Post-match: Jones/Yeboah Testimonial Match, Presented by Kalshi - Crew v Nashville - Match 4 - 3/14/26 6:15P

Going back and looking at DP signings for the last 10 years, here is where they were playing when we brought them in and when different, their international affiliation:

Jonathan Mensah - France (Ghanaian int'l)
Pedro Santos - Portugal
Gyasi Zardes - USA
Lucas Zelarayan - Mexico (Armenian int'l)
Darlington Nagbe - USA
Cucho Hernandez - England (Colombian int'l)
Diego Rossi - Turkey (Uruguayan int'l)
Wessam Abou Ali - Egypt (Palestinian int'l)

All of those except for Turkey and Egypt are top 10 leagues/pyramids globally, and Rossi was one year removed from a productive first stint in MLS.

They had all, with two exceptions, played in CONCACAF or CONMEBOL or UEFA qualifiers. In Mensah's case, he started at the 2014 World Cup.

One of these things is not like the other.

Most signings lately have been from leagues that are far less quality than MLS. Guys don't end up in Azerbaijan or Israel or Egypt and going completely undiscovered by accident.

Our best player last night came to the Crew from a club in the top half of Ligue 1. The blueprint for building rosters is to have most outside signings be domestics, Liga MX, South America, and Europe. Under Issa's tenure, they won't pay for quality at the top end of the roster from these leagues. They'll just overpay guys who lack pedigree.

 

SC was precou*t's creation, so no big deal. We liked to joke that SC was Crew Cat's illegitimate son...Long live Crew Cat.

 

Frankie Hejduk Manager, Team Strategic Partnerships

Yes, but wasn't his title "Brand Ambassador" previously? A demotion, or maybe less public facetime for Frankie? Is the hometown hero a thing of the past?

 

Indeed. It seemed awkward to keep SC around for so long after everything else about the SC part of the name was killed off.

FWIW, ColumbusCrewSC.com still works. TheCrew.com died in January.

 

He was Brand Ambassador indeed. I feel like they had someone else in a similar role over the last year or so. Frankie has been listed as such since at least early 2024.

The Hometown Hero segment was smudged in during pregame. I believe it was when the players were still on the field for warmups.

 

What about ColumbusSC.com??

 

I'll give you a hint, it rhymes with Burlington Factory.

 

Agreed. Huge downgrade on the match igniter set-up. We kinda owned what we were doing with the breaking through the bricks, and the dynamite ignition box. I know this is silly, but as far as the game day experience, a definite downgrade there, IMO.

 

Real football

 

On this we can 100% agree.

 

You've been here since the Sigi lean years, this team would not have anyone from 2006 other than Eddie Gaven, Jon Busch, Chad Marshall, Sir Dunc, and Frankie. Oh, and Kei. We had like 6 keepers that season, and one was the Hebrew Hammer, so I would have him on our squad, for sure. so 7 players possibly to have on our squad this season, and Dunc would have been fringe at best. The main one guaranteed to start would be Chad. Move Eddie to the 10 and we could squeeze him in there, too. The rest, nah. Kei would be a sub at best, we would trade Busch for Bush, and Andy Gruenebaum for Romero. Maybe we start Frankie at right back since Farsi left.

 

Multiple times I saw Wessam back in our half of the pitch, looking to get the ball himself if possible. He also seems to be trying to make good runs and also trying to pull players when someone else is making a run. He's quality. We all know exactly what we are missing, and y'all are afraid to say it, apparently.

 

Taha should work on playing the 10 spot. Or, we put Rossi there cause he has better vision than most people and he distributes a lot anyway.

 

I looks at that page and all it says tome is "massive overhead".

Good God in heaven, what does all that ridiculous. bureaucracy cost? Id like to sit them all down, one by one,with the Bobs.

 

As HR said post game, there was no one around him to benefit from what he was doing. While I thought his game was a little messy, he was making runs, just it seemed the crosses were bad, no one made the complimentary runs to the far post or cutbacks, or no one was around

 

At least the plunger seemed real. I always assumed the fireworks were always done by a pro, similar to how the Times Square ball drop is "for show" and the ball drop is really done by a bunch of pros.

 

It still works. Somehow I forgot it in my list.

 

OK. Except that whatever that excuse for Crew Cat that showed up last year is an abomination.

Also the Browns ( ) manage to have two mascots just fine.

 

THIS! The snaggletoothed, creepy-eyed Creepy Cat must go!

Also, “Soccer Cat” for S.C. worked fine in my book.

 

Sure doesnt sound like a demotion.

Taken at face, it says that instead of being the all-purpose meet & greet guy, a sort of corporate organ grinders monkey whose job it is to jump around and entertain the rubes, hes now sitting down with grownups and helping define and create strategies.

Note that in business the term " manager' has a very specific meaning. A " supervisor" is an internal day to day guy, making sure the peons perform their menial tasks.

A manager works on strategy, direction and planning, and reports directly to a VP. Which, incidentally, is the next title up the Ladder.

( Also note that down the road, when youre trying to land another job, having "manager" on your CV counts for more than " company song and dance man".)

So yes. it would appear that Frankie has moved up a couple notches. And likely more money.

 

Maybe, maybe not. The Soccer Administration Staff are not listed in alphabteical order on the team's website. They appear to be listed in order of importance or status. Frankie's name is last. You're right that Hejduk is a "Manager" but there are a couple of other managers on tht list, as well as five dierctors, including Dante Washington, the second guy on the list (below Marc Nicholls) who's dierctor of player management:

Soccer Administration
Marc Nicholls Technical Director

Dante Washington Director, Player Engagement

Alex Mysiw Director, Analytics

Atif Siddiqui Software Developer

Colby Sherwood Manager, Soccer Systems

Kathy Scheiferstein Director, Soccer Administration

George Gallagher Director, Player Personnel

Marshall Bushnell Manager, Player Personnel

Nate Horton Manager, Scouting Operations

Zach Leichtman Scouting Analyst

Anna Hatcher Coordinator, Stadium Operations and Administration

Frankie Hejduk Manager, Team Strategic Partnerships

 

Oh, and a nod to @DCED2019, Bring Back the Regular Soft Pretzels!!! When I travel to away matches, and other sporting events, 80% of the time I get a soft pretzel. I mean, what sporting venue does not sell regular soft pretzels?!??

Edit: In fact, Rocket Arena (Cavs / Monsters) sells both. They have a self serve area where you can load up on a full soft pretzel or pretzel bites, along with cheese, mustard, even melted butter. I believe they sell it by weight (I think?). It is not cheap, but it is pretty good.