapping run for Klein wide open. Of course, Beckham plays a great ball that Klein crosses into the box, where Donovan nearly backheels for his 2nd goal. Very, very aestetically pleasing soccer by the Galaxy.

16:16 - Just a thought, as Will Hesmer takes a goal kick: How about we go down Robbie Rogers' side once or twice, eh?

19:20 - Hey, what do you know? Robie Rogers gets his first real touch in the offensive third, and we get a corner. Fascinating, this stuff called "strategy".

20:58 - Nicolas Hernandez plays a smart ball over the top to Moreno, who has acres to run at goal. As he gets near goal, he shakes a closing Galaxy defender, leaving him within 10 yards and only the keeper between him and tieing the game up 1-1. Instead, Moreno crosses to a mass of 37 L.A. defenders, who clear the ball for a Crew corner.

I'm sorry. I meant CREEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWW CORNER!

22:28 - Beckham hits one from 30 yards out that nearly beats Hesmer. Fortunately, it was about 3 feet too high, and ended up a goal kick.

Also, according to Posh Spice, it's one of the few times in life Becks has been accused of being "too long".

23:06 - Great play off the goal kick. Schelotto gets a lucky bounce and scoots into the box, where he put what looks like an errant shot across the goal face. Thing is, Robbie Rogers came storming in and gets the ball about two feet off the line, causing Cronin to make a diving save.

As a side note, I like how Robbie slammed the ball home after it had clearly gone out of bounds. Keep shooting Robbie, you'll be leading the league in goals soon enough.

24:47 - Schelotto gets slammed in the back of the leg by Sean Franklin, just outside the penalty area. Danny O'Rourke shouldn't feel bad, as L.A. has quite a few guys who commit very stupid fouls in and around the penalty area.

26:02 - The L.A. Announcers (which by the way, would be an awesome band name) just made the astute point that Schelotto's free kick, which was about two feet wide, was taken at such an angle that it would have been better to have a left footed player take the shot. Unfortunately, the Crew really don't have a lefty with the accuracy of a guy like Schelotto or Becks, save for maybe Gino Padula.

Though he only played in a few games, I remember thinking, "When Gino gets fully into form and learns how the team plays, he's going to be very good on offense as well as defense." Let's hope he gets back soon.

28:51 - Robbie Rogers was two steps behind Chris Klein, but ended up running around Klein and getting in front to force an errant cross. Speed kills and Robbie has it in spades, which I think means "shovel-fulls". Whatever.

29:42 - Beckham with another gorgeous cross, and this time Buddle gets on the end of it, all alone in the box, but shoots just wide.

In case your keeping track, the "Shoulda Been" score is now 2-1 (the Crew's goal either from Moreno's cross or Schelotto's cross).

31:30 - Franklin, Duke of Hedjes was very lucky not to get his 5th yellow (and auto suspension) for a poor challenge on the right side. Say what you want about the challenge, but it was right of Mr. Mark Geiger to keep the yellow in his pocket. Frankie Hejduk is still National Team and the capitain of the Massive Columbus Crew. Players like that deserve the benefit of the doubt once in a game, and Frankie got it. Good no call.

34:00 - The first real HOLY S*** sequence that didn't result in a goal against the Crew. Ante Jazic sends a ball into the box that gets knocked around until Edson Buddle ends up with it at his feet inside the penalty area. Brad Evans literally runs Buddle over, a play that clearly could have been called a foul, and thus a penalty, but no call is made.

Play continues, and the ball is crossed in, where Frankie Hejduk attempts a clear, only it lands at the feet of Landon Donovan inside the box again. Landy-cakes makes a clear mistake and shoots three feet wide of a completely empty far post.

Shoulda Been Scoreboard: LA 3 Crew 1.

39:55 - Beckham and Pires challenge Schelotto for a header. Only problem is, they both lead with their elbows, and the Argentine does what he does best: draw fouls. Sadly, this one was on Pires; it easily could have been on Beckham.

41:24 - Schelotto with another good series of moves to get through 3 defenders and put a cross in. He goes through people quicker than a Tabasco and chile sammich.

43:03 - Herbalife is the sponsor on the HDC video board, as well as the Galaxy jersey. Explain to me how they got a sponsorship for the Beckham team? You have Volkswagen, Glidden, Red Bull, and Best Buy as sponsors in this league, all very large corporations. Is Herbalife that big? Aren't they the company I always see people advertising on the back of their car windows? Somone needs to explain this to me.

43:40 - Nicolas Hernandez, whose nickname is now Vincent Vega, sends a nice ball into space for Robbie Rogers, who just misses a nice chip in goal over the head of Cronin.

Should Been Scoreboard, brought to you by Herbalife: LA 3 Crew 2.

44:47 - The Crew wait for what seems like a minute to get the ball on a throw in, which brings up a really annoying trend in MLS: ballkids who don't know how to throw a ball at players asking for it. I don't know if the problem is not enough balls sitting around outside the pitch, or the kids not having a clue about soccer, but either way, MLS needs to get more balls or smarter kids. Maybe they can have a Wonderlic test for the little tykes.

