2003 Columbus Crew season

Columbus Crew

2003 season
Investor-operators	Lamar Hunt Clark Hunt Dan Hunt Lamar Hunt Jr. Sharron Hunt Munson Ron Pizzuti and a group of local investors
Head Coach	Greg Andrulis
Stadium	Columbus Crew Stadium
Major League Soccer	Conference: 5th Overall: 8th
MLS Cup Playoffs	Did not qualify
U.S. Open Cup	Fourth Round
CONCACAF Champions' Cup	Quarterfinals
Top goalscorer	League: Brian McBride (12) All: Edson Buddle (16)
Highest home attendance	22,058 (4/5 v. LA)
Lowest home attendance	3,358 (4/16 v. MON)
Average home league attendance	16,250 (72%)
Biggest win	CLB 6–2 CHI (6/2)
Biggest defeat	MON 6-0 CLB (4/9)
Home colors Away colors
←  2002 2004  →

The 2003 Columbus Crew season was the club's eighth season of existence and their eighth consecutive season in Major League Soccer, the top flight of soccer in the United States. The first match of the season was on April 5 against Los Angeles Galaxy. It was the third season under head coach Greg Andrulis.

Roster

As of October 18, 2003 ^[1]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK   USA Jon Busch 2 DF   USA Frankie Hejduk 3 DF   USA Mike Clark (captain) 4 DF   NIR Mark Williams 5 DF   USA Chad McCarty 6 DF   USA Eric Denton 7 MF   BRA Diego Walsh 8 DF   NZL Duncan Oughton 10 MF   USA Brian Maisonneuve 11 FW   USA Jeff Cunningham 12 FW   USA Edson Buddle 15 MF   GUA Freddy Garcia

No. Pos. Nation Player 16 MF   USA Ross Paule 17 FW   USA Brian West 18 DF   USA Nelson Akwari 20 FW   USA Brian McBride 21 MF   USA Kyle Martino 22 GK   USA Tom Presthus 23 DF   HON Alex Pineda Chacon 24 MF   USA Jeff Matteo 25 MF   USA Michael Ritch 27 MF   ECU Andres Murriagui 28 DF   USA Jake Traeger 31 GK   USA Michael Ueltschey

Technical staff

Position	Staff
President/General Manager	Jim Smith
Head Coach	Greg Andrulis
Assistant Coach	Jim Launder
Assistant Coach	Robert Warzycha
Head Trainer	Craig Devine
Team Manager	Tucker Walther

Source: ^[2]

Non-competitive

Preseason

For the preseason match against Cincinnati Riverhawks, the Crew brought in non-roster invitees Shane Curran, Gary Berry and Bret Jones from the Columbus Shooting Stars. ^[3] The Crew spent a portion of preseason in Portugal where they played a series of friendlies against local teams. They brought in Michael Thomas as a non-roster invitee on this trip. ^[4] After returning from Portugal, the Crew went to Florida to continue training. They played another series of friendly matches. Omar Belbey joined the team as a non-roster invitee on this leg of preseason. ^[5]

Columbus Crew v Cincinnati Riverhawks

February 12 Friendly	Columbus Crew	9-0	Cincinnati Riverhawks	Mason, OH
	Gonzalez 18', 41' Buddle 25', 57' Martino 37' Walsh 68' (pen.) Curran 83' Berry 88' Jones 89'	Report		Stadium: Wall2Wall Soccer Facility

C.D. Fátima v Columbus Crew

February 18 Friendly	C.D. Fátima	1-1	Columbus Crew	Fátima, Portugal
	35'	Report	Martino 9'

Sporting CP v Columbus Crew

February 20 Friendly	Sporting CP	2-1	Columbus Crew	Lisbon, Portugal
	Prates 43' Niculae 53'	Report	Cunningham 16'	Stadium: Lisbon Training Center Attendance: 400

S.C. Lourinhanense v Columbus Crew

February 23 Friendly	S.C. Lourinhanense	0-1	Columbus Crew	Lourinhã, Portugal
		Report	Cunningham

