CREW SC LOOKING TO CONTINUE HISTORIC SUCCESS AGAINST
PHILADELPHIA
Columbus Crew SC plays its 13th Major League Soccer regular-season match in 2015 and its seventh road contest as the Black & Gold travel to Philadelphia for the second of three meetings between the clubs this season. Crew SC has historically fared well against the Union, with a lifetime mark of 9-3-1, including a 3-3-0 record at PPL Park. The Black & Gold have won two of their past three trips to Philadelphia and the past four meetings between the two sides overall. The last time Columbus played at PPL Park, it set the club record for the largest road deficit overcome to win a match (two goals) and the fastest three goals in team history (four minutes).
LAST REGULAR SEASON MEETING
Earlier this season, on April 25, Crew SC defeated Philadelphia at MAPFRE Stadium by a 4-1 score. Ethan Finlay registered two goals and one assist in the victory, a performance that earned him the MLS Player of the Week award. Kei Kamara and Justin Meram also scored for the Black & Gold in the win. The result moved Crew SC’s all-time home record against the Union to 6-0-1.
WHERE TO WATCH/LISTEN
Wednesday’s 7:00 p.m. ET start is available locally on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel. “Crew SC Matchday” on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel begins at 6:30 p.m. ET. Dwight Burgess and Neil Sika are set to have the call of the match at 7:00 p.m. ET. Fans can also listen to the match on the radio on Crew SC’s English-language radio partner CD102.5 FM or in Spanish on La Mega 103.1 FM. A complete list of places to catch the Black & Gold on TV
is available here
.
MERAM REACHES THE CENTURY MARK
Midfielder Justin Meram reached 100 appearances in both MLS and for Crew SC at Orlando City SC on Saturday. Meram joined a club of players to reach 100 Black & Gold appearances that now contains 21 members, and is led by Chad Marshall, who notched 253 matches played for Columbus. The current longest-tenured member of the club, Meram has made 53 starts from 2011-present for Crew SC. He has notched 16 goals and 11 assists in Black & Gold, with 11 goals and seven assists coming since the start of the 2014 season under Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter.
KAMARA MAINTAINS LEAGUE LEAD IN GOALS ...
Crew SC forward Kei Kamara’s second-half tally in Orlando helped the forward maintain a two-goal edge top the MLS goal-scoring leaderboard. Kamara’s 10 tallies are two ahead of San Jose’s Chris Wondolowski, who has eight. Kamara also leads MLS in shots on goal (24) and he is five behind Vancouver’s Octavio Rivero and Toronto FC’s Sebastian Giovinco for the lead in shots.
... AND BECOMES QUICKEST TO 10 GOALS
Kamara’s goal against Orlando City SC was his 10th of the season in just his 12th match played. The goal ensured that the Sierra Leone international set the new club record for the fastest player to ever reach the 10 goal milestone. Kamara’s pace edged Guillermo Barros Schelotto’s 2009 campaign, which saw the Argentine notch 10 goals in 13 matches.
HISTORIC SUCCESS AGAINST PHILADELPHIA
Crew SC enters this match with a 9-3-1 record against the Union all-time (28 out of a possible 39 points, 71.8%). That figure represents Columbus’ highest points-earned percentage against any current MLS opponent (min. three matches played).
FRANCIS PACING DEFENDERS IN ASSISTS
Crew SC defender Waylon Francis registered his fourth assist of the season on Tony Tchani’s opening goal at Orlando City SC. The Costa Rican international is now tied for the League lead in assists by a defender (four) with Taylor Kemp (D.C. United) and Jalil Anibaba (Sporting Kansas City). Francis’ 10 assists since the beginning of the 2014 campaign are the most in MLS by a defender.
CLARK SETS CAREER-HIGH, TIES TOM PRESTHUS
Against Orlando City SC, goalkeeper Steve Clark set a new career-high with seven saves. Previously, Clark had stopped six shots on six different occasions. By making his 46th career start for Crew SC, Clark also tied Tom Presthus for fifth place on the club’s all-time goalkeeper starts list.
KAMARA ON HISTORIC GOAL PACE
Through 12 matches of 2015, Kei Kamara is averaging 0.83 goals per match, which is on-pace to become the second-highest mark in club history to Stern John’s blistering 1998 pace of 0.96 goals per match. Kamara has scored in seven of Crew SC’s 12 contests, and has recorded three multi-goal matches.
CREATING CHANCES
According to the League’s official statistician, Opta, Crew SC leads MLS in big chances created per match (1.2) and ranks second in the League in chances created per match (11.4).
PASSING MACHINE AS A TEAM
As a team, Crew SC ranks second in Major League Soccer in passing accuracy, trailing only Orlando City SC. The Black & Gold also rank in the top five in passing accuracy in its own half (third), the opponent’s half (second) and in the final third (first).
