Crew Super-20's will be facing off against DCFC on Wednesday 7/11. Any Crew fans planning on making the trip? If so I would like to invite you all to Harry's Detroit Bar for pre/post game festivities. Game starts at 7, we will start partying at 5 with a supporters march to the stadium at 6:40. Harry's Detroit Bar 2482 Clifford Street Detroit, MI 48201 Hope to see a few of you up there. Would be great to share some of the hospitality you all have shown me and my family over the years.
Crew won 3-1, Detroit scored on the last kick of the game to break the shutout. I was at the game and was told by an injured Crew player that they were missing 6 starters from the line-up to rest for their "two" National Championship runs with both the 19's and 20's. I think it is fair to say that the Brian Bliss and Ian Gordona have put together another amazing team for the third year in a row.
To be fair, though, we have some darn good college players on that team that aren't part of the academy system, like Zavaleta and Mares. No idea if they played against Detroit, but you don't have to be part of the academy to be on the U20 team. It is good that we have them in the fold so we can evaluate them as well as possible.
To answer your question, I was at the game in Detroit and did not see Eriq Zavaleta or Dylan Mares at the game. I think what the Crew are doing is great. From the lists I was able to find on-line here is what the Crew has done over the last three years (Taken from the U20 and U19 websites). The Crew have brought in these players from outside the system for their 19’s and 20’s, the player I had spoken with at the game in Detroit said that Gordo?? (I’m assuming that is Ian Gordona) recruits the players for the team starting in January, with the idea of looking at the top young guys for a whole summer. This can only help the Crew and the MLS. I think the league misses far too many good players, and having a whole summer to evaluate them especially the Crew's technical director can only help. But what a list of players they have compiled over three years, it’s no wonder they’re winning. I think it’s fair to say that Brian Bliss and the Crew have this figured out. Andrew Farrell (Louisville) Dylan Mares (Louisville) Eriq Zavaleta (Indiana) Adam Montague (Michigan State) Fatai Alashe (Michigan State) Jordan Tyler (Penn State) Nick Hagglund (Xavier) Kofi Agyapong (Wake Forest/Columbia) Jeff Gal (Creighton) AJ Corrado (Indiana) Nikita Kotlov (Indiana) Chris Hegngi (Ohio State) Aubrey Perry (South Florida, drafted by the Crew this year) Ben Sweat (South Florida) Kofi Sarkodie (Akron, MLS, not sure why he wasn't a homegrown) Chandler Gagnon (Memphis) Anthony Arena (Wake Forest) Andy Lubahn (Wake Forest, might be a homegrown guy but not sure) Zarek Valentine (Akron, MLS) Connor Fitzpatrick (Boston College) Kevin Bick (Indiana/San Diego State) Nick Millington (Wake Forest/Elon)
Lubahn's an academy guy, but, IIRC, the word has been that he probably isn't good enough to be signed as a homegrown.
Crew Juniors 3 Toronto Lynx Jrs. 0 Crew Juniors 3 Cincinnati United Premier 0 Crew Juniors 7 Dayton Dutch Lions FC 1 Crew Juniors 2 Chicago Fire 0 Crew Juniors 6 Kings Soccer Academy 1 Crew Juniors 2 Waza FC 0 Crew Juniors 8 Alliance Academy 1