45:59 - Whistle. Halftime. Real score 1-0 LA. Shoulda Been Score: 3-2 LA. Really, the score holds up either way.

HALFTIME: On his way to the locker room. Landon Donovan gets asked by the sideline reporter how the Gals can improve in the 2nd half, and he responds with this:

"Well, we've been creating chances, but the problem is we're giving up some stupid balls in the back. If we can cut those out it makes it easier for us."

So, if you're keeping score at home on the Landon Donovan Checklist, we've already got:

- Scoring a cheap goal
- Missing a sitter
- Throwing his teammates under the bus

And it's only the first half! All we need now is "stamping feet in anger" and "not really celebrating because he didn't score the goal" and we'll go 5-5. I feel good about our chances.

SECOND HALF

46:00 - And just like that, it's 2-0. Edson Buddle makes Danny O'Rourke look more like an L.A. Galaxy defender, breezing by him and burying a knuckleball shot past Will Hesmer. Great goal by Buddle. He may finally be coming into his own. Then again, we said that about 10 times during his career when he was in Columbus, only to see him never quite live up to it. But on this L.A. team, where he doesn't have to be the focal point of the offense, he's doing very well.

Shoulda Been Score: 4-2 LA.

Also, I didn't see Donovan anywhere near the celebration. Check.

47:20 - I was looking for some razor blades and emo CDs at this point watching the game. Not a good feeling.

48:18 - Franklin Hejduk sends a nifty ball up the sideline for Mr. Seven Nation Army. Moreno beats his man and gets off a shot, but it was an easy save for Cronin. If Moreno crosses that ball, he hits a "Oh my God, I can't believe how wide open I am" Robbie Rogers, who buries it in the back of the net.

Ah, what the hell: Shoulda Been Scoreborad, presented by wishful thinking: 4-3 LA.

49:15 - Moreno gets ANOTHER shoulder/handball call, his 2nd of the game in 3rd in the last 3 games. He knows you can't do that, right?

52:40 - A cross by Schelotto and header by Marshall leaves the ball at Moreno's feet inside the six with no one between him and goal. Unfortunately, his one touch goes wide.

Should Been Scoreboard, now presented with 100% confidence: 4-3 LA.

54:40 - Nico Hernandez uncorks one from the top of the 18, but it goes just wide left. Not a bad effort though.

56:10 - Robbie Rogers pulls the same move on an LA defender that Edson Buddle did earlier to score his goal, chipping the ball around the right of the defender, and going left around the defender to beat him to it. The difference is, Rogers was near the left touch line, while Buddle was within 15 feet of the goal.

The kid has good crossing skills, and his defense is solid, but if we could add one more midfielder with some defensive abilities, Robbie Rogers should be our other forward in a 4-4-2. He is just too good to leave him outside serving balls into an empty box.

56:55 - Chad Marshall does well once again with a corner, putting it on frame where it's stopped by a defender. Only problem is, the defender was Ryan Junge. Junge was like Michael Jackson at a Kids 'R' Us half-off sale: Wrong place, wrong time.

The good thing is, Columbus is attacking very well.

61:24 - Nicolas Hernandez sends another good ball over the top to the hard-charging Moreno. Moreno gets in one-on-one with Cronin, but the puts the shot well wide to the far post.

As a veteran forward, Moreno MUST do better with that. No excuse to miss that wide. Cronin did a good job of cutting down the angle, but that was poorly shot. Also, any thoughts that maybe Hernandez should be playing in the Adam Moffat or Eddie Gaven roles? He's laid a few nice passes in over the top during this game.

Oh also - Should Been Scoreboard: 4-4

62:40 - The L.A. Color Announcer (not such a good band name) just said that Columbus is slightly better than San Jose, but just barely.

I realize the West Coast guys can't seem to grasp that life happens outside of California, Washington and Oregon, and that the Crew just lost to San Jose 2-0, but good God Almighty, let's be realistic. The Crew are 2nd in the East, while San Jose in the worst team in MLS with only 11 points on the season. The table doesn't lie. Please keep this in mind.

65:21 - Robbie Rogers nearly beats Cronin from outside the 18, as the ball deflects off an LA defender. It's not going on the Should Been Scoreboard, but it was close.

66:30 - Alejandro Moreno gets his head on a Guille cross. The ball bounces off the face of Pires, and to the feet of Brad Evans, who nearly rips the net in half with his side volley. 2-1 Crew!!!

Shoulda Been Scoreboard: 5-4 Crew.

Can we tell Brad Evans that Crew Stadium is actually in California? In three Cali games this season, Brad has both of his goals. Someone needs to get that memory zapper stick from Men In Black...

68:09 - Another close up of Brad Evans cast a weird shadow on his face, and it caused me to stumble onto a revelation: Brad Evans would look badass with a mustache. Just throwin' that out there.

70:01 - Robbie Rogers puts Chris Klein in a terrible position, and Klein fouls Rogers in the box, setting up the penalty. Great move by Rogers. Sigi, if you read this, please put Robbie up top. I'll buy you ice cream sundays for the rest of the season.

