There has never been a worse time to be a Columbus Crew fan than right now, so I cannot recommend anyone becoming a fan--which makes me really sad. The club’s future is in jeopardy, as its owners threaten to relocate the team to Austin, Texas. I wrote a Scorum article about it here. But for this post, I will not be talking about that. Instead I would like to talk about why I fell in love with the club to begin with.
Sports Matter in the Midwest
Anyone not familiar with the Midwest region of the United States might not be familiar with how diehard the sports fan are there. The Midwest is ridiculed for being “flyover states”, not having anything interesting to do there, and so on. Regardless, the one thing it does have is sports teams—more accurately sports dynasties, and lots of them: Cleveland Cavs, Indianapolis Colts, Chicago Cubs & White Sox, and even the Chicago Bulls. The list goes on, but among those huge sporting giants, tucked away in Columbus, Ohio, is the smallest but most massive MLS club: Columbus Crew. Unlike other Midwestern teams in huge sports leagues, the Columbus Crew is a very small club in a small league. So when it came to supporting a team, being from the Midwest, I was nationally going to be drawn towards a regional team. One that reflected where I was from.
Falling in Love with You
Being a MLS fan during the dark days of the early 2000s was not great. Back then, if you were a MLS fan, it was a closeted affair. You wouldn’t dare talk to another football fan elsewhere in the world and say you loved the Columbus Crew in the MLS. But now times are changing. It’s all MLS 2.0, the league is twice the size it was back in 1996 when the Crew and the league were first founded.
From the start, being the Columbus Crew were an original club, it had cemented itself as: America's Hardest Working Team. Because of the team’s location—in the not so luxurious Columbus, Ohio—the club was never destined to have lots of money or lots of draw to get big players. Instead they had to focus on homegrown players and shrewd signings. Instead of using money to fix the problems on the field, the club focused on getting the very most out of each and every one of its players.
Along with this, the club adopted a possession based offense. Dedicating lots of players to attack, with overlapping fullbacks. The club used a 4-2-3-1 formation for a long time. With the club’s high possession and methodical offensive style, along with its dedication to getting the most out of its players, it earned the title of the hardest working team in the league.
Owning Your Niche
Since the club was a smaller team in a smaller league, it was never going to get big names. It was never going to be like the LA Galaxy or New York Red Bulls. But the club built the first soccer specific stadium in the USA, back then called Columbus Crew Stadium (Mapfre Stadium). Now part of the club’s future hinges on a new stadium deal.
Favorite Players
The Columbus Crew have consistently been able to make really smart signings, bringing in players who will fit within the club's philosophy. Here are some of my favorite current and past players
Giancarlo González (Chile) - Current Bologna F.C.
Dominic Oduro (Ghana) - Current Montreal Impact
Brad Friedel (USA) - Current Coach New England Revolution
Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Argentina) - Manager Boca Juniors
Federico Higuain (Argentina) - Current Columbus Crew
Funny/Interesting
The Crew have had a few funny/interesting incidents in the past. Here are some of my favorites below:
Original Crest
Scoreboard Catching Fire
Ugly "For Columbus" Away Kits
Crew Cat
Karma Celebration after Crest Change
Fan Culture
Record
The Crew's most successful season was in 2008 when they won the eastern conference, won the MLS League title (Supporter's Shield), and the playoff MLS Cup. Ending the year with all 3 titles.
Highlights
The Crew's most longtime veteran playmaker, Federico Higuain (nickname Pipa), has made up the central brains of the attack for the Crew for several years. He is brother of Juve's Gonzalo Higuaín.
The Future
Like I mentioned, the club is currently caught up in a saga of the owners trying to relocate the team. If you want to learn more and get involved please follow the links below. Thanks for reading.
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