BLACK & GOLD SCORE 600TH REGULAR-SEASON GOAL AT HOME
Saturday’s 2-1 win over the San Jose Earthquakes saw the club reach another milestone when midfielder Mike Grella scored the game-winning goal in the 84th minute. While the strike was Grella’s first time tallying for the club, it also marked the 600th goal the Black & Gold have scored at home in regular-season action, dating back to 1996. With the goal, Crew SC is now one of only five teams in MLS – per the Elias Sports Bureau – to have scored 600 or more regular-season goals at home, joining D.C. United (644), the LA Galaxy (636), the New York Red Bulls (623) and FC Dallas (602). Additionally, Crew SC now has a record of 186-94-73 at home while outscoring opponents 600-415.
GRELLA MAKES CREW SC DEBUT, SCORES GAME-WINNING GOAL
Midfielder Mike Grella made his regular-season debut with Crew SC and scored the game-winning goal in Saturday’s 2-1 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes at MAPFRE Stadium. The midfielder came into the match as a substitute for Niko Hansen in the 65th minute, before receiving a pass from midfielder Pedro Santos and sending the ball to the near post to score the game-winner. Since joining MLS in 2015, Grella has made 74 regular-season appearances (61 starts), recording 61 goals and 17 assists. In 2018, he has made one regular-season appearance for Crew SC, scoring one goal.
FEDERICO HIGUAIN PROVIDES FOURTH ASSIST, LEADS TEAM IN HELPERS
Federico Higuain provided the assist on Harrison Afful’s 28th-minute goal during Saturday’s home match against the San Jose Earthquakes. Higuain received a pass from Milton Valenzuela and sent the ball to Afful, who buried the ball on the back of the net. With his helper, Higuain brings his total to four assists in nine regular-season appearances (all starts) in 2018, more than any other Black & Gold player. Since joining Crew SC in 2012, Higuain has made 158 regular-season appearances (153 starts), recording 50 goals and 53 assists. In addition, per Opta, Higuain leads the MLS in goal-scoring chances created as shown on the table below.
PEDRO SANTOS PROVIDES THIRD ASSIST OF 2018 MLS REGULAR SEASON
Midfielder Pedro Santos recorded an assist in Saturday’s match against the San Jose Earthquakes, providing the helper on Mike Grella’s game-winning goal in the 84th minute. With this assist, Santos has now tallied three assists in the 2018 MLS regular season, while making nine appearances (all starts). His most recent assist before Saturday’s match came in Crew SC’s home contest against the New England Revolution (April 21), when he provided the helper on forward Gyasi Zardes’ 43rd-minute goal. Since joining the Black & Gold in 2017, Santos has made 18 regular-season appearances (17 starts), while registering one goal and five assists.
MILTON VALENZUELA PROVIDES SECOND ASSIST OF 2018 MLS REGULAR SEASON
Midfielder Milton Valenzuela recorded an assist in Saturday’s match against the San Jose Earthquakes, providing a secondary assist on Harrison Afful’s 28th-minute goal. With his assist, Valenzuela has now tallied two assists in 2018 regular-season action, while making nine regular-season appearances (eight starts). Valenzuela joined the Black & Gold ahead of the 2018 MLS season as a Young Designated Player and has since tallied one goal to go with his two helpers.
ADAM JAHN MILESTONE
Forward Adam Jahn made his 100th regular-season appearance in MLS during Saturday’s 2-1 win over the San Jose Earthquakes. Since joining the League in 2012, Jahn has made 100 appearances (27 starts) in regular-season action, scoring 12 goals and notching two assists. Additionally, Jahn is one of only seven players in Crew SC’s current roster to have made 100 or more regular-season appearances in MLS, joining Ricardo Clark (340), Federico Higuain (158), Hector Jimenez (136), Wil Trapp (135), Josh Williams (129) and Gyasi Zardes (140).
GYASI ZARDES MILESTONE
Forward Gyasi Zardes reached a milestone in Saturday’s 2-1 home victory over the San Jose Earthquakes, as he made his 125th regular-season start in MLS. Since joining the League in 2013, Zardes has made 125 regular-season starts (140 appearances), scoring 39 goals and providing 17 assists. Additionally, Zardes is one of only four players in Crew SC’s current roster to have made 125 or more regular-season starts in MLS, joining Ricardo Clark (318), Federico Higuain (153) and Wil Trapp (132).
