Columbus Crew

The Columbus Crew are Columbus, Ohio's Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise. They are owned by Lamar Hunt, who also owns the Kansas City Chiefs, Kansas City Wizards and F.C. Dallas. They have played at Columbus Crew Stadium, the first major soccer-specific stadium in the US, since 1999.

The Crew have won only one tournament to date, the 2002 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, defeating the 2002 MLS Cup and Supporter's Shield winner Los Angeles Galaxy 1–0. They have reached one other final, the 1998 Open Cup, which was postponed due to a hurricane and controversially relocated from Virginia Beach to Soldier Field, the home of the Chicago Fire, who won the match in overtime 2–1.

Honors

Major Titles

• US Open Cup 1 (2002)
• MLS Supporters' Shield 1 (2004)

Minor Titles

• Division Champions 1 (2004)

Current roster

Notable players

• Edson Buddle (2001-)
• Jeff Cunningham (1998–2005)
• Thomas Dooley (1997–1999)
• Brad Friedel (1996–1997) 1997 Goalkeeper of the Year
• Frankie Hejduk (2003-)
• Stern John (1998–1999)
• Kyle Martino (2002-)
• Brian McBride (1996–2003)
• Ante Razov (2005-)
• Tony Sanneh (2004)
• Robert Warzycha (1996–2002)

Head coaches

• Timo Liekoski (1996)
• Tom Fitzgerald (1996–2001)
• Greg Andrulis (2001-)

International competition

• 2003 CONCACAF Champions' Cup
  • First round v. Arabe Unido — 3:0, 1:2 (Crew advance 4:2 on aggregate)
  • Quarterfinal v. Monarcas Morelia — 0:6, 2:0 (Morelia advance 6:2 on aggregate)

Average Attendance

• 1996: 18,950
• 1997: 15,043
• 1998: 12,275
• 1999: 17,696
• 2000: 15,451
• 2001: 17,551
• 2002: 17,429
• 2003: 16,250 (3rd)
• 2004: 16,872
• All-Time: 16,344

External links

• www.thecrew.com
• Hunt Park Insider
• The Crew Fans