A great thing about this foul was that the L.A. Announcers had just finished talking about how Chris Klein never makes costly mistakes. Haha.

Also, as soon as this penalty occured. I knew two things:

1. Guille was taking it
2. He would bury it straight up the middle.

Guille will almost always put the PK dead center under the crossbar.

And he did both. Crew tie it up 2-2. SBS: 6-4 Crew.

74:30 - Beckham sends a cross to Donovan, who croses it into the six, only to be swept away by Chad Marshall. Keen touch there by Marshall, who has scored an own goal doing that kind of clearance in front of the goalmouth.

74:55 - On the ensuing corner, Alan Gordon nearly put the Crew back down by a goal, as he hits a header just wide of the goal. So close in fact, that the LA Announcers thought it went in, and paused to double check. It's not going on the SBS (Shoulda Been Scoreboard) because Willie had it covered. I think.

75:37 - Nico Hernandez comes off for Mr. Asuza Pacific, Steven Lenhart. Can't decide to make a Truffle Shuffle or Cabbage Patch joke here, so I'll go with neither for now.

77:15 - Anyone else ever notice that when Alejandro Moreno walks, he looks like someone walking barefoot over a hot surface?

79:16 - I stand corrected: The L.A. Announcers are saying that Gordon had a goal waved off for a shove in the box. Umm...no. Five minutes and 3 replays later, they have no idea the shot was wide of the net and never went in, regardless of the foul. Pity, I thought these guys were OK up until this point.

80:14 - Landon Donovan doesn't like the call against Edson Buddle for elbowing Chad Marshall in the head, and firmly shakes his head in disgust. The camera was too high, but I'm pretty positive there was a minor footstamp as well. Can we get X-Mo to confirm, please?

81:50 - David Beckham dives like a Navy Submarine, and draws a PK in the box.

Regardless of the fact that it was a clear dive (if you don't belive, check the replay), how in the wolrd did Beckham get THAT wide open at the top of the box? When he received the ball, there was no one within 6 yards of him. If you're a defender and you can't find David Freaking Beckham, it might be time to look into another position. Or profession.

82:30 - In a continuing state of stupidity, the L.A. Announcers say Beckham was "taken down from behind." If by "from behind" you mean, "by stepping on Danny O'Rourke's planted foot" or "by the wind", you'd be absolutely correct.

82:34 - Dammit. Donovan buries the PK, and the Gals lead 3-2.

On the Shoulda Been Scoreboard, we're leaving that one off, because the ref should never have blown his whistle. It's still 6-4 Crew on the SBS.

86:34 - Abel Xavier takes out Robbie Rogers just outside the penalty area, drawing the yellow. Oh, if only Abel Xavier could be on every team the Crew face.

On the repaly, at first it doesn't look like Xavier did much to deserve a yellow on the initial tackle, but as he follows through, he whips his back leg around and clips Robbie Rogers. I'm guessing the ref was carding him for that, or for just having an absolutely dreadful haristyle.

87:33 - Schelotto sends it too somone (Carrol?) at the top of the box, who shoots on frame. Cronin knocks it down, but the Cabbage Patch Kid takes no time to pull the Crew level, tapping the ball home for the 3-3 tie!!! Holy Crap!!!

I loved everything about that, the shot, the way the Crew players reacted, and Lenhart standing up, puffing out his chest, and staring down all the L.A. fans. Great comeback by the Crew.

SBS is now 7-4.

89:46 - Edson Buddle passes to Beckham, who makes Ryan Junge lunge and miss, then proceeds to absolutely blow his chance 6 yards from the goal. He hit that ball about 90 feet straight up in the air. Bend it like Beckham, indeed.

In fact, we'll give that to him. Should Been Scoreboard: 7-5 Crew.

And that's how it ends. Crew 3, L.A. 3.

I have to say L.A. has clearly improved, as it seems that the entire team is learning to step up and not just rely soley on Beckham and Donovan. Buddle is looking better and better. That makes what the Crew did all the more impressive. Down two goals to a talented side on the road, the Crew fought and clawed back into it. Our young players (Rogers, Evans, Lenhart) made some key plays, and the Crew scraped together a quality tie while missing some key figures (Ekpo, Padula, Gaven).

Summer is going to be rough on the Crew, with some absences surely to follow through the Olympics and WC Qualifiers. Still, if the Crew can remain healthy, and get guys like Padula back, I think the Crew are going to be in good shape come playoff time. Also, other teams will be losing their key players for the same reasons, so it's good we're seeing signs of life from Lenhart, Evans, and others who will be around.

Next Week: Colorado.

Crewsing in Kansas City.

The Columbus Crew jumped out to an early 1-0 lead and made it stand up, adding two more goals for the 3-0 drubbing of the Kansas City Wizards in KC. Chad Marshall got a goal off a corner (what a great idea!) in the 4th minute, and Alejandro Moreno added goals in the 20th and 67th to end the Crew's scoring drought in MLS matches, and put the Black and Gold back in the win column.

