June 14, 2021 – Major League Soccer (MLS) – Columbus Crew SC News Release
COLUMBUS – Columbus Crew today announced that the Club is set to hold multiple activations as part of its matchday programming for the Club’s Farewell to Historic Crew Stadium. The Crew’s final match at the historic venue is set to take place on Saturday, June 19 with the Club hosting Chicago Fire FC [7:30 p.m. ET / Bally Sports Ohio, Bally Sports App (Stream) / 97.1 The Fan & 971thefan.com (English); ColumbusCrew.com (Spanish)]. Ahead of the match, Bally Sports Ohio is scheduled to host a one-hour pre-match special commemorating the day, beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Gates for Saturday’s match are set to open at 6:00 p.m. ET, with local band MojoFlo playing live on the stadium’s plaza. Prior to the match, in honor of Juneteenth, Men After God’s Heart – a local all-black male gospel group – are set to sing ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ as well as the U.S. national anthem. Players from both teams will be wearing jerseys with special uniform numbers as part of the Juneteenth commemoration. At halftime of the match, the Crew will unveil the top 10 iconic moments at Historic Crew Stadium – as voted on social media by Crew fans and supporters – on the videoboard. Immediately following the contest, a post-match fireworks show is set to take place on the Historic Crew Stadium pitch.
Following the match, there will be a Juneteenth-inspired auction of the jerseys worn by the players during the contest. The match-worn jerseys will be auctioned off on the Fanatics Authentic MLS Auction site, with the proceeds going to the VoyceNow Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to speaking up, creating equal opportunities, supporting youth sports and after-school programs. The VoyceNow Foundation was founded in 2020 by current Manchester City FC goalkeeper and former Crew player Zack Steffen, along with former Crew defender Alex Crognale.
As previously announced by the Club, in collaboration with local health authorities, Historic Crew Stadium will welcome fans back in a full capacity for Saturday’s match. This marks the first contest at full capacity at Historic Crew Stadium since the 2020 MLS regular-season Opening Match (March 1). While there will be no official PPE mask or social distancing requirements, fans attending this June 19 match can still wear masks if they feel more comfortable doing so. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendation is that individuals that are not fully vaccinated are encouraged to continue to wear masks in public. The venue will remain a cashless facility for this match and there will be stations that convert cash to card located throughout Historic Crew Stadium.
Historic Crew Stadium opened its doors in 1999 as the first soccer-specific stadium in MLS. In addition to serving as The Crew’s home venue, Historic Crew Stadium has also hosted several key matches in MLS and U.S. Soccer history, including: Three MLS Cup matches (2001, 2015, 2020), two MLS All-Star games (2000, 2005), four FIFA Women’s World Cup Group Stage matches (2003), 10 FIFA World Cup Qualifying matches (2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2016) and two SheBelieves Cup matches (2018).
Notably, the U.S. Men’s National Team was undefeated at Historic Crew Stadium from 2000-2016, with record of 8-3-0 in all competitions, while outscoring opponents 19-1. Historic Crew Stadium also became the home of “Dos a Cero,” as the U.S. defeated Mexico 2-0 in four consecutive FIFA World Cup Qualifying matches from 2001-2013.
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