LAST REGULAR-SEASON MEETING
On July 25, 2015, Kei Kamara, Tony Tchani and Ethan Finlay all scored in a 3-3 draw with Toronto FC at MAPFRE Stadium.
CREW SC CAN CLINCH POSTSEASON BERTH THIS WEEKEND
With either a victory or a draw against Toronto FC, or a win or a draw by New York City SC against Orlando City SC on Friday night, Columbus would clinch a berth in the Audi 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs. Should Crew SC qualify for the postseason, it would mark the 13th all-time playoff appearance for the Black & Gold as well as the sixth berth for the club in eight seasons. That streak began in 2008, when Crew SC also won the first professional championship for Columbus by capturing that season’s MLS Cup.
TRILLIUM CUP ALSO ON THE LINE ON SATURDAY
In addition to clinching a berth in the Audi 2015 MLS Cup Playoffs, with a win or a draw against Toronto FC the Black & Gold will also clinch the 2015 Trillium Cup. In doing so, Crew SC would earn the Trillium Cup for the sixth time in eight seasons, joining wins in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2013. Should the series finish with an even number of points between the two clubs, the first tiebreaker is goal differential and the second tiebreaker is total goals. Crew SC currently leads the series four points to one following a 2-0 win (March 14) and a 3-3 draw (July 25).
BLACK & GOLD LOOKING TO CONTINUE OVERALL STRONG ROAD STRETCH
Over their last seven road matches, the Black & Gold are 5-2-0. Crew SC is tied for the League lead in road wins among Eastern Conference clubs. Since July 15, 2015, the first win of Crew SC’s current road stretch, no other club across MLS has more than three away victories. The New York Red Bulls and Portland Timbers FC each have three such wins.
2015 MLS GOLDEN BOOT LEADERS TO GO HEAD-TO- HEAD
Forward Kei Kamara notched his 22nd goal of the 2015 MLS regular-season on September 26 at MAPFRE Stadium against Portland Timbers FC, and the Crew SC forward now shares the MLS Golden Boot lead with Toronto FC’s Sebastian Giovinco.
KAMARA JOINS EXCLUSIVE CLUB WITH 22 NON-PENALTIES
Forward Kei Kamara’s 22 non-penalty goals currently lead MLS by three goals over Sebastian Giovinco, who has 19 non-penalties. In Major League Soccer history, only three other players have recorded more non-penalty goals. Among them is Crew SC legend Stern John, who shares the all-time record with 25 non-penalties in 1998. The other two are Tampa Bay's Mamadou Diallo (25) and Roy Lassiter (24).
CLARK MAKES BLACK & GOLD HISTORY
Steve Clark made five saves in Crew SC’s last match, on October 3 at New York, bringing him to 104 on the season. Clark notched 111 last year, and thus the Crew SC goalkeeper has become the third player in club history to register consecutive 100+ save seasons, joining Jon Busch (104 in 2003, 132 in 2004) and Mark Dougherty (106 in 1999, 111 in 2000). Clark’s 104 saves rank third in MLS this season.
HIGUAIN BREAKS OWN CORNER KICKS RECORD, LEADS MLS IN THE CATEGORY
Federico Higuain recorded three corner kicks at New York and now has 137 on the season. That total breaks Higuain’s own record of 134 single-season corner kicks set in 2014 for the all-time Crew SC mark. Higuain’s 137 corners this season lead Major League Soccer and are 18 corners ahead of San Jose’s Matias Perez Garcia, who is in second place. As a team, Crew SC has 199 corner kicks and leads MLS by one over Portland Timbers SC in the category.
AHEAD OF THE PACE
With two regular-season matches to go in the 2015 campaign, Crew SC’s record of 13-11-8 (47 points) is ahead of last season’s mark to this point in the year, which was 12-10-10 (46 points). Crew SC currently ranks fifth in the Eastern Conference, level on points with fourth-place New England. The Black & Gold are just two points behind second-place Toronto FC.
HIGUAIN ONE START FROM 100
Crew SC Designated Player Federico Higuain is one start away from his 100th regular-season starting nod in Black & Gold. Higuain, who made his 100th career appearance earlier this season, is bidding to become the 12th player to ever reach 100 regular-season starts for Columbus.
WHERE TO WATCH/LISTEN
Saturday’s 2:00 p.m. ET start is available locally on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel. “Crew SC Matchday” on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel begins at 1:30 p.m. ET. Dwight Burgess and Neil Sika are set to have the call of the match at 2:00 p.m. ET. A complete list of places to catch the Black & Gold on TV, including an official watch party at Three-Legged Mare, is available here. Supporters can also listen to the match on the radio in English on CD 102.5 FM or in Spanish on La Mega 103.1 FM. The game can be watched internationally via the following: M. East & N. Africa, Abu Dhabi Sports / Brazil, Globosat / Europe (exl UK & Eire), Eurosport / LATAM, GOL TV / Doha, Australia, Thailand, Hong Kong, BeIN Sports (ASIA AUS) / UK, SNTV.