U.D. Leiria v Columbus Crew

February 26 Friendly	U.D. Leiria	2-1	Columbus Crew	Leiria, Portugal
		Report

San Jose Earthquakes v Columbus Crew

March 4 Friendly	San Jose Earthquakes	2-1	Columbus Crew	Fort Lauderdale, FL
7:00 PM EST	Lagos 36' Wegerle 66' Corrales  79'	Report	Walsh 6' Clark  29' McCarty  83'	Stadium: Lockhart Stadium

Columbus Crew v U.S. U-23 National Team

March 6 Friendly	Columbus Crew	1-1	U.S. U-23 National Team	Fort Lauderdale, FL
	Dante Washington	Report

Columbus Crew v Lynn Fighting Knights

March 6 Friendly	Columbus Crew	7-1	Lynn Fighting Knights	Fort Lauderdale, FL
		Report

Columbus Crew v D.C. United

March 8Copa Carnaval	Columbus Crew	4-2	D.C. United	Miami, FL
5:00 PM EST	McCarty  5' Clark 19' Buddle 33', 45' Cunningham 42'	Report	Ivanov  18'  27' Etcheverry 56', 74' (pen.) Stewart  60'	Stadium: Miami Orange Bowl

NY/NJ MetroStars v Columbus Crew

March 10 Friendly	NY/NJ MetroStars	2-2	Columbus Crew	Boca Raton, FL
2:00 PM EST	Pope 35' Droze 90'	Report	Matteo 1' García 61'	Stadium: Lynn University

Columbus Crew v Dayton Flyers

March 25 Friendly	Columbus Crew	4-0	Dayton Flyers	Obetz, OH
4:00 PM EST	Traeger Maisonneuve Washington West			Stadium: Crew Training Center

Kansas City Wizards v Columbus Crew

March 29 Friendly	Kansas City Wizards	1-2	Columbus Crew	Edmond, OK
8:00 PM EST	Walsh 10' Washington 83' Maisonneuve  90+1'	Report	Fabbro  9' Preki  14' Wolff 51'	Stadium: Wantland Stadium Attendance: 9,223 Referee: Terry Vaughn Assistant referees: Paul Scott Brent Hall

Columbus Crew v Cincinnati Riverhawks

April 1Keith Evans Memorial Match	Columbus Crew	5-0	Cincinnati Riverhawks	Obetz, OH
7:00 PM EST	Paule , , McBride Cunningham			Stadium: Crew Training Center

Midseason

The Crew played a midseason friendly against Santos Laguna in Kansas City as a double header with Kansas City Wizards vs. Dallas Burn which was the first time all three Clark owned MLS teams played in the same stadium on the same day. The Crew who came into the game with many injuries called up Taly Goode, Kevin Friedland, and Taylor Graham from Kansas City Wizards. ^[6]

Ohio State Buckeyes v Columbus Crew

April 23Connor Senn Memorial Match	Ohio State Buckeyes	1-3	Columbus Crew	Columbus, OH
	Nugent 6'	Report	Cunningham 30' West 59' Oughton 69'	Stadium: Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium Attendance: 439

Santos Laguna v Columbus Crew

July 12 Friendly	Santos Laguna	0-1	Columbus Crew	Kansas City, MO
5:15 PM EDT		[7]	West 41'	Stadium: Arrowhead Stadium

Competitive

Overview

Competition	First match	Last match	Starting round	Final position	Record
					Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %
Major League Soccer	April 5, 2003	October 26, 2003	Matchday 1	8th	30	10	8	12	44	44	+0	033.33
U.S. Open Cup	August 6, 2003	August 6, 2003	Fourth Round	Fourth Round	1	0	0	1	3	4	−1	000.00
CONCACAF Champions' Cup	March 16, 2003	April 16, 2003	Round of 16	Quarterfinals	4	2	0	2	6	7	−1	050.00
Total					35	12	8	15	53	55	−2	034.29

Source: Competitions

MLS

Main article: 2003 Major League Soccer season

Standings

Eastern Conference

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Chicago Fire	30	15	7	8	53	43	+10	53	MLS Cup Playoffs
2	New England Revolution	30	12	9	9	55	47	+8	45
3	MetroStars	30	11	10	9	40	40	0	42
4	D.C. United	30	10	11	9	38	36	+2	39
5	Columbus Crew	30	10	12	8	44	44	0	38

