# 2011 Columbus Crew season

The 2011 Columbus Crew season was the club's eighteenth year of existence, as well as their sixteenth season in Major League Soccer, and their sixteenth consecutive season in the top-flight of American soccer.
Columbus began its 2011 campaign by hosting Real Salt Lake in the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal on February 22, 2011.

## Review

The Crew opened its 2011 campaign with a Champions League quarterfinal fixture against fellow MLS competitor, Real Salt Lake. The match, the first leg of a quarterfinal series, was at Crew Stadium on February 22, 2011 and ended in a 0-0 draw. Columbus was trying to advance past the Quarterfinal stage after falling to Toluca 5-4 on aggregate last season.
On March 1, Columbus traveled to Rio Tinto Stadium and fell to Real Salt Lake by a score of 4-1, thus ending the Crew's run in the 2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League.
Two and a half weeks later, Columbus opened up its Major League Soccer campaign by traveling to Washington, D.C. to take on D.C. United on March 19. The club's MLS home opener was one week later, when the Crew hosted Red Bull New York on March 26.

## Roster

As of September 3, 2011.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 1 | GK | USA | William Hesmer |
| 2 | DF | USA | Rich Balchan |
| 3 | MF | USA | Josh Williams |
| 5 | DF | USA | Danny O'Rourke |
| 6 | MF | CMR | Tony Tchani |
| 7 | MF | VEN | Bernardo Anor |
| 9 | FW | USA | Justin Meram |
| 10 | FW | PER | Andrés Mendoza |
| 11 | MF | USA | Dilly Duka |
| 12 | MF | USA | Eddie Gaven |
| 14 | DF | USA | Chad Marshall |
| 15 | MF | USA | Kevin Burns |
| 16 | DF | USA | Eric Gehrig |
| 17 | MF | NGA | Emmanuel Ekpo |
| 18 | MF | USA | Robbie Rogers |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 19 | MF | USA | Cole Grossman |
| 20 | FW | VEN | Emilio Rentería |
| 21 | DF | CHI | Sebastián Miranda |
| 22 | MF | SRB | Dejan Rusmir |
| 23 | DF | USA | Korey Veeder |
| 24 | DF | USA | Ben Sippola |
| 25 | GK | USA | Alex Riggs |
| 26 | DF | TRI | Julius James |
| 27 | FW | USA | Aaron Horton |
| 28 | MF | ARG | Santiago Prim |
| 29 | DF | JAM | Shaun Francis |
| 30 | GK | USA | Andy Gruenebaum |
| 31 | MF | USA | Josh Gardner |
| 32 | FW | USA | Tom Heinemann |
| 33 | FW | USA | Jeff Cunningham |
| Position | Staff |
| Head Coach | Robert Warzycha |
| Assistant Coach | Ricardo Iribarren |
| Assistant Coach | Mike Lapper |
| Goalkeeper Coach | Vadim Kirillov |
| General Manager | Mark McCullers |
| Technical Director | Brian Bliss |
| Director of Team Operations | Tucker Walther |
| Strength/Fitness Coach | Mike Tremble |
| Athletic Trainer | David Lagow |
| Equipment Manager | Rusty Wummel |
Source: Columbus Crew Official Website

## Competitions
### Atlanta Pro Soccer Challenge

Columbus won the Atlanta Pro Soccer Challenge round-robin tournament title with a 2-0 record.

### MLS
#### Standings
##### Eastern Conference

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 2 | Houston Dynamo | 34 | 12 | 9 | 13 | 45 | 41 | +4 | 49 | MLS Cup Conference Semifinals |
| 3 | Philadelphia Union | 34 | 11 | 8 | 15 | 44 | 36 | +8 | 48 | MLS Cup Conference Semifinals |
| 4 | Columbus Crew | 34 | 13 | 13 | 8 | 43 | 44 | −1 | 47 | MLS Cup Play-In Round |
| 5 | New York Red Bulls | 34 | 10 | 8 | 16 | 50 | 44 | +6 | 46 | MLS Cup Play-In Round |
| 6 | Chicago Fire | 34 | 9 | 9 | 16 | 46 | 45 | +1 | 43 | |

