THE BASICS:
- Columbus Crew SC
- Eastern Conference
- Home: MAPFRE Stadium
HONORS:
- MLS CUP: 2008
- Supporters' Shield: 2004, 2008, 2009
- U.S. Open Cup: 2002
COLUMBUSCREWSC.COM:
Columbus Crew SC is a team still in the midst of a transition. In the last two seasons, the club was purchased by new investor-operator Anthony Precourt, fired club legend Robert Warzycha as head coach and dissolved the GM role of Mark McCullers into the all-encompassing soccer duties of Sporting Director Gregg Berhalter.
A trip to the playoffs in Berhalter's first season showed that his new approach can yield results, but his second season will be more difficult as teams know what to expect.
Rivals
Fellow Midwesterners the Chicago Fire are far and away the team's biggest rival. Fans hate each other, and the disdain goes back to Chicago's introduction to MLS in 1997. But perhaps the most classic rivalry is with D.C. United, a matchup that began when the league was formed in 1996. Hatred for the D.C. side has died down in recent years, but many longtime fans still hold the rivalry dear.
The burgeoning rivalry for the club is with last year's Eastern Conference champion New England Revolution. Polarizing figure Jermaine Jones helps these efforts, along with the similarities in how the young teams are building.
2014 Recap
Last season was an inconsistent one for Columbus. The team launched out to a 3-0-0 start before going through a massive dry spell in the middle of the season that had some questioning Berhalter's plans.
But by the end of the season, the club was one of the hottest in the league, causing many to pick them as favorites to come out of the East. But a drubbing at the hands of the Revolution in the playoffs brought expectations back to earth and left a bitter taste in the mouths of players and fans.
In the process, young players Steve Clark, Waylon Francis, Wil Trapp, Tony Tchani, Ethan Finlay and Justin Meram all burst onto the scene.
TRANSACTIONS IN:
- F Kei Kamara (allocation)
- M Ben Swanson (Homegrown)
- M Mohammed Saeid (free)
- M Kristin Steindorsson (free)
- D Chris Klute (trade from Colorado)
- D Hernan Grana (free)
- M Cedrick Mabwati (transfer from Real Betis, arrives in July)
TRANSACTIONS OUT:
- M Fifi Baiden (option declined)
- D Ross Friedman (option declined)
- M Daniel Paladini (option declined)
- M Agustin Viana (option declined)
- M Matt Walker (option declined)
- D Matt Wiet (option declined)
- D Josh Williams (traded to NYCFC)
- M Bernardo Anor (traded to SKC)
- F Jairo Arrieta (Expansion Draft to Orlando City)
- D Eric Gehrig (Expansion Draft to Orlando City)
- D Ben Sweat (waived)
2015 Prospectus
In January, newly acquired striker Kei Kamara admitted he was feeling the pressure of being "the guy" in Columbus.
The forward returned to the league last year, but was ineligible to play until the 2015 season. Crew fans clamored all year for a scorer as Jairo Arrieta, Aaron Schoenfeld and Adam Bedell saw playing time in Berhalter's single-striker formation with limited success, and it will be up to Kamara to fix their scoring woes.
Crew SC's biggest offseason improvement has been depth. Wingers Kristinn Steindorsson and Cedrick Mabwati (joining in the summer) will help platoon the wings, while Hernan Grana should give the same type of production at right back that Francis provided on the left. Behind two of the best midfielders of 2014, Mohammed Saeid is a starting-caliber MLS player who can easily step in for a missing Tchani or Trapp.
CLUB SOURCE:
"Since they are in a smaller market area they are typically one of the teams in MLS that go under the radar. But I think there were a lot of really good things there over the last 12-28 months."
CLUB SOURCE:
"I don't want to say they shocked or surprised a lot of people last year, but they really came on strong. I expect them to be a formidable opponent in the East. It seems like they have a plan and it seems like they're on the right track."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
PROJECTED LINEUP: 4-3-3
Clark; Grana, Parkhurst, Pogatetz, Francis; Tchani, Trapp; Finlay, Higuain, Meram; Kamara
Complete roster [columbuscrewsc.com]
FANTASY SOCCER
SLEEPER PICKS:
Columbus will be a fashionable fantasy pick for 2015, and for good reason. You know all about Federico Higuain, Tchani and Trapp are solid midfield plays and Francis, Grana and Chris Klute could be elite back-line assist men. But who will play on the wings other than Finlay? That's the big fantasy question mark.
Armchair Analyst's Best Case Scenario
There's no reason Columbus shouldn't be in the Supporters' Shield hunt this year. None. Things don't even have to go super right for them to be there – just kinda right. Just a bit.
Best-case scenario-level right, though? It's Kamara scoring 15 goals, Finlay improving in his second year as a starter, the Parkhurst/Pogatetz combo working nonstop, and that deadly central midfield triangle treating every game like last year's 4-1 dismantling of the Galaxy, all in the "weak" Eastern Conference.
That means 70 (or more) points, the Shield, hopes for the franchise's second double, and no reason not to dream even bigger down the road.
