Crew Eliminated After Win Over Fire

The Crew wrapped up the preliminary round of the Commissioner’s Cup with a victory over their season-long rival Chinook Fire. Of all the teams the Crew faced this season, they played the most games against this Chinook side. The games were all tight, well-played, evenly-balanced, and exciting to watch. Twice this summer the Crew played the Fire in the last game of tournament preliminary rounds and advanced on the strength of a 3-1 win and 2-2 draw. This match was no different and the stakes were higher. The Fire needed 2 goals to guarantee the Crew couldn’t catch them in group play. The Crew, with a shutout and two or more goals, could catch or pass the Fire and guarantee an elimination round berth.

The Crew’s hopes for a shutout evaporated one minute into the game when the Fire managed to drive the ball past the entire left side of the Crew lineup to score their first goal. It took 2 minutes for the Crew to equalize. Ryan A came down the right wing, passed to Deivid who pushed the ball through to Jonathan. He finished strongly threading a shot through three defenders and past the keeper. After that the Crew clamped down on defense with 8 tackles from Austin, 2 more from Luke, and 3 crisp saves by Andrew. Colton came close to a go-ahead goal but missed the left post by inches about mid-way through the half. The Crew earned a corner in the 24th minute. Colton drilled the ball in front of the net where Jonathan directed it in off a defender and the Crew held that 2-1 lead through the end of the half.

The defense held off the Fire in the second half until the 45th minute when the Fire found a way to score to tie the game at 2. That goal guaranteed that the Fire would earn a tie for first and that the Crew could at best place second. Moments later Jonathan broke through the defense, fired a shot, grabbed the rebound when the keeper bobbled it, tapped another shot and had it deflected wide at the last second by a defender. On the ensuing corner, Jonathan fired the ball to Luke who shot just over the crossbar. With 5 minutes left the Crew earned themselves a victory when Jonathan launched a corner kick to Luke who headed the ball into the net. The Crew held on for the win but had to wait for the result of the United/Nationals match to see if they would advance.

The season ended abruptly after getting the result of the United/Nationals match. Westside United beat the NW Nationals 4-0 to earn one point more than the Crew in the Division C table. United earned their second place finish on the strength of their defense that yielded only 4 goals in three games. The Crew finished the season winning 4 of their last 5 games. The boys tallied 18 wins, 6 losses, and 1 draw in their season that lasted 8 months.

United Blows Past Crew 2-1

An icy wind swept past the families in the bleachers, picked up speed across the pitch, and whistled through the evergreens. The ball was blown in crazy directions as if by an invisible hand. At times it seemed like the boys spent more time chasing the ball off the field than playing with the ball on the field. It would be easy to blame the wind and a sinking late-afternoon sun, but Westside United played with the same conditions and managed to score more goals than the Crew in a tough, tough preliminary round loss.

The Crew lacked the intensity of their past two games and at times appeared to be sluggish. They managed two early attacks with shots by Deivid and Jonathan that went wide and high. Nick had an early save but the Crew yielded an early goal in the 8th minute. Ryan A had a foul shortly after that that gave United a free kick but the defense held. Nick kept the Crew in the game with 3 great saves in a row in the 23rd and 24th minute and Jonathan almost equalized with a header in the 25th but the keeper stopped that. United drove up the field off the feed from their keeper and scored to take a 2 goal lead. Nick had another save and Jonathan had another shot before the half.

The 2 goal lead would prove to be insurmountable even though the change of direction was in the Crew’s favor. Luke had a header go wide right in the 31st minute. Colton shot wide right in the 32nd minute. The Crew broke onto the scoreboard in the 38th minute when Deivid finished off a corner kick from Jonathan. Play was at mid-field and off the field for the next 10 minutes with both teams fighting for possession and against the wind. Jonathan had a long shot in the 43rd minute that sailed into the hands of the keeper. United was awarded a free kick when Luke fouled but the defense held again. United didn’t register a shot until the 56th minute when Andrew made two great saves to give the Crew an opportunity to tie. The Crew forced a flurry of activity in front of United’s net with two shots by Luke and another by Justin in the 59th minute. The keeper for United really won the game for his team by blocking all three to preserve the tenuous lead.

The loss combined with the win by the Chinook Fire puts the Crew tied for second place with United after week two. The Crew will face elimination this coming weekend against the Fire. A tie or loss will end the Crew’s season. Two or more goals and a shutout against the Fire will earn the Crew a game the following weekend. With any other margin of victory the Fire will most likely take first place on points and the Crew will have to wait for the result of the United/Nationals game and the tie break system.

