Columbus Crew 2
Columbus Crew 2 is a professional soccer team based in Columbus, Ohio that competes in the MLS Next Pro league, the third division of American soccer. The team is owned by, and operates as the reserve team of the Major League Soccer club Columbus Crew. The team plays home matches at Historic Crew Stadium. The team was announced as a member of MLS Next Pro on December 6, 2021.[3]
| Full name | Columbus Crew 2 |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Crew 2, Capybaras[1][2] |
| Founded | December 6, 2021 |
| Stadium | Historic Crew Stadium |
| Capacity | 19,968 |
| Owner | Columbus Crew |
| General manager | Corey Wray |
| Head coach | Vacant |
| League | MLS Next Pro |
| 2023 | 3rd, Eastern Conference 1st, Central Division Playoffs: Runner-up |
| Website | Club website |
| Current season | |
History edit
On December 6, 2021, the Columbus Crew announced the formation of a reserve team in MLS Next Pro that would begin play in the 2022 season and that they would play at Historic Crew Stadium (the parent club's former home venue) in Columbus, Ohio.[4] At the same time, the club announced its first manager, Corey Wrey, who is the Crew's current Assistant General Manager, a position he will continue to hold.[5] The Crew 2 will be one of 21 teams that play in the newly formed league.[6] On January 28, 2022, the Crew announced that Laurent Courtois would serve as the team's first head coach.[7]
The club played their first match on March 26, 2022, which ended in a 0–2 loss to Inter Miami CF II at DRV PNK Stadium.[8] The first win came the following week with a 1–0 victory over Chicago Fire FC II.[9]
Crew 2 won the first ever MLS Next Pro Cup title, defeating St. Louis City SC 2 4-1 on October 8, 2022.[10]
The following year, the team once again qualified for the playoffs and made it to the Cup Final. They were defeated 1–3 by Austin FC II.[11]
Players and staff edit
Current roster edit
- As of November 20, 2023[12]
| No. | Pos. | Player | Nation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | MF | Ariel Mbumba | DR Congo |
| 12 | DF | Xavier Zengue | United States |
| 17 | FW | Jordan Knight | Canada |
| 18 | FW | Gibran Rayo | United States |
| 34 | DF | Diego Almeida | Ecuador |
| 49 | MF | Cole Mrowka | United States |
| 52 | FW | Taha Habroune | United States |
| 60 | GK | Stanislav Lapkes | Belarus |
| — | FW | Jayden Da | United States |
| — | FW | Brent Adu-Gyamfi | United States |
| — | DF | Jacob Greene | United States |
| — | MF | Giorgio De Libera | United States |
| — | MF | Adrián González | Mexico |
| — | GK | Cole Johnson | United States |
| — | MF | Christopher Pearson | United States |
| — | MF | Nicolás Rincón | Colombia |
| — | DF | Chris Rogers | United States |
| — | MF | Terron Williams | United States |
Staff edit
- As of September 7, 2023[13]
| Front office | |
|---|---|
| Investor-operators | Dee and Jimmy Haslam JW and Whitney Johnson Dr. Pete Edwards |
| President | Tim Bezbatchenko |
| General Manager | Corey Wray |
| Director of Player Development | Dan Lock |
| Coaching staff | |
| Head coach | Vacant |
| Assistant coach | Kobie Johnson |
| Goalkeeper coach | Alex Blackburn |
| Performance coach | Ahmad Salamah |
| Additional staff | |
| Manager of Soccer Operations | Elena Lemus |
| Head Athletic Therapist | Sara Kusner |
| Equipment Manager | Mike Peters |
Last updated: 14:20, September 7, 2023 (UTC)
Source: [1]
Team records edit
Season-by-season edit
- As of September 24, 2023
| Season | MLS Next Pro | Playoffs | Top Scorer | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Div. | Conf. | Overall | Player | Goals | |||
| 2022 | 24 | 16 | 5 | 3 | 62 | 22 | +40 | 55 | 1st | 1st | 1st | Champions | Jacen Russell-Rowe | 21 | |
| 2023 | 28 | 16 | 3 | 9 | 58 | 46 | +12 | 54 | 1st | 3rd | 5th | Runner-up | Gibran Rayo | 12 | |
Head coaches record edit
- As of October 22, 2023
| Name | Nationality | From | To | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laurent Courtois | France | January 28, 2022 | January 8, 2024 | 59 | 38 | 8 | 13 | 137 | 77 | 64.41 |
