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As Haslams put squeeze on Columbus Crew fans, team gears up to face Lionel Messi, Miami
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- As Haslams put squeeze on Columbus Crew fans, team gears up to face Lionel Messi, Miami
The Crew's majority owners, Dee and Jimmy Haslam, will not be held in a fuzzy embrace by most of the team's fans this week. The fans who saved the team for Columbus are not thrilled that the team's upcoming game – against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami on April 19 – will be played at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland. It was moved so that the Haslams, who own the NFL Cleveland Browns and control the 67,000-seat stadium up there, can squeeze every last nickel out of their fan base, and anyone in the region who might want to see Messi.
The Haslams are touting their Cleveland stadium as a "first-class facility" for soccer − but it's not good enough for the Browns. The Haslams, with the help of a $600-million bond issue from the state , are trying to move the Browns out of the city, to a dome in Brook Park, out by the airport. If you're a Crew fan, the hypocrisy combined with the greed is a little hard to digest. Plus, there's the fact that banners are verboten for Crew fans in Cleveland, probably because the Haslams are afraid of the Nordecke's sense of humor. How is this supposed to resemble a home game? Eat some cake and buy more beer, suckers.
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That said, the Haslams and Crew minority owner Dr. Pete Edwards deserve some credit. If you're running an MLS franchise and you have any aspirations, you've got to find a way to beat Messiami, and do it despite the fact that the league has stacked the odds against you. Miami's payroll is north of $42 million and somehow they are compliant with MLS roster rules. Their three designated players are guaranteed a combined $30-plus million, which is about double the Crew's entire payroll.
The Crew can't compete financially, even if they plow their Cleveland proceeds into their soccer operations. But they're giving it the old Massive try. Their recent acquisition of attacker Daniel Gazdag from the Philadelphia Union is a case in point.
The Crew will face Lionel Messi (10) and Inter Miami CF on April 19 in Cleveland.
Crew fans have been unsettled since Cucho Hernandez, who finished runner-up to Messi in MVP voting last season, and Christian Ramirez were transferred out of town on the eve of the season . Gazdag is one step toward filling the hole. To acquire the Union's all-time leading goal scorer, the Crew spent $4 million (plus potential bonuses), which is not an insignificant sum for an intraleague transfer. Gazdag had 59 goals (72 in all competitions) in three full seasons and parts of two others.
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The Crew heard he was available and that he wanted to come to Columbus, so they used the league's new cash-for-player trading mechanism . Why was Gazdag available? Because Philadelphia's franchise model is to move expensive 30-somethings now and find their replacements later, and to make smaller investments in younger players they can sell later. If that's a generality – and it is, because there are exceptions – this is not: Philadelphia's payroll is among the lowest in the league.
Former Crew president/general manager Tim Bezbatchenko believed he could win in a small market with a mid-pack payroll, and he was smart enough to make it work. It began working much better after Bezbatchenko let go of coach Caleb Porter and hired Wilfried Nancy, who won an MLS Cup in 2023 then made it to a CONCACAF Champions Cup final and won a Leagues Cup in 2024 . The Crew (5-0-3) and Miami (4-0-3) are the last remaining unbeatens in the league heading into Game Day 9.
Crew general manager Issa Tall , who took control of the shop when Bezbatchenko took a job in Europe last summer, has inherited lofty expectations. He has taken some heat ( cough, cough ) for not having a Plan B ready for a post-Cucho era. Tall, knowing how particular Nancy is about players who fit into his system, remained patient. Tall acted when the Gazdag opportunity presented itself, and the billionaire owners signed off on the $4 million price tag, which is something that might not happen in, say, Philadelphia.
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Gazdag has one more guaranteed year, worth $1.7 million, plus a club option year remaining on his contract. Tall said he's already negotiating an extension. Tall also said he's hunting for more talent and, to that end, he can buy down Darlington Nagbe 's contract to open a third DP slot. (Nagbe, who wouldn't lose a dime in the deal, has already volunteered to renegotiate.) Tall also has two or three Under-22 slots, which offer cap flexibility to acquire younger players.
"I think we have the possibility of adding potentially a DP, potentially U22s," Tall said. "It'll depend on what's available and what makes sense."
The secondary transfer window for MLS closes on April 23. It's a tricky time to make a deal with European teams, which, with a month or so remaining in their seasons, might be fighting for a berth in a continental tournament, scrapping to avoid relegation or something in between.
Midfielder Daniel Gazdag controls the ball during his Crew debut April 13 vs. St. Louis City SC.
"Each weekend, the situation changes for these clubs, so there may be something," Tall said. "But if I were to bet, I'd say it'd be extremely difficult. However, because we've done so much work now, we'll be ready for something in the summer window, potentially. We're looking within the league, as well."
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At what positions? That's a secondary concern, Tall said, for a number of reasons: Gazdag fills a huge need; young Cesar Ruvalcaba is handling minutes at center back; Sean Zawadzki can play anywhere; and, of course, Nancy is particular about the profiles that fit in his possess-and-attack system and likes players who can handle multiple positions.
Tall is playing a long game. Supporters' Shield? Nancy has provided the luxury of an unbeaten team. Miami is next – in Cleveland. Enjoy the drive, and send your hotel bills to Haslam Sports Group, Berea, OH, but don't expect them to be comped.
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This story was updated to add a gallery.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: MLS clash of titans: Messi/Inter Miami vs. Columbus Crew in Cleveland