##### Overall table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 7 | Colorado Rapids | 34 | 12 | 9 | 13 | 44 | 41 | +3 | 49 |
| 8 | Philadelphia Union | 34 | 11 | 8 | 15 | 44 | 36 | +8 | 48 |
| 9 | Columbus Crew | 34 | 13 | 13 | 8 | 43 | 44 | −1 | 47 |
| 10 | New York Red Bulls | 34 | 10 | 8 | 16 | 50 | 44 | +6 | 46 |
| 11 | Chicago Fire | 34 | 9 | 9 | 16 | 46 | 45 | +1 | 43 |

#### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
| Pld | Pts | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD |
| 34 | 47 | 13 | 13 | 8 | 43 | 44 | −1 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 27 | 18 | +9 | 4 | 10 | 3 | 16 | 26 | −10 |
Last updated: November 6, 2011 Source: MLSSoccer.com Pld = Matches played; Pts = Points; W = Matches won; T = Matches tied; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference

#### Results by round

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 |
| Stadium | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | A |
| Result | L | T | W | T | W | T | W | T | L | L | T | T | W | L | W | W | L | W | T | L | W | W | L | W | W | L | L | T | L | L | L | W | W | L |
| Position | 17 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 9 |

#### Match results

Win  Tie  Loss

### U.S. Open Cup

With a fifth-place overall finish last season, the Crew secured direct qualification into the third-round proper of the U.S. Open Cup.

### MLS Cup Playoffs
## Statistics

    Last updated on 22 February 2011.
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | MLS | MLS | CONCACAF Champions League | CONCACAF Champions League | U.S. Open Cup | U.S. Open Cup |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| 1 | GK | USA | William Hesmer | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 2 | DF | USA | Rich Balchan | 1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 3 | MF | USA | Josh Williams | 1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | ENG | Andy Iro | 1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | USA | Danny O'Rourke | 1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 6 | MF | USA | Andy Adlard | 1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | VEN | Bernardo Anor | 1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | USA | Justin Meram | 1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 10 | FW | PER | Andrés Mendoza | 1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 11 | DF | USA | Dilly Duka | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 12 | MF | USA | Eddie Gaven | 1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 13 | MF | FRA | Leandre Griffit | 1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 14 | DF | USA | Chad Marshall | 1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 15 | MF | USA | Kevin Burns | 1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 17 | MF | NGA | Emmanuel Ekpo | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 18 | MF | USA | Robbie Rogers | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 19 | MF | BRA | Cole Grossman | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 20 | FW | VEN | Emilio Rentería | 1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 21 | DF | CHI | Sebastián Miranda | 1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 22 | MF | SRB | Dejan Rusmir | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 25 | GK | USA | Alex Riggs | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 26 | DF | TRI | Julius James | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 29 | DF | JAM | Shaun Francis | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 31 | MF | USA | Josh Gardner | 1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 32 | FW | USA | Tom Heinemann | 0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 33 | FW | USA | Jeff Cunningham | 1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |
| 34 | GK | USA | Ray Burse | 1 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 | 1+0 | 0 | 0+0 | 0 |

