Columbus Crew

2014 season
Investor-operators	Anthony Precourt
Head Coach	Gregg Berhalter
Stadium	Columbus Crew Stadium
Major League Soccer	Conference: 3rd Overall: 7th
MLS Cup Playoffs	Conference Semifinals
U.S. Open Cup	Fifth Round
Trillium Cup	Runners-Up (4 - 8)
Lamar Hunt Pioneer Cup	Winners (1 - 1)
Walt Disney World Pro Soccer Classic	Champions
Top goalscorer	League: Federico Higuaín (11) All: Federico Higuaín (12)
Highest home attendance	21,318 (9/20 v.NE)
Lowest home attendance	1,913 (6/17 v.IND)
Average home league attendance	15,978 (79.3%)
Biggest win	DC0-3CLB (3/8) CLB4–1LA (8/16) CLB3–0HOU (8/23) CLB3–0CHV (9/7)
Biggest defeat	NY4-1CLB (7/12)
Home colors Away colors
← 2013 2015 →

The2014 Columbus Crew season wasthe club's 19th season of existence and their 19th consecutive season inMajor League Soccer, the top flight of soccer in theUnited States andCanada. The first match of the season was on March 8 againstD.C. United. It was the first season under head coachGregg Berhalter.

The 2014 season was a significant break from the past, particularly off the field. New owner Anthony Precourt, having purchased the team from Hunt Sports Group midway through 2013, made his presence felt often through the year. The team enjoyed its best performance in several years, including an appearance in the playoffs for the first time in three years.Gregg Berhalter was handed the helm, serving both as head coach and sporting director. He was joined by a trio of assistant coaches that included fellow World Cup veteranJosh Wolff, and longtime MLS goalkeeperPat Onstad.

Columbus started the season with three consecutive victories, including a road win overSeattle Sounders FC. This torrid beginning then cooled dramatically as Columbus won only one of their next 16 games.Dominic Oduro, the leading scorer from the previous year, was dealt toToronto whileJairo Arrieta likewise struggled to make an impact. Defensively a pair of new Costa Rican signings,Giancarlo Gonzalez andWaylon Francis, missed significant time due to Costa Rica's run to the quarterfinals of the World Cup. The defensive changes could have been more drastic, however, asMichael Parkhurst was left off the American squad.

A handful of players emerged in the latter half of the season, however, leading the team to a dramatic turnaround and ultimately a postseason berth.Federico Higuain was joined atop the scoring charts by third-year wingerEthan Finlay, with both ending the year with 11 goals and seven assists. Other significant players included the pairing ofTony Tchani andWil Trapp at holding midfield and goalkeeperSteve Clark.

Ultimately, however, the team's quest for its first hardware since 2009 came up empty. It was eliminated from theU.S. Open Cup after two games, falling once again to theChicago Fire. The mid season doldrums ruled the club out of contention forSupporters Shield (won dramatically on the last day of the season by Seattle). Finally, the team was comprehensively outplayed in the playoffs by theNew England Revolution, defeated 7–3 on aggregate over a two-game series. The team finished their last playoff game with only nine players on the field after ejections to Ethan Finlay andJustin Meram.

Off the field, new owner Anthony Precourt made sweeping changes. Long-serving General Manager Mark McCullers left the organization in the spring, replaced by Andy Loughnane after a nationwide search. While there was widespread criticism of the team's new television contract withTime Warner Sportschannel Ohio, the team continued its success at the turnstile. Three years after team attendance plummeted to less than 12,000, the team enjoyed five sellout crowds during 2014 and finished the year with the highest total attendance in the history ofCrew Stadium.

The most significant change, however, was the revelation of a new team identity. The team's logo, unchanged since 1996, was jettisoned in favor of a new design that tried to better reflect the team's relationship to central Ohio. The name of the team was also changed slightly, becoming Columbus Crew SC. These changes were nearly unanimously applauded, in sharp contrast to the reaction to a new MLS logo that was also unveiled during the course of the season.^[1]

As of October 6, 2014^[2]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  USA Steve Clark 2 DF  USA Tyson Wahl 3 DF  USA Josh Williams 4 DF  USA Michael Parkhurst(Captain) 5 DF  AUT Emanuel Pogatetz(INT) 6 MF  CMR Tony Tchani 7 MF  VEN Bernardo Añor(INT) 9 FW  IRQ Justin Meram 10 FW  ARG Federico Higuaín(INT;DP) 11 MF  USA Daniel Paladini 12 MF  USA Hector Jiménez 13 MF  USA Ethan Finlay 14 DF  CRC Waylon Francis(INT)

No. Pos. Nation Player 16 DF  USA Eric Gehrig 17 FW  USA Ben Speas(HGP;SUP) 18 FW  USA Aaron Schoenfeld 19 FW  CRC Jairo Arrieta(INT) 20 MF  USA Wil Trapp(HGP;SUP) 21 DF  USA Chad Barson(HGP) 22 DF  USA Ben Sweat(SUP) 24 DF  URU Agustín Viana 25 MF  USA Romain Gall(SUP) 28 GK  USA Matt Lampson(HGP) 29 FW  USA Adam Bedell(SUP) 30 MF  GHA Fifi Baiden(INT;SUP) 31 DF  USA Matt Wiet(HGP;SUP)

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined underFIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 23 MF  TRI Kevan George (on loan toDayton Dutch Lions) 27 MF  USA Ross Friedman(HGP;SUP) (on loan toDayton Dutch Lions) 33 MF  USA Matt Walker(HGP;SUP) (on loan toDayton Dutch Lions) 41 GK  USA Brad Stuver(SUP) (on loan toDayton Dutch Lions)

Position	Staff
President, Precourt Sports Ventures	Dave Greeley
President of Business Operations	Andy Loughnane
Director of Soccer Operations	Asher Mendelsohn
Sporting Director/Head Coach	Gregg Berhalter
Assistant Coach	Robert Maaskant
Assistant Coach	Josh Wolff
Assistant Coach	Pat Onstad
Strength/Conditioning Coach	Brook Hamilton
Head Athletic Trainer	Craig Devine
Assistant Trainer	Steve Purcell
Director of Team Operations	Tucker Walther
Team Operations Assistant	Ron Meadors
Equipment Manager	John Velasco

The Crew started preseason inColumbus and played games inFlorida before returning toOhio. The Crew brought in the following trialists during training camp:Konrad Warzycha andPatrick Slogic.

Unsigned draft picksBen Sweat,Fifi Baiden andAdam Bedell also joined the team for preseason.

Last updated: 19 October 2014
Source:Columbus Crew
Pld = Matches played;Pts = Points;W = Matches won;T = Matches tied;L = Matches lost;GF = Goals for;GA = Goals against;GD = Goal difference

Columbus Crew (MLS) vIndy Eleven (NASL)

June 17Fourth Round	Columbus Crew (MLS)	2–1 (a.e.t.)	Indy Eleven (NASL)	Akron, OH
7:30 PMEDT	Añor 4' Bedell 34' Paladini 110' Clark 112' Arrieta 114' (pen.)	Report	Corrado 45+1' Smith 62' Estridge 78' Moore 105'	Stadium:FirstEnergy Stadium Attendance: 1,913 Referee: Dimitar Chavdarov Assistant referees: Cory Richardson Igor Reznik

Chicago Fire (MLS) vColumbus Crew (MLS)

June 25Fifth Round	Chicago Fire (MLS)	4–2 (a.e.t.)	Columbus Crew (MLS)	Bridgeview, IL
8:30 PMEDT	Ianni 34' Pause 54' Anangonó 83', 108' Amarikwa 92' Ward 118'	Report	Arrieta 55' Añor 70' Parkhurst 87'	Stadium:Toyota Park Attendance: 5,124 Referee: Robert Sibiga Assistant referees: Matthew Nelson Khalaf Al-Latayfeh Fourth official: Alejandro Mariscal

Under "Apps" for each section, the first number represents the number of starts, and the second number represents appearances as a substitute.

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		MLS		MLS Cup Playoffs		U.S. Open Cup
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK	USA	Steve Clark	38	0	34+0	0	2+0	0	2+0	0
2	DF	USA	Tyson Wahl	21	0	15+3	0	2+0	0	1+0	0
3	DF	USA	Josh Williams	16	0	13+1	0	0+1	0	1+0	0
4	DF	USA	Michael Parkhurst	37	0	32+1	0	2+0	0	1+1	0
5	DF	AUT	Emanuel Pogatetz	2	0	0+2	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
6	MF	CMR	Tony Tchani	37	1	33+0	0	2+0	1	2+0	0
7	MF	VEN	Bernardo Añor	30	8	18+9	6	0+1	0	2+0	2
9	FW	IRQ	Justin Meram	36	9	19+13	8	2+0	1	1+1	0
10	FW	ARG	Federico Higuaín	30	12	28+1	11	1+0	1	0+0	0
11	MF	USA	Daniel Paladini	5	0	3+1	0	0+0	0	1+0	0
12	MF	USA	Hector Jiménez	28	1	19+5	1	2+0	0	2+0	0
13	MF	USA	Ethan Finlay	32	11	21+8	11	2+0	0	1+0	0
14	DF	CRC	Waylon Francis	26	0	24+0	0	2+0	0	0+0	0
16	DF	USA	Eric Gehrig	24	0	14+6	0	1+1	0	2+0	0
17	FW	USA	Ben Speas	16	1	8+5	1	0+1	0	2+0	0
18	FW	USA	Aaron Schoenfeld	16	3	7+8	3	1+0	0	0+0	0
19	FW	CRC	Jairo Arrieta	27	7	14+9	5	1+1	0	0+2	2
20	MF	USA	Wil Trapp	31	1	28+0	1	2+0	0	0+1	0
21	DF	USA	Chad Barson	15	0	8+5	0	0+0	0	1+1	0
22	DF	USA	Ben Sweat	1	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	1+0	0
23	MF	TRI	Kevan George	5	0	2+2	0	0+0	0	1+0	0
24	DF	URU	Agustín Viana	4	1	4+0	1	0+0	0	0+0	0
25	MF	USA	Romain Gall	3	0	3+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
27	MF	USA	Ross Friedman	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
28	GK	USA	Matt Lampson	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
29	FW	USA	Adam Bedell	18	2	7+9	2	0+1	0	1+0	0
30	MF	GHA	Fifi Baiden	1	0	0+1	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
31	DF	USA	Matt Wiet	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
33	MF	USA	Matt Walker	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
41	GK	USA	Brad Stuver	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
			Own goal	0	1	1	0	0
Players who left Columbus during the season:
5	DF	CRC	Giancarlo González	17	1	17+0	1	0+0	0	0+0	0
8	FW	GHA	Dominic Oduro	11	0	6+5	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
25	MF	ESP	Álvaro Rey	2	0	0+2	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
26	FW	USA	Ryan Finley	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
40	GK	USA	Daniel Withrow	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0