Source: MLS

Overall table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts
6	Colorado Rapids	30	11	12	7	40	45	−5	40
7	D.C. United	30	10	11	9	38	36	+2	39
8	Columbus Crew	30	10	12	8	44	44	0	38
9	Los Angeles Galaxy	30	9	12	9	35	35	0	36
10	Dallas Burn	30	6	19	5	35	64	−29	23

Source: MLS
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head record; 3) goal difference; 4) number of goals scored

Results summary

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	Pts	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD
30	38	10	12	8	44	44	0	6	3	6	24	15	+9	4	9	2	20	29	−9

Source: MLS standings
Pld = Matches played; Pts = Points; W = Matches won; T = Matches tied; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference

Results by round

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30
Stadium	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	H	A	A	H	H	H	H	A	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	A	H
Result	T	W	W	L	T	W	L	L	T	W	L	L	W	T	L	T	L	L	T	L	W	W	T	W	L	L	T	L	W	W

Source: schedule
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; L = Loss; T = Tie

Match results

Columbus Crew v Los Angeles Galaxy

April 51	Columbus Crew	1-1 (a.e.t.)	Los Angeles Galaxy	Columbus, OH
4:00 PM EST	Buddle 35' Oughton  94'	Report	Myung-bo  37' Ruíz 63' Marshall  75'	Stadium: Columbus Crew Stadium Attendance: 22,058 Referee: Kevin Terry Assistant referees: Craig Lowry Richard Eddy Fourth official: Ricardo Salazar

NY/NJ MetroStars v Columbus Crew

April 122	NY/NJ MetroStars	0-1	Columbus Crew	East Rutherford, NJ
7:30 PM EDT	Maisonneuve  18' Cunningham 90'	Report	Clark  81'	Stadium: Giants Stadium Attendance: 23,786 Referee: Ricardo Salazar Assistant referees: Rob Fereday Steven Davidson Fourth official: Steve Karaduzovic

New England Revolution v Columbus Crew

April 193	New England Revolution	1-2	Columbus Crew	Foxborough, MA
4:00 PM EDT	Kanté  64' Franchino  81' Ralston 86'	Report	Denton 12' McBride 53'	Stadium: Gillette Stadium Attendance: 15,827 Referee: Brian Hall Assistant referees: Greg Barkey Thomas Supple Fourth official: Erich Simmons

Columbus Crew v NY/NJ MetroStars

April 264	Columbus Crew	0-1	NY/NJ MetroStars	Columbus, OH
4:00 PM EDT	Maisonneuve  31'	Report	Williams  10' Magee 59'	Stadium: Columbus Crew Stadium Attendance: 12,165 Referee: Michael Kennedy Assistant referees: Richard Eddy Bahij Salman Fourth official: Elias Bazakos

Kansas City Wizards v Columbus Crew

May 35	Kansas City Wizards	2-2 (a.e.t.)	Columbus Crew	Kansas City, MO
8:00 PM EDT	Zavagnin  14' Preki 45+2' (pen.) Armstrong  69' Quill 89' Fabbro  94'	Report	Oughton  42' Paule  47' McBride 49',  90' Martino 55' Busch  58' Cunningham  60'	Stadium: Arrowhead Stadium Attendance: 16,006 Referee: Marcel Yonan Assistant referees: Steven Davidson Jose Andrade Fourth official: Bronson Broockerd

Columbus Crew v Colorado Rapids

May 106	Columbus Crew	2-0	Colorado Rapids	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT	Cunningham 25' (pen.) McBride 43' Maisonneuve  74'	Report	Mastroeni  56' Hart  60' Herdsman  85'	Stadium: Columbus Crew Stadium Attendance: 16,555 Referee: Abbey Okulaja Assistant referees: Rob Fereday Steven Davidson Fourth official: Ricardo Salazar

