Columbus Crew latest news

[Frank Cunha]

http://www.soccer365.com/US_NEWS/Breaking_News/page_131_62378.shtm

[Frank Cunha]

90:00 Minutes With Greg Andrulis 24/11/03

Greg Andrulis is an affable, straight-shooter type who has spent a lifetime working in a sport that he admits he fell into “by default.”

The 45-year old Waterbury, Connecticut native graduated from Eastern Connecticut in 1980, headed to big-time Division I college athletics at Clemson University (where he earned a NCAA Championship ring in 1984 as an assistant coach) and assumed the helm of the Wright State Raiders in 1985.

When then Columbus head coach Tom Fitzgerald offered him a job over lunch late in 1996, Andrulis chose the challenge of a new situation, and with the blessing of his wife, Lorrie, he joined the Crew as right hand of the head gaffer.

Andrulis took over as interim coach of the Crew in May of 2001 and the side was in disarray, having only won one match of its last eleven stretching back to the prior season. But under Andrulis, foundering Columbus became MLS’ hottest club, finishing out the campaign 12-4-4. Andrulis saw more success in the 2002 season as the Crew made the semi-finals of the MLS Cup and took home the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, Columbus’ first major silverware.

The 2003 season was one of frustration for Andrulis and his men. National team call-ups and injuries hurt the Crew’s quest for consistency, and the club that was talking up a championship run in May missed out on the play-offs to the shock of all.

Russell Richey caught up with the Crew head coach via cell phone on a Friday night as Andrulis was driving to his home in Miamisburg, Ohio. The MLS boss offered the drive time as an opportunity for a captive audience, giving us the perfect chance to spend 90 Minutes with Greg Andrulis.


90 Minutes: Tell us about how you got involved in soccer. Did your father play?

Andrulis: No. In fact, I was the first one to play soccer in our family. We moved from Waterbury, Connecticut, which is a very industrial, inner city environment where we lived and all played football, basketball and baseball. Then we moved to Litchfield, which is out in the country and they didn’t have football. And so to be perfectly honest with you, it was by default that I started playing because we all wanted to be involved in sports – my whole family was involved in sports. But soccer was almost by default.

90 Minutes: Connecticut is pretty strong in soccer, though.

Andrulis: Obviously at UConn and the job that Joe Maroney did for years and how he built it. And his college program as a model that many tried to follow. He got an awful lot going and had a tremendous impact on soccer.

90 Minutes: What were some of the things that you learned from Maroney?

Andrulis: I did study his program quite a bit and we tried to mimic a lot of the things off the field - his organizational thing behind the scenes and his leadership. One of the things that Joe Maroney did is he was able to go out and get scholarships done through endowments. He was able to go out and get his own booster group – ‘The Friends of Connecticut Soccer’. We had ‘The Friends of Raider Soccer’ at Wright State. I attended all the conventions where he gave those talks about how to develop your program. Those things were always very well attended. When you are a college coach and you are in a sport that doesn’t get a tremendous amount of support, because it is a non-revenue sport, then you had to find ways to produce revenue and find scholarships and get media attention, and Joe certainly paved the way.

90 Minutes: If you could, would you change the college season?

Andrulis: I think it is too short, especially compared to the other sports that even play in the same season, like volleyball. I don’t think it’s a gender equity issue at all. I think the college soccer season is so encumbered and boxed in that it’s going to be a sport that’s going to struggle to continue to develop. I don’t think it’s fair to the great coaches out there that have forged the way in college soccer. They need to have some of their restraints taken off. It’s a fall sport and I don’t know if you could add that many more weeks to the season because of the geography, but the off-season stuff is just mind-boggling – the restrictions out there.

90 Minutes: How have you grown as a coach?

Andrulis: I was at Wright State when I was twenty-five or twenty-six. I’m twenty years older now and naturally you learn every step of the way from a lot of different situations and environments. I’ve worked with a lot of very good soccer people and I think they help formulate your philosophies and the direction you are going. But I also believe every situation is different. The team that I inherited from Coach Fitzgerald two and a half years ago is an entirely different team that the one we are working with now. I think it’s important to be flexible and adaptable – there aren’t a lot of autocratic coaches out there any more that are successful. It’s a different time.