I don't have time to do an entire rundown (Father's Day, you know...), but here are a couple of quick thoughts:

- Man of the Match could be quite a few people, as the team overall played well last night. I'm giving it to Chad Marshall, as he scored the game winner, and provided outstanding defense once again in the back. As long as there are no more cobwebs, Chad should be getting some NT callups soon. Also, I wouldn't be surprised if he gets a coach's pick for the All-Star game.

- Alejandro Moreno had two very quality goals tonight. Of course, the first one came more because Kevin Hartman sucks, but the shot was still beautiful. Kudos to Danny O'Rourke for the nice pass on that goal. And the 2nd was pure class. If you watch the replay, Harmtan actually takes two looks to the near post to make sure he has it covered, and Moreno still beats him to that side.

- Emmanuel Ekpo showed more on defense than I expected, which is a good sign. He also did a very good job of linking up the field with our attackers, althought some of his passes in the offensive 3rd left something to be desired. And his footwork is something we haven't seen the likes of since Jeffro Cunningham.

- William Tecumseh Hesmer once again puts up the clean sheet, only this time, we score some goals for him. Good to see him on his game, and not having to save any PKs.


Scores from around the league:

- New England 2, Houston 0 (Thursday)

New England is on 26 points, so the Crew had to win tonight to keep pace.

- Toronto 3, Colorado 1
The Crew are still only two points ahead of the Canucks.

- DC 4, NYRB 1
Make no mistake, DC was never out of this race. It's a very long season, and they are only 10 points off the league lead.

- LA 3, SJ 0
Edson Buddle with a hat trick. Is there another blue moon out already?

- RSL 1, Chivas 0
Hooray mediocrity!


Today's big game:
Chicago at Dallas 3pm
Let's hope that the sister side of Dallas can do HSG a favor by kicking Chicago in the mouth, and keep the Crew firmly in 2nd place. A tie or loss for Chicago will leave Columbus in 2nd with a trip to LA next weekend.

Stolen: One Result. Lone Suspect: Referee.

It wasn't as if the Crew necessarily deserved to win against the Fire on Tuesday night, but the U.S. Open Cup match was certainly not one the Crew played poorly enough to deserve to lose. Despite giving Chicago the lead twice, the Crew fought back to tie the game up. Even the announcers, clearly college students from Bradley who would not seem to have a bias, clearly thought the Crew had the best of the run of play in the 2nd half and overtime.

Unfortunately, referee Tony Russo felt it necessary to insert himself into a game that more than likely, would have been fairly decided by penalties. Instead, he called a phantom penalty on Crew keeper Will Hesmer in the 2nd half of extra time, as he came out on Andy Herron and tried to protect the goal. Herron touched the ball away from the goal, the only way he could go as Hesmer had the goal covered. Yet, a foul was issued, even though Herron clearly had not earned it, and Hesmer had done nothing wrong.

The result became final when Herron put the PK in against his former team, with Chicago winning by the 3-2 margin. This is probably poetically appropriate, as the Crew saw many strong chances turned away by the excellent goal keeping of one John Busch. Many will never forgive Busch for flipping the fans off last year when he returned to Crew stadium while playing for the Fire; then again, most fans might be more understanding if they knew the way the former Crew keeper was forced out of Velma Avenue (supposedly, Busch was only told he had been released on the final day before the season, and by phone no less. The walls at Superkick probably would show further evidence.)

To recap, a player Sigi Schmid cut was more than up to the task to stop the Crew, and one of the many players to sit in Sigi's dog house (Herron) stepped up to bury the Crw in overtime. Fortunately for the Crew, they will be getting a 4th round pick in the 2009 Superdraft for Herron. Oh, and they gave up the 2nd overall pick last year to get him. Keep that in mind.

But to be sure, the game was decided by the referee. Hesmer was not malicious, and Herron was not assured of a goal. Yet the referee decided to take neither fact into consideration. While Hesmer has been stellar on PK's this year, it was clearly a call that gave an advantage to a team that had not created their own all game. Also, to call a foul in that spot that late in a game on a close call is bad form by the official; if he was desperate to see a penalty kick, 3 more minutes would have brought him 10 penalties. At best, the call was not only a stretch, it was downright suspicious.

Still, the Crew can now get back to focusing on what they do best. And as soon as we all figure out what that is, we'll let you know.

In the meantime, here are a ton of hilarious reffing videos to make us all feel better.

Ref slaps a player, then nearly gets his ass kicked. Literally.

At least this guy was up front with his bias.

This ref takes no crap, however.

A game with him and Guille would be fun to watch.

Scratch that...put Guille in a game with THIS guy.


And finally, there's this guy:

Almost worth the price of admission just to have a laugh.

Dear John, Please Come Home...

Seems like every week, we're trying to figure out who would look good as the next addition to the Black and Gold. This pastime becomes more frequent and necessary when the team starts losing, especially in the horrible fashion we lost last week to the Quakes. Last year, rumors of Riquelme and Palermo made us dreamers. More recently, Zurawski, Podolski, and "mythical Romanian midfielder" have made us swoon. Even a few weeks ago, there were ethereal fantasies of Brian "No, really, I still like you..." McBride coming to Columbus.

Funny that no one really was thinking this way when we were winning 6 out of the first 7.

