Wise, savvy leadership plots course for Crew
On Jan. 9, 2019, the new Crew ownership and management teams officially took control of the franchise. Their primary goal, often reiterated, is to compete for trophies. It took them 704 days to win their favorite trophy, MLS Cup.
I still don’t think we fully comprehend what an extraordinary accomplishment that is: In less than two years, the Crew went from leaguesanctioned ruination and relocation to restoration and a league championship. The last page of the Save the Crew’s ridiculous story will be written when the new stadium opens in the Arena District this summer, most
likely on Independence Day weekend.
Under a normal rhythm, the Crew would have had about a month off. They would’ve opened training camp in January, maybe have played a preseason tournament in February and opened their MLS season sometime in March. (Remember when the league was trying to kill off the market and loaded up the Crew’s schedule with winter games in Columbus? Good times.)
This year, of course, there is a different rhythm due to the pandemic. The offseason has been stretched as the league and its clubs try to plot a return course to normalcy. Although each team’s home openers have been announced, it may be another two weeks before the rest of the schedule is unveiled.
Indeed, it has been a long, threeplus months since the Crew’s stunning 3-0 victory over the Seattle Sounders, who hail from the place where the game was invented.
Crew president/general manager Tim Bezbatchenko has spent his time wisely. “Meticulously” might be another descriptor.
Again, the goal is to compete for as many trophies as possible, including the Supporters’ Shield (which goes to team with the best regular-season record), the U.S. Open Cup (a knockout competition for American teams) and, of course, MLS Cup.
As defending league champions, the Crew gained entry into the CONCACAF Champions League and a date for the Campeones Cup. The one is the hemisphere’s club championship with a place in the FIFA World Club Championship going to the winner; the other is a one-game match between the title holders from MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX.
(Note: If there is a Campeones Cup match — and we’re not 100% sure there will be — it remains to be seen whether the Crew or the Sounders, the 2019 MLS Cup champs, will represent the league.)
The bottom line is the Crew’s schedule is going to be very busy. Depending on how deep the Crew goes in “extra” competitions, they could have 10 or 11 games on top of 34 MLS matches. The usual roster juggling that has to be done to accommodate for national-team duty will turn into a circus act.
The 2017 edition of Toronto FC — built by Bezbatchenko in his previous stop — was, arguably, the greatest MLS team of all time; it won the Canadian Championship, the Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup.
The 2018 edition of Toronto FC won the Canadian Championship, lost in the Champions League final, lost the Campeones Cup match and failed to qualify for the MLS playoffs.
Presumably, this experience has served Bezbatchenko well. He has used this elongated offseason to pad his roster, shore up weaknesses and gird for the grind ahead. It remains to be seen how another strange season will unfold, and how well the Crew will perform with a giant target on their back, but, at least, Bezbatchenko has done what he could.
That veterans Bradley Wright-phillips, an all-time great striker; Kevin Molina, a star-quality winger; and Perry Kitchen, a defensive midfielder, were lured to Columbus has to be heartening to Crew fans. These guys handpicked a place where they could win, and here they are. (Imagine the Blue Jackets being that kind of draw for free agents. Don’t hurt yourself.)
The Crew are in training camp. They’ll open their season with a pair of Champions League matches against Real Esteli of Nicaragua, in Managua on April 8 and at old Crew Stadium on April 15. The Crew’s MLS opener is Sunday, April 18, when a loaded Philadelphia Union team visits the Fairgrounds.
With vaccinations continuing apace, the opening of a new stadium looming (I’ve penciled a circle around Saturday, July 3) and the potential to compete for trophies, Crew ownership gave Bezbatchenko a chance to retool for a new era. They’re competing for trophies, legit, and it didn’t take long.
marace@dispatch.com