Soccer. It’s a funny game. You can play your best for 90 minutes and still come up short. Some call it luck. Some call it persistence. Some call it a group of talented individuals coming together and earning a win.

Sunday evening, the IU men’s soccer team did just that. From the front to the back, they played a complete game. They passed well. They created chance after chance. Two minutes into the second half, they scored. And they made it stick. They continued to create some chances, but also turned up the defense. 

In the 47^th minute, Ryan Wittenbrink centered a corner kick on target. Brett Bebej jumped up and headed it into the upper netting for a 1-0 lead. IU took 12 corner kicks, including 10 in the first half. And finally a set play turned into a goal. Marshall had just one in the second half. Thundering Herd goalkeeper Oliver Semmle made five saves on the day.

Marshall University had some good looks. The Thundering Herd did not go down without a fight. Offensively Marshall registered 12 shots to IU’s 10, including eight in the second half. Hoosier goalkeeper JT Harms made two saves. His defense stood strong in front of him, clearing the other close calls.

After 90+ minutes, the Hoosiers earned the hard-fought 1-0 win and trip to the Elite 8. There was no doubt this team was on a mission. Next up the No. 13 seeded Hoosiers will play No. 12 seed University of North Carolina Greensboro Saturday at 5:00 p.m. ET. IU has advanced to the quarterfinals for the eighth-straight year and 28th time in 50 seasons.

So what’s next? Well, if IU continues to play complete matches, the future looks bright. After all, one more win and the Hoosiers will head to Cary, North Carolina for the College Cup. But there are still 90 minutes to be played.

UNCG (13-1-6) is only one of two teams still standing with just one loss. The Spartans topped Mercer 2-1 in the Southern Conference Tournament to earn their fifth automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. They sat out the first round. UNCG then tied both Ohio State and Stanford 1-1, advancing on penalty kicks (6-5 vs. OSU and 3-1 vs. Stanford). They’re undefeated at home with a 9-0-2 record this season.

The Spartans offense has proven to be explosive, posting 268 shots to 162, while netting 46 goals to 17 and forcing opponents to make 84 saves. The defense has been tested this season, as well with Niclas Wild and Jarrett Payne combining for 44 saves. They’ve also posted six shutouts. Marco Afonso (8 goals, 8 assists), Ismail El Harchi (10 goals, 3 assists) and J.C. Ngando (4 goals and 14 assists) lead the attack.

IU (12-4-6) has yet to allow a goal in tournament play. And has outscored opponents 2-0 in its first two matches. Harms, Austin Himebaugh and Bryant Pratt have combined for seven shutouts, compared to just one for opponents.

So the solution is simple, shut down UNCG’s offense. Man mark. Man mark. Man mark.  And score a goal. If the Hoosiers can hold the Spartans scoreless, they may just advance. And if UNCG forces PKs, well, let’s hope Harms is up to the task. Without any regular-season PK decisions, it’s a whole new world. Only time will tell if IU has what it takes to earn a trip to the College Cup.

The other six teams standing will also play Dec. 3.

Pitt (11-4-5) vs. Portland (15-2-3) 1:00 p.m. ET

No. 3 seed Syracuse (16-2-4) vs. Vermont (16-3-2) 2:00 p.m. ET

No. 7 seed Duke (13-1-4) vs. Creighton (12-4-6) at 1:00 p.m. ET

Only four teams are still seeded from the original 16. After this weekend, one seeded team is guaranteed to go home. But it could be as many as three since the name of the game this season is upsets.

Follow Kathryn on Twitter: @Katknapp99.

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NBC Sports analyst and former USMNT footballer Kyle Martino joins regular panelists Nipun Chopra, Kevin Johnston and Aaron Gunyon to discuss the Premier League, U.S. Soccer, RCD Mallorca, promotion-relegation and much, much more.

Martino also talks about his role as national board chair for Street Soccer USA. Click here for more information on the organization and to find out how you can get involved.