90 Minutes: You’re talking specifically about autocratic soccer coaches?

Andrulis: Yeah, I think the mentality of the players now and there’s no question that the psychology of the players and the psychology of the coaches are different now than they were twenty-five years ago.

90 Minutes: What are some of the things you admire about Bruce Arena and how he approaches coaching?

Andrulis: Obviously, at the end of the day, [Arena’s] success goes without saying. He’s been extremely successful at every level. I was the assistant coach at Clemson when Virginia got going. I was actually the assistant the first ever time when Virginia beat Clemson. It was earth shattering for all of us involved at Clemson, to be honest. But you saw what Coach Arena did at Virginia, then at D.C. United and now with the National Team.

90 Minutes: Tell us more.

Andrulis: I’ve been very fortunate, when they come to Columbus, to watch him and listen to him and he has tremendous respect from and command of the players. He’s an incredibly smart person and his motivating is at a different level, I think. But I think we would all love to be as successful as he is at some stage – that’s what every coach is looking for. And there’s no question he’s the guy who gets the most out of all the players he is dealing with.”

90 Minutes: Would you ever want to coach the U.S. Men, say ten years down the road?

Andrulis: I’m very happy with the Crew and I know Arena is very happy with the National Team and I think we all aspire to be the best that we can be and we all have goals for ourselves. You have to set your sights higher, but until we win a championship with the Columbus Crew I’m not going anywhere.

90 Minutes: If you could pluck any three players from MLS sides, which three would they be?

Andrulis: I can’t do that. That’s called tampering and we’re too close to the end of the season. No, I love our team. I absolutely love our team and I love our guys. Obviously the grass may be always greener on the other side, but who in the league, or in the world, wouldn’t want a Landon Donovan on their team? Hypotheticals are neither here nor there – hey, we’d love to have Brad Friedel come back and play for us too, but you know, Jon Busch is doing a great job.

90 Minutes: Tell us about the sides you face in MLS play.

Andrulis: I don’t know about off the field so much, but on the field, certain teams bring certain things on a regular basis. Part of that is the philosophy of the coach and what their team brings. You talk about San Jose – it’s a very disciplined, organized and well-coached team and they are in every single game. They’ve been good for three straight years and for three straight years Frank Yallop has been the coach. They have some talented players but also their organization and their discipline are at the highest level.

90 Minutes: Tell us about the Crew’s season.

Andrulis: We’re still a bit of a team in transition this year. With so many injuries, it hasn’t been the dream season for us. But in the past, we’ve always been a hardworking team, very disciplined defensively and we’ve always had great forwards so we’ve had a good mix. This year there’s no question that its been an uphill battle for us pretty much from the beginning of the season up until the last few weeks, but we have great team chemistry and I think it carried us through some very tough times this year. Everybody kept fighting and nobody gave up. I think when teams line up against the Columbus Crew, they are going to get one heck of a 90-minute battle.”

90 Minutes: What was your take on Mike Jeffries being let go down in Dallas?

Andrulis: I like Mike. He’s a good friend and he’s a good coach. I’ve been around long enough to see these things and sometimes things happen. It’s professional sports. We are all ultimately judged on results. That’s just the way it goes. I know the Hunt family and John Wagoner, the president of Hunt Sports – these are very caring, compassionate people but at the end of the day it’s still a business and its all about results.

90 Minutes: Do you think Jeffries had enough time?

Andrulis: Those decisions aren’t mine to be made. Who wants to see someone you know and respect have to go through that, but you know what? At the end of the day it’s part of our business and I think we get into it knowing that it’s part of the business.

90 Minutes: Overall, what do you think is right with the MLS? Sorry if that sounds like an expansive question.

Andrulis: As we’ve said, I’ve been fortunate enough to have started with the league from the beginning and I don’t think the future has ever been as bright as it is now. I think everybody in soccer is excited about that. Our ownership groups are committed. We have new investments coming in. We have expansion, we have stadiums. Soccer in the United States is on the forefront of bursting at the seams. Anybody involved with it has seen the growth and is extremely excited about that. I think we’re excited about what has been done over the last eight years in this league but the future is just looking incredibly bright.

