The task was tough, but looked attainable on multiple occasions for the Columbus Crew.

The Crew needed to win in Mexico to advance to the CONCACAF Champions League semifinals, and looked capable of doing so after taking a 1-0 lead just before halftime and tying Toluca 2-2 in the second half to even the overall series.

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The task was tough, but looked attainable on multiple occasions for the Columbus Crew.

The Crew needed to win in Mexico to advance to the CONCACAF Champions League semifinals, and looked capable of doing so after taking a 1-0 lead just before halftime and tying Toluca 2-2 in the second half to even the overall series.

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Toluca will play Pachuca in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions League, after beating the Columbus Crew 3-2 on the night and 5-4 on aggregate. If UNAM Pumas can overturn a two-goal deficit on Thursday, only Mexican clubs will remain in the tournament. As with the first-leg, it wasn't easy for Toluca. Click to continue reading...

Tonight the CONCACAF Champions League continues with the second leg of the quarterfinal round. The highlight is the Toluca-Columbus match, which I am liveblogging right now. I haven't done this in a while, but it's kind of like riding a bicycle. Toluca 2-2 Columbus 65' (4-4 aggregate) Commentary after the jump. Click to continue reading...

The Columbus Crew will attempt to become the first MLS team to win an official match in Mexico tonight when it takes on Toluca in CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal action (8pm, Fox Soccer Channel/Telefutura).

The Crew came back to tie Toluca, 2-2, in the first leg in Columbus, but will likely need a win in tonight's second leg to secure passage into the semifinals.

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The Columbus Crew will attempt to become the first MLS team to win an official match in Mexico tonight when it takes on Toluca in CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal action (8pm, Fox Soccer Channel/Telefutura).

The Crew came back to tie Toluca, 2-2, in the first leg in Columbus, but will likely need a win in tonight's second leg to secure passage into the semifinals.

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Red Headed Step Thoughts is back...no doubt you are rejoicing.
It's been a big 24 hours for the Turkish National Team. First the find out they will face the US National Team in a large American football stadium in Philadelphia, then they discover that Guus Hiddink has agreed to a two-year deal to become their manager. Click to continue reading...

Just one week after their come-from-behind 2-2 draw against Toluca, the Columbus Crew are in Mexico looking to pull of the impossible.

Much has been made about the "no MLS team has won in Mexico," and with a dismal winless record, there's plenty of legs to that. The big question remains: can Columbus reverse the trend?

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Just one week after their come-from-behind 2-2 draw against Toluca, the Columbus Crew are in Mexico looking to pull of the impossible.

Much has been made about the "no MLS team has won in Mexico," and with a dismal winless record, there's plenty of legs to that. The big question remains: can Columbus reverse the trend?

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For more information on your hosts Zach and Jason visit AmericanSoccerShow.com, home of the popular American Soccer Show weekly podcast. Be sure to listen in every Monday!

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Szetela waived by DC United

Should the Sounders try to acquire the former US youth national with Euro and MLS experience? He's been a CM, RM and CAM in his time with 4 pro clubs. Szetela and Sigi have experience with the U-20s and the Columbus Crew.

Ives has stated that Szetela is now healthy, but got "Pipped" .

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Danny Szetela's career has had its ups and downs, but it has now hit what may be its low point.

The former U.S. Olympic team member and Under-20 standout was waived by D.C. United on Tuesday, less than a year after joining the club from Italian Serie B club Brescia. Sources close to Szetela confirmed the move late Tuesday.

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MLS COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT
The current deal expired on Jan 31, 2010, but the two sides agreed to originally extend it until Feb 12, and a further 13 days to Feb 25. And now that Feb 25 has come and gone with no new deal being finished, we enter the Twilight Zone, with the players vowing to strike if a new contract is not agreed to by opening day - Thu Mar 25. Click to continue reading...

Smith battling with a member of the Columbus Crew down in AZ.Some of this has been in the blogosphere before, but Ryan Smith, Igor Kostrov and Craig Rocastle have all signed contracts with the Wizards. Smith and Kostrov have all necessary paperwork and are immediately available for selection in League play. Click to continue reading...

MLS COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT
I must admit that I did not think these two sides would let this drag on so long and cause this much tension coming up to the start of the season.
With thousands of fans all set to travel for opening weekend away games, the MLS players would be making a HUUUUUUUUUUGE mistake going on strike. Click to continue reading...

Below are collated results for the knockout phase of the 2009-10 CONCACAF Champions League. This post will be bumped to the top on matchdays until the conclusion of the competition. The current phase is highlighted in red bold lettering. Ties are a two-match, home-and-away series, higher aggregate score wins, and away goals count. Click to continue reading...

By Andrew Dixon - MIAMI, FL (Mar 10, 2010) US Soccer Players -- It's rare that Mrs. Grown Man sees me thrust my arms in the air to cheer a goal for an MLS team other than the one I've supported since 1996. However watching a still-in- pre-season Columbus Crew come back from a 2-0 deficit to tie Toluca Tuesday night in the CCL was one of those times. Click to continue reading...

Down two goals at halftime, the Columbus Crew rallied to draw visiting Toluca in the first half of the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal. With the result, the black and gold have a fighting chance in the return leg in Mexico next week, though they'll need to become the first MLS side to win a game south of the border. Click to continue reading...

STARTERS
Behold the power of Sheepshead! Steven Lenhart of the Columbus Crew may have a head of hair like the back of a sheep, but his 2 goals last night to bring his team back from 0-2 down to Toluca in the CONCACAF Champions League were both works of beauty. See the power of Sheepshead build! Click to continue reading...

Not that Champions League. The CONCACAF Champions League.

The Columbus Crew rallied back from being 2-0 down against Toluca of Mexico last night in their quarter-finals first leg match. The second leg is March 17 at Toluca, and unlike the UEFA Champions League, away goals do not count double at CONCACAF, so the Crew have a great opportunity to progress in the tournament.

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The Columbus Crew came back from a seemingly hopeless 2-0 halftime deficit to draw Toluca 2-2 in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal match Tuesday night at Crew Stadium. ASN's Taylor Birkos was at Crew Stadium and supplied his favorite photos of the encounter. See them here. Click to continue reading...

The Columbus Crew looked primed for a blowout loss after falling behind 2-0 to Toluca in CONCACAF Champions League action, but the MLS power climbed off the mat and sent yet another Mexican team away from Crew Stadium without a win.

Missing several key players due to injury and suspension, the Crew didn't look to have the weapons to recover from the early two-goal deficit, but Steven Lenhart stepped up and scored two goals to help Columbus salvage a 2-2 tie in the first-leg of their quarterfinal series.

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The Columbus Crew looked primed for a blowout loss after falling behind 2-0 to Toluca in CONCACAF Champions League action, but the MLS power climbed off the mat and sent yet another Mexican team away from Crew Stadium without a win.

Missing several key players due to injury and suspension, the Crew didn't look to have the weapons to recover from the early two-goal deficit, but Steven Lenhart stepped up and scored two goals to help Columbus salvage a 2-2 tie in the first-leg of their quarterfinal series.

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With J Hutcherson -- Why yes, we are going to talk about what the Columbus Crew did in the second-half against Toluca last night. For those of you that missed it, they came back from two goals down. They also adjusted, something not enough teams seem capable of anymore. After spending 45 minutes watching Toluca route their attack through the middle of the field and only really going wide on defense, somebody in the Crew. Click to continue reading...

MLS is in a catch-22 situation when it comes to the CCL. As it stands now, outside of a high-profile match-up with Chivas or Club América (which will bring in more fans of the other team than yours), most of the matchups aren't appealing to the casual soccer fan.
On top of that, the games are tough and your club might not look so great against a team casual fans don't really know anything about. Click to continue reading...

Upcoming American forward Steven Lenhart led the Columbus Crew to a 2-2 tie with Mexico's Toluca FC in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal series at Crew Stadium last night. Lenhart scored for the hosts in the 66th and 84th minutes after Toluca had gone 2-0 up on goals from Antonio Naelson Zinha in [. Click to continue reading...

Trailing two goals at halftime, the Columbus Crew came back to tie Toluca 2-2 in game one of their two game CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal series. Steven Lenhart was the hero for Columbus, scoring in the 66th and 84th minutes. Columbus travels to Toluca for the second leg on March 17th. "Being down two goals, we just had to come out in the second half and pressure them, get after them," Lenhart said. Click to continue reading...

Subscribe to ASN's Audio Soccer News Daily for free! (Just this audio feed, no other ASN items!)

For more information on your hosts Zach and Jason visit AmericanSoccerShow.com, home of the popular American Soccer Show weekly podcast. Be sure to listen in every Monday!

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The Columbus Crew dominated possession and were the better team for large portions of Tuesday night's CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal home leg. Yet after 45 minutes the Major League Soccer side found themselves down 2-0, with any hope of advancement withering on the vine. It is a testament to the character of Robert Warzycha's team that they were able to come back in the second half.

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Photo by ISIphotos.com

By AVI CREDITOR

The Columbus Crew will step on the pitch Tuesday night to play a meaningful game for the first time in months.

That's hardly the squad's biggest obstacle to overcome, though, when the Major League Soccer side hosts Toluca in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal matchup (8 p.

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In only a few hours time the Columbus Crew will renew their battle for the CONCACAF Champions League when they take on Toluca of the Mexican First Division at Crew Stadium. The match is the first leg of a two game series, the second of which will take place on Toluca's home turf, Estadio Nemesio Diez. Click to continue reading...

Subscribe to ASN's Audio Soccer News Daily for free! (Just this audio feed, no other ASN items!)

For more information on your hosts Zach and Jason visit AmericanSoccerShow.com, home of the popular American Soccer Show weekly podcast. Be sure to listen in every Monday!

Click to continue reading...

This week the CONCACAF Champions League resumes with the knockout stage as Columbus Crew, Marathón, Comunicaciones, and Arabe Unido face off against Toluca, UNAM, Pachuca, and Cruz Azul, respectively. It's going to be very difficult for the any of the first group of four to progress, and anything other than a win in their home leg all but gives the tie to their Mexican opponents. Click to continue reading...

By TRAVIS CLARK

The long and grueling MLS preseason continues to wind on as the start of the season is just under three weeks away.

Preparations for the Columbus Crew and Kansas City Wizards continued in Arizona this weeks, and the two sides met for a friendly on Thursday.

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By TRAVIS CLARK

The long and grueling MLS preseason continues to wind on as the start of the season is just under three weeks away.

Preparations for the Columbus Crew and Kansas City Wizards continued in Arizona this weeks, and the two sides met for a friendly on Thursday.

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The Wizards played their next to last preseason game in Arizona today as they took on the Columbus Crew. Thanks to a second half strike by Graham Zusi the Wizards came away with a 1-1 draw with the two time defending Supporters' Shield winners. KC fell behind on a goal by Brian Carroll after Eric Kronberg was caught off his line after a clearance. Click to continue reading...

**Updated** Kansas City came from behind to tie Columbus 1-1 today in Phoenix. Brian Carroll scored a first-half goal for the Crew, with Graham Zusi answering after the break. Kansas City's final test of the Arizona trip comes Sunday with a game split between the Arizona Sahuaros and Grand Canyon University. Click to continue reading...

Today, our boys in blue will be facing the Black and Gold of Columbus down in Phoenix. We're 2-2-2 in preseason matches thus far, with one against the LA Galaxy being canceled due to the weather. Columbus, the two-time defending Supporters' Shield winners should provide a strong test. Dave Borchardt is down in Phoenix and will be Tweeting during the game. Click to continue reading...

Red Headed Step Thoughts on a Tuesday...the title alone should get me in trouble...
Stadia Magazine has included Crew Stadium among their ten notable stadiums from the past decade. Once you get over the amusement of seeing the Crew's home on the same page as the new Wembley, you quickly realize the magazines point. Click to continue reading...

It's been one month since round four and almost exactly two months since first look at the number of followers each Major League Soccer team has through its ASN Twitter account. Time to revisit!

1. (1). LA Galaxy: 815 followers (17 more than on Feb. 1)
2. (2). Seattle Sounders FC: 583 (+27)
3.

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