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Photo credit: Erik Drost

ORLANDO, Fla. — Coming out of this weekend’s USSF Annual General Meeting and presidential election in Orlando, the role of the Athlete Council has been especially scrutinized. The council, whose bloc of votes — comprising 25.8 percent of the electorate and 51.6 percent of the votes needed to win election if the full allotment of votes attends — gave Carlos Cordeiro the win on a third ballot after strong first and second-ballot leads, has come under fire from supporters of the losing candidates. At issue for many is the Athlete Council’s support of Cordeiro, who never played the game.

Chaired by Chris Ahrens, a former Paralympic star, the Athlete Council has 20 members. Of the 20, only 12 bothered to cast ballots in Orlando, which included Heather O’Reilly, who flew from London in the middle of Arsenal’s WSL season. The low number of athletes who cast ballots can be attributed to the desires of MLS, fearful a bloc would come together for the likes of Kyle Martino, perceived as a candidate not in line with Don Garber’s agenda, being given a difficult time leaving their clubs.

To understand why the Athlete Council ended up supporting Cordeiro instead of a former player, one must backtrack to the week leading up the election and the dysfunctional “Gang of Six” reform candidate discussions that have been extensively reported on by the Washington Post’s Steve Goff, ESPN’s Jeff Carlisle, SoccerWire’s Charles Boehm and myself.

On Monday, I tweeted vaguely that a coalition might be coming together among insurgent candidates. This was the start of the “Gang of Six,” aptly named by Goff to describe the six candidates associated with various degrees of anti-establishment views.

Hearing from multiple sources associated w/ multiple campaigns that “opposition” candidates are beginning to work together and could possibly form a coalition for the election. Messaging will be consistent, but perhaps even an electoral alliance as well could form. #USSFPresident

— Kartik Krishnaiyer (@kkfla737) February 5, 2018

As the “Gang of Six” began a courtship, the Athlete Council stood by watching developments with great interest. While SI’s Grant Wahl had previously reported that the Athlete Council might vote as a bloc and would interview only four candidates: establishment favorites Kathy Carter and Carlos Cordeiro, as well as former players Kyle Martino and Mike Winograd. My understanding is that a fifth candidate, Boston attorney Steven Gans, himself a former player, remained a viable option for many of the members of the council until Friday night.

Moreover, despite his campaign’s claims to the contrary, Eric Wynalda, the favorite of those wanting to shake up the USSF and one of the great stars in U.S. men’s national team history, had little or no support throughout the process from members of the council.

The candidacy of Martino was a curiosity for many “reformers.” Wynalda had the support of almost the entire opposition infrastructure including the NASL, NPSL, NISA founder Peter Wilt and most of the Twitterverse which supports promotion and relegation. But Martino was making headway among more independent-minded reformers who weren’t tied directly to Wynalda supporters. As Martino gained traction, particularly with his “progress plan” which includes promotion and relegation as well as his strong statements to the Athlete Council about the influence of Soccer United Marketing (SUM), many even within the NASL and NPSL began to hedge their bets. Meanwhile, many of the most prominent U.S. women’s national team players of recent years were privately gravitating toward Martino, per multiple sources, despite the presence of their former teammate Hope Solo in the race.

While Martino remained an option for the Athlete Council, intense lobbying was taking place on behalf of both Carter, the MLS choice, and Cordeiro, the institutional U.S. Soccer favorite. While the Twitterverse went crazy about allegations regarding this lobbying, to this point I still cannot confirm that Julie Foudy and Mia Hamm were advocating for a specific candidate. It has been confirmed to me by a source, however, that Casey Wasserman was indeed controversially lobbying on behalf of Kathy Carter.