Personally, I have posited only one name into this argument of who the Crew should go after, and that's this guy. I feel that rampant speculation and wishing only leads to more heartbreak when the seemingly impossible proves to be, in fact, impossible. But would you believe I think the Crew have a legitimate shot at a true scoring threat who had 19 goals in England last season and who has 67 goals in just over 100 caps for his national team? Believe it or not, the Crew not only have a shot at him, they already have a locker nameplate for him.

Ladies and gentlemen, the man of the hour, the person we should all be lobbying Mark McCullers, Sigi Schmid, and Brian Bliss to sign as our designated player, is named John.



Stern John.

Fresh off stints in Southampton, Sunderland, and Birmingham City, John is not an offensive-minded midfielder, or a wing-mid, or a two-way player who will get you 6-7 goals. Stern John is a true forward, nay....a STRIKER. Yes, striker. A player who really only cares about scoring, who comes to the park everyday knowing the reason he is on the team is to score goals. Believe it or not, some teams actually have these guys. And Stern John not only knows how to score, he scores in ways that absolutely demolish the other team. He gets hat tricks in the 2nd half. He scores in stoppage time. Consistently, when the team needs a goal, he finds a way to tickle the twine.

Now, before we get much further into this, I know this type of signing would darn near force Sigi into playing with two forwards, which apparently he hates to do. I can only guess he hates this approach, seeing as how we have a whole dive team of forwards sitting on the bench while Moreno gets hammered all alone at the top of the box. So to make this work for Sigi, we would need to only refer to him as "the Crew's new scoring-oriented D-mid who happens to only play in the offensive third."

Some older Crew fans know all too well what Stern John can do, because he did it here in Columbus first. In 1998, John had 26 goals for the Crew, including 7 multi-goal games. He followed it up the next year by christening the Crew Stadium grounds with 18 more goals. All in all, he had 44 goals in 55 appearances with the Black and Gold. By the way, that's two fewer games played than Eddie Gaven had at the start of this season, but 35 more goals than Gaven has for the Crew. Warrants mentioning.

If you never saw him in a Crew kit, here's one of John's masterpieces from that opening season in the House That Lamar Built:



Things I loved about this goal, which was similar to many of the goals he scored for Columbus:

- It turned zero points into one (actually three, because the Crew won that game in a shootout, back when in MLS had the "let's try to hook non-soccer fans" rules, which also included the running-down clock.) Stern John has scored clutch goals throughout his career.

- It got the entire stadium off their feet and jumping. Old people, young people, crippled people...everyone was going nuts when he hit that shot home. His goals mesmerized those crowds back in the day.

- It ripped the heart out of the opposing team. Even the broadcasters, who were San Jose locals, couldn't hide the anguish. And Joe Cannon (yes, the SAME Joe Cannon) laying prostrate on the ground will forever be burned into my gray matter.

- It was done with a cocky swagger. Stern John isn't going to out-hustle Frankie Hejduk, or out-think Brian Carrol. No, Stern John is going stand around, not track back, get caught offside, and argue with the refs. He's also going to have his collar popped, beat you with a disgusting, "I can't believe I just saw that!"-type of play, and then rip his shirt off or flex his muscles. If it were a country song, Stern John would have slept with your girlfriend, stole your dog and your truck, and even cut the strings on your guitar.

Granted, the legend of Stern John was built when he was much younger. He was 22 and 23 during his two seasons with the Crew. Still, he did just have 19 goals for a side that nearly got relegated from the Championship. Apparently, even if there isn't talent around him, he can get his goals. Also, no matter how old you get, you can't unlearn shots like this one, from 2006:



OK, so now that I've whet your appetite for the "A+" T&T forward, you're asking "How good of a shot do we have of getting him?" Well that depends on a few things, one of which we know, one we don't, and one we can reasonably surmise.

What we don't know: Does anyone in the Crew F.O. even know that this guy is still playing? Outside of Bob Rifle and Mike Lapper, I wouldn't be shocked if Sigi or McCullers scratch their heads at the mention of his name. And, I say this in the most literal sense, only God Himself knows if HSG would care to sign him for more than a couple of large Pizza Hut Pizzas even if the Crew want him.

Bottom line: We don't know what the Crew F.O. is thinking, so let's not get our hopes up just yet. But, to carry the discussion along further, let's pretend they are interested in John.

What we do know: He's going to be available, for the right price. Southampton, John's current team, is under new management. Nigel Pearson was relieved of his coaching duties and replaced by former Dutch National Teamer Jan Poortvliet, whose last name sounds like a French toilet. Typically, when there is a new coach in town, especially in Jolly Old Ingerland, they like to bring in the new blood along with the new coach. Plus, this statement from the board of Southampton may be intriguing as well:

"...The board have been looking closely at the situation on the playing side of the club whereby we are inevitably going to have to depend to a large extent on the quality of our youngsters in the academy and the reserve team. "

Not exactly a vote of confidence in the current roster, of which John is a part. And of course, we're not implying that he's gone, but if the Crew want to make an offer, you can bet Southampton would be listening. He's not young, but certainly not old, as he won't turn 32 until October of this year.

