Crew Get Off Their Siesta

Pic via perefoto

**Apparently the Crew have gone napping this week and Sigi is trying to get their minds back on the prize. The prize equating to the Crew keeping their focus on the post season.

From Merz's "Crew Focus on Staying Hungry":
Practice this week has not been particularly crisp in preparation for Saturday's match at New York.

Part of it could have been due the absence of defender Frankie Hejduk, midfielder Brian Carroll and forward Alejandro Moreno for World Cup qualifiers and the nagging back injury to midfielder Robbie Rogers.

But there was a general feeling that the team that had been such an underdog to make the postseason had taken a collective siesta heading into the final two matches of the regular season.

Schmid and some of the older guys tried to get the Crew back on track with team talks.

Schmid thinks the message was driven home based on what he saw in practice Friday.

"I was happy with our response today simply because we've sort of been off in our training but today we came out with great spirit. I think they're ready to go," he said.

"We will try to win both games because we have to be professionals," defender Gino Padula said. "It's very important for everyone. If you relax now you don't play 100 percent in the playoffs. We need to play like we aren't in the playoffs yet."

"We can't go in expecting to tie or lose and be OK with it," said Noonan. "We've got to have the frame of mind we're going to win and do the same thing in the playoffs. There's a lot of guys that are trying to get in that starting lineup and come playoff time when you're pushing each other in practice it can only help. That competitive atmosphere is crucial."

**Hesmer still has plenty to play for and should be pumped up for the last two games.

According to the Dispatch's, "Crew coach is tough on goalies, and in their ears":
If the Crew (16-6-6) can shut out the Red Bulls, Hesmer will tie the club's season shutout record, set by Jon Busch in 2004.

Hesmer has 9 and if he can get two shutouts in the last two weeks, he will have a new record of 11 shutouts in a season for the Crew.


Eric Albrecht Dispatch

Pretty good article about the goalkeeper coach and Vadim, link above:
"At least he's into the capitalist system now, so that's good," Hesmer joked. "And every time (Vladimir) Putin is in the news for doing something, uh, eye-catching, I always give him a hard time. He just shakes his head and laughs."


Pic via kchurch05

**The rookie Cepero, whose last name sounds like a character from Shakespeare, will replace Jon Conway.

From New Jersey.com:
With the team having other options at center back, Parke can be replaced. But Conway is a different story. Saturday night, backup goalie Danny Cepero will make his MLS debut.

"The reality of the situation is you've got to move on," Cepero said. "There's a big game for us (Saturday) with playoff implications, and we're playing against the best team in the league. Our focus is playing Columbus and getting a result here at home.