The Columbus Crew returns home on Wednesday, September 19, for a midweek tilt against Chivas USA at Crew Stadium. The Black & Gold will look to climb back into playoff contention following the 3-1 loss suffered at New York on Saturday, September 15.
It will be Hispanic Heritage night and fans will be able to enjoy several elements throughout the evening that showcase various Latin-American countries and their cultures. Everyone in attendance will be able to enjoy the music of Victor Zancudo and his band, who will be performing on the Crew Kicker Plaza pre-game, as well as sample authentic Mexican food from La Michoacana restaurants. Children will also have an opportunity to actively take part in the celebration with Piñatas and other activities planned in the children’s area of the Plaza.
Wednesday’s match will kick off at 7:30 p.m. and be televised live regionally in high definition on FOX Sports Ohio, with Dwight Burgess and Duncan Oughton calling all the action and Ashleigh Ignelzi reporting from the sidelines. The game can also be heard in English on News/Talk 610 WTVN and on-line at TheCrew.com with Neil Sika and John Bluem on the call, and in Spanish on La Mega 103.1, with Carlos Cordova and Benny Pietrangelo behind the microphones.
The match comes on the heels of the 3-1 loss at New York, in which Milovan Mirosevic scored the fastest goal of the Crew season, tapping in a Jairo Arrieta cross in the third minute of play.
This is the only meeting between the clubs this season. Last year, the teams drew both matches, a 0-0 tie at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., on April 9, 2011, and a thrilling 3-3 draw at Crew Stadium on May 28, 2011, in which the Black & Gold came from behind three times to tie the match. Chivas owns the all-time record with six wins, four losses and four draws.
Chivas USA (7-13-7, 28 pts.) is currently sitting in last place of the Western Conference, but is still alive in the playoff race despite coming off three consecutive losses in the month of September. Most recently the Goats dropped a 2-0 decision at home against the San Jose Earthquakes.
Coached by former Crew defender Robin Fraser, Chivas has acquired several veterans midseason to bolster its attack, midfield and back line. Defender Danny Califf joined the team from Philadelphia and forward Juan Agudelo was signed from New York in May, while midfielder Shalrie Joseph joined from New England in August.
Fraser will be unavailable to coach the match on Wednesday, after receiving a red card in the match against San Jose. The Goats will also have to do without Joseph, who is suspended for yellow card accumulation, but will be able to rely on the leadership and experience on the field of Juan Pablo Angel, who leads the team in goals scored with four.
The Crew will only have three days of rest before traveling to TOYOTA Park in Bridgeview, Ill., for an all-important Eastern Conference matchup against the Chicago Fire on Saturday, September 22, at 8:30 p.m.
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