Crew midfielder and Scotland native Adam Moffat is well on his way back from an ACL injury that sidelined him for the most of the 2008 season and he’s currently featured on the front page of MLSNet.com in a video discussing his rehabilitation and outlook for the 2009 season, so be sure to click here and check it out when you’ve got a moment.

The Crew and ONN-TV today announced a broadcast partnership that will ensure that every Crew regular-season game will still be available on television for the third consecutive year. Ohio’s Channel for news, weather, sports and lifestyles programming, becomes the Crew’s exclusive regional broadcast partner through the 2011 season.

ONN will broadcast 21 regular-season Crew games this season – home and away – starting with First Kick 2009 vs. Toronto FC on Saturday, March 28, at 4 p.m. (ET).

Another exciting element of the deal is the introduction of a new weekly show on ONN, “CrewXtra,” which will air every Wednesday during the season at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. An interactive companion to the show, CrewXtra.com will be launched in conjunction with The Columbus Dispatch coverage. The show and site will provide Crew fans in-depth coverage and access to the team, including game recaps, breakdowns and previews of the upcoming matches, while interspersing other news, interviews, discussion and interactive features.

The Crew concluded the Florida leg of its preseason schedule this afternoon as it took on the University of Tampa and the University of Central Florida in a pair of 60-minute exhibition matches at the IMG Academies in Bradenton.

The Black & Gold came away with a 2-0 victory over Tampa in the first session and defeated Central Florida, 6-0, in the day’s second session. The full match reports are after the jump.

Read more…

Another quadrennial showdown with Mexico, another carbon copy scoreline for the USA at El Stadio Dos a Cero. Mitchell, Merz & Arace have written plenty about the game itself, and I didn’t possess enough inner-bulldog to thrive in the “mixed zone” mosh pit. So in light of all that, this blog entry will focus on the top five things that I will take away from the night’s festivities.

Read more…

The Crew picked up its first preseason victory of 2009 this morning with a 3-1 win over the U.S. Under-20 squad at the IMG Academies in Bradenton, Fla. Check out the full match report after the jump.

Read more…

If you aren’t already, please follow us at Twitter for short-form news and updates.

http://twitter.com/Columbus_Crew

Tune in to hear Frankie Hejduk on the The Fan 97.1 at 1:20 this afternoon. And check out Danny O’Rourke’s first preseason blog entry.

The Crew lost to the Puerto Rico Islanders, 2-0, this morning at the IMG Academies in Bradenton, Fla., in its second preseason exhibition match of 2009.

Puerto Rico started the match on a high note, scoring goals in the first and 13th minutes to take an early lead which it would not relinquish to a Crew side that continues to focus the early portion of its preseason trip in Florida on fitness and evaluation.

The Black and Gold will train Friday morning before taking the field for an exhibition match this Saturday (Feb. 14) at 10 a.m. vs. the U.S. Under-20 National Team.

Notes:
- Crew goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum was forced to leave the match early in the proceedings due to an ankle injury and was replaced by Kenny Schoeni in the 20th minute.
- Second-year forward Steven Lenhart picked up a red card in the 30th minute. Due to the match being an exhibition, the Crew was not forced to go a man down and Lenhart was replaced by Jason Garey.
- Yellow cards were given to Jed Zayner (48th min.), Anthony Peters (78th min.) and Duncan Oughton (85th min.).

Columbus Crew vs. Puerto Rico Islanders (Exhibition)
February 12, 2008 – IMG Academies (Bradenton, Fla.)

Scoring Summary:
P.R. – Delgado 1
P.R. – Nuñez 13

Crew Lineups
First Half – Andy Gruenebaum (Kenny Schoeni 20), Danny O’Rourke, Chris Clements, Andy Iro, Gino Padula, Ty Shipalane, Brian Carroll, Stanley Nyazamba, Emmanuel Ekpo, Steven Lenhart (Jason Garey 30), Guillermo Barros Schelotto

Second Half – Kenny Schoeni, Jed Zayner, Anthony Peters, Chad Marshall, Paul Gerstenberger, Cory Elenio, Duncan Oughton, Eddie Gaven, Alex Grendi, Pat Noonan, Jason Garey

The MLS Cup-champion Columbus Crew fell to D.C. United, 2-1, Tuesday morning at the IMG Academies in Bradenton, Fla., in its first preseason exhibition match of 2009.

The match was an energetic, up-and-down affair as both sides looked to hit the ground running and make a good first impression for the upcoming season. The Crew recorded its lone tally in the 58th minute, off an unassisted goal by forward Jason Garey.

The Black and Gold will train this morning before taking the field for exhibition matches tomorrow at 11 a.m., against the Puerto Rico Islanders (USL1), and Saturday (Feb. 14) at 10 a.m. vs. the U.S. Under-20 National Team.

Columbus Crew vs. D.C. United (Exhibition)
February 10, 2008 – IMG Academies (Bradenton, Fla.)

Scoring Summary:
D.C. – Luciano Emilio 22
CLB – Jason Garey 58
D.C. – Chris Pontius 76

Crew Lineups
First Half – Andy Gruenebaum, Jed Zayner, Anthony Peters, Danny O’Rourke, Chris Clements, Emmanuel Ekpo, Duncan Oughton, Brian Carroll, Alex Grendi, Eddie Gaven, Steven Lenhart

Second Half – Andy Gruenebaum, Paul Gerstenberger, Andy Iro, Chad Marshall, Cory Elenio, Ty Shipalane, Brian Carroll (Eddie Gaven 67), Stanley Nyazamba, Pat Noonan, Jason Garey, Guillermo Barros Schelotto

Good morning Crew fans! A quick FYI, for those that are interested… as you can see above, we’ve got a new sign up on the Stadium’s North End, facing I-71, with Captain Hejduk showing some love for that glorious piece of hardware known as the Philip F. Anschutz trophy. And as the sign emphatically states, the defending-champion Crew’s home opener is on March 28 (just 47 days away!) against TFC in the first leg of the 2009 Trillium Cup series. Make sure to get your tickets today and be a part of the Crew’s 2009 title defense!