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April 1, 2007
MLS PREVIEW
Columbus Crew
Nick Williams, Assistant Editor, NewEnglandSoccerNews.com
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Defender Eddie Gaven was a mainstay of the Crew backline last year, making 30 starts.
Linda Cuttone/Sports Vue Images |
NEWCOMERS: Andy Herron, Danny O'Rourke, Will Hesmer, Stefani Miglioranzi, Robbie Rogers
KEY RETURNEES: Eddie Gaven, Joseph Ngwenya, Jason Garey, Bill Gaudette, Frankie Hejduk, Duncan Oughton
GOALKEEPING: The Columbus goal was a revolving door last year that saw Gaudette, Noah Palmer and Jon Busch split most of the duties. The Crew ranked in the middle of the pack in the MLS in goals allowed with 42. Gaudette, who led the team in starts with 11, is the only one of the trio remaining and will assume the majority of the goalkeeping duties this season, with Hesmer as the backup. Gaudette finished the year with a 3-5-3 record to go along with a 1.18 goals-against average and a .75 save percentage.
DEFENSE: Marcos Gonzalez, Chad Marshall and Rusty Pierce anchored this group last season, with Ezra Hendrickson moving back from midfield depending on the formation. Marshall played in the most games of the group while making the second most starts on the team (25) after Eddie Gaven (30). Hendrickson provides leadership and experience if Schmid's formation calls for him in the back. Captain Oughton seems fully recovered from a knee injury that limited him to nine games last year after missing all of the 2005 season.
MIDFIELD: Gaven is the glue here in what is easily the Crew's strongest area of the field. Gaven started 30 of the Crew's 32 games to lead the team. The 20-year-old scored four goals and recorded a team-high four assists on a club that saw no one else notch more than two. Hejduk will attempt to come back from an injury-shortened 2006 season. The World Cup veteran played in just four games after suffering a torn ACL. The acquisitions of O'Rourke from Toronto and Miglioranzi from Los Angeles will help. Both will be pushed by the 19-year-old Rogers, who was obtained in the weighted lottery.
OFFENSE: Andy Herron bolsters what was a putrid lot in 2006. His nine goals were almost a third of what Columbus scored all together last season. The Crew's 30 goals ranked dead last in the league for a paltry .94 scores per contest. Ngwenya and Garey shared the team lead in goals with five apiece while Kei Kamara chipped in with three.
OUTLOOK: After an abysmal 2006 campaign marred by a stagnant offense, goalkeeper carousel and a finish at the bottom of the MLS standings, there may be some hope for the 2007 Crew.
The Crew acquired some decent talent this off-season via trades. In O'Rourke and Hesmer, they filled the need for a starting midfielder and backup goalie in one swing. Plus they didn't give up any players for them, agreeing to give Toronto a partial allocation in exchange. O'Rourke already has become somewhat of a fan favorite, reaching out with his own journal (read: blog) on the team's website.
Herron (trade with Chicago) alone makes the Columbus offense more formidable, and acquiring Miglioranzi's rights from LA adds veteran depth at the midfield.
It will be interesting to see how Robbie Rogers fits in with his new team. Rogers was previously signed with SC Heerenveen in Holland, but never got his chance with the club's first team. Just 19, he signed with the Crew after the team won his rights in the MLS weighted lottery. He won't open the season on the Crew's 18-man roster, but the highly-touted midfielder was a standout on the U.S. Under-20 squad, recording one goal and three assists in the recent CONCACAF Qualifying Tournament in Panama.
Another player to watch is Gaudette. In this, his third year in the MLS, the 25-year-old has a chance to make a name for himself. Gaudette, relegated to platoon duty with the now-released Palmer and Busch, will most likely carry the bulk of the goalkeeping duties while Schmid eases the inexperienced Hesmer -- only three career appearances -- into games.
While a championship may not be in the cards, the Crew might be in line to escape the MLS basement (hello, Kansas City). Coach Schmid brings a winning attitude and championship experience with him, having won an MLS Cup in 2002 with the Galaxy after years of success at UCLA.
The Crew certainly show promise, as evident in their preseason successes this spring. As of March 23, Columbus has gone 7-1-2 in 10 preseason contests, including a nine-game undefeated stretch after the team's first loss on Feb. 11. No one has benefited more from the training period than Kamara, who's notched five goals in the 10 games, trying to make a case for playing time in a crowded front line.
This is a young team with plenty of upside. And in a league like MLS, where eight of the 13 clubs make the playoffs, that's sometimes good enough.
For the complete 2007 MLS preview, Download the MLS preview here
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