Possible Crew draft target, Jack McInerney, (as Ives believes that the Crew will either go with two of the trio of Amobo Okugo, Blair Gavin, and McInerney in the draft) was according to this, recently a target of clubs in Europe such as Hertha Berlin and Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem. Nevertheless, McInerney has decided to stick it stateside in MLS and has already signed with MLS under Generation Adidas. And, I believe the Crew will only look to pick up two Generation Adidas players with their first round selections; as GA's do not count against the cap.

However, McInerney might go later in the first round because he is likely to be in Europe in a year or two. But, I think the Crew should take a chance on young talent such as McInerney. If McInerney does not count against the cap and can be a goalscorer for us, then let him give us 10-15 goals in 2010, let him help us in CONCACAF and our regular season, he costs us nothing, and then let him go to Europe around 2012. Rather have someone who can score for two years than our current striker stituation of stagnant scoring for 5 more years.

Well, that is if the kid can score at the pro level. But, I would like to take a chance on him. He scored like a madmen in the CONCACAF U-17's and he is legitimately wanted by many clubs in Europe. If we need to take a chance on one position, it is forward. We could use a young gun like him to propel us possibly over the one thing we are missing, a legitimate striker.

I think if the Crew go with McInerney, they'll go with either midfielder Blair Gavin or Amobo Okugo with the other pick, or a Padula understudy in Dayton native Ofori Sarkodie, although I think that would not be smart in the first round as Sarkodie isn't even considered one of the top ten defenders in the draft by Carrick.



Also, the Crew could find themselves lucking out with the more experienced and older forward, Andre Akpan, at pick 8. Because FC Dallas, where Akpan is a local product, could trade their two picks to move up to pick up Tony Tchani who could start in the midfield right away for FC Dallas. As Ives says in his mock draft, San Jose's Yallop (who Ives slates to pick up Tchani) isn't too keen on the draft so they might trade that pick to FC Dallas.

If the Crew get Akpan at number 8, they might go with McInerney at number 12. And, hope that one of those two young gun strikers can turn into big time strikers for the Crew in 2010. Otherwise, I expect the Crew to go the McInerney at #12 and someone else at a different position at the #8 route.

For more information on Generation Adidas selections and the draft, check out the 3rd Degree.

I was just checking out some blogs, and here are some spurious mentions of interest pretaining to the Crew:

**From Blogger Equals Jobber- As fans we need to take back our league and make it our own. We have the power as consumers and we should demand better quality and meaning. The true 2009 MLS Champion is the Columbus Crew and I salute you.

**From Brands That Stand- It’s well documented that I am not a fan of MLS, but the embarrassment caused to that league by the Beckham debacle is of little concern to me. It should have been no surprise to Beckham or anyone else that the caliber of play in MLS is well below the standards at which he has played most of his life. He had to be aware he wasn’t going to gain international match readiness playing against the likes of the Columbus Crew.

Ouch someone send that dude some hate mail.. Or at least let him know that Beckham plans to come back to the Galaxy after the World Cup.. Working with 3 new Brazilian charges as well.

**From Glory Days- An Akron Zip fan, in a Columbus Crew scarf, dancing half nude with their mascot during the College Cup (enjoy, or hopefully don't). Got to love the Akron fans though, need to get some of their students down to C-Bus for the offseason since they seem to embrace the soccer a bit more than the average OSU student:


**And Chris has a pretty good list of 10 things for 2010 for the Crew over at the Offsides Blog. Needs to bring that over to a better blog, *cough cough* Crewture.

From Diario Hoy:
Gymnastics dreamed to return Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Turbo Vargas, but may not be. The Twin will play one more year in Major League Soccer..

The situation is already known of Guillermo, and after statements he made last Wednesday seems to be no turning back. Guillermo is at odds with the leadership of Walter Gisande, and he was hard used and criticized. Their future is in the Major League Soccer, which is negotiating to renew contract with Columbus Crew for another season.

From Infobae:
Guillermo Barros Schelotto put a stop to his possible arrival at Gymnastics and at the same time, hit the leaders of the club hard, whom he accused of not doing things right to take the team forward.