90 Minutes: What do you think about the WUSA folding? You talked about role models and it’s obviously unfortunate for the sport, but what’s your opinion?

Andrulis: The WFL folded too. The USFL folded. Professional sports are a business, but I think that we would all love to see the WUSA continue on, but people are apparently losing millions and millions of dollars. But the hope is, looking forward, it sounds like people are willing to give it another chance and the league can get resurrected quite quickly. Again I think it’s important to keep those women role models out there in front of everybody. It’s good for the sport and it’s good for the culture in the broad piece of the framework, but at the end of the day, more people have to go watch the games. We have the women’s basketball league which I think is at a critical juncture. I think sports in general – I’m getting too philosophical but you read about how much money the hockey teams lost last year. Sports and money – there are a lot of things going on. It’s very unfortunate that WUSA had to fold, but again it’s a business.”

90 Minutes: It’s funny, it seems like Nomar Garciaparra could go ahead and fund the league for the next few years if he felt like it.

Andrulis: He certainly could help. But I’m encouraged by what we hear and read about potential investors and help coming to that league. The ladies that have gone out and paved the way for that league are just incredible.

90 Minutes: The situation with the WUSA seems like that of city where the symphony goes under suddenly and the local corporate interests realize the value to the community and they go out and save it.

Andrulis: That’s right.

90 Minutes: What do you think is wrong about the game today in the USA and don’t see ‘wrong’ as being a negative term necessarily – rather, what could be improved about the game?

Andrulis: I think we still need to do a better job supporting based on the amount of people that play. Getting their commitment to spend their entertainment dollar on supporting the sport we love. On any given Saturday in any given community, there will be hundreds of thousands of people playing the game and then that night two MLS teams are playing in front of 20,000 people. It’s important for us to continue to sell the sport and continue to attract fans and continue to people to come and watch. It’s a growth thing. In my lifetime we’ve seen the growth of the NBA and the growth of the NHL. I don’t think there’s any question soccer has made it, the next step is to make it even bigger, and that’s what it’s all about now.”

90 Minutes: A lot of hard core soccer fans get pissed off at the American sports media ignoring soccer – Sports Center, say – how do you feel about all of that? Do you care?

Andrulis: I think we have to understand that you are not going to change everybody’s brain, but slowly but surely we’re going to have more converts in the media and people that are going to watch the games on TV and fans are going to go to the games. It’s an evolution, but I don’t think we can get overly discouraged by some mainstream media people who don’t care about the sport. Their minds aren’t the ones we have to change.”

For more 90 Minutes With Greg Andrulis, check out your local Barnes & Noble or click here for information on how you can subscribe to America’s best new soccer mag!

Get Your Jersey On! Buy the official jersey of the Columbus Crew at the WorldSoccerShop.

[Ricochet]

http://www.topdrawersoccer.com/Natio...206154716/view

U.S. midfielder Szetela, being courted by European teams, said he hopes to sign a deal before Christmas. His teammate Michael Bradley should be announcing a Project 40 deal with MLS soon.

I hope this kid stays ins the states and play's for MLS before crossing the pond to playin europe.

[Frank Cunha]

I agree would be nice to sign with the Metrostars his local team, he will be on the next U20 TEAM

[Frank Cunha]

Cunnignham Re-Signs With Crew 06/01/04

Columbus Crew President and General Manager Jim Smith announced today that forward Jeff Cunningham has signed a multi-year contract that will keep him in Columbus through the 2005 season and beyond. Per league policy, no terms of the contract were disclosed.

"I am very happy with the decision that I made in returning to Columbus, and I am looking forward to an exciting new year," said Cunningham. "Both coach (Greg Andrulis) and Jim Smith were very supportive of me through the entire process. I was fortunate that they gave me the opportunity to see what other options I had yet still show the commitment to me and allow me to return to The Crew."