Martino’s hopes of carrying the bloc or any of the council hinged largely on convincing the athletes that he could indeed create a coalition with Wynalda and other reformers, showing an ability to lead and an administrative skill necessary to serve as USSF president. For Martino, making a shotgun marriage with Wynalda was a test — a test that ultimately failed because of Wynalda and his supporters’ stubbornness and misreading of the electorate more than anything, which led to the collapse of the “Gang of Six” talks on Friday, per multiple sources.

Whomever was responsible for the breakdown in the coalition, Martino was at this point no longer a consideration for the athletes’ bloc vote, though if they chose to not vote as a bloc he still had the opportunity to maintain some support among a few individuals. At this point, Gans, with his administrative experience, emerged as a potential compromise candidate since many of the council members wanted to send the USSF a clear message about the state of the game. But Gans’ inability to gain large chunks of support outside the council ended this idea. One of the great untold stories of this election is how tantalizingly close Gans was to being a serious factor on multiple occasions. Whether it was just bad luck or not, the Boston-based attorney never really got the traction that perhaps his well-run campaign deserved.

Eventually, with Gans out of play and a strong desire to not anoint Carter, the choice of MLS and Soccer United Marketing was Cordeiro, who was always the most likely to win the bloc in hindsight.

Saturday morning, on the first two ballots, the Athlete Council voted for Cordeiro. He led, but did not gain a majority of votes. Then suddenly, according to multiple sources, Martino emerged as a possibility for some Athlete Council members on the third ballot. Getting wind of this, as confirmed by multiple sources, prompted Don Garber to flip MLS’ support from Carter to Cordeiro as a way of keeping the bloc together and preventing an opening for Martino, one of three candidates — as first reported by Boehm — backed by elements within the NASL, who of course has sued the USSF and named Garber and Cordeiro as defendants in a separate lawsuit.

Whether of not the threat of a shift to Martino was a clever ruse to get Garber to shut down Carter or was a serious potential move by the athletes may never really be known. For this story, no Athlete Council member was spoken to, though on background several delegates at the convention and others in the camps of several of the impacted candidates have been consulted.

While it might seem incredible and far-fetched that Martino, who was in single digits on the first ballot, may have emerged as a potential winner, in the history of contested nonprofit elections and party nominating conventions, once balloting goes beyond three ballots often times the results become unpredictable and compromise candidates emerge. Since the end of the United Soccer Coaches Convention in Philadelphia, it had been fairly clear that either Cordeiro or Carter would win this race. It seemed to most outside observers if the reformers had any chance of winning a majority of delegates, Martino was the most likely person to achieve this goal.

It also might have been shortsighted for those in the insurgent camps to not have tried to strategically make a deal with Carter or Cordeiro after the first ballot when their votes would have been useful to building a majority. Even if forced, Garber’s shift of MLS’ vote bloc provided a majority for Cordeiro and quite possibly increases the leverage MLS will have on the new U.S. Soccer president going forward.

In the end, the reformers had opportunities to break through with the Athlete Council but failed to capitalize, as was the case with this campaign in general. But the final vote tally told so little of the story as to how the decisions were made and how much deliberation there was.

Follow Kartik on Twitter: @kkfla737.

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Photo credit: Trevor Ruszkowski/Indy Eleven

INDIANAPOLIS — It’s happening. Indy Eleven is about to play its first home game. A story first reported by Soc Takes revealed what we know today – Indy XI will play in the USL, and will play its home games at Lucas Oil Stadium.

But it almost didn’t happen. At this time three months ago, Indy XI was at a breaking point. The North American Soccer League (NASL) was as good as dead. Conversations with the USL had been difficult after Indy XI reneged on the opportunity to join the league in the fall, and time was running out.

Multiple Indy XI insiders were cognizant that the very existence of the club was in jeopardy. This would have meant that many front office jobs and technical staff positions would disappear overnight. This would have meant that the Brickyard Battalion would have had to find novel solutions to survive without having a club to support. This would have meant heartbreak for scores of fans, young and old alike, who had made “Indy Eleven supporter” a part of their very identity.

And the war isn’t over. There are insidious issues that are hurting this club. These include a dictatorial owner, the club’s lack of loyalty to personnel, a repeated failure to utilize and understand media relations, the lower-division issue of lack of revenue and the continued tribulation of the stadium conundrum.

Peter Evans. Credit: Brickyard Battalion

But perhaps it is time for folks like myself to focus and appreciate that the club is about to play its first home game at Lucas Oil Stadium. A home game against the USL’s poster child for success: FC Cincinnati.

There are many folks who deserve credit for making this happen: Firstly, the aforementioned dictatorial owner, who finally woke up to the reality of the plight of the NASL and desire of many supporters. Secondly, the front office staff, some of whom work absurdly long hours and are the pillars of this club. Thirdly, the Brickyard Battalion (BYB) board members who spend many volunteer hours every week ensuring your gameday experience is memorable. I’d like to specifically highlight two of them:

Peter Evans is known to all regular Indy XI supporters. You can see his translucent skin and unevenly follicul-ed upper lip leading the rambunctious chanting of the BYB. What goes unseen are the hours of planning and execution Evans leads in developing tifo for games. Ably assisted by his Puck-ian comrade Chad Irvine, Evans oversees every step of the process. Evans estimated Saturday’s tifo took him 40 hours. Read that again. Forty hours.

A recent picture of Josh Mason

A truly unsung hero is the president of the BYB, Josh Mason. Many people attending games at LOS this year will not recognize him. So here’s a picture of him (left). The cherubic Mason spends multiple hours of his life — away from his family and work — to integrate the disparate opinions and agendas of BYB board members and finds solutions to a multitude of problems.

It is almost entirely due to Mason’s efforts that the BYB has found an affordable parking and tailgating solution to the Lucas Oil conundrum. And I can assure you, this involved a lot of negotiating and appeasing. Unlike the Indy XI’s owner, the BYB’s president is collaborative, solution-oriented and innovative.

If you see Evans and Mason at Lucas Oil on Saturday, thank them.

Lucas Oil will pose logistical issues. While fans will welcome the improved amenities, optics and actual restrooms, we will simultaneously say goodbye to the freedom Carroll Stadium afforded us. For example, fans will say hello to actual seats, but bid farewell to smoke after goals.

#CueTheSeats. Nah, not doing it for me either.

• Related: Tactical Tidbits: Eleven’s new guys use width to punch Kickers

In three months, the front office staff has worked miracles. They have sold thousands of tickets, addressed the infrastructural challenges of a much larger stadium and managed to navigate multiple logistical problems.

In three months, the coaching staff, including now-departed Trevor James, has worked miracles. They have turned over an entire squad and replaced it with a mix of experience and precocious talent. (So much so that certain folks are now positing Tyler Pasher as the new “bae.”) 

In three months, the BYB has worked miracles.

On Saturday, it is time to turn it over to the fans. Be a part of an anticipated record-breaking crowd. Be a part of a new tailgate experience. Sing. Cheer. Bring friends. Buy tickets.

Because, while we will face challenges going forward, Saturday is truly a day of celebration.

And it will be one to remember.

Follow Nipun on Twitter: @NipunChopra7.

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Photo credit: NPSL

As revealed by Wes “Mantooth” Burdine of FiftyFive.One, the USSF decided to reject NASL’s application for Division II sanctioning last year. Since that time, lawsuits, injunctions and rejections have been the story of the North American Soccer League (NASL). As teams continued to exit the league and other leagues looked to occupy the niche, the future of the NASL remained far from certain. And by February, the league was down to four teams and had decided to forego the 2018 season.

Since then, the league has largely remained in the public eye due to the bluster of New York Cosmos owner Rocco Commisso. On Monday morning, we learned that Commisso had decided to attempt a novel solution to the standoff between the USSF and NASL. What does all of this mean for the purportedly moribund NASL? Soc Takes spoke to NASL interim commissioner Rishi Sehgal to find out.

