Where did we leave off last year? Argentine wizard Guillermo Barros Schelotto dragged his teammates far closer to the playoffs than they probably deserved. Eddie Gaven showed a few signs of life. Sigi Schmid concocted a system to get the very most out of a limited roster.
Arrivals: DF Andy Iro (SuperDraft - UC Santa Barbara), MF Brian Carroll (D.C. United), FW Nicolas Hernandez (Colorado)
Departures: DFs Marcos Gonzalez (Universidad de Catolica, Chile), Rusty Pierce (waived), and Tim Ward (Colorado), MFs Jacob Thomas (waived) and Ricardo Virtuoso (waived), FW Andy Herron (Chicago)
Assessing the front office moves: Schmid wanted a defensive midfielder in the Shalrie Joseph mold and ended up with Carroll, who will provide an upgrade in that department of the field. Most of the offseason focused on bringing in a Designated Player to finish the moves started by Barros Schelotto and Gaven. The front office showed a bit of naïveté in its negotiations with former Celtic striker Maciej Zurawski, taking negotiations up to the final hour only to see Larissa (Greece) swoop in and seal the deal with more money. Zurawski wouldn't make this team a playoff contender by himself, but he certainly may have done enough to vault them over one or two teams. Losing Gonzalez hurts the backline and no replacement appears forthcoming. How the front office deals with its continued pursuit of a Designated Player could prove the difference between another rebuilding year and a rare playoff appearance.
The squad: Schmid has done a nice job to take a squad that was not worthy of MLS competition and rehabilitate it to the point where this team can harbor realistic playoff expectations. Schmid's defensive posture covers up any weaknesses in the back, where Will Hesmer isn't amongst the league's strongest goalkeepers and the defense doesn't matchup man-for-man to many others in the league. Ezra Hendrickson and Frankie Hedjuk are certainly competent in the fullback role, while Iro will be asked to partner the Faberge-constructed Chad Marshall in central defense. If Marshall falters, Danny O'Rourke could push Hendrickson into the middle. The midfield is a non-descript group headlined by Barros Schelotto's exploits in the hole underneath the strikers. Stefani Miglioranzi can play anywhere in midfield and earns few plaudits for his steady play. Carroll should partner him in defensive midfield. Robbie Rogers and Gaven will likely man the flanks, giving the Crew two young, dynamic, and inconsistent wide options. It would make sense for Schmid to stick Moreno alone up top to give Barros Schelotto plenty of room to roam, though Miglioranzi could drop out of the side to make room for Hernandez's inclusion up top.
Key player: Guillermo Barros Schelotto
Most likely to drop out of the starting XI: Stefani Miglioranzi
Off the bench: O'Rourke gives cover at fullback and defensive midfield, while Hernandez probably lends a decent attacking option off the bench. Jason Garey will probably see some minutes, too, though he's unlikely to score while using them. Backup goalie Andy Gruenebaum isn't the type of insurance policy you like to have at this level.
Outlook: Try and try as the Crew does, it just doesn't seem like there's enough quality to matchup with the top five teams in the conference over the length of this season. The dagger may have been the loss of Gonzalez, one of the better center backs in the league over the past few seasons. With Gonzalez in the fold, the team didn't have to rely on Marshall's health, which has been spotty over the past two campaigns. Schmid is a resourceful coach who has done well to get as much as he has out of this squad over the past couple of seasons. With another striker, there's a chance the playoffs could beckon. If Barros Schelotto is injured for any stretch of time, kiss those hopes goodbye.See Also:
