See what Steven Lenhart is doing in his free time and also the multiple community projects he is working on.

Have you ever sat in the stands at Crew Stadium and wondered what it would be like in the supporter’s section? Maybe you’ve always wanted to know what the Nordecke is all about but didn’t know who to ask. Well here’s your chance to learn a little bit more about the craziest section in Black & Gold land. Listen as we take a look into the Nordecke, learn about some of the supporters clubs and the fans who call it home.

Read more…

MLS W.O.R.K.S., Major League Soccer’s community outreach initiative, and The Home Depot, the official home improvement retailer of MLS, are teaming up to launch the Community MVP contest. Recognizing the impact a single individual can make, the contest aims to highlight the dedication and passion of MLS fans to make a difference in their local communities.Beginning today, fans throughout the League will have an opportunity to nominate individuals who are committed to going above and beyond in their communities. Nominees will be selected based on their efforts in one of the following areas: general community service; youth programming; environmental sustainability; health and wellness; education; military or civic service.

The Community MVP contest is part of the MLS W.O.R.K.S. Community Service Program - a collaborative effort to combine sport and service, promote goodwill within MLS markets and improve lives and communities at the grassroots level.

One (1) Community MVP will be chosen to represent each MLS club. Winners will receive a $500 gift card provided by The Home Depot, along with a trip to MLS Cup 2010 in Toronto (round-trip coach airfare provided by American Airlines). Official MLS merchandise will also be a part of the prize package. Nominations must be 500 words or less and can be submitted by visiting www.MLSsoccer.com/communitymvp. The contest will be open until September 17, 2010 at 7:59pm ET. Winners will be announced on MLSsoccer.com and recognized during halftime of MLS Cup 2010 at BMO Field in Toronto.

Three more quick photos from PPL Park.

First, Bill Archer’s name tag on press row. He was supposed to be sitting next to me, but Bill’s not a press box guy. Still, it’s vague proof of his existence.

I thought this was pretty cool. Late in the first half, all of the people who sat on the “Union” side of the stadium held up cards to replicate how Union is spelled out in the seats. The seats obviously aren’t visible with butts sitting upon them, so this was a pretty cool way to restore the design.

And finally, I couldn’t make this up if I tried. Before the game, the kind woman in the media dining room informed me that I had to come back at halftime for a Union pretzel. She told me it was a pretzel made into the Union’s logo. I asked her if it would be rude and disrespectful for me, as someone associated with the opposing team, to defile her team’s crest by eating it and digesting it and so forth. Her response: “It depends who’s winning.”

Since it was 1-1 at the time, I guess it was okay. But I can officially tell you that she was not kidding about the Union pretzel. They are 100% for real. Here is a photo of an entire basket of Unionized snake-branded pretzels!

Hey gang,

Sirk here. I’m in Philly for tonight’s Crew-Union match. A Crew victory would be the perfect capper to a wonderful day that has seen me:

a.) Finally meet notorious Big Soccer blogger Bill Archer. (”He is secret, like the KGB,” said Crew goalkeeper coach Vadim Kirilov when I told him I would be meeting Archer tonight.)

b.) Eat a cheesesteak at Jim’s Steaks, which came with a hearty recommendation from Tucker Walther and some other non-Tucker “Mr. T.”

Here are some pre-game photos of tonight, starting with the Crew’s locker room.

And Frenchy’s fabulous pink boots…

Some stadium shots…

And the press box side…

And the view of the Commodore Barry Bridge…

Here’s the Crew’s swanky, cushy bench…

All of the seats have the Union crest on them…

Here’s a shot of the guys warming up…

And here’s a blurry, crappy shot of the Nordecke On Tour, filling their ticket allotment atop section 133.

And, apropos of nothing, here’s a photo of a curious sign on the wall in my hotel room. The Hyatt demands wrinkled shirts!

Truthfully, it’s right next to the fire sprinkler, so there must have been a problem with guests hanging their clothes from the wall-mounted fire sprinkler instead of in the closet. People are awesome.

As the official 4 v 4 tournament of Major League Soccer, MLS ¡Futbolito! brings fast-paced soccer action to 13 communities across the country. The day-long event offers food, music and fun activities for the whole family, all alongside a fierce and fun soccer competition for all ages. Sign your team up today, and we’ll see you out there!

To register, go to http://www.eyouthsportsusa.com/cgi-win/ebap.exe?nT104061
OFFER ONLY FOR FB FANS AND TWITTER FOLLOWERS. Use code “CREW60” at check out to receive a discount on your registration.