Cunningham, The Crew's first round pick (9th overall) in 1998 College Draft, will begin his seventh season in Columbus. He was Columbus' third-leading scorer last year with five goals and seven assists for 17 points. The re-signing of Cunningham allows The Crew to keep intact its dangerous forward trio of Cunningham, Brian McBride (12g, 3a, 27 pts.) and Edson Buddle (10g, 4a, 24 pts.)

"Jeff's return represents another important piece in our puzzle," Smith said. "He is clearly one of the league's most exciting players, and we worked very hard to keep him in Black & Gold. We are a better team with Jeff Cunningham in our lineup and we look forward to his continued contributions."

The Jamaican-born forward is the club's second all-time leading scorer with 145 points on 53 goals and 39 assists. That total also ranks 17th on the all-time MLS points list. He also ranks tied for fourth all-time in league history for game-winning goals with 17 and was a member of the MLS Best 11 team in 2002. Cunningham has appeared eight times for the U.S. National Team since becoming a U.S. citizen in November of 2001.

"By re-signing Jeff it shows our organization's commitment in keeping one of the most dangerous and dynamic forwards in Major League Soccer," said Crew Head Coach Greg Andrulis. "It also shows our commitment and desire to play an exciting, attacking brand of soccer."


Get Your Jersey On! Buy the official jersey of the Columbus Crew at the WorldSoccerShop.

More News from MLS

[Frank Cunha]

Lagos to the Crew

To the Crew for picks.

http://www.ussocceruk.com/news/?Cat...&ContentId=1253

[Frank Cunha]

Crew Acquire Elliot from Galaxy 13/01/04

Columbus Crew President and General Manager Jim Smith announced today that The Crew has acquired midfielder Simon Elliott from the Los Angeles Galaxy in exchange for The Crew's 2005 natural first-round SuperDraft pick.

Elliot, a New Zealand native and member of its national team, has been with the Galaxy since joining the league in 1999. He has appeared in 122 regular season games for L.A., starting 115, and has 53 points on 10 goals and 33 assists.

"Simon brings a wealth of experience and grit to our midfield," said Crew Head Coach Greg Andrulis. "He has shown he can produce at this level and we are looking forward to his contributions both on and off the field. This is another piece of the puzzle as we build our team for 2004."

The Stanford graduate has also appeared in 25 playoff games for Los Angeles, starting 21, and has notched six assists. He helped lead L.A. to the 2002 MLS Cup title. On the international level, Elliott has appeared in over 45 games for New Zealand.

"Simon has been a very good player in this league for many years and we are thrilled to add him to our roster," Smith said.

The 29-year-old Elliott will join The Crew at the start of February when the team reports for camp. Andrulis and Smith are currently in Los Angeles for the MLS player combine in preparation for the 2004 MLS SuperDraft this Friday in Charlotte

[Frank Cunha]

"Simon [Elliott] brings a wealth of experience and grit to our midfield. He has shown he can produce at this level and we are looking forward to his contributions both on and off the field. This is another piece of the puzzle as we build our team for 2004."
-- Columbus coach Greg Andrulis upon acquiring defensive midfielder Simon Elliott from Los Angeles Galaxy in exchange for the Crew's 2005 natural first-round SuperDraft pick. The 29-year-old New Zealander, who played college ball at Stanford, played for the Galaxy since 1999.

[BethlehemFC]

I'm happy with the Elliot and Lagos signings.

[Frank Cunha]

hard working players, should help the Columbus Crew midfield

[Frank Cunha]

Crew Acquires Fraser 14/01/04

Columbus Crew President and General Manager Jim Smith announced today that The Crew has acquired defender Robin Fraser from the Colorado Rapids in exchange for The Crew's 16th overall pick in Friday's MLS SuperDraft and a conditional pick in the 2005 MLS SuperDraft.

"The Crew has always had a good team and I am extremely excited to be heading to Columbus," said Fraser. "It's obvious in the moves that they have made that they are going after a championship and I am glad to be a part of that. I am looking forward to helping lead this team, not only in developing the younger players, but also pushing the team wherever is needed."