San Jose Earthquakes v Columbus Crew

May 177	San Jose Earthquakes	4-3	Columbus Crew	San Jose, CA
10:00 PM EDT	Mulrooney  10' Mullan 30' Ching 49' Agoos 67' Donovan 87'	Report	McBride 38' (pen.) Cunningham 61' Clark  69' Paule 90'	Stadium: Spartan Stadium Attendance: 7,180 Referee: Ali Saheli Assistant referees: Emiliano Monje Gibby Widner Fourth official: Cory Dean

Columbus Crew v New England Revolution

May 248	Columbus Crew	2-3	New England Revolution	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT	Paule 40' Dunseth 76'	Report	Kamler 36', 70' Twellman 89'	Stadium: Columbus Crew Stadium Attendance: 13,186 Referee: Kevin Stott Assistant referees: Greg Barkey David Bragg Fourth official: Hilario Grajeda

Columbus Crew v NY/NJ MetroStars

May 319	Columbus Crew	1-1 (a.e.t.)	NY/NJ MetroStars	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT	Cunningham 34' McBride  84' Busch  90' McCarty  97'	Report	Lisi  13' Mathis 64' (pen.) Jolley  65'	Stadium: Columbus Crew Stadium Attendance: 12,518 Referee: Jair Marrufo Assistant referees: Francisco Sanchez Bill Dittmar Fourth official: Mikael Lundqvist

Columbus Crew v San Jose Earthquakes

June 710	Columbus Crew	1-0	San Jose Earthquakes	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT	Walsh  53'  78' McBride 85'	Report	Mullan  14'	Stadium: Columbus Crew Stadium Attendance: 16,481 Referee: Gus St. Silva Assistant referees: Thomas Supple Chip Reed Fourth official: Hilario Grajeda

D.C. United v Columbus Crew

June 1411	D.C. United	3-0	Columbus Crew	Washington, D.C.
7:30 PM EDT	Petke  27', 43' Eskandarian 79', 85'	Report	Torres  21'	Stadium: Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Attendance: 13,907 Referee: Terry Vaughn Assistant referees: George Gansner Bill Dittmar Fourth official: David Simon

San Jose Earthquakes v Columbus Crew

June 2112	San Jose Earthquakes	2-1	Columbus Crew	San Jose, CA
10:00 PM EDT	Mullan 43' Lagos  57' Ekelund  59' Walker 77'	Report	Dunseth  27' McBride 55' Clark  57' Paule  66'	Stadium: Spartan Stadium Attendance: 8,058 Referee: Marcel Yonan Assistant referees: David Bragg Dinesh Singh Fourth official: Yader Reyes

Columbus Crew v D.C. United

June 2813	Columbus Crew	3-0	D.C. United	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT	West 8' Dunseth  18' McBride 25' Walsh 60' Hejduk  62'	Report	Convey  37'	Stadium: Columbus Crew Stadium Attendance: 16,489 Referee: Alex Prus Assistant referees: Craig Lowry Paul Scott Fourth official: Hilario Grajeda

Columbus Crew v Dallas Burn

July 514	Columbus Crew	0-0 (a.e.t.)	Dallas Burn	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT	West  50'	Report		Stadium: Columbus Crew Stadium Attendance: 14,412 Referee: Ricardo Salazar Assistant referees: Rob Fereday Thomas Supple Fourth official: Abbey Okulaja

Columbus Crew v Kansas City Wizards

July 1915	Columbus Crew	0-1	Kansas City Wizards	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT	Clark  46' Dunseth  62' Denton  68' McCarty  90'	Report	Zavagnin  38' Simutenkov 58'	Stadium: Columbus Crew Stadium Attendance: 16,472 Referee: Michael Kennedy Assistant referees: Greg Watson Hilario Grajeda Fourth official: Elias Bazakos

Columbus Crew v New England Revolution

July 2316	Columbus Crew	1-1 (a.e.t.)	New England Revolution	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT	Matteo 33'	Report	Joseph  35' Noonan 55' Llamosa  77'	Stadium: Columbus Crew Stadium Attendance: 14,632 Referee: Brian Hall Assistant referees: George Vergara Jose Corro Fourth official: Ricardo Salazar

