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Columbus Crew Overview

On June 15, 1994, Columbus, Ohio was introduced as the first of the 10 inaugural Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs. With more than 11,500 season ticket deposits and plans to build a soccer-specific stadium, the decision to award a team to Ohio's capital city was an easy one. Exactly four years and 11 months later on May 15, 1999, The Crew forever etched its place in American Sports History by christening Columbus Crew Stadium, the country's first major league stadium built specifically for soccer, with a 2-0 win over the New England Revolution.

The Crew's foundation began to take shape on February 6, 1996, when Columbus selected Brian McBride, a two-time All-American forward from St. Louis University, with the first overall selection in the Inaugural MLS Draft.

Joining McBride on the first Crew roster was the team's first allocated player, international superstar Dr. Khumalo, arguably the most famous player ever to play for South Africa, and Brian Maisonneuve, the 1994 Hermann Trophy winner from Indiana.

Playing their home matches at historic Ohio Stadium, The Crew kicked off their inaugural season at "The Horseshoe," against D.C. United in front of a crowd of 25,266. Using two McBride goals and great goalkeeping by Bo Oshoniyi, the Black and Gold cruised to the first victory in franchise history, triumphing 4-0 over United.

The team's first season was a roller-coaster ride that saw The Crew endure the resignation of head coach Timo Liekoski 22 games into season. Despite this, The Crew was able to finish the season 9-1 under new interim coach Tom Fitzgerald. Joining Fitzgerald as a catalyst for the stretch run was goalkeeper Brad Friedel who helped lead The Crew to an 8-1 record over their final nine games. With their late season surge, The Crew qualified for the team's first Eastern Playoff Conference berth.

On Sept. 25, The Crew hosted their first-ever playoff game, dropping a 2-0 decision to the Tampa Bay Mutiny. Although The Crew rallied to win game two, the Mutiny's home-field advantage proved to be too much for The Crew to overcome, as The Black and Gold were eliminated in three games. Crew fans were also winners In 1996, as they were voted "best fans in the league" by USA Today. In its first season, The Crew averaged 18,950 per game, which included the all-time high of 31,550 who witnessed The Crew blank the MetroStars 2-0, on Sept. 15. In addition to being the best fans, the "Crew Experience" was graded an outstanding entertainment value by Gentleman Associates, an Indianapolis-based research firm that conducted surveys in 1996.
The club won it's first trophy in 2002, with a US Open Cup truimph.