Well, well, well, look who brought out their big boy boots last weekend. It was the Crew, if you already did not know. After taking a quick look at their roster it seems the Crew took a chance on the road and came up a winner with the continuing youth movement in Columbus. The starting lineup is as follows: William Hesmer (29 years old with 6 years experience in the MLS), Sebastian Miranda (30 years old with 11 years experience, mostly in Chile), Julius James (26 years old with 3 years experience), Chad Marshall (26 years old with 6 years experience), Josh Gardner (28 years old and 3 years MLS experience), Eddie Gaven (24 years old with 7 years experience), Rich Balchan (22 years old with this being his rookie season), Emmanuel Ekpo (23 years old with 2 years MLS experience but 1 year in Nigeria), Bernardo Anor (23 years old with this being his rookie season), Andres Mendoza (33 years old with 16 years experience a little bit of everywhere), Tommy Heinemann (24 years old with 1 year experience in the USL; this is his rookie season in the MLS).
You are asking right now, “Kevin what does this all mean?” Well I will tell you; it says that the average age of the Crew starters is 26 years old, thanks Mendoza. The experience average is a bit lower though, 5 years experience, again thanks Mendoza. That experience is not exclusive to the MLS though. So what I am trying to say here is that the kids are alright, expect Mendoza; he is not a kid. It looks like once again the Crew came to www.total-mls.com and read my thoughts on the team. Both of the Crew’s goals were scored with assists by rookies, Anor and Justin Meram, and the second goal was scored by a rookie, Anor. Mendoza finally scored a goal on a ball placed directly in front of him. He did not rush the shot or try and force it. It was well played by both Anor and Mendoza. This is what has been missing this year for the Crew. The midfield and defense has played very well this year but there has been something lacking in the attacking third. The Crew are paying big money for Mendoza and as fans we expect results. Are the much anticipated results finally arriving for the Crew?
Let us not get ahead of ourselves. This is a long season and the Crew still have a long way to get to the top; in fact they are still two points back. Soccer is a young man’s sport but in the same breath it is a game of experience. If the Crew can continue their form and score goals early look for a good well fought season. This game will put the rest of the East on notice. People were saying that the Crew are reloading and that this season might be a wash for them. The stats started to prove it too. They were not winning away from home, check. They could not score in the first half, check. They could not keep clean sheets, check. They will lose something without Robbie Rogers, not check. Sorry it is a positive but I ran out of wit there. So the youth movement started this season and it is continuing. I say good for Robert Warzycha for sticking with the younger players through the tough times. It would have been very easy for him to scrub the new players and tried to fill in the gaps with goofy formations and ageing players. What is next for the Crew? Look for them to keep playing strong away and winning at home. The younger players will learn from the veterans and this will make the Crew a solid team. They came out of their slump with class and this class will play out throughout the season.
(image courtesy of Getty Images)
