The 2011 Columbus Crew season was
the club's 16th season of existence and their 16th consecutive season in
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...
, the top flight of soccer in the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
and
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
. The first match of the season was on March 19 against
D.C. United. It was the third season under head coach
Robert Warzycha
Robert Warzycha (; born 20 August 1963) is a Polish former professional football manager and player.
A right winger, Warzycha had a long career in Europe, playing for teams in Poland, Hungary and England with Everton in the Premier League. He ...
.
Background
Review
The Crew opened its 2011 campaign with a Champions League quarterfinal fixture against fellow MLS competitor,
Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake (RSL) is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Fou ...
. The match, the first leg of a quarterfinal series, was at
Columbus Crew Stadium
Historic Crew Stadium, previously known as Columbus Crew Stadium and Mapfre Stadium, is a soccer-specific stadium in Columbus, Ohio, United States. It primarily served as the home stadium of the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer from 1999 u ...
on February 22, 2011 and ended in a 0-0 draw. Columbus was trying to advance past the Quarterfinal stage after falling to
Toluca
Toluca , officially Toluca de Lerdo , is the States of Mexico, state capital of the State of Mexico as well as the seat of the Municipality of Toluca. Toluca has a population of 910,608 as of the 2020 census. The city forms the core of the Grea ...
5-4 on aggregate last season.

On March 1, Columbus traveled to
Rio Tinto Stadium
America First Field (formerly Rio Tinto Stadium and referred to as The RioT) is a soccer-specific stadium in Sandy, Utah, United States. It is the home of Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer (MLS) and the Utah Royals of the National Women' ...
and fell to
Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake (RSL) is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. Fou ...
by a score of 4-1, thus ending the Crew's run in the
2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League
The 2010–11 CONCACAF Champions League was the 3rd edition of the CONCACAF Champions League under its current format, and overall the 46th edition of the premier football club competition organized by CONCACAF, the regional governing body of Nor ...
.
Two and a half weeks later, Columbus opened up its
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...
campaign by traveling to
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
to take on
D.C. United on March 19. The club's MLS home opener was one week later, when the Crew hosted
Red Bull New York
The New York Red Bulls are an American professional soccer club based in the New York metropolitan area. The Red Bulls compete in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The club was established in October 1994 an ...
on March 26.
Roster
''As of September 3, 2011.''
Technical Staff
Non-competitive
Preseason
The Crew started preseason in
Columbus
Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to:
* Christopher Columbus (1451–1506), the Italian explorer
* Columbus, Ohio, the capital city of the U.S. state of Ohio
* Columbus, Georgia, a city i ...
and played games in
Arizona
Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
,
Tennessee
Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...
and
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States
Georgia may also refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
before returning to
Ohio
Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
. The Crew brought in the following trialists during training camp:
Caleb Patterson-Sewell,
Mark Blades,
Neri Bandiera
Neri Ricardo Bandiera (born 3 July 1989) is an Argentine professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), winger for Atlético Grau.
Career
Bandiera's career started with Agrupación Deportiva Infantil ...
,
Pat McAfee
Patrick Justin McAfee ( ; born May 2, 1987) is an American sports analyst, color commentator, and former professional football punter and kickoff specialist. He is an analyst on '' College GameDay'' and the host of the sports talk show '' Th ...
,
Ray Burse
Ray Burse Jr. (born October 2, 1984) is an American former professional soccer player who played as a goalkeeper.
Career
College and amateur
Burse was born in Prospect, Kentucky. He attended St. Xavier High School in Louisville, Kentucky, and ...
,
Alex Fraga,
Alex Riggs,
Josh Gardner and
Eric Gehrig.
Unsigned draft picks
Rich Balchan,
Justin Meram,
Cole Grossman,
Bernardo Añor,
Ben Sippola and
Andy Adlard also joined the team for preseason.