Honors edit
| National | ||
|---|---|---|
| Competitions | Titles | Seasons |
| MLS Next Pro Cup | 1 | 2022 |
| MLS Next Pro Regular Season | 1 | 2022 |
| Eastern Conference | 1 | 2022 |
| Eastern Conference (Playoffs) | 2 | 2022, 2023 |
| Eastern Conference Central Division | 2 | 2022, 2023 |
Monthly Awards edit
Player of the Month edit
- May 2022: Jacen Russell-Rowe[14]
- June 2022: Jacen Russell-Rowe[15]
Goalkeeper of the Month edit
- August 2022: Patrick Schulte[16]
Annual Awards edit
MLS Next Pro Most Valuable Player edit
- 2022: Jacen Russell-Rowe[17]
Golden Boot edit
- 2022: Jacen Russell-Rowe[18]
Goalkeeper of the Year edit
- 2022: Patrick Schulte[19]
Coach of the Year edit
- 2022: Laurent Courtois[20]
MLS Next Pro Cup MVP edit
- 2022: Marco Micaletto
See also edit
References edit
- ^ Asta, Diana (July 10, 2022). "Columbus Crew 2 visits the zoo to celebrate Capybara appreciation day". WSYX. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
- ^ Snipes, Tyler (September 24, 2022). "Capybaras in Columbus? The story behind Crew 2's unexpected identity". MLSNextPro.com. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- ^ "Crew 2". ColumbusCrew.com. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
- ^ Benatar, Orri (December 6, 2021). "Columbus Crew launches development team, Crew 2". NBC4 WCMH-TV. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
- ^ Murphy, Pat (December 6, 2021). . Massive Report. Archived from the original on December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
- ^ MLSsoccer staff (December 6, 2021). "MLS NEXT Pro unveils 21 clubs for inaugural season starting March 2022". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
- ^ Crew Communications (January 28, 2022). "Columbus Crew 2 appoints Laurent Courtois as first Head Coach". ColumbusCrew.com. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
- ^ mlsnextpro. "Rodriguez brace powers Inter Miami II over Columbus Crew 2 | MLSSoccer.com". mlsnextpro. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
- ^ devinweisbarth (April 10, 2022). "Crew 2 looks to keep momentum following first win in team history". Massive Report. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
- ^ Tellitud, Jesus (October 8, 2022). "Columbus Crew 2 hoist MLS NEXT Pro Cup with 4-1 win over St Louis CITY2". MLS Next Pro. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
- ^ mlsnextpro. "CLBvsATX 10-22-2023 | MLSNEXTPro.com". mlsnextpro. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
- ^ "Columbus Crew 2 announces 2023 end-of-year roster decisions". ColumbusCrew.com. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
- ^ "Crew 2 Technical Staff". ColumbusCrew.com. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
- ^ mlsnextpro. "MLS NEXT Pro Monthly Awards: May | MLSNEXTPro.com". mlsnextpro. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ mlsnextpro. "MLS NEXT Pro Monthly Awards: June | MLSNEXTPro.com". mlsnextpro. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ mlsnextpro. "MLS NEXT Pro Monthly Awards: August | MLSNEXTPro.com". mlsnextpro. Retrieved September 15, 2022.
- ^ "MLS NEXT Pro names Jacen Russell-Rowe first-ever Most Valuable Player". MLSnextpro.com. MLS Next Pro. October 7, 2022. Retrieved October 7, 2022.
- ^ "Columbus Crew 2's Jacen Russell-Rowe wins 2022 MLS NEXT PRO Golden Boot with the most goals". MLSnextpro.com. MLS Next Pro. September 18, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2022.
- ^ Schneider, Jacob (September 23, 2022). "Columbus Crew 2 goalkeeper Patrick Schulte named MLS NEXT Pro Goalkeeper of the Year". MLSnextpro.com. MLS Next Pro. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
- ^ Schneider, Jacob (September 23, 2022). "Columbus Crew 2's Laurent Courtois named MLS NEXT Pro Coach of the year". MLSnextpro.com. MLS Next Pro. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
External links edit
- Official website