Bottom line: If you're looking to rebuild, 31 is not the age to start with. However, if you're looking for a seasoned goal scorer to ignite an already potent attack (assuming everyone is healthy), then 31 is just fine.

What we can surmise: If John was to leave England, he would want to play in Columbus. Think about it:

- He'd be closer to his family in the States and National Team in Trinidad and Tobago.

- He could make bank as a DP.

- He's 19 goals away from becoming the all-time leading goal scorer for the Crew.

- He still knows people here, and would get to work with some of his old teammates.

- He could win a championship.

Bottom Line: If John were to consider another go in MLS, Columbus would be perfect for him.

Will we get him? Who knows. But if the Crew don't sign a DP this offseason, it won't be because the Crew Nation is short on ideas.

Not in the Face! Not in the Face!

As I was walking back to my car after the Crew's 2-0 loss to San Jose, I apparently picked up a tick. It's a wonder that Crew fans aren't one of the high-risk demographics for Lyme Disease, seeing how infrequently the grass is cut in the atrocious parking lots around CCS. I was more shocked than usual to pick up a tick, as I had thought all the life had already been sucked out of me during the game. But apparently, I still had something to give.

Once again, this game leaves us with more questions than answers. Below are some I still have, and may not get the answers to.

1. Are the referees in this league all slowly going blind? And if so, is it due to glaucoma? And if that is so, can they score us some weed?

Ricardo Salazar issued 21 fouls to San Jose, yet it took a 2nd yellow to draw a red card for any of the San Jose players. It took 33 minutes for San Jose to draw yellow, even though they had been hammering the Crew forwards from the outset. Brad Evans gets sent off for a foul at midfield that was a yellow at worst and his only caution; yet 5 minutes later, Eric Denton saves a sure goal by committing a similar foul on Frankie Hejduk just outside of the penalty area, and only sees yellow?

Meanwhile, Don Garber is busy watching Youtube and putting up "Wanted" posters in party supply stores. The willful ignorance this league exhibits towards it's awful officiating only underlines the hypocrisy they exhibit when they release mandates against the fans under the guise of "player safety".

Which reminds me: Can someone with some time and video-editing experience put together a video of all the fouls Robbie Rogers has suffered since he scored his 5th goal? A good song for the montage would be NIN's song "Hurt" sung by Johnny Cash.


2. Why did it take this long for Ekpo and Zayner to crack the starting lineup? And can I have some more Andy Iro?

I know Ekpo misplayed some balls on offense. But that's bound to happen when you only have less than an hour on the field with first team all season. There were plenty of times where Expo looked more dangerous than Paris Hilton driving a tanker truck full of anthrax. And Zayner, Iro, or Junge all looked like more competent options than Ezra at BOTH positions he can still barely play. Zayner was unlucky to not have MLS goal of the Week by hitting the crossbar, and Iro is much faster than advertised.

Even though we lost 2-0, San Jose had exactly TWO shots on goal, so it's not like the defense was a problem tonight. And yes, that does mean that William Tecumseh Hesmer had ZERO saves against the Quakes, completing the rarely-seen and ignominious Keeper Shutout.

So what WAS the problem? I'll answer that with another question:


3. Where did the offense of the first 7 games go?

I know, Robbie and Alejandro have been getting facefuls of turf of late. But why can't we seem to finish on the chances those fouls create?

Oh, that's right. Because outside of Moreno, we don't have a true forward on the team. And it might also have something to do with the fact that teams around the league are able to foul our speed into submission, then lay back and absorb our chances that result because we don't have anyone who has proven worthwhile at getting on the good side of one of these free kicks or crosses.

Wait, what was that noise? Was that our Designated Player slot sitting over in the corner getting moldy? Can you hear mold growing?

We were bound to swoon at some point, but it has been 367 minutes since we scored, and we've just gone scoreless against the last team we HAD previously scored against. If there is a panic button, it should be getting the "PANIC" letters worn off it at this point due to repeated pressing. Dark times to be sure, and with Padula and Moffat still on the shelf, the Crew need someone to step up. Maybe it can be Ekpo or Zayner (who hopefully earned a starting spot at LB until Padula gets healthy), but someone needs to do it. And quick.

Finally, for anyone who didn't get the title, it's a semi-obscure reference to The Tick. Here's the context:



If someone could make a "SPOON!" banner, I would be forever grateful.

Speaking of banners, there was some 10-year old kid who was taking down banners after the game. One of them was a painting that bore striking resemblance to Franklin Hedge Duke. I asked him where he got them, and he said "I made them." If anyone sees this kid at the next game, give him some money for a Mountain Dew or something.

Don W. Garber

Today, MLS Reigning Idiot Don "DP Rules? What DP Rules...?" Garber has decided to enforce MLS' policy (yeah, as of Thursday...)that streamers are only allowed during celebrations. From the horse's ass's mouth:

"MLS has reviewed the increasingly coordinated use of streamers at some MLS stadiums to affect play, particularly as a distraction to visiting players as they attempt to take corner kicks. MLS teams will communicate to their supporter groups MLS’s existing policy – that streamers are not to be used to impact on-field competition or thrown toward a player, referee or stadium staff member. While the spontaneous use of streamers and confetti as an expression of fan enthusiasm will not be prohibited, the continued practice will be kept under review. Should issues continue regarding the use of streamers, MLS will have no option but to prohibit streamers.”

