# 2012 Columbus Crew season

The 2012 Columbus Crew season was the club's nineteenth year of existence, as well as their seventeenth season in Major League Soccer, and their seventeenth consecutive season in the top-flight of American soccer.
Columbus opened their 2012 campaign against the Colorado Rapids at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on March 10, 2012.

## Review

The Crew missed the playoffs in 2012 for the first time since 2007, marking a further step backwards from the height of 2008. The roster moves which took place leading into the season were ultimately unsuccessful, with both high-profile signings - Milovan Mirosevic and Olman Vargas - playing only a single season for the club.
The lackluster performance of Vargas and Mirosevic led the team to a series of midseason signings, which nearly salvaged the season. Costa Rican forward Jairo Arrieta joined the team in June, while Argentine midfielder Federico Higuain signed a Designated Player contract a month later. The tandem revitalized the Crew's offense, leading to a 4-game winning streak and thoughts of post-season glory. After this initial honeymoon, however, the team's performance declined; the team just missed out on a playoff berth.
After the season, coach Robert Warzycha began yet another rebuilding effort, jettisoning several veteran players including William Hesmer, Sebastian Miranda and Emilio Renteria.
The year's most significant event, however, had nothing to do with on-field performance. Rookie midfielder Kirk Urso collapsed and died on August 5 from a genetic heart defect (arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy), providing an emotional rallying cry for the remainder of the season and beyond.

## Roster

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Squad correct as of March 23, 2012.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Nation |
| 1 | GK | William Hesmer | United States |
| 2 | DF | Rich Balchan | United States |
| 3 | DF | Josh Williams | United States |
| 4 | DF | Carlos Mendes | United States |
| 5 | DF | Danny O'Rourke | United States |
| 6 | MF | Tony Tchani | Cameroon |
| 7 | MF | Bernardo Añor | Venezuela |
| 9 | FW | Justin Meram | United States |
| 10 | MF | Milovan Mirošević | Chile |
| 11 | MF | Dilly Duka | United States |
| 12 | MF | Eddie Gaven | United States |
| 13 | MF | Ethan Finlay | United States |
| 14 | DF | Chad Marshall (Captain) | United States |
| 15 | MF | Kirk Urso | United States |
| 16 | DF | Eric Gehrig | United States |
| 17 | FW | Olman Vargas | Costa Rica |
| 18 | FW | Ben Speas (HGP) | United States |
| 19 | FW | Tom Heinemann | United States |
| 20 | FW | Emilio Rentería | Venezuela |
| 21 | DF | Sebastián Miranda | Chile |
| 22 | MF | Cole Grossman | United States |
| 23 | DF | Korey Veeder | United States |
| 26 | DF | Julius James | Trinidad and Tobago |
| 27 | FW | Aaron Horton (HGP) | United States |
| 28 | GK | Matt Lampson (HGP) | United States |
| 29 | DF | Shaun Francis | Jamaica |
| 30 | GK | Andy Gruenebaum | United States |
| 32 | DF | Nemanja Vuković | Montenegro |
| 34 | FW | Aaron Schoenfeld | United States |
| 36 | DF | Aubrey Perry | United States |
| 37 | MF | Kevan George | Trinidad and Tobago |
| — | FW | Jairo Arrieta | Costa Rica |
| Position | Staff |
| Head Coach | Robert Warzycha |
| Assistant Coach | Ricardo Iribarren |
| Assistant Coach | Mike Lapper |
| Goalkeeper Coach | Scoop Stanisic |
| 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

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

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 4 | Chicago Fire | 34 | 17 | 11 | 6 | 46 | 41 | +5 | 57 | MLS Cup Knockout Round |
| 5 | Houston Dynamo | 34 | 14 | 9 | 11 | 48 | 41 | +7 | 53 | MLS Cup Knockout Round |
| 6 | Columbus Crew | 34 | 15 | 12 | 7 | 44 | 44 | 0 | 52 | |
| 7 | Montreal Impact | 34 | 12 | 16 | 6 | 45 | 51 | −6 | 42 | |
| 8 | Philadelphia Union | 34 | 10 | 18 | 6 | 37 | 45 | −8 | 36 | |

##### Overall table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 8 | LA Galaxy (C) | 34 | 16 | 12 | 6 | 59 | 47 | +12 | 54 | CONCACAF Champions League |
| 9 | Houston Dynamo | 34 | 14 | 9 | 11 | 48 | 41 | +7 | 53 | CONCACAF Champions League |
| 10 | Columbus Crew | 34 | 15 | 12 | 7 | 44 | 44 | 0 | 52 | |
| 11 | Vancouver Whitecaps FC | 34 | 11 | 13 | 10 | 35 | 41 | −6 | 43 | |
| 12 | Montreal Impact | 34 | 12 | 16 | 6 | 45 | 51 | −6 | 42 | CONCACAF Champions League |

#### 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 | 52 | 15 | 12 | 7 | 44 | 44 | 0 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 28 | 21 | +7 | 4 | 9 | 4 | 16 | 23 | −7 |
Last updated: 28 October 2012 Source: Columbus Crew 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 | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | H |
| Result | L | W | W | L | L | T | L | T | W | T | W | W | T | L | W | L | L | W | W | L | T | T | W | W | W | W | L | L | W | L | W | T | L | W |
| Position | 18 | 13 | 8 | 11 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |

#### Match results
### MLS Cup Playoffs

The Columbus Crew failed to qualify for the playoffs in this season.

### U.S. Open Cup
## Reserve League
#### Eastern

| Pos | Club | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 1 | Columbus Crew Reserves (C) | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 21 | 9 | +12 | 22 |
| 2 | Montreal Impact Reserves | 10 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 19 | 10 | +9 | 22 |
| 3 | Philadelphia Union Reserves | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 20 | 20 | 0 | 14 |
| 4 | New York Red Bulls Reserves | 10 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 14 | 16 | −2 | 11 |
| 5 | D.C. United Reserves | 9 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 9 | 19 | -10 | 10 |
| 6 | New England Revolution Reserves | 10 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 15 | −6 | 9 |
| 7 | Toronto FC Reserves | 9 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 13 | 16 | −3 | 8 |

#### Match results
## Miscellaneous
### Allocation ranking

Columbus is in the #10 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 MLS International Roster Slots for use in the 2012 season. Each club in Major League Soccer is allocated 8 international roster spots and no Columbus trades have been reported.

### Future draft pick trades

Future picks acquired: *2015 MLS SuperDraft Round 4 pick from Houston Dynamo. Future picks traded: *2013 MLS Supplemental Draft conditional pick to Montreal Impact.