No.	Pos.	Name	MLS		MLS Cup Playoffs		U.S. Open Cup		Total
1	GK	Steve Clark	2	0	0	0	1	0	3	0
2	DF	Tyson Wahl	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
3	DF	Josh Williams	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
4	DF	Michael Parkhurst	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	1
5	DF	Emanuel Pogatetz	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
6	MF	Tony Tchani	7	0	0	0	0	0	7	0
7	MF	Bernardo Añor	5	0	1	0	0	0	6	0
9	FW	Justin Meram	2	0	2	1	0	0	4	1
10	FW	Federico Higuaín	8	0	0	0	0	0	8	0
11	MF	Daniel Paladini	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	1
12	MF	Hector Jiménez	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
13	MF	Ethan Finlay	2	0	0	1	0	0	2	1
14	DF	Waylon Francis	4	0	1	0	0	0	5	0
16	DF	Eric Gehrig	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
17	FW	Ben Speas	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
18	FW	Aaron Schoenfeld	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
19	FW	Jairo Arrieta	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
20	MF	Wil Trapp	4	0	0	0	0	0	4	0
21	DF	Chad Barson	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
22	DF	Ben Sweat	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
23	MF	Kevan George	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
24	DF	Agustín Viana	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
25	MF	Romain Gall	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
27	MF	Ross Friedman	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
28	GK	Matt Lampson	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
29	FW	Adam Bedell	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1
30	MF	Fifi Baiden	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
31	DF	Matt Wiet	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
33	MF	Matt Walker	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
41	GK	Brad Stuver	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Players who left Columbus during the season:
5	DF	Giancarlo González	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
8	FW	Dominic Oduro	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
25	MF	Álvaro Rey	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
26	FW	Ryan Finley	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
40	GK	Daniel Withrow	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

No.	Name	MLS	MLS Cup Playoffs	U.S. Open Cup	Total	Games Played
		1	Steve Clark	8	0	0	8	38
28	Matt Lampson	0	0	0	0	0
41	Brad Stuver	0	0	0	0	0
Players who left Columbus during the season:
40	Daniel Withrow	0	0	0	0	0

Pos.	Player	Transferred from	Fee/notes	Date	Source
DF	Ross Friedman	Harvard Crimson	Signed to ahomegrown contract	January 8, 2014	[4]
MF	Matt Walker	Xavier Musketeers	Signed to ahomegrown contract	January 8, 2014	[4]
DF	Michael Parkhurst	FC Augsburg	Rights traded fromNew England Revolution for a first round draft pick in the2014 MLS SuperDraft	January 13, 2014	[5]
MF	Hector Jiménez	LA Galaxy	Traded with a first round draft pick in the2014 MLS SuperDraft for a second round draft pick in the2014 MLS SuperDraft andallocation money	January 14, 2014	[6]
DF	Ben Sweat	South Florida Bulls	Drafted in round 1 of the2014 MLS SuperDraft	February 14, 2014	[7]
MF	Fifi Baiden	UC Santa Barbara Gauchos	Drafted in round 3 of the2014 MLS SuperDraft	February 14, 2014	[7]
DF	Giancarlo González	Vålerenga Fotball	Signed via discovery	February 21, 2014	[8]
FW	Adam Bedell	Detroit Mercy Titans	Drafted in round 3 of the2014 MLS SuperDraft	March 5, 2014	[9]
MF	Álvaro Rey	Toronto FC	Traded forDominic Oduro	June 6, 2014	[10]
MF	Romain Gall	FC Lorient II	Acquired via weighted lottery	August 7, 2014	[11]
DF	Emanuel Pogatetz	FC Augsburg	Signed via discovery	September 9, 2014	[12]
FW	Kei Kamara	Middlesbrough F.C.	Signed via allocation ranking	October 7, 2014	[13]
MF	Ben Swanson	Columbus Crew Academy	Signed to ahomegrown contract	October 16, 2014	[14]
FW	Mohammed Saeid	Örebro SK	Free transfer	October 29, 2014	[15]
MF	Bernardo Añor	Columbus Crew	Signed to a new contract	December 2, 2014	[16]
FW	Justin Meram	Columbus Crew	Signed to a new contract	December 2, 2014	[16]
MF	Kristinn Steindorsson	Halmstads BK	Free transfer	December 11, 2014	[17]