Game Thread -- Live Action

[Z.I.P.]

It's football (okay - soccer if you're so inclined) time and the U-18 3rd place game in the US Development Academy leeague is live on ESPNU RIGHT NOW!Introductions: #6 Defender for Crew, future Zip Chad Barson, who's started every game this year for the US U-17 squad. Next intro "Mike --aka 'Dark Thunder', Green". Dark Thunder! We'll see if you take any lightening to New Mexico. Steve Trittschuh is head coach for Colorado Rush -- former US World Cupper. No sure who coaches the Crew U-18s, but their U-17 coach is the ex-Hermann Trophy winner Billy Thompson from UCLA. Guess who coached him at UCLA? Anyone who said Sigi Baby wins the prize. So far Rush is dominating play in the CCA end of the field. That will change I think. Just said Bob Bradley is on the sideline!

[Z.I.P.]

It's football (okay - soccer if you're so inclined) time and the U-18 3rd place game in the US Development Academy leeague is live on ESPNU RIGHT NOW!Introductions: #6 Defender for Crew, future Zip Chad Barson, who's started every game this year for the US U-17 squad. Next intro "Mike --aka 'Dark Thunder', Green". Dark Thunder! We'll see if you take any lightening to New Mexico. Steve Trittschuh is head coach for Colorado Rush -- former US World Cupper. No sure who coaches the Crew U-18s, but their U-17 coach is the ex-Hermann Trophy winner Billy Thompson from UCLA. Guess who coached him at UCLA? Anyone who said Sigi Baby wins the prize. So far Rush is dominating play in the CCA end of the field. That will change I think. Just said Bob Bradley is on the sideline!

Mike Green is a creative cuss. Dark Thunder was alone on the left side of the 6-yard box, and tried to put it past the goalie wtih a heel ball. Couldn't put anything on it, and goalie took care of the ball, but very interesting, as Maxwell Smart would say.Siebert (sp.?) is the star so far for Crew offensively playing the right wing, it appears. As the announcers say, he's all over the place. Nick Blevins gets a header just knocked down by the Rush goalkeeper.

[Z.I.P.]

It's football (okay - soccer if you're so inclined) time and the U-18 3rd place game in the US Development Academy leeague is live on ESPNU RIGHT NOW!Introductions: #6 Defender for Crew, future Zip Chad Barson, who's started every game this year for the US U-17 squad. Next intro "Mike --aka 'Dark Thunder', Green". Dark Thunder! We'll see if you take any lightening to New Mexico. Steve Trittschuh is head coach for Colorado Rush -- former US World Cupper. No sure who coaches the Crew U-18s, but their U-17 coach is the ex-Hermann Trophy winner Billy Thompson from UCLA. Guess who coached him at UCLA? Anyone who said Sigi Baby wins the prize. So far Rush is dominating play in the CCA end of the field. That will change I think. Just said Bob Bradley is on the sideline!

Mike Green is a creative cuss. Dark Thunder was alone on the left side of the 6-yard box, and tried to put it past the goalie wtih a heel ball. Couldn't put anything on it, and goalie took care of the ball, but very interesting, as Maxwell Smart would say.Siebert (sp.?) is the star so far for Crew offensively playing the right wing, it appears. As the announcers say, he's all over the place. Nick Blevins gets a header just knocked down by the Rush goalkeeper.

Sean Ryan of the Crew takes a header in the middle of the area off a beautiful cross from the right, and puts it just off the upper right corner of the post-bar. Nicest play of the game, as Columbus is starting to take over. Nick Blevins does a lot of good things away from the ball that you don't notice, but make him a Hoosier come September.

[Z.I.P.]

Sean Ryan of the Crew takes a header in the middle of the area off a beautiful cross from the right, and puts it just off the upper right corner of the post-bar. Nicest play of the game, as Columbus is starting to take over. Nick Blevins does a lot of good things away from the ball that you don't notice, but make him a Hoosier come September._______________________________Matt Lampson, Columbus goal keeper makes two tremendous stops late in the first half, to keep thinks nil-nil. Not sure of his age -- but I think he's a D-1 prospecct from those two.Mike Green is probably the best player in this game. He's just a "good" athlete, but he knows exactly where to run on every play, and is one of the few people making things happen by himself. They need to start connecting passes to him in the second haldd if the Crew want to get off the schneid. You can see green picked up a thing or two from his years in Manchester -- England, not Ohio.

[Z.I.P.]

Matt Lampson, Columbus goal keeper makes two tremendous stops late in the first half, to keep thinks nil-nil. Not sure of his age -- but I think he's a D-1 prospecct from those two.Mike Green is probably the best player in this game. He's just a "good" athlete, but he knows exactly where to run on every play, and is one of the few people making things happen by himself. They need to start connecting passes to him in the second haldd if the Crew want to get off the schneid. You can see green picked up a thing or two from his years in Manchester -- England, not Ohio.

Columbus takes the 1-0 lead at about 60 minutes (no clock on the screen @ ESPNU), on a totally one-v-eleven play by Crew's Travis Wall. He went end-to-end and outran the only other Crew teammate he had with him, and overcame a Rush defender at the 16, then drilled a right-footer, I believe hard into the right side of the net.