## Transfers
### In

| Date | Player | Position | Previous club | Fee/notes |
| December 15, 2010 | Jeff Cunningham | FW | FC Dallas | Re-Entry Draft |
| December 30, 2010 | Sebastián Miranda | DF | Unión Española | Undisclosed |
| January 12, 2011 | Tom Heinemann | FW | Charleston Battery | Undisclosed |
| January 25, 2011 | Kwaku Nyamekye | DF | Harvard University | 2010 SuperDraft, 4th round |
| February 15, 2011 | Korey Veeder | DF | Crystal Palace Baltimore | Weighted lottery |
| February 17, 2011 | Rich Balchan | DF | Indiana University | 2011 SuperDraft, 1st round |
| February 17, 2011 | Justin Meram | FW | University of Michigan | 2011 SuperDraft, 1st round |
| February 17, 2011 | Cole Grossman | MF | Duke University | 2011 SuperDraft, 2nd round |
| February 17, 2011 | Bernardo Anor | MF | University of South Florida | 2011 SuperDraft, 3rd round |
| February 21, 2011 | Ben Sippola | DF | Butler University | 2011 Supplemental Draft, 2nd round |
| February 21, 2011 | Andy Adlard | MF | Indiana University | 2011 Supplemental Draft, 3rd round |
| February 21, 2011 | Josh Gardner | MF | Carolina RailHawks FC | Undisclosed |
| February 22, 2011 | Ray Burse | GK | Unattached | Free; signed to short-term, hardship contract |
| February 22, 2011 | Alex Riggs | GK | Missouri State University | Free |
| February 28, 2011 | Julius James | DF | D.C. United | Free |
| March 9, 2011 | Dejan Rusmir | MF | Farul Constanţa | Undisclosed |
| March 17, 2011 | Eric Gehrig | DF | Unattached | Free |
| April 26, 2011 | Santiago Prim | MF | San Lorenzo de Almagro | Undisclosed |
| May 17, 2011 | Aaron Horton | FW | University of Louisville | Homegrown Player |
| July 15, 2011 | Tony Tchani | MF | Toronto | Acquired for Andy Iro and Léandre Griffit |

### Out

| Date | Player | Position | Destination club | Fee/notes |
| November 16, 2010 | Guillermo Barros Schelotto | MF | Gimnasia La Plata | Option declined, free transfer |
| November 16, 2010 | Duncan Oughton | MF | None | Option declined, retired, then joined the Crew front office as assistant to the technical director. |
| November 16, 2010 | Gino Padula | DF | | Option declined |
| November 22, 2010 | Brian Carroll | MF | Philadelphia Union | Traded for allocation money and a 2nd round SuperDraft pick |
| November 24, 2010 | Adam Moffat | MF | Portland Timbers | Expansion Draft |
| November 24, 2010 | Eric Brunner | DF | Portland Timbers | Expansion Draft |
| December 3, 2010 | Jason Garey | FW | Houston Dynamo | Traded for a 2015 4th round SuperDraft pick |
| December 15, 2010 | Frankie Hejduk | DF | Sporting Kansas City | Re-Entry Draft |
| January 13, 2011 | Steven Lenhart | FW | San Jose Earthquakes | Traded for allocation money and a 1st round SuperDraft pick |
| February 28, 2011 | Kwaku Nyamekye | DF | | Waived |
| March 15, 2011 | Ray Burse | GK | Puerto Rico Islanders | Released, free transfer |
| June 30, 2011 | Andy Adlard | MF | | Waived |
| July 15, 2011 | Andy Iro | DF | Toronto | Traded for Tony Tchani |
| July 15, 2011 | Léandre Griffit | MF | Toronto | Traded for Tony Tchani |

## Miscellaneous
### Allocation ranking

Columbus is in the #6 position in the MLS Allocation Ranking. The allocation ranking is the mechanism used to determine which MLS club has first priority to acquire a U.S. National Team player who signs with MLS after playing abroad, or a former MLS player who returns to the league after having gone to a club abroad for a transfer fee. A ranking can be traded, provided that part of the compensation received in return is another club's ranking.

### International roster spots

Columbus has 8 international roster spots. Each club in Major League Soccer is allocated 8 international roster spots, which can be traded. There have been no reported trades involving Columbus international roster spots for the 2011 season. There is no limit on the number of international slots on each club's roster. The remaining roster slots must belong to domestic players. For clubs based in the United States, a domestic player is either a U.S. citizen, a permanent resident (green card holder) or the holder of other special status (e.g., refugee or asylum status).

### Future draft pick trades

Future picks acquired: 2012 SuperDraft Round 2 pick acquired from D.C. United; 2015 SuperDraft Round 4 pick acquired from Houston Dynamo. Future picks traded: None.

### MLS rights to other players

Columbus maintains the MLS rights to Aaron Hohlbein as the club selected him in the 2010 MLS Re-Entry Draft and he instead chose to sign with a non-MLS club.