Nipun Chopra: Hi Rishi, why are you doing a round of interviews currently?

Rishi Sehgal: People have been wondering what the plans were for the NASL going forward. We’ve been making some moves and having conversations behind-the-scenes, and speaking to lots of folks. This (the bid) is where we’ve reached, and we want to let fans know where we are. I was down in Chattanooga for the summit where we had productive discussions with a lot of clubs. The goal for everyone there was to find ways to move forward and ultimately, for us, this is how we want to do it. It started with a bold move from (New York Cosmos owner) Rocco Commisso making an overture to (USSF president) Carlos Cordeiro to make progress for all of soccer moving forward.

People wanted to know what we’ve been doing, and it’s time to tell them that we want to find a way back onto the pitch.

NC: What is NASL’s role in all of this?

RS: Well, the end game is to help the NASL and to bring the NASL back to the pitch in 2019. So the investment of $250 million of his own money, and then lead a fundraising effort to raise another $250 million which will be used to support the NASL.

NC: Before we get into the details, are you still an employee of the NASL?

RS: I am still with the NASL.

NC: And what is your role within the organization?

RS: I manage the affairs of the league on a day-to-day basis.

NC: And are there other NASL employees?

RS: While I cannot get into specifics, there are other employees, but currently this is a very small operation. Part of what has happened due to U.S. Soccer’s decisions is that we’ve had to make some difficult decisions regarding people’s jobs. It’s something we predicted and it’s come true.

(Note: Soc Takes understands there are less than five employees currently associated with the NASL.)

NC: Which other owners will be involved with Rocco’s plan?

RS: It’s going to involve all of our owners in different capacities. Obviously, you are aware that the remaining clubs in the league are Miami FC, Jacksonville Armada, New York Cosmos and Puerto Rico FC. It’s going to involve them all in different capacities, but we cannot go into specific details about their involvement right now.

NC: What is the status of Puerto Rico FC?

RS: In some sense, it’s the same status as all of our clubs. But the difference is, the NPSL does not operate in Puerto Rico, and the island of Puerto Rico is still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Maria, but they’re looking to get back on the pitch.

NC: So if NASL were to play in 2019, PRFC would be a part of that?

RS: That’s our plan.

Photo credit: NASL

NC: Will the new NASL involve the same six teams that signed LOIs last year?

RS: It could. It could also involve others. We are in discussions with a number of markets and teams to see what makes sense in the first phase of this. But, all the teams we spoke to previously — we spoke to them for a reason and were comfortable moving forward with them– but we’ll see what works for everyone going forward.

NC: How are you approaching these conversations, Rishi? I’m sure it was a tough sell to convince teams to join the NASL for the last 24 months, is it significantly harder now?

RS: Part of that is going to depend on how we work this out with U.S. Soccer. The approach is mired in the details, and that only happens if we can find a way back onto the pitch via USSF. Right now our focus is on getting a meeting with U.S. Soccer. But for whatever reason, there has been some resistance from their end.

*****Update 5/3/18 – Soc Takes was contacted by US Soccer’s Chief Communication Officer, Neil Buethe, who responded to Sehgal’s answer with the following statement – 

“The last line is not accurate. In our response letters from Carlos Cordeiro it has been stated very clearly that we are willing to meet with them. The ball is in their court.”

NC: About the $250 million, what is the significance of that amount? Why $25 million a year and not $10 million or $50 million?

RS: The number is based on what Rocco has identified as what he can afford to invest at this point. Rocco’s means are well-publicized now, but it’s more about the amount of capital he thinks will be necessary to drive the business forward. You wrote a great piece on the problems of lower-division soccer and the amount being invested by Rocco could yet change some of that.

Investing in a lot of infrastructure that will make soccer at the lower divisions sustainable. And to bring up promotion-relegation, he’s been very clear about that in the letters. Pro-rel would be a positive game changer for everyone in American soccer including MLS.

