1998 Columbus Crew season

Columbus Crew

1998 season
Investor-operators	Lamar Hunt Clark Hunt Dan Hunt Lamar Hunt Jr. Sharron Hunt Munson Ron Pizzuti and a group of local investors
Head Coach	Tom Fitzgerald
Stadium	Ohio Stadium
Major League Soccer	Conference: 2nd Overall: 4th
MLS Cup Playoffs	Conference Finals
U.S. Open Cup	Final
MLS Spring Training	5th Place
Top goalscorer	League: Stern John (26) All: Stern John (30)
Highest home attendance	15,628 (7/25 v. DAL)
Lowest home attendance	9,166 (9/16 v. COL)
Average home league attendance	12,255 (48.8%)
Biggest win	CLB 6–1 NE (8/8)
Biggest defeat	NY 3–0 CLB (7/19)
Home colors Away colors

The 1998 Columbus Crew season was the club's third season of existence and their third consecutive season in Major League Soccer, the top flight of soccer in the United States. The first match of the season was on March 21 against Tampa Bay Mutiny. It was the third season under head coach Tom Fitzgerald.

As of December 6, 1998^[1]

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 Juergen Sommer 2 DF  USA Mike Lapper 3 DF  USA Mike Clark 4 DF  ARG Ricardo Iribarren 5 DF  USA Thomas Dooley (captain) 6 MF  USA Todd Yeagley 7 DF  USA Scott Cannon 8 FW  JAM Andy Williams 9 FW  USA Billy Thompson 10 MF  USA Brian Maisonneuve 11 FW  USA Jeff Cunningham 12 MF  USA Jason Farrell

No. Pos. Nation Player 13 DF  TRI Ancil Elcock 14 FW  TRI Stern John 15 MF  USA Andrew Gregor 16 MF  USA Rob Smith 17 FW  USA Brian West 19 MF  POL Robert Warzycha 20 FW  USA Brian McBride 22 MF  USA Marcelo Carrera 24 MF  USA Nick Theslof 25 DF  USA Ubusuku Abukusumo 33 GK  USA Mark Dougherty

Position	Staff
President/General Manager	Jamey Rootes
Head Coach	Tom Fitzgerald
Assistant Coach/Goalkeeper Coach	Greg Andrulis
Assistant Coach/Scout	Nick Roberts
Head Trainer	Amy Baer
Team Manager	Chris Baer

Columbus started preseason in the Orlando area. They brought their draft picks and some non-roster invitees into training camp that played in some of their early preseason games. These non-roster invitees included Vital Rivelino, Sander Vermuelen, Diego Cerro, Luciano Da Silva, Mikhail Zaritskiy, Chris Lewis, Francisco, and Alejandro Kenig. Alex Deegan from the Richmond Kickers also joined the Crew for 3 weeks in preseason.^[2]

Competition	First match	Last match	Starting round	Final position	Record
					Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
Major League Soccer	March 21, 1998	September 27, 1998	Matchday 1	4th	32	15	0	17	67	56	+11	046.88
MLS Cup Playoffs	September 30, 1998	October 21, 1998	Conference Semifinals	Conference Finals	5	2	1	2	10	11	−1	040.00
Total					37	17	1	19	77	67	+10	045.95

Pos	Team	Pld	W	SOW	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	D.C. United	32	17	7	8	74	48	+26	58	MLS Cup Playoffs
2	Columbus Crew	32	15	0	17	67	56	+11	45
3	MetroStars	32	12	3	17	54	63	−9	39
4	Miami Fusion	32	10	5	17	46	68	−22	35
5	Tampa Bay Mutiny	32	11	1	20	46	57	−11	34

Pos	Team	Pld	W	SOW	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
2	D.C. United	32	17	7	8	74	48	+26	58	CONCACAF Champions' Cup
3	Chicago Fire (C)	32	18	2	12	62	45	+17	56
4	Columbus Crew	32	15	0	17	67	56	+11	45
5	Colorado Rapids	32	14	2	16	62	69	−7	44
6	MetroStars	32	12	3	17	54	63	−9	39

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	Pts	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD
32	45	15	17	0	67	56	+11	11	5	0	49	31	+18	4	12	0	18	25	−7

Source: MLS standings
Pld = Matches played; Pts = Points; W = Matches won; T = Matches tied; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference

Under "Apps" for each section, the first number represents the number of starts, and the second number represents appearances as a substitute.