"I do not feel that the leaders want to take Gymnastics to the situation in which it is slowly growing, but instead the opposite is true." GBS said.

For several months a recurring theme in La Plata is the possible return of Barros Schelotto, something that the protagonist himself ruled out at the moment: "I have a relationship with another club (Columbus Crew), that I can solve...".

Nevertheless, are the Crew on the same page, From McCullers recent internet chat:

Loren, from Columbus, OH asks:
Will GBS be back? If not, I will not be renewing my season tickets.

Mark McCullers
I don't know if Guille will be back - I'm hopeful that he will be back. But if he's not, I am confident that our team will continue to be successful. We have created success by establishing a championship mentality that begins with the concept that no one is bigger than the team. We win as a team, so our success will not be dictated by one individual. We were 8-2 when Guille was out of the lineup in 2009 and we scored 16 goals. That's a 1.6 goals per game average. We were 8-8-11 when he started and we scored 25 goals. That's a .9 goals per game average. He's a special player and I would love to see him in a Crew uniform in 2010 but not at any cost. We have to look at the entire team and not just one player.

My thoughts: Maybe that 8-2 compared to the 8-8-11 is because the Crew are more successful with two true forwards. Therefore, the Crew should maybe consider taking one player out of the midfield or defense, likely the second defensive midfielder, to have two forwards in front of Schelotto for more scoring punch up top.

Overall, if the Crew can get GBS for $400,000 or less, they should definitely pull the trigger. If Guillermo still wants the big pay day, maybe the Crew would be better off going a different, younger direction with two forwards up top.

The Columbus Crew come into the 2010 draft with two first round picks (the 8th and the 12th) which makes this year's draft a hell of a lot more interesting than 2009's Superdraft. You know that Superdraft where our first pick was the 30th pick, for one Paul Gerstenberger, who despite being thrilled to be drafted by the Massive never made his way to Ohio and decided to finish school. Yeah that thrilling draft. Well this year the Crew actually have a reason to show up at the draft; as Warzycha said he would use both picks because the Crew could use some cheaper players. Soccer By Ives, the only place yet to do a mock draft has the Crew picking the following players in the draft (I somewhat disagree with the second, as I think were stocked full in the midfield):



8. Columbus Crew- AMOBI OKUGO, M, UCLA (Pac- 10 freshman of the year, defensive midfielder, could play with Carroll and push O'Rourke back to the backline where he belongs.)

The Crew boast enough talent to take a chance on some younger players and perhaps no teenager in the draft is drawing as many raves as Okugo, a central midfielder mature beyond his 18 years.

My thoughts: This would be a solid pick. I could see the Crew going for very young talented players such as Okugo. Even despite the fact that we have Gaven, Rogers, Ekpo, Moffat, Carroll, O'Rourke, GBS, etc. already vying for the midfield spots.



12. Columbus Crew- BLAIR GAVIN, M, Akron (5 goals, 3 assists, solid midfielder over his career with Akron)

Gavin might not seem like the right pick for the Crew after having landed Okugo, but Columbus will be hard-pressed to pass on another talented young midfielder who could provide depth (or trade bait). Columbus could go for Jack McInerney here as well.

My thoughts: Even though it would be cool, albeit confusing, to have both a Gaven and a Gavin on the field at the same time. I don't see the Crew picking Gavin, if the Crew go with Okugo, because there would just be too many midfielders. It would be pointless despite the familiarity the Crew have with Gavin at Akron. Nevertheless, it could happen, and if the Crew do go with two midfielders in the first round, it is safe to assume that both Rogers and GBS are likely gone.

I think Ives is more spot on with the Crew going with the two youngest and picking up the forward McInerney as well.

More Likely Route: I'm kind of surprised that Ives is picking two midfielders for the Crew in the first round when the Crew's midfield is solidified and deep, and the strikers are not. The top two strikers in this draft, Akron's Teal Bunbury and Harvard's Andre Akpan, will be long gone by the time the 8th and 12th picks come around. But, there are two other strikers that could go in the first round (Wake Forest's Zach Schilawski and U.S. Under 17's Jack McInerney) and I wouldn't be surprised if Warzycha went the Okugo and McInerney route or went for both the strikers.

Basically, if I was the Crew I would make sure to get GBS and Rogers back, solidify that midfield before the draft and then pick two young strikers like Schilawski and McInerney. Then have Renteria, Lenhart, Garey, Schilawski, and McInerney fight for those two striker spots. One of them has to have at least 10-15 goals in them in 2010. You increase your chances of one of them turning into a real striker if you have five of them instead of three.


Jack McInerney (In CONCACAF U-17 Tournament in Summer of 2009: two goals and two assists in a 5-0 win over Cuba. Scored the first two goals of the game in a 4-2 victory against Canada and had a goal and an assist in a 3-0 win versus Honduras.) Now picked by Rongen for the U-20's recently. More here at ESPN.

You can check out Jack from the U-17 competition here, full game videos:



Zach Schilawski (14 goals and 7 assists for Wake Forest in 2009, 3.576 GPA and graduating in 3 1/2 years in Biology). Who knows maybe a Polish head coach in Warzycha will go for a Polish-American striker. Ives has Schilawski slotted at spot 14 and headed to the L.A. Galaxy.

Here's Zach Schilawski:

In the end: I think the Crew cannot go wrong with the 18 year old Amobi Okugo and the 17 year old Jack McInerney; as one of the two will end up being a star. Both are not your usual college draft pick, both have jumped to the draft and are expected to be first rounders at such a young age. That means both are a step above. If they both have the heads on them, and there isn't any indication that neither don't (quite the opposite), they could have a great career ahead of them. And, why not with the Crew?

By Rick Thomas:

From soccer365.com- The Soccer365 Grapevine:
"Soccer365 has learned that Dutch leaders FC Twente have scouted Columbus Crew winger Robbie Rogers, but a source close to the club said that the position is not now one of need..."

Rogers played in Holland for Heevereen before coming to the Columbus Crew. Could Rogers now be headed back to Holland with FC Twente? Seems unlikely now, but most Crew fans would not be surprised if Rogers headed elsewhere in 2010. As it wouldn't hurt Rogers chances of making the 2010 WC squad if he was playing at a place like FC Twente in the Spring.

Players signed:
1. Ocscar Moens (36)- Former Dutch NT Goalkeeper, Experience with many Dutch clubs including PSV Eindhoven.

2. Hans Van De Haar (34)- Played recently for clubs such as ADO Den Haag and FC Utrecht.


3. Nyron Wau (27)- Recently played for Dutch First Division sides FC Den Bosch, Helmond Sport, and AGOVV Apeldoorn.


4. Johan Wigger (24)- Played for FC Emmen and currently captain of German side SV Meppen.


5. Julius Wille (22)- Plays for Dutch First Division side A.G.O.V.V. Apeldoorn.


Rather interesting set of events going on in Dayton, as the Dayton Dutch Lions FC (about a good hour from Columbus) will play in the USL's Premier Development League next season. The club has already signed five players who were either with a Eredivisie (Premier) or Eerste Divisie (First Division) side in the Netherlands last year. The names include Nyron Wau, Hans Van De Haar, Julius Wille, Johan Wigger, and former Dutch national goalkeeper Oscar Moens. The club will be official partners with top Dutch side FC Twente and will look to build a youth academy modeled after FC Twente's world recognized academy. The club will be run by ex-professional Dutch players Mike Mossel and Erik Tammer, who both own their own Sport's Management firms.

In regards to their youth ambitions, according to the Dayton Daily News, Tammer and Mossel had to say the following:
“People in the United States probably don’t know FC Twente, but in Holland it’s a very well recognized youth system,” Mossel said. “Our elite academy only has one team per age category. We’re only trying to get the top 150 players in the region. Yes it’s elite, but if you get the top 150 and educate them for 10 years with the top coaches from Holland, something must come out of that.”

Basically, it is a great chance for youth players around Ohio to get from here straight into the Dutch youth divisions. Furthermore, after the Dayton Dutch Lions sign up their 8 foreign Dutch players, they'll also be looking to sign 15 American players either in their last year of college or teamless, for their senior team. They will sign these 15 players from a January 30th tryout. If you think you have what it takes, go here.

Anyways, overall, this is great for Ohio soccer. If this academy can succeed then the Dayton Dutch Lions FC academy, along with the Columbus Crew's successful academy and the Brad Friedel academy will make Ohio the hotspot for soccer development in the U.S.A.

Further, the Dayton Dutch Lions will also play a friendly in April against the Columbus Crew at a date and time to be determind. Sounds like a good reason to get out to Columbus Crew Stadium and shake off some of that offseason supporter rust.

The Dayton Dutch Lions website.

It appears that the Bash Brothers will get more chances to combine for goals in 2010.

The Columbus Crew on Monday signed Jason Garey to a four year contract up until the end of the 2013 season, at $80,000 dollars a year. Garey had 5 goals in 705 minutes during the 2009 campaign, which was the second best scoring rate on the team (per minutes) behind Guillermo Barros Schelotto. Nevertheless, the deal comes as a bit of a surprise; both because of the nice salary boost and the ammount of contracted years, despite Garey being used the least (in 2009) out of a striker stable who could not score consistently and also despite that Garey looked ultimately, ineffective when he came into any games after August.

Garey had to say the following on the deal:
"The Crew was pretty proactive in coming to me right after last season, saying they wanted me to be a part of things again," Garey said. "I'm excited to stay. I love the city, the fans and my teammates. Hopefully, I'll get some more playing time."

My thoughts: Crew technical director Brian Bliss said the following on the Garey deal, "When he's been given opportunities, Jason has been someone who's delivered." I'm not sure if I totally agree. Garey has scored just 13 goals in 61 league appearances for the Crew, that would be like showing up to work for two months and only doing what you're paid to do for 13 of those days.

On the other hand, I'm not sure what Garey is thinking. As at the end of the season, Garey was the fourth choice striker behind Moreno, Lenhart, and Renteria. Further, there is no guarentee that Garey will get more playing time in 2010, especially since the Crew have made no secret that there still after that legitimate 20 goals a year type, striker.

Yet, I think overall this is a good move for the Crew. Jason Garey is 25 and most soccer players peak around 28. So, unless we get some world beating striker this offseason, Garey will receive his opportunities in 2010 to become the starter. Especially since, neither Lenhart or Renteria will likely cement their spots either with consistent scoring. Also, if Garey finally has a break out season in 2010 and scores 15-20 goals; Then the Crew won't have to increase his wages and they'll have a hot striker for a cheap $80,000 dollars a year up until 2014. Additionally, this is a good move for Garey because he is guarenteed to make $80,000 dollars a year up through the 2013 season. And, I'm not sure if Garey would get that elsewhere. So, hopefully Garey shows in 2010 he's worth the faith that the Crew front office has put into him with this deal.

According to Steven Goff's associate Mr. Bonesteel, D.C. United has acquired 25 year old El Salvadoran star Cristian Castillo (otherwise known as Frankie Hejduk's kryptonite) from Mexican second division side Leon. Just check out the video, the meeting with Frankie is known famously in El Salvador as the Baile de Cristian Castillo :


Wouldn't have been a bad signing for the Crew, as nearly all of La Turbina is El Salvadoran.

I have it on good word that Columbus Crew, General Manager Mark McCullers really wants Guillermo Barros Schelotto back for one more season. The low ball offer was a mixture of negotiation (since GBS's camp asked for much more) and because possibly some others at the top were not as sure of what GBS has left. Nevertheless, it seems very likely that Guillermo will be back for one more season with the Massive and then look to get into coaching with Boca Juniors. Guillermo and the Crew will meet in the middle on Guillermo's salary (around $400,000 to $425,000- some of that might be bought down with other money). Guillermo might see this now as more of a necessity for the club, since other players such as goalkeeper William Hesmer are due a major, salary increase. I expect we will all hear much more sometime early next week.