Sunday, October 28, 2012

Predictions: Crew v. TFC (Last Round)

Even though the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Crew Captains listed as not active today and would like to think otherwise, there actually is a league game today as Toronto visits Columbus to take on the Crew.

Start Time: 1 PM in Riverside, California - 4 PM here in Columbus, Ohio - 5 PM in Santiago, Chile.

GAME NOTES

• Shortly after Robert Warzycha stated to the press that his normal line up would be taking the field for this last match it was reported that Chad Marshall, Danny O'Rourke and Milovan Mirosevic would likely sit this one out due to minor injuries.
• Columbus has 4 home shutouts this year, had 5 last year.

PREDICTIONS

Bet365 has the Crew at 1/2 odds. 3/1 Draw and 6/1 TFC.

Aggregate betting site WinDrawWin is all Crew. "Your Vote" feature pretty much on default due to lack of interest but favors Crew 58%. "Large Stake" is also on 3:1 Crew win.

Aaron Katzeman shares his frustration with the Crew by picking a 0:2 TFC victory. Katzeman states that Toronto "...will relish the role against a downtrodden Crew team."

Drew Epperley at WV Hooligan is optimistic, "Columbus should control this game from the start and go into the off season with some hope for 2013." Crew 2:0 TFC.

The "Pick 'Em" guys for MLS Corporate all pick the Crew to win. Well... that's a first. Surefire way to jinx the Crew, thanks guys. For what's it's worth, it looks like the director of video is going to be the most accurate. Funny.

Lastly, Adam Jardy of the Columbus Dispatch sums it up poignantly "...the Crew have nothing to play for apart from pride".

MY THOUGHTS

Let me get something off my chest; Having a year end awards ceremony before the end of the regular season really says something about an organization and it's hardly surprising to hear that all three 1st Team Captains are calling it a year and not seeing the race out to the finish line. Some might call that quitting.

To me, it doesn't take much for a team to have success in Major League Soccer. 50% of it is with a strong and passionate fanbase, check. Decent facilities, check. Talented and likable players that give a hoot, check, check and (mostly) check.

The other 50% comes from the folks in Soccer Operations, the Mark McCullers and Brian Bliss type folks. The culture in the sales offices, they guys calling the games on radio and TV, season ticket holders... And finally, the coaching staff and backroom.

This half of the organization has to care. Every fiber in their body has to be focused on how to win. How to get better. How to create a better game day experience, how to improve their product on TV. How to make news in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Detroit. Youngstown, Toledo, Dayton, Athens, Gary flipping Indiana. This doesn't mean wholesale changes to staff, it just means acting like things matter. Doing that gets you into the top half of the table in this league.

Was at a wedding last night where the bride and groom danced their first to that Twilight movie- Flightless Bird, American Mouth song. "I'm a fat house cat" lyric fits the current state of this Crew franchise. In fact, the whole tone of the song suits the way the Crew are going out. Who wants to go out after a long season to that song? It sucks (going out to that song - the wedding was nice. It was at the Kelton House on Town St. Pretty neat place, check it out).

Not all is lost and sucks though. I know for a fact that there are a handful of Crew players that will be playing their tails off in front of fans who they realize would sit on nails and follow their team to the end of the earth to cheer them on.

In order for the Crew franchise to change their fortunes (which includes winning and keeping the club in Columbus) they need that passion to travel upstream.

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