[Z.I.P.]

Columbus takes the 1-0 lead at about 60 minutes (no clock on the screen @ ESPNU), on a totally one-v-eleven play by Crew's Travis Wall. He went end-to-end and outran the only other Crew teammate he had with him, and overcame a Rush defender at the 16, then drilled a right-footer, I believe hard into the right side of the net.___________________________Thomas Schmitt the Zip recruit (and leading scorer for the Crew in the finals) finally makes his appearance just after the Columbus goal, and immediately takes a pass in the box, but a defender deflects it away. I wasn't aware until this broadcast, that the Developmnent Academy has a "no-return" rule on substitutions. Great rule -- does anyone think it will ever happen in NCAA futbol? I can remember that SOB Yeagley subbing 10 players at a time at Jackson Field in the 70s. Bastard!

[Z.I.P.]

[Columbus takes the 1-0 lead at about 60 minutes (no clock on the screen @ ESPNU), on a totally one-v-eleven play by Crew's Travis Wall. He went end-to-end and outran the only other Crew teammate he had with him, and overcame a Rush defender at the 16, then drilled a right-footer, I believe hard into the right side of the net.

Columbus scores their second goal, by Bonfini, on a great diagonal cross all the way across the box from the left-hand side by Tom Schmitt. This kid, since he came in, has elelvated the Crew game. Watch out for him -- he's a big-time player! Hope Akron coaches can find him some playing time this season.

[Z.I.P.]

Columbus scores their second goal, by Bonfini, on a great diagonal cross all the way across the box from the left-hand side by Tom Schmitt. This kid, since he came in, has elelvated the Crew game. Watch out for him -- he's a big-time player! Hope Akron coaches can find him some playing time this season.

#11 Thomas Schmitt, headed to THE UNIVERSITY OF AKRON shows his value, by scoring the third goal of the game, and his third goal in four games in the USDA finals. The assist comes from Bonfini, and it took until Schmitt's appearance at the 65 minute mark for Columbus to start playing team soccer the way they're capable. Schmitt might be game MVP for his 25 minutes. The other star is the Columbus GK. He stopped a couple of point-blank drillers by Colorado.HEY -- is anybody else out there??? Can't wait for the U-18 finals, as Viirginia recruit Chris Agorsor, national POY will be playing for Baltimore Bays vs the home LA FC.

[Z.I.P.]

#11 Thomas Schmitt, headed to THE UNIVERSITY OF AKRON shows his value, by scoring the third goal of the game, and his third goal in four games in the USDA finals. The assist comes from Bonfini, and it took until Schmitt's appearance at the 65 minute mark for Columbus to start playing team soccer the way they're capable. Schmitt might be game MVP for his 25 minutes. The other star is the Columbus GK. He stopped a couple of point-blank drillers by Colorado.HEY -- is anybody else out there??? Can't wait for the U-18 finals, as Viirginia recruit Chris Agorsor, national POY will be playing for Baltimore Bays vs the home LA FC.

Columbus gets a fourth goal -- all in the final half-hour of play to win third place, 4-0 over a very good Coloorado Rush. Defender John Wargo scored the final goal for the Crew. His back-line teammate Akron verbal Chad Barson played a very steady game at the left back, as Colorado developed very little back in the 16-yard box.Crew ends up undefeated in the US Development Academy finals, with a record of 3 wins, 1 draw and no losses. Fantastic start to the US Development Academy League.ESPNU gave Player of the Game to Travis Wall, who scored the first goal of the game.

[ZachTheZip]

Thanks for keeping us informed, Z.I.P.I wasn't able to get ESPNU last night, but reading this has gotten me even more excited for the season to begin!

[GoZips]

I watched most of the Crew's game. Only player that I knew that was coming to Akron is Schmitt.Surprised that he did not play in the first half. Like Z.I.P. stated, the game changed for the betterwith in a few seconds of his arrival on the pitch. I kept waiting for the announcers to mention where hewill be playing his college ball. But, alas, not a bloody peep.T'was most pleasing to see Schmitt get a goal less than ten minutes into his playing time. He really, reallyenjoys scoring. You folks will see in the Fall.

[Z.I.P.]

I watched most of the Crew's game. Only player that I knew that was coming to Akron is Schmitt.Surprised that he did not play in the first half. Like Z.I.P. stated, the game changed for the betterwith in a few seconds of his arrival on the pitch. I kept waiting for the announcers to mention where hewill be playing his college ball. But, alas, not a bloody peep.T'was most pleasing to see Schmitt get a goal less than ten minutes into his playing time. He really, reallyenjoys scoring. You folks will see in the Fall.

Looking at the Columbus Crew Academy U-18/U-17 roster -- http://web.mlsnet.com/t102/youth/academy/roster_u18/there are just four players who have a year of high school (or potentially US national residency) on the squad. And Akron has verbal commitments from striker Ben Speas and outside back Chad Barson. The other two, fullback Matthew Wiet and forward Joey Haught did not play at the Development Academy Finals at Home Depot Center. I imagine though, that they are considered potential recruits. Isn't it interesting how the university 130 mi from Columbus seems to own the local MLS youth academy. Is the Crew Akron's team?