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		MLS		MLS Cup Playoffs		U.S. Open Cup
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK	USA	Juergen Sommer	30	0	21+0	0	5+0	0	3+1	0
2	DF	USA	Mike Lapper	7	1	7+0	1	0+0	0	0+0	0
3	DF	USA	Mike Clark	39	0	30+0	0	5+0	0	4+0	0
4	DF	ARG	Ricardo Iribarren	30	1	22+2	0	4+0	0	2+0	1
5	DF	USA	Thomas Dooley	31	2	23+0	1	5+0	1	3+0	0
6	MF	USA	Todd Yeagley	36	3	22+5	2	4+1	0	3+1	1
7	DF	USA	Scott Cannon	17	0	9+6	0	0+0	0	2+0	0
8	FW	JAM	Andy Williams	19	1	11+2	1	3+1	0	2+0	0
9	FW	USA	Billy Thompson	34	1	24+5	1	0+3	0	2+0	0
10	MF	USA	Brian Maisonneuve	16	3	12+1	3	1+0	0	2+0	0
11	FW	USA	Jeff Cunningham	30	9	8+17	8	0+2	0	1+2	1
12	MF	USA	Jason Farrell	36	6	24+4	5	5+0	1	1+2	0
13	DF	TRI	Ancil Elcock	36	0	27+1	0	5+0	0	3+0	0
14	FW	TRI	Stern John	35	30	25+2	26	5+0	3	3+0	1
15	MF	USA	Andrew Gregor	12	0	3+7	0	0+0	0	1+1	0
16	MF	USA	Rob Smith	33	4	15+9	3	5+0	1	3+1	0
17	FW	USA	Brian West	19	1	4+9	1	2+2	0	1+1	0
19	MF	POL	Robert Warzycha	30	2	19+6	2	0+3	0	2+0	0
20	FW	USA	Brian McBride	33	17	24+0	10	5+0	4	4+0	3
22	MF	USA	Marcelo Carrera	17	1	5+11	1	0+0	0	0+1	0
24	MF	USA	Nick Theslof	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
25	DF	USA	Ubusuku Abukusumo	12	0	3+4	0	1+2	0	1+1	0
33	GK	USA	Mark Dougherty	12	0	11+0	0	0+0	0	1+0	0
			Own Goal	0	2	-	2	-	0	-	0
Players who left Columbus during the season:
18	GK	USA	David Winner	1	0	0+1	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
21	MF	USA	Brandon Ward	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
23	FW	USA	Jimmy Glenn	5	0	3+2	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
26	MF	USA	Craig Yacks	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0

No.	Pos.	Name	MLS		MLS Cup Playoffs		U.S. Open Cup		Total
1	GK	Juergen Sommer	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
2	DF	Mike Lapper	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	1
3	DF	Mike Clark	4	1	1	0	0	0	5	1
4	DF	Ricardo Iribarren	8	1	3	0	0	0	11	1
5	DF	Thomas Dooley	2	0	1	0	0	0	3	0
6	MF	Todd Yeagley	5	0	1	0	0	0	6	0
7	DF	Scott Cannon	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
8	FW	Andy Williams	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0
9	FW	Billy Thompson	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
10	MF	Brian Maisonneuve	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
11	FW	Jeff Cunningham	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
12	MF	Jason Farrell	0	0	2	0	0	0	2	0
13	DF	Ancil Elcock	4	0	2	0	2	0	8	0
14	FW	Stern John	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
15	MF	Andrew Gregor	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
16	MF	Rob Smith	2	0	1	0	0	0	3	0
17	FW	Brian West	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
19	MF	Robert Warzycha	4	0	1	0	0	0	5	0
20	FW	Brian McBride	2	0	2	0	0	0	4	0
22	MF	Marcelo Carrera	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
24	MF	Nick Theslof	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
25	DF	Ubusuku Abukusumo	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
33	GK	Mark Dougherty	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Players who left Columbus during the season:
18	GK	David Winner	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
21	MF	Brandon Ward	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
23	FW	Jimmy Glenn	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
26	MF	Craig Yacks	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

No.	Name	MLS	MLS Cup Playoffs	U.S. Open Cup	Total	Games Played
1	Juergen Sommer	4	0	1	5	30
33	Mark Dougherty	1	0	1	2	12
Players who left Columbus during the season:
18	David Winner	0	0	0	0	1

Pos.	Player	Transferred from	Fee/notes	Date	Source
FW	Brian West	Virginia Cavaliers	Allocated by Major League Soccer as part of MLS Project-40.	January 20, 1998	[10]
FW	Juergen Sommer	Queens Park Rangers F.C.	Allocated by Major League Soccer	January 28, 1998	[11]
FW	Jeff Cunningham	South Florida Bulls	Drafted in round 1 of the 1998 MLS College Draft.	January 31, 1998	[12]
MF	Andrew Gregor	Portland Pilots	Drafted in round 2 of the 1998 MLS College Draft.	February 1, 1998	[12]
FW	Henrik Nebrelius	Tampa Spartans	Drafted in round 2 of the 1998 MLS College Draft.	February 1, 1998	[12]
MF	Nick Theslof	UCLA Bruins	Drafted in round 3 of the 1998 MLS College Draft.	February 1, 1998	[12]
MF	Brandon Ward	Richmond Kickers	Drafted in round 1 of the 1998 MLS Supplemental Draft.	February 1, 1998	[13]
MF	Scott Cannon	Richmond Kickers	Drafted in round 2 of the 1998 MLS Supplemental Draft.	February 1, 1998	[13]
MF	Jason Farrell	Chicago Fire	Traded for Frank Klopas.	February 19, 1998	[14]
FW	Stern John	New Orleans Riverboat Gamblers	Signed via discovery.	February 26, 1998	[15]
FW	Andy Williams	Harbour View F.C.	Signed via discovery.	March 2, 1998	[16]
DF	Ricardo Iribarren	Club Almagro	Allocated by Major League Soccer after clearing up visa problems.	March 30, 1998	[17]

Pos.	Player	Parent club	Length/Notes	Beginning	End	Source
GK	Chris Wanamaker	Cincinnati Riverhawks	Short term agreement. Did not make a game roster.	April 23, 1998	April 24, 1998	[18]
FW	Jimmy Glenn	Rochester Raging Rhinos	Short term agreement.	May 12, 1998	June 30, 1998	[19]
FW	Jason Cairns	Cincinnati Riverhawks	Short term agreement. Did not make a game roster.	June 3, 1998	June 10, 1998	[20]
DF	Mike Crosby	Cincinnati Riverhawks	Short term agreement. Did not make a game roster.	June 3, 1998	June 10, 1998	[20]
MF	Craig Yacks	Cincinnati Riverhawks	Short term agreements.	June 3, 1998 July 23, 1998	June 10, 1998 July 26, 1998	[20][21]
DF	Brett Strang	Cincinnati Riverhawks	Short term agreement. Did not make a game roster.	June 3, 1998	June 10, 1998	[20]

Pos.	Player	Transferred to	Fee/notes	Date	Source
FW	Frank Klopas	Chicago Fire	Traded for Jason Farrell.	February 19, 1998	[14]
FW	Henrik Nebrelius	Ystads IF	Placed on waivers.	March, 1998
DF	Brandon Ward	Chicago Stingers	Placed on waivers.	March 30, 1998	[22]
GK	David Winner	New England Revolution	Placed on waivers.	June 30, 1998	[23]
DF	Ricardo Iribarren	Milwaukee Rampage	Placed on waivers.	October 31, 1998	[24]
DF	Scott Cannon	Richmond Kickers	Placed on waivers.	October 31, 1998	[24]
FW	Marcelo Carrera	Canton Invaders	Placed on waivers.	October 31, 1998	[24]
MF	Andrew Gregor	Seattle Sounders	Contract expired	December 31, 1998	[25]
MF	Nick Theslof	Retired	Contract expired	December 31, 1998

Pos.	Player	Loanee club	Length/Notes	Beginning	End	Source
FW	Brian West	MLS Project-40	Multiple short term agreements.	February 25, 1998	End of Season	[26]
DF	Ubusuku Abukusumo	MLS Project-40	Multiple short term agreements.	February 25, 1998	End of Season	[26]
MF	Andrew Gregor	Cincinnati Riverhawks	Multiple short term agreements.	March 21, 1998	End of Season	[8]
MF	Nick Theslof	Cincinnati Riverhawks	Multiple short term agreements.	March 21, 1998	End of Season	[8]
GK	David Winner	Worcester Wildfire	Columbus retains right to recall.	April 17, 1998	May 16, 1998	[27]
MF	Andrew Gregor	MLS Project-40	Multiple short term agreements.	April 23, 1998	End of Season	[28]

Draft picks are not automatically signed to the team roster. Only those who are signed to a contract will be listed as transfers in. The picks for the Columbus Crew are listed below:

1998 Columbus Crew College Draft Picks[29]
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College
1	9	Jeff Cunningham	FW	South Florida
2	21	Andrew Gregor	MF	Portland
2	24	Henrik Nebrelius	FW	Tampa
3	33	Nick Theslof	MF	UCLA

1998 Columbus Crew Supplemental Draft Picks[30]
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College
1	12	Brandon Ward	MF	Indiana
2	21	Scott Cannon	MF	Evansville