Crew is top seed in Eastern Conference, will face Kansas City in conference semifinal series on Nov. 1 and 8

The Columbus Crew makes its return to the MLS postseason and does so as the top seed in the 2008 MLS Cup Playoffs thanks to its Supporters’ Shield-winning record of 17-7-6 (57 pts.) in the regular season.

The Crew will open its first postseason campaign since 2004 with an Eastern Conference Semifinals series against the fourth-seeded Kansas City Wizards, marking the first time the clubs have ever met in playoffs. Game 1 is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 8, in Kansas City at 8 p.m. ET and Game 2 is slated for Saturday, Nov. 8, at Crew Stadium at 7:30 p.m. For ticket information, please call 614-447-CREW or visit TheCrew.com. Both matches will be broadcast live locally on ONN, as well as nationally on HDNet. Should the Crew advance, it would host either Chicago or New England in the Eastern Conference Championship Game on Nov. 13 or 15. MLS Cup is scheduled for Nov. 23 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.Both matches will be broadcast live locally on ONN, as well as nationally on HDNet. Should the Crew advance, it would host either Chicago or New England in the Eastern Conference Championship Game on Nov. 13 or 15. MLS Cup is scheduled for Nov. 23 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.

The 2008 regular season was one of the best in Crew history, as the Black & Gold set a new club record for points in a season, eclipsing the 2004 Supporters’ Shield-winning squad that earned 49 points, while also setting new club marks for wins and goals (50) in the post-shootout era (since 2000). Decorated Crew head coach Sigi Schmid also achieved a pair of new milestones this season, as he notched his 100th career MLS victory early in the campaign and the club’s 17 wins set a new single-season career-high, one more than his 2002 MLS Cup-champion Los Angeles Galaxy squad.

The Crew is led into the 2008 MLS Cup Playoffs by league MVP frontrunner Guillermo Barros Schelotto, who finished as the top assist man in MLS during the regular season, with 19. Schelotto set a new Crew single-season record for assists in a season, while finishing with the second highest total in league history. Schelotto was the MLS Player of the Month for August and won Player of the Week honors four times, exhibiting leadership and playmaking abilities that have helped transform the Crew into a contender. He will look to lead the Crew deep into the MLS Cup Playoffs and add to his already impressive trophy collection, which features 17 total championships he was a part of with his former club, world-renowned Boca Juniors of Argentina.

In addition to Schelotto, the Crew also features U.S. Olympian Robbie Rogers and Venezuela international Alejandro Moreno in its diverse attack. Rogers, a dynamic young midfielder, experienced a breakout campaign in 2008, with six goals and three assists, as he has terrorized opposing defenses all season with his combination of speed and skill, earning him a selection to the MLS All-Star First XI in just his second season in the league. He won MLS Player of the Week on May 12 and, not long after, suited up for the U.S. Olympic soccer team in its efforts during the 2008 Beijing Games. Moreno finished as the Crew’s leading goal scorer, with a career-high nine, to go along with four assists. Moreno also worked his way back into the Venezuelan National Team picture this season and has scored twice for his country.

The defense is led by longtime Crew and U.S. Men’s National Team stalwart Frankie Hejduk and 2008 MLS Defender of the Year candidate Chad Marshall. Hejduk, who is in his sixth season in Columbus, continues to be one of the most fit and consistent defenders in MLS and earlier this season he was named the MLS All-Star First XI, the sixth All-Star selection of his career. Hejduk also continues to be a significant contributor on the international level, as he has earned five caps for the Red, White and Blue in 2008. The defense is backstopped by goalkeeper William Hesmer, who has started 49 of the Crew’s last 50 games, including 29 in 2008 – a season in which he recorded a career-high 10 shutouts.

The Crew won the regular-season series with the Wizards this season, going 2-0-1, with eight goals for and four goals against. In the first match, May 3 at Crew Stadium, the Crew got first-half goals from Adam Moffat and Robbie Rogers on its way to a 2-1 victory. On June 14 at K.C., the Crew grabbed an early lead thanks to a Chad Marshall header in the third minute, then doubled its lead in the 20th minute, thanks to Alejandro Moreno, who then scored again in the 66th minute to give Columbus a decisive 3-0 victory. In the third and final match, July 17 at Crew Stadium, Columbus found itself down 2-0 early, but stormed back to earn a 3-3 draw behind goals from Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Moreno and Marshall.

Founded by American sports pioneer Lamar Hunt, the Columbus Crew is Ohio's Major League Soccer club, anchoring a diverse sports and entertainment enterprise. One of the league's Charter Members, it won the 2002 U.S. Open Cup championship and MLS Supporters’ Shield titles in 2004 and 2008. It is currently in its 13th season overall and 10th in first-of-its-kind Columbus Crew Stadium.

Contact:
Dave Stephany, 614-447-4190
Jason Smith, 614-447-4176

– Courtesy of TheCrew.com –

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