Lots of Opportunities

By Gary L. Moody Jr.

COLUMBUS, OH - March 27, 2010 -The Crew started their fifteenth MLS season with the first leg of the Trillium Cup against arch rival Toronto FC. They would have Toronto's number once again, sending the Canadian club home with a 2-0 loss behind goals from Andy Iro and Guillermo Barros Schelotto.

Both clubs would enter the regular season with some injury concerns. Columbus would be without rookie defender Shaun Francis (ankle sprain), goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum (hip surgery), and defenders Chad Marshall (hamstring strain), and Jed Zayner (knee strain). Toronto would miss the play of defender Emmanuel Gomez (bone bruise), forward Chad Barrett (foot surgery), and midfielder Jacob Peterson (knee surgery). Ty Harden would make the start for TFC even though he was listed as questionable with a knee contusion.

The Crew look to build off their success of last season when they claimed a second Supporters' Shield by way of a 13-7-10 record. Columbus has only improved their squad, keeping their core players in place and adding a few players of note.

Toronto is looking to improve upon their 2009 record of 10-11-9 and finally beat the Crew. Toronto, under the leadership of new coach Preki, has been busy making changes to their roster. Four moves in 48 hours is quite a frenzied pace, the biggest being the trade of defender Marvell Wynne to Colorado for midfielder Nick LaBrocca and a draft pick. Toronto will surely benefit from a full season from their Designated Player, Julian de Guzman.

Things would be competitive, but rather vanilla, from the start. Both sides were trying to assert their dominance with little success. The Crew would earn two early corner kicks in the 9th and 10th minute. The first was cleared by a Toronto defender; the second was knocked out of the box by Toronto keeper Stefan Frei.

A potential opportunity came for the Crew in the 19th as Robbie Rogers broke away, but was then called offsides. Another offsides call would stall the Crew attack in the 25th minute.

Things would change for Columbus in the 29th minute as young defender Andy Iro sent a header into the left side of the goal. Guillermo Barros Schelotto would get the assist on the play.

Schelotto would get an opportunity of his own in the 37th, but was tripped up by the Toronto keeper. Toronto would go on the attack minutes later, but the Crew defense held firm. The Crew would threaten again in the 43rd minute when a Rogers cross almost turned into a Lenhart goal. The first half would come to a close with the score remaining 1-0 to the Crew.

Columbus moved quickly coming out of the locker room, going on the attack in the 47th minute. Toronto would counter and charge toward goal. A slight touch off a diving Will Hesmer sent a surefire TFC shot inches outside of the goal. Adam Moffat would break away in the 49th, going 1v1 with Frei, but the keeper wasn't troubled by a weak kick. The Crew's Eddie Gaven would push forward on his own moments later, but was blanketed by Toronto captain Jim Brennan.

Rogers would take on the TFC defense all by himself in the 58th, trying to play "keep away" with the opposing defenders. Eventually reinforcements would come for Toronto before Rogers could take a solid shot at the goal. Columbus would continue to apply pressure on the opposing squad. The visitors would try to create a change with their substitutions, bringing in Amadou Sanyang for Argentine defender Martin Saric in the 66th minute.

Toronto would send a ball into the box a minute later, but an aggressive move by Hesmer cleared it out of danger. However, he took down two other players in the process, including a Crew defender.

Another Crew opportunity came in the 75th as Rogers beat his man and made his way toward the goal. A slick pass was sent in the direction of Steven Lenhart, who appeared to be pulled down in the box. There was no call and the decision was contested by the home fans.

Rogers would continue to break through the Toronto back line in the 83rd, but his hard shot was deflected by Frei. Schelotto would put the game away in the 86th, taking advantage of the keeper being down outside the box. A collision between Danny O' Rourke and Stefan Frei created an opportunity for a shot from the Crew's star.

Gino Padula and Jason Garey would enter the game late with the match already decided. While the score could easily have been 4-0 or 5-0, the Crew are happy with the 2-0 result. "The first win in the first game is always good," Head Coach Robert Warzycha commented. Warzycha also praised the play of his keeper, who led the defensive effort to keep TFC scoreless.

The performance of Robbie Rogers was particularly impressive; the talented midfielder was able to create chances and consistently cause fits for the opposing defense. "I just used my speed. Last year at this time I was injured. I came back and I didn't have my legs," Rogers continued. "It is nice to go through preseason and January camp and feel good and strong. I think it shows when I am on and off the ball."

Everyone agreed that the matches versus Toluca FC helped the Crew prepare for the start of the season. While other teams played colleges and universities, Columbus was taking on one of the premier clubs in all of Mexico. A similar lineup from the Crew played well against Toronto FC. All and all it was simply a great start for the Columbus Crew. They hope to continue their success with a road game against FC Dallas on April 10 before returning home to face RSL on April 24.

Game Photos from Toronto FC vs. Columbus Crew

Game Photos from U.S. U-17 National Team vs. Crew Soccer Academy U-17/U-18

Columbus Crew Starting Lineup: GK William Hesmer, DEF Frankie Hejduk (C), DEF Eric Brunner, DEF Andy Iro, DEF Danny O'Rourke, MID Eddie Gaven, MID Brian Carroll, MID Adam Moffat, MID Robbie Rogers, FWD Steven Lenhart, FWD Guillermo Barros Schelotto

Toronto FC Starting Lineup: GK Stefan Frei, DEF Nana Attakora, DEF Jim Brennan (C), DEF Nick Garcia, DEF Ty Harden, MID Martin Saric, MID Julian de Guzman, MID Sam Cronin, MID Gabe Gala, FWD Dwayne De Rosario, FWD O' Brian White

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