Fraser has been in Major League Soccer since its inception in 1996 after being selected with the fourth overall pick by Los Angeles in the inaugural MLS Draft in 1996. He is a four-time MLS All-Star (1996, '98, '99, 2000), a four-time MLS Best 11 selection (1996, '98, '99, 2000) and was named the MLS Defender of the Year in 1999.

The central defender has appeared in 203 regular season games, starting 199, and has one goal and four assists. His games started total ranks eighth all-time in MLS history and his games played figure ranks ninth all-time. He has appeared in 20 or more games in each of his eight MLS seasons. Fraser spent his first five years in Los Angeles (1996-2000) before being traded to Colorado prior to the 2001 season.

"We expect Robin to be a key component as we continue to build our 2004 team," said Crew Head Coach Greg Andrulis. "He's experienced, he's a leader, and he is a very talented center back. He is a valuable addition to our team."

The former Florida International University star has also appeared in 28 career playoff games, all starts, and has tallied one goal and one assist. On the international level, Fraser has made 27 appearances for the U.S. National Team.

"Robin Fraser has been one of the league's top defenders since its inception and he is a consummate professional," Smith said. "He brings a wealth of experience and consistency to our back line and we are thrilled to add him to our roster."

Fraser will join The Crew at the start of February when the team reports for camp. The 2004 MLS SuperDraft takes place this Friday in Charlotte (N.C.) starting at 10 a.m.


Get Your Jersey

[Frank Cunha]

Presthus Hangs Up His Boots 14/01/04

Columbus Crew President and General Manager Jim Smith and head coach Greg Andrulis announced today that goalkeeper Tom Presthus has retired from professional soccer.

"Although it was a difficult decision, I feel it is time to retire from professional soccer," said Presthus. "I will miss the competition and camaraderie of being a professional soccer player, however, the injury to my elbow and ensuing surgery has made a full physical recovery doubtful. Rather than chase my soccer career I feel it's important to pursue the next stage of my life. I've chosen to take advantage of an opportunity to be a financial planner with The Financial Solutions Network here in Columbus."

Presthus suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow on July 23 in a home game vs. New England and had "Tommy John" surgery to reconstruct the ligament on Sept. 30. He is currently still rehabbing the elbow.

"We wish Tom success in all of his future endeavors," said Andrulis. "He was a great player and more importantly a great person. He always conducted himself in a first-class and professional manner. We are certainly going to miss him."

The Edina, Minnesota, native appeared in 106 regular season matches, starting 104 times, in his seven MLS seasons (1997-2003). He played three seasons with The Crew, following four with D.C. United, and ended his career with a 44-44-13 record. The former SMU star established a Crew record for consecutive shutout minutes, with 309, from Aug. 11-25, 2001, and is second all-time on The Crew's games played (47), games started (46) and minutes played (4,287) lists for goalkeepers. Not only did he excel in the regular season but he made his living in the postseason, with a 10-5 record and seven shutouts, punctuated by a pair of MLS Cup titles (1997 and 1999) with D.C.

"Tom was a valuable asset to this organization," said Smith. "He was a true professional both on and off the field. It will be nice having him in Columbus and we look forward to having him involved with the organization and still being a part of The Crew family."

Tom and his wife, Melissa, celebrated the birth of their first child, T.J. on Feb. 13, 2003.

"I am extremely grateful and proud of the seven seasons I've played in Major League Soccer. I take with me some amazing achievements, memories and friendships," said Presthus. "I will cherish the two MLS Cup Championships, CONCACAF and Inter-America Cup Championships, and Open Cup Championship I was a part of with D.C. United and the Columbus Crew. I am grateful to have been voted an All-Star starter by the fans and for the opportunity to play for the U.S. National Team. I am thankful for the wonderful support I have received from the fans and I'll miss the excitement of playing at Crew Stadium. My wife Melissa and I have made our home in Columbus and look forward to raising our son, T.J. here, and supporting our friends on the Crew."

[BethlehemFC]

Wow Columbus is busy this off season -- now Fraser.