Los Angeles Galaxy v Columbus Crew

July 3017	Los Angeles Galaxy	2-1	Columbus Crew	Carson, CA
10:30 PM EDT	Ruiz  11' Martínez 44' Lalas 52'	Report	Hejduk  11' Dunseth  20' Oughton  45+2' Clark  57' Maisonneuve 79'	Stadium: The Home Depot Center Attendance: 21,806 Referee: Noel Kenny Assistant referees: Nate Clement Richard Eddy Fourth official: Hector Tobon
Note: Originally scheduled on September 3

Los Angeles Galaxy v Columbus Crew

August 918	Los Angeles Galaxy	3-1	Columbus Crew	Carson, CA
10:00 PM EDT	Ruiz 68', 86' Serna 89'	Report	Clark  22' Dunseth  28' McCarty  44' Hejduk  45+1' Buddle 74'	Stadium: The Home Depot Center Attendance: 22,063 Referee: Alex Prus Assistant referees: Kermit Quisenberry Francisco Sanchez Fourth official: Ramon Hernandez

Columbus Crew v Chicago Fire

August 1319	Columbus Crew	2-2 (a.e.t.)	Chicago Fire	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT	Denton  37' Buddle 47' West 52' Busch  68' Cunningham  74' McCarty  80'	Report	Razov 34' (pen.) Ralph 90' Bocanegra  98'  100+1'	Stadium: Columbus Crew Stadium Attendance: 17,193 Referee: Brian Hall Assistant referees: Fabio Tovar Bahij Salman Fourth official: Hilario Grajeda

Colorado Rapids v Columbus Crew

August 1620	Colorado Rapids	2-1 (a.e.t.)	Columbus Crew	Denver, CO
9:00 PM EDT	Spencer 57',  65' Chung 91'	Report	McCarty  9' Buddle 72' Denton  78' Oughton  89'	Stadium: Invesco Field at Mile High Attendance: 11,671 Referee: Jesse Johnson Assistant referees: Greg Barkey David Bragg Fourth official: Kevin Stott

Dallas Burn v Columbus Crew

August 2321	Dallas Burn	1-2	Columbus Crew	Southlake, TX
9:00 PM EDT	Deering  9'  28' Gbandi  31' Rhine 75'	Report	Denton  35' Hejduk  37' Buddle 43' Paule 62'	Stadium: Dragon Stadium Attendance: 7,950 Referee: Kevin Stott Assistant referees: George Vergara Jose Andrade Fourth official: Hector Tobon

Columbus Crew v Kansas City Wizards

August 3122	Columbus Crew	1-0	Kansas City Wizards	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT	West 37' Oughton  55'	Report	Quill  4'	Stadium: Columbus Crew Stadium Attendance: 18,147 Referee: Terry Vaughn Assistant referees: Jorge De La Bandera Chip Reed Fourth official: Mikael Lundqvist
Note: Originally scheduled on August 30

Chicago Fire v Columbus Crew

September 623	Chicago Fire	1-1 (a.e.t.)	Columbus Crew	Naperville, IL
9:00 PM EDT	Marsch  52' Bocanegra 66' Curtin  94'	Report	Buddle 37',  53' Oughton  49' West  89'	Stadium: Cardinal Stadium Attendance: 15,136 Referee: Gus St. Silva Assistant referees: Richard Eddy Bill Dittmar Fourth official: Cien Asoera
Note: Originally scheduled on September 7

Columbus Crew v Dallas Burn

September 1324	Columbus Crew	3-2	Dallas Burn	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT	Buddle 28', 81' McBride 39'	Report	Dunseth 15' Stone  49'  86' Johnson 52' Pareja  90+2'	Stadium: Columbus Crew Stadium Attendance: 16,049 Referee: Alex Prus Assistant referees: Kermit Quisenberry Gibby Widner Fourth official: Hilario Grajeda

NY/NJ MetroStars v Columbus Crew

September 2025	NY/NJ MetroStars	1-0 (a.e.t.)	Columbus Crew	East Rutherford, NJ
7:30 PM EDT	Lisi  32' Williams  33' Wolyniec 100+1'	Report	Williams  5' Oughton  70'	Stadium: Giants Stadium Attendance: 16,507 Referee: Noel Kenny Assistant referees: Rob Fereday Thomas Supple Fourth official: Ricardo Salazar

New England Revolution v Columbus Crew

September 2826	New England Revolution	3-2 (a.e.t.)	Columbus Crew	Foxborough, MA
6:00 PM EDT	Llamosa  50' Joseph  65', 81' Moore 78' Franchino 97'	Report	Williams  22' Hejduk  27' McBride  30' Martino 41',  67' Denton 72',  80' Matteo  96'	Stadium: Gillette Stadium Attendance: 8,594 Referee: Terry Vaughn Assistant referees: George Vergara Jorge De La Bandera Fourth official: Gus St. Silva
Note: Originally scheduled on September 27

Columbus Crew v D.C. United

October 427	Columbus Crew	1-1 (a.e.t.)	D.C. United	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT	Paule 19' Denton  36' Maisonneuve  39' Williams  72'	Report	Nelsen  44' Stewart  51' Etcheverry 59' (pen.),  61'	Stadium: Columbus Crew Stadium Attendance: 17,995 Referee: Ricardo Valenzuela Assistant referees: Nate Clement George Gansner Fourth official: Marcel Yonan

Chicago Fire v Columbus Crew

October 1028	Chicago Fire	2-0	Columbus Crew	Chicago, IL
9:00 PM EDT	Jaqua 11',  67' Razov 49' Beasley  57'	Report	Hejduk  54' Akwari  88' Clark  89'	Stadium: Soldier Field Attendance: 30,845 Referee: Brian Hall Assistant referees: Chris Strickland Jose Corro Fourth official: Michael Kennedy
Note: Originally scheduled on October 11

D.C. United v Columbus Crew

October 1929	D.C. United	2-3 (a.e.t.)	Columbus Crew	Washington, D.C.
4:00 PM EDT	Stoichkov  22', 37' (pen.) Martins  72' Kovalenko  73' Petke 90+6' Eskandarian  92'  93'	Report	Denton  20' West 26' Maisonneuve  38' Williams  44' McBride 90' (pen.), 100' Walsh  98'	Stadium: Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium Attendance: 14,368 Referee: Abbey Okulaja Assistant referees: Thomas Supple Gibby Widner Fourth official: Erich Simmons

Columbus Crew v Chicago Fire

October 2630	Columbus Crew	6-2	Chicago Fire	Columbus, OH
4:00 PM EST	Williams  45+1' McBride 49', 67' Cunningham 54' Buddle 74'85' García 90'	Report	Selolwane 3' Marsch 25' (pen.)	Stadium: Columbus Crew Stadium Attendance: 19,404 Referee: Kevin Stott Assistant referees: Chip Reed Bahij Salman Fourth official: Marcel Yonan

MLS Cup Playoffs

Main article: 2003 MLS Cup Playoffs

The Columbus Crew failed to qualify for the playoffs in this season.

U.S. Open Cup

Main article: 2003 U.S. Open Cup

Columbus Crew (MLS) v NY/NJ MetroStars (MLS)

August 6Fourth Round	Columbus Crew (MLS)	3-4	NY/NJ MetroStars (MLS)	Columbus, OH
7:30 PM EDT	Buddle 10', 11',  73' Denton  21' Maisonneuve 43' West  68'	Report	Maisonneuve 24' (o.g.) Jolley 54' Lisi  70' Pope 77', 86'	Stadium: Columbus Crew Stadium Attendance: 5,590 Referee: Kevin Stott Assistant referees: Hilario Grajeda Mikael Lundqvist Fourth official: Jason Krnac

CONCACAF Champions' Cup

Main article: 2003 CONCACAF Champions' Cup

Round of 16

C.D. Árabe Unido v Columbus Crew

March 16Leg 1	C.D. Árabe Unido	1-2	Columbus Crew	Colon, Panama
2:00 PM EST	7' 65'	Report	Busch  6' Cunningham  56' Martino 63'	Stadium: Estadio Armando Dely Valdés Attendance: 3,500 Referee: Neftali Recinos (El Salvador)

Columbus Crew