2009 Commissioner’s Cup – Game 2

Crew Wins State Cup Opener 7-2

One wouldn’t expect the tenacity and pressure that the Crew applied in the first half after a nine-week layoff. In fact, they had only four practices in the last two months due to holidays and weather conditions. They picked up right where they left off against United Blue and launched a 20 shot barrage in the first half against the NW Nationals.

The Crew’s first 5 shots came less than 2 minutes after the opening whistle from the feet of Colton, Grayden, and Ryan W. With all the pressure seeming to be in the Nationals end, the Nationals managed to shoot wide in the 5th minute, forced Nick to make a save in the 7th minute and scored off a quick cross in the 9th minute. So often, the momentum will change giving up a goal after applying so much pressure on the other end but not this time. In the 13th minute Ryan A passed to Ryan W up the right wing and he crossed to Jonathan who capped off the rush with the equalizer from 8 yards out. The next 7 minutes saw Justin, Colton, Luke, Deivid, and Ryan W register another 8 shots between them – some near misses, some grabbed by the keeper. The Nationals broke through the defense line long enough to fire a shot wide in the 21st minute but after that the Crew dominated play. Luke had a beautiful lob pass to Deivid who scored in the 24th minute. Grayden, Bryce, and Jonathan had shots in the final 5, and Deivid scored his second goal of the game in the 27th minute.

The Nationals played a 4 forward line in the second half and forced Andrew to make a save early in the 31st minute. Luke fed Deivid with another pass in the 33rd minute and Deivid finished cleanly for a pure hat-trick. Less than a minute later Jonathan passed to Luke who passed to Grayden who finished for the Crew’s 5th goal of the game. Bryce registered two more shots after flying up the left wing with his speedy feet. Andrew made two more saves before the Nationals scored on a beautiful top-shelf shot over Andrew’s outstretched fingertips. Colton assisted on goals by Justin and Luke in the last 10 minutes to put the game entirely out of reach.

Game 2 of the preliminary round is 2:00 on Saturday at Cardon Field against Westside United Black B97.

2009 Commissioner’s Cup – Game 1

Crew Dismantles Unbeaten United Blue 4-1

“Great moments are born from great opportunity. That’s what you have here tonight, boys. That’s what you’ve earned here tonight.” – Kurt Russell as Herb Brooks in ‘Miracle’

When the final whistle blew, the boys and coaches on the Crew sideline jumped and stormed the field to join their ecstatic teammates who were already there. The team that had hung with Juventus and lost, the team that hung with the Falcons and lost, the team that hung with the Fire and lost, was the first and only team to beat Vancouver United Blue this season.

This wasn’t a game for stats. There was only one that was important and that was the final score, 4-1. It was a championship-caliber win that was earned in pouring rain by 13 hard-working boys. It was a win earned one diving muddy save after another by Nick. It was a win earned one tackle at a time by a stout defensive rotation of Austin, Luke, Miguel, and Ryan Aton. It was a win earned by the quickness of Andrew and Bryce. It was a win earned by the tenacity of Michael, Colton, and Ryan Wessel. It was a win earned by Justin’s unselfish passing. It was a win earned by Jonathan’s foot and Grayden’s head.

The Crew pounded United Blue one goal at a time and never relinquished the lead. The pressure that the Crew applied was so relentless that United Blue players became frustrated at their inability to dispense with the Crew like it had all other challengers.

The Crew ended their season in 4th place with a respectable 6 wins and 4 losses (2 to first place Juventus). Counting summer tournaments and friendlies, the Crew have 16 wins, 6 losses, and 1 draw, including 2 semi-final appearances and 1 championship tournament run.

Preparations for the Commissioner’s Cup will begin next week but for one timeless day, the Crew played to their potential and demonstrated what the parents knew all along. This team is something special and capable of great things. Given a great opportunity the Crew delivered a great moment.

New Practice Time and Location

Crew practices are moving to Doc Harris Stadium, on the turf and under the lights, Monday and Wednesday 6:00p – 7:30p.

Crew Chop Down Timber Barons 3-0

The Crew had another strong performance this week and were rewarded with a 3-nil win over the Timber Barons. Nick and Luke split duties guarding the woodwork and earned a clean sheet. Nick was forced to make a save in the 2nd minute but wasn’t tested for the rest of the half thanks to Austin, Luke and Miguel’s stifling defense. The Timber Baron keeper was outstanding in the first half facing 7 shots, making one diving save into the left corner on what appeared to be a perfect shot by Jonathan. Colton crossed to Jonathan, Jonathan did a nifty touch pass to Grayden, and Grayden finished for the first goal of the game at the 20 minute mark. The Crew kept up the pressure and missed wide right twice more before the half ended.

The second half was really wide open. Luke made two saves early. At the other end, Jonathan launched two corner kicks that were stymied by the Timber Baron defense. The teams traded fouls in the 37th and 38th minutes. The Crew really started applying pressure with 4 shots in the next 4 minutes. Colton missed one of them and Grandma almost went to the car to get the teapot. In the 47th minute Grayden took a pass from Justin and converted his second goal of the game. One minute later Jonathan launched a shot over the crossbar. In the final ten the Timber Barons held the ball in the attacking zone, forcing Luke to make three more saves. The crew managed to catch the Timber Barons off guard when Ryan A threw in to Jonathan who crossed to Justin who drilled home the insurance goal in the 58th minute.

With the win, the Crew earn their fifth win in WSYSA Division 5 play and hold on to their fourth place spot in the table. The Crew face the undefeated Vancouver United Blue side to in the last fixture of the season.

2008 WSYSA Division 5 – Game 9

Crew Dominate But Lose 4-2

Maybe it was the chill in the air. Maybe it was the pre-game photos. Maybe the nets had an invisible force field. For some head-scratching reason, the Crew left Jason Lee stumped by a 4-2 loss to the Chinook Fire.

The Fire got off to a quick start with a goal on their first shot at the 2 minute mark. It was a beautiful finish on a cross through the 6′ box that Nick had no chance on. 17 minutes and 5 offsides calls later the Crew strung together an inbound throw from Luke to Jonathan who led Bryce to net with a great lob pass and Bryce chipped the ball over the keeper to tie the game at 1-1. The tie held for one minute until the Fire came right back and scored to take the lead 2-1. 6 minutes, 1 offsides call, and three missed shots later the Crew scored when David poked in a goal to tie the game at 2-2. When the whistle blew at the half the Crew had outshot their opponent 12-3 and had two goals called back from offsides.

The second half was very similar. The Fire scored again on their first shot 2 minutes into the second half to go up 3-2. The Crew kept the pressure up and held the Fire to one shot over the next 20 minutes while missing on 3 attempts of their own (and getting whistled 3 more times for offsides). The Fire got an insurance goal in the 52nd minute and then hemmed the Crew in their own end for the final 8 thwarting a comeback. Overall, the Crew outshot the Fire 16-6 and had another 10 attacks stalled by offsides.

With the loss the Crew are now 4-4 in District 5.

2008 WSYSA District 5 – Game 8

Crew Fall To Juventus 1-3

The Crew closed a huge gap in performance from their first meeting with Juventus but lost 3-1. Unlike their first match at Goot Park, the Crew matched Juventus stride for stride for 45 minutes. Colton put the Crew on top in the first minute finishing a corner kick from Jonathan. Four minutes later Juventus scored off a corner kick of their own. The shots were dead even 5-5 and the score was 1-1 at the half.

Five minutes into the second half, Juventus pressured and scored for a 2-1 lead. Play continued back and forth with missed opportunities at both ends. In the 45th minute Austin was whistled for colliding with a Juventus forward in the penalty area and Juventus capitalized on the penalty kick. You have to give credit to the referee for making the tough calls. Earlier she waved off two Juventus goals because of offsides. The Crew outshot Juventus 4-2 in the final 15 but couldn’t beat the keeper and the final whistle left the Crew on the short side of a 1-3 loss.

After a win over the Anderson coached Timber Barons the day before, the Crew are now 4-3 and in fourth place in Division 5.

2008 WSYSA Division 5 – Game 7

Location change for October 19 against Juventus

The location for the Juventus game on Sunday has changed. It is now at H.B. Fuller Park, NW 136th St and NW 2nd Ave. We’ve been warned to not park on the street. The game is at 1:00 PM.

October 12 Game Canceled

WSYSA Division 5 announced that they mistakenly had the Crew scheduled for an extra league game. There will be no game against Vancouver United Blue on Sunday, October 12.