NC: Outside of benefiting lower-division owners, how would promotion-relegation benefit U.S. Soccer as a whole?

RS: It would benefit soccer tremendously. We have these meaningless divisions in absence of promotion-relegation. Pro-rel would allow communities all across this country to be fully engaged. Right now, people are embracing some communities via soccer. Look at Atlanta United — their fans are engaged in their communities via Atlanta United. Same with Kansas City. People in Chattanooga, Detroit and Indianapolis are the same.

The world changes very quickly. Twitter, the iPhone, etc., didn’t exist until fairly recently. This country will quickly embrace and adapt to promotion-relegation. And, by the way, they already have. Look at the vast majority of U.S. Soccer fans — they’re watching the Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga, Liga MX — although the situation there is changing. People here already enjoy promotion-relegation and they are sick of their teams tanking.

NC: Are you able to explain what other infrastructural changes, other than pro-rel, you were referring to?

RS: Money could be invested in facilities, which is a big area of concern in lower-division soccer. You wrote an article that identifies stadium costs as a significant area of expenditure. With modern technology and modern construction techniques, there are ways to construct facilities at a lower cost and get them running.

NC: Like modular stadiums?

RS: Right. We’re starting to see that at our level, you just need a credible stadium where true fans can go support their team and grow the club organically. The infrastructure would vary from market to market.

NC: Outside of stadiums, are you thinking about development academies?

RS: One of the things — and you publicized this about the NASL in the past (Note: see page 29 of this study) — the ages of players in our league were on the higher end of any league in the world. While we value the experience of veterans tremendously, we also want to invest in younger players and get those younger players in competitive environments to help develop them. We don’t want to hold them here forever. We can showcase them and let them move onto the next part of their careers.

NC: You’re on Twitter, and you know how conversations can go on Twitter. But, the major pushback regarding Rocco’s letters is that this is all a publicity stunt. Is it a publicity stunt? Or is there a real and actionable 250 million behind all of this?

RS: Absolutely there is real money at play. This is not a publicity stunt. If it were a publicity stunt, it would be a very expensive publicity stunt. We didn’t file lawsuits because we were trying to create publicity; we filed them because we were treated unfairly.

I read the Twitter (laughs), and I see the nonsense out there and much of it is a waste. A lot of people calling this or MP Silva’s previous offer a publicity stunt — that’s nonsense. I understand that sometimes people have problems with the way certain people speak. I get that. But pay attention to the message.

What we’re saying here is right — the sport in this country needs to change. Nobody is trying to take away the great things MLS has done. I saw something recently contrasting Rocco’s approach to (Real Salt Lake owner) Dell Loy Hansen. Dell Loy Hansen has done a fantastic job with his investment in RSL and he’s doing it for the right reasons. What we’re trying to do is give opportunities for more people to do that.

The issue is, everyone seems to want new ideas. Everyone sees that changes are needed. But everyone is simultaneously resistant to any new ideas. We have to stop that nonsense. Nobody here owns soccer. You have to allow entrepreneurship in soccer. There’s no harm in allowing Rocco to invest into soccer and soccer communities in this country.

So, why not let it happen?

NC: What’s the next step?

RS: We want to have a meeting, and we were hoping that the meeting had already taken place.

NC: Will the goal for NASL still be to play as a Division II league?

RS: Yes. As long as the current professional standards exist, we wish to operate as a Division II league. But the lawsuits will continue and we’ll see where we go from there.

NC: We started the conversation with you talking about the Chattanooga summit. So, how do the likes of USASA, NISA, etc., fit into this equation?

RS: Ultimately, we’d like to see a lot more linkage and cooperation between the leagues. I know it can be challenging, but from what I learned in Chattanooga, there are parties that are talking the same but not doing things the same way. We’ve got to find coordination so that these parts can fit together in a better way. It will involve the clubs in USASA and NPSL clubs for some much needed cross-pollination.

