Every team who wants to be considered serious needs a signature win. The Crew hasn’t had that one moment yet this season, but a win in New York against the red hot Red Bulls would be a perfect chance to silence any critics. With one of the best road records in the MLS, the Crew need to keep that impetus going as the season hits its stride. Columbus has had an up and down last few weeks, with a couple losses at home, but a big win in Toronto. Consistency is imperative during this stretch of the season, so to string together a couple of impressive results would do wonders for the teams collective confidence. 

In the blustery Saturday night air of Columbus Ohio, a banner depicting the words “Light ‘Em Up” flew in the wind. No one knew how literal that sign would turn out to be. A half hour before the Columbus Crew’s home game against rivals DC United was scheduled to kick off, the Crew scoreboard burst into flames. An apparent speaker malfunction, the game was delayed for almost an hour as the teams went back into the locker room after the pre-game warm-ups. Once the teams came back out onto the field, fears of muscle injuries and enquiries into the Crew revamped lineup were among the talking points from the 14 thousand people in the stands.

It isn’t often that MLS games in April are forced to be rescheduled because of snow, but the weather in Montreal had other ideas. The Columbus Crew was forced to wait an extra day in Canada as large snow snowfall forced the game to be pushed back one day until Sunday. Ironically, given the weather conditions, the Crew’s second game in Canada so far this year was against one of the hottest teams in the league, the Montreal lmpact. The Canadian team had picked up an impressive 13 points from their opening 6 games, and look like one of the surprises of this season. Going on the road in Canada has proven to be tough for most MLS teams, and this would be no exception for Columbus. The Crew has actually started well on the road this season, and bringing home some points from the Stade Saputo would be huge for the Black and Yellow.

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This MLS season now feels official after 2 consecutive west coast road games for the Crew. In a round of games dubbed “Rivalry Week”, Columbus played their home opener against a team from the opposite side of the country. Despite the freezing weather, more than 16,000 fans showed up at Crew Stadium against the 2012 Supporters Shield winner San Jose Earthquakes. The Crew started off in its expected lineup without Eddie Gaven, who missed his second straight game due to Injury, with home grown youngster Ben Speas taking his place.

The 2013 MLS season is nearly upon us. For Columbus Crew fans, last season was a year to be proud of in a lot of ways, but it failed at the most crucial benchmark: Making the playoffs. Perhaps the most excruciating part about not being able to take part in the postseason was how well the Crew played at times throughout the season. Amassing a solid total of 15 wins, the Crew joined only 2 other teams in MLS history to end the season with a winning record but still fail to make the playoffs. It’s hard not to look back at games like the late 1-1 draw away to San Jose in May and the loss to DC United in October and think about what might have been. That’s all in the past though and the 2013 season has the promise of a fresh start and a chance at redemption.

Okay, okay, Columbus you got me. Funny joke, you are playing this badly to get me to laugh right? I get it, you are messing with me, right? Somehow I don’t think you are joking, however the way you are playing is a joke. I remember the days of when teams would come to Columbus and they were almost guaranteed to lose. You made them play tentatively, now not so much. Last week, while I was on vacation and glad I did not watch the game, you let Sporting KC waltz into Columbus and win 2-0. Let me say it again, you lost 2-0. And Emilio Renteria is suspended for one game due to a head butt, to add insult to injury. Oh wait, it does not bother me that he is out for a game; he could be out of Columbus for all I care. I am tired of his on and off field antics. He is acid for this young team. If anything he can be a teacher for the young players of what NOT to do. When he was playing second fiddle I liked him more. He went out and scored goals. Now that he is ‘the’ forward on Columbus he spends more time flopping around the pitch when his first touch is a bit too heavy, which is often.

The Crew have had a season like many seasons before, marred with injuries. This recent international break should help the Crew get back to being a healthy team. Though they have lost William Hesmer and Tommy Heinemann, others have been able to step up and take their place, most notably Andy Gruenebaum and Aaron Schoenfeld. This week the Crew travel to New England and, hopefully, with Chad Marshall back that will help to shore up the porous defense. During the break my hope is that the starting eleven had more time to gel. In order to play as a team, they need to be aware of what the other ten men on the pitch are doing and what each individual’s part is in the action.

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The Crew seem to be playing the same old song and dance. The problems from last year are manifesting this year. Eddie Gavin said it best, “I just don’t think we have been dynamic enough.” Well said good sir. The midfield is disjointed. I sit here trying to think of better words but that keeps coming to mind. This is the start of week seven and the Crew sit with two wins and three, colossal, losses.

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With every new season comes new hopes, the hope of a championship, the hope to be competitive, or the hope to stay healthy through a whole season. These hopes are in the fans and the players. With that, the hardest working team in America, the Columbus Crew, open this season’s hopes in Colorado. Last year the teams split their meetings with both of the home teams winning. This is the only meeting between the two teams this year. I am sure all Crew fans will remember that Colorado knocked the Crew out of last year’s playoffs in a single elimination Wild Card playoff game. As I said in the preseason preview this is a bit of a new look Crew, however the formation looks to be staying the same. The Crew were literally washed out of their last pre-season game in the Carolina Cup and the only reason I bring this up is because this is where the final starting XI were going to be tested. Let’s take a look at the lineup projection.