Obviously, as a chief streamer-thrower and provider, I am more than biased against this decision. However, I think we should fully adhere to the commish's wishes. In fact, here are a list of things I plan on celebrating tonight:

- Goals
- A great save
- Player intros
- The 1st minute
- The last minute
- The 2nd minute
- Corner kicks
- The 3rd minute
- Don Garber's decision to ban bottles and batteries being thrown on the field.
- The upswing in racial sensitivity at CCS.
- The stage
- The 4th minute
- The beer I drank before the game.
- The beer you drank before the game.
- Beer in general.
- Blake
- Grant
- Hard Hat Mike
- Ryan
- Jericho
- The 5th minute...

In fact, I'm so fired up by Commissioner Garber's mandate, I fully plan on making every Crew game a celebration of life. This has got to be the DUMBEST policy distinction I have ever heard. Streamers are allowed as long as we're celebrating? Well, what if I throw a celebratory streamer when Ned Grabavoy comes and takes a corner kick? How do they know I'm not celebrating the fact Grabs isn't here cloggin up our midfield anymore?

The other absurdity is that 99% of people are not going to know this because the statement came out:

1. Late on Friday night.

and

2. On a website no one reads - mlsnet.com

Of course, even if every Crew fan was forced to read the statement, it's really a moot point what Don Garber decides to ban if everyone in the section ignores him. I can't even remember how many streamers I threw two weeks ago, let alone the streamers everyone else threw. And how exactly do they expect to police this section? Do they realy think CPD wants to waste 20-50 officers on a Saturday night in the summer, when they'll most likely need to be out policing real criminals, and not douchebags who drink too much and try to hit Ronnie O'Brien in the head with crepe paper?

And even if there were 100 police officers with computer analysis and toilet paper-sniffing dogs, do they really think kicking out the best atmosphere Crew Stadium has seen in over 4 years is a GOOD thing? MLS ain't in the position to lost money from ticket buyers who can easily sit in the air conditioning and watch the games while throwing and saying whatever the hell they want. The atmosphere we've created got 600 supporters out to the U.S. Open Cup match in the corner. Last year, we would have had 70-80 max. People don't just come to the games for the game; they come for the atmosphere.

I encourage non-violent protest against overbearing governmental organizations when necessary. Since MLS is a governing body, and since, the last time I checked, you can't assault someone with streamers, no matter how many you throw, I encourage you to grab your friends, a handful of streamers, and continue to proceed as planned. And I can promise you this: the moment I get kicked out of Crew Stadium for throwing a streamer, they won't have to ban me. I won't be back.

Smitty's Silly Preview - Game 11: San Jose

If MLS were a hospital, and the Crew were a patient, the appropriate medical diagnosis to describe the Crew's lineups of late would have to be something along the lines of "herpes". You can live with it, but it definitely decreases your chances of scoring. But the boys are returning home, and if Don Garber truly were a doctor, one would have to assume he couldn't prescribe any better rehabilitation for the Crew than a game against San Jose.

Oh and speaking of doctors and medical and such, Moffat could be out for the season, and Padula isn't back to health yet. Good times.

SAN JOSE


WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Kai Kamara, the latest flaming douche to join the ranks of other Crew enemies like Razov, Joseph, Heaps, and Moreno, will not be playing this weekend, due to a national team call up for Sierra Leone. Some will say the SL National Team can beat Nigeria, but frankly, I don't think they have a leg to stand on.

Oh, and speaking of douchebags, let's not forget former Crew player and current San Jose player Eric Denton, who once famously flipped off Columbus fans while he was still playing for the Black and Gold. And yes, I just linked back to my own article.

NEW ADDITIONS: The Quakes gave John Cunliffe some playing time last week, and it seemed he did well. Also, San Jose just purchased a few more lawn chairs, bringing the full capacity of Buck Shaw Stadium to 74.

BIG HOLES TO FILL: Well-meaning San Jose players will still be trying to fill the net at Crew Stadium. Unfortunately, there will be more balls on the CCS stage than if the Crewzers all turned out to be transvestites. Speaking of, (Crewzers, not transvestites), let's hope the Girls in Gold all have medical coverage in the off case that Ned Grabavoy lines up a free kick.

2008 PREDICTION: San Jose will win another game this season. Maybe.

(Sadly, many of you don't realize how flimsy of a limb that truly is.)

Match preview here.

GAME PREDICTION: With Moffat and Padula out, and with the Crew having not scored since, well, the last time we played San Jose, Sigi finally gets off his ass and erases the lineup he's been putting up on the whiteboard these last three weeks. Out comes Evans and EZ, in comes Ekpo, Junge, and Lenhart, the Crew go with a 3-man back line, and win 5-0. Hey, a guy can dream, can't he?