NC: Have you heard from U.S. Soccer?

RS: Not since the letters came out. There is a timeline for us. If we’re going to be on the field in 2019, this needs to happen soon.

NC: Do you think it is fair for NASL to expect U.S. Soccer to come to the table for “peace talks” when the league and its parties have filed multiple lawsuits against the federation?

RS: It was unfair for U.S. Soccer to do what it did to NASL. So, let’s come to the table, talk about these things and move forward. But (if we’re talking about) fairness, they’re the ones that breached that.

NC: Why should the American soccer community rally behind NASL and Rocco Commisso?

RS: They should rally behind everyone trying to invest money and resources into growing soccer and developing the sport. Look past the politics and vitriol — look at the contributions we’ve made. Almost 1,000 different players played in the NASL (including at least 50 current players). Look at the opportunities provided to coaches and referees. Guys like Gio Savarese, Martin Rennie, Ted Unkel and Robert Sibiga, they cut their teeth in the NASL.

NC: Any final message you’d like Soc Takes readers to know about?

RS: It’s going to suck not watching the U.S. in the World Cup this summer.

Follow Nipun on Twitter: @NipunChopra7.

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Photo credit: Hayden Schiff

It’s not often that a team finds itself above the line seven games into a season while also riding a three-match losing streak. Thus is the case for Columbus Crew SC, who, thanks to a stellar start, currently sits in fourth place with 10 points in the MLS Eastern Conference table despite its recent setbacks.

Crew SC will look to right the ship against the New England Revolution, another team sitting on 10 points, Saturday evening at MAPFRE Stadium. Both squads will be close to full strength for the match, with neither dealing with any international absences or suspensions.

The hosts won’t have defender Gaston Sauro available, who’s yet to appear this season due to a bum left knee. Ditto for midfielder Mike Grella, who’s dealing with a knock of his own to the same knee. Midfielders Luis Argudo and Eduardo Sosa are also out injured.

A pair of midfielders, Kelyn Rowe and Isaac Angking, won’t be able to suit up for the Revolution. Beyond those handful of injuries, both coaches will have a solid group of players available for selection — well, sort of.

For the Revs, Lee Nguyen is “available,” but is still missing in action following a contentious offseason in New Enlgand. Nguyen, who’s under contract through 2018, recently spoke publicly on the situation for the first time in an interview with MLSsoccer.com’s Jonathan Sigal. Nguyen and head coach Brad Friedel have apparently remained cordial, but the latter’s decision to perpetually freeze the former out of the team’s game day 18 seems to indicate the relationship is permanently fractured beyond repair.

Of course, Columbus hasn’t been without its own fair share of drama lately. Owner Anthony Precourt’s Precourt Sports Ventures and MLS together filed a joint motion Thursday seeking to have a lawsuit against them thrown out. The suit hopes to prevent Crew SC from moving the franchise to Austin on the grounds that such a move violates a local statute known as the “Art Modell Law.”

Photo credit: Thomas Lillis IV

WHAT TO LOOK FOR SATURDAY

Crew SC head coach Gregg Berhalter mixes things up from time to time, but generally favors his trusty 4-2-3-1 with Federico Higuain pulling the strings in the No. 10 role and U.S. international Gyasi Zardes operating in front of him as the No. 9. Friedel will likely roll out a 4-1-4-1 featuring Diego Fagundez as the lead playmaker centrally. Sans Nguyen, Fagundez has filled in admirably in that role.

In what promises to be a crowded center of the pitch, whichever side is better able to negotiate the midfield traffic and utilize the space up the flanks might leave MAPFRE Stadium with three points Saturday.

Crew SC will have to put its off-field distractions aside Saturday if it hopes to end its three-game slide and earn a result. The Nguyen-less Revs, meanwhile, will try to continue to surprise their doubters.

Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KJboxing.

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