¡Futbolito!™ prizes include:

• The opportunity to win prizes from MLS ¡Futbolito!™ partners
• An MLS match ticket (if applicable)
• Adult Premier Division winning team will receive $2,000 and the runner up will receive $1,000.

For more information on MLS ¡Futbolito!™ in Columbus click here

The Crew Juniors U20s defeated the LA Galaxy, 2-1, Sunday at Sportscore II in Rockford, Ill., to win the 2010 USL Super-20 Men’s national title. It is the Crew Juniors’ second national championship in as many weekends, with the U19s having won the McGuire Cup last weekend. Many of the same players were members of the U20 title.

The Crew Juniors U20s concluded group play Saturday morning with a convincing 7-0 win over FC Harlem and topped Group B with a 2-0-1 record and 7 points to advance to Saturday evening’s semifinals in which they defeated Beachside SC, 3-1. The Galaxy topped the Chicago Fire in the other semi.

Coached by Crew technical director Brian Bliss and Ian Gordona, the Crew qualified for the tournament by virtue of its second place finish (8-2-0, 24 pts.) in the Midwest division of the USL Super-20 League this summer.

“It was a hard fought game,” Bliss said. “The Galaxy had the better of it in the first half and were coming in waves. We bent, but did not break. I think we played much better in the second half.”

“Most of these guys played in a very tough tournament last week in the McGuire Cup,” said Bliss. “To come here with two-thirds of that roster and grind it out over four days to win the championship, that sort of thing will not be repeated again. I am extremely proud of my team.”

 Match reports can be found here:

Final: Crew 2, LA Galaxy 1 - August 1

http://supery.uslsoccer.com/home/452095.html

Semifinals: Crew 3, Beachside SC - July 31

 http://supery.uslsoccer.com/MatchReports/29451798/1882036.html

Group Play:

Crew 7, FC Harlem 0 - July 31

http://supery.uslsoccer.com/MatchReports/29451798/1882032.html

Crew 4, Parsippany SC 1 - July 30

http://supery.uslsoccer.com/MatchReports/29451798/1882026.html

Crew 1, MPS Bulldogs 1 - July 29

http://supery.uslsoccer.com/MatchReports/29451798/1882020.html

In a winner-take-all match to determine the Under-17 SUM Cup semifinalist from Group B, Columbus downed Seattle, 1-0, Monday night in Houston. The Crew will face D.C. United at 7 p.m. ET in Tuesday’s semifinals.The Crew took the lead five minutes after halftime when Will Trapp played the ball down the right, and Chris Davis broke in on goal and beat Seattle goalkeeper Rodney Greiling from a tight angle for his third goal of the tournament.

Seattle controlled the ball much of the second half, but Crew goalkeeper Nicholas Straight made a crucial diving save from a Seattle header in the 65th minute, and Columbus held on for the win and a spot in the semifinals.

The Crew previously defeated pre-tournament favorite FC Dallas, 2-1, and topped Philadelphia in penalty kicks, following a 1-1 draw.

Seattle Sounders (1-1-1) vs. Columbus Crew (2-0-1)
2010 SUM U-17 Cup - Group B
July 26, 2010 — Centennial Park, Friendswood TX

Scoring Summary:
CLB — Chris Davis 3 (Will Trapp 1) 40

Seattle Sounders — Keenan Townsend (Rodney Greiling 36), Ian Lange, Michael Gallagher, Jacob Beck (Chris Miller 28, Tolossa Hassan 42), Stefan Bangsund (Jordan Schweitzer 30), Troy Peterson, Kurtis Pederson (Dominique Dismuke 57), DeAndre Yedin, Austin Sweeney (Aaron Kovar 28), Taylor Stapf (Ike Crook 46), Travis Strawn.

Columbus Crew — Nicholas Straight, Will Trapp, Max Riehemann, Dominic Aracri, Mason Hodge, David Witcoff (Raymond Olavarria 21, Ben Crognale 53), Charles Reyman (William Bennick 36), Alex Ranalli, Zachary Mason (Tom Granot 36), Quinn Miller (Chris Davis 36), Alex Crognale (Rhodes Moore 32, Peter Suess 62).

Matches played with 35-minute halves.

Creeping.  Usually, the context on this word is a negative one, i.e. so and so was creeping on Facebook.  For the sake of this blog, the context of creeping is solely positive.  You’re probably saying,”whatever do you mean, Ashleigh?”  There are a few positive meanings.  The Crew are creeping and sports fans are creeping into the hallows of the soccer world.  Let me explain.