In all seriousness, I do believe Robbie Rogers takes out some frustrations on San Jose, and the Crew win a nailbiter 3-2.

El Stinko

By Smitty


Ezra Hendrickson is not enthused about the way the Crew have played the last two weeks.

The Crew came to Los Angeles apparently thinking they were about to have a pillow fight. That's the only explanation I can think of to explain why the Black and Gold came out and looked shocked that Chivas was running at them with a soccer ball at their feet. And sadly, the Crew could not withstand the barrage, falling 2-0 to the Goats. This game left me with more questions than answers, and could have resulted in a terrible hangover had I not extricated myself from the alcohol when I did. Below are some questions that keep ringing in my head, and the answers as I see them.

1. Why does Sigi seem to play for a tie on the road, and how can the Crew improve away from home?

This actually goes back long before Sigmund was the coach of the Crew. In fact, it's one of the reasons that got his ass fired at L.A. when they were at the top of the league. Sigi Schmid, for some unknown reason, is more than willing to bunker down and take the tie on the road. My guess is that The Rotund One leans on his strategy that his team should win at home and tie on the road, and takes anything more than a point on the road as icing on the cake.

Unfortunately, when your team hasn't scored in two games and all but 80 minutes of the third, bunkering down doesn't help re-light that scoring spark. And as Jericho so astutely pointed out on last week's podcast, it is impossible to win a game in which a goal is not scored for your team. Maybe Sigmund was hoping for Guzan to whiff on a goal kick, and the wind that blows through Guillermo's Mullet to somehow nudge the ball backwards into the net. But his current strategy of having Robbie, Moreno, and a bunch of honest-to-God midfielders isn't working, especially when teams have learned Robbie Rogers can't run past them if he's lying in a heap.

Answer: Change up the formations, and be more agressive against teams we've beaten. Defensively, we actually played BETTER than we did the first time with Chivas (only 2 goals instead of 3), but offensively, we need to be more agressive.

2. Why do guys who have consistently underperformed (Gaven, Ezra, Evans) continue to get PT while exciting young players (Moffat, Ekpo, Junge) sit on the bench?

This one again goes back to Sigi. I could scarcely belive Moffat was full 90 fit for that Open Cup match against RSL, yet there he was, only 4 weeks after having his cartilage stitched up. So why did he only enter as a 2nd-half sub on Saturday night? If they were unsure of his fitness, why not play him for only a half against Salt Lake? You have to put the best players on the field for league matches, and last night that was clearly not done.

As far as Eddie Gaven goes, I have defended him, but he is slowly turning into D-Mid at best material. I don't think you can justify putting him on the wing when he shows little effort to get forward. And even the times that he does, like in the New England game, his efforts in and around the box are not worth the time to document.

There's even less that's worth writing about Ezra Hendrickson's ability to perform even minimal duties on a soccer pitch.


Answer: Because of injuries and Danny O'Rourke's red card-induced suspension, the Crew are going to be very shorthanded against San Jose next weekend. If I'm Sigi, I get out my whiteboard, put Eddie Gaven in Brian Carrol's position, move Carrol to center back, and put Ekpo on the wing, and Junge at left back. I also encourage Ezra Hendrickson to take a long vacation. Then when Danny and Padula get back, I put Eddie on the bench, Ekpo on the wing, and set my DVR to record what would certainly be a scoring barrage.

3. Should we as Crew Nation be mad at Danny O'Rourke?

Answer: No. Danny got hacked in the box on that second goal, and the referees continue to turn a blind eye to some of our best players getting fouled, specifically Robbie Rogers. Trust me, Danny's foul on Atiba Harris was deserved (direct retaliation for the cheap goal and excessive celebration), well-timed (San Jose next week), and it had been building LOOOOONG before this game. If MLS doesn't sit some of these officials down and get them to call the games a little more fairly, you had better believe that guys like Frankie Hejduk and Adam Moffat will continue to take matters into their own hands to protect our players.

4. Are the Crew as good as their record indicates?

Answer: Yes. Say what you want about the last two weeks, but 19 points on 10 matches is fine with me. I really wanted to see us above 20 points before May was out, but that was just being greedy. While I have bemoaned this lack of scoring, we have been without some key players during this frigid stretch. Once everyone is back to full health, I believe the Crew will be a mid to upper level team. If we can add a proven striker, we're best in the league.

5. Can the Crew keep up with Chicago and New England?

Answer: The real question is, can the Crew stay healthy and weather the absences of key figures (Rogers, Ekpo, Hejduk) this summer. If so, then I have no doubt we'll be step for step with at least one of those two teams. Chicago could be the runaway Supporter's Shield winner if they add McBride, and New England has kept pace without some of their key figures. For Columbus to maintain pace, they will need another option at forward to assist Moreno and better defensive play than they are getting from the left side right now.

Let's put it this way...there's a good chance the East winner could be on 55 points or more by the end of the season. The Crew are not that team...yet. But with the summer transfer window opening up, I am praying that the Crew make the changes necessary to take the stench off of these last few weeks, and fully unlock the potential of some bright youngsters in Rogers, Moffat, and Hasmer.