Midseason
Competitive
Overview
MLS
Standings
= Eastern Conference
=
= Overall table
=
Results summary
Results by round
Match results
MLS Cup Playoffs
Wildcard Match
CONCACAF Champions League
Quarterfinals
U.S. Open Cup
With a fifth-place overall finish last season, the Crew secured direct qualification into the third-round proper of the
U.S. Open Cup
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, commonly known as the U.S. Open Cup (USOC), is a knockout cup competition in men's soccer in the United States. It is the country's oldest ongoing national soccer competition. The competition was first held duri ...
.
Reserve League
Eastern
Match results
Statistics
Appearances and goals
Under "Apps" for each section, the first number represents the number of starts, and the second number represents appearances as a substitute.
, -
, colspan=12 align=center, ''Players who left Columbus during the season:''
Disciplinary record
Clean sheets
Reserve League Statistics
Appearances and goals
Under "Apps" for each section, the first number represents the number of starts, and the second number represents appearances as a substitute.
Disciplinary record
Clean sheets
Transfers
In
Loans in
Out
MLS Draft picks
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:
Awards
MLS Player of the Week
MLS Save of the Week
Crew Team Awards
* Circle of Honor –
Brian McBride
Brian Robert McBride (born June 19, 1972) is an American former association football, soccer player who played as a forward (association football), forward for Columbus Crew, Fulham F.C., Fulham and Chicago Fire SC, Chicago Fire. He is the sixt ...
* Most Valuable Player –
Chad Marshall
Chad Marshall (born August 22, 1984) is an American former professional soccer player. During his 16-year career, he played for Columbus Crew and Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer. Regarded as one of the league's greatest players of a ...
[https://www.dispatch.com/story/sports/mls/columbus-crew/2011/10/19/crew-marshall-receives-team-mvp/23857607007/ ]
* Defensive Player of the Year –
Julius James
* Scoring Champion –
Andrés Mendoza
* Man of the Year –
Jeff Cunningham
Jeff Cunningham (born August 21, 1976) is a former professional soccer player who played as a forward. He is Major League Soccer's third-all-time leader in regular-season goals scored with 134. Born in Jamaica, Cunningham initially played for ...
* Coach's Award –
Eddie Gaven
Eddie Gaven (born October 25, 1986) is an American former soccer player who played 11 seasons in Major League Soccer, primarily with the Columbus Crew. In July 2012, Gaven became the youngest player to play in 250 MLS matches at 25 years and 257 ...
* Newcomer of the Year –
Sebastián Miranda
Sebastián Miguel Miranda Córdova (born 26 August 1980) is a Chilean people, Chilean Association football, football Manager (association football), manager and former player who played as a Defender (association football), defender. He currentl ...
* Goal of the Year –
Jeff Cunningham
Jeff Cunningham (born August 21, 1976) is a former professional soccer player who played as a forward. He is Major League Soccer's third-all-time leader in regular-season goals scored with 134. Born in Jamaica, Cunningham initially played for ...
* Humanitarian of the Year –
Tom Heinemann
* Hardest Working Man of the Year –
Robbie Rogers
Robert Hampton Rogers III (born May 12, 1987) is an American former professional soccer player. He played as a winger and as a left back. Rogers has also represented the United States men's national soccer team. In February 2013, Rogers came ou ...
* Comeback Player of the Year –
Danny O'Rourke
*Fan's Choice –
Emilio Rentería
Emilio Rentería García (born October 9, 1984) is a Venezuelan footballer as a forward.
Career
Club
Rentería began his professional career in Spain, where he competed in the Spanish second division with Levante UD from 2001 to 2004. He then r ...
*Jim Nelson Fans of the Year – Randy Sims & Alice Potter
*Academy U15/U16 Player of the Year – Zach Mason
*Academy U17/U18 Player of the Year – Connor Klekota
*Academy U19/U20 Player of the Year –
Matt Walker
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:2011 Columbus Crew Season
Columbus Crew seasons
Columbus Crew
The Columbus Crew are an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team began play in 1996 as one of the 10 cha ...
Columbus Crew
The Columbus Crew are an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team began play in 1996 as one of the 10 cha ...
Columbus Crew
The Columbus Crew are an American professional soccer club based in Columbus, Ohio. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference. The team began play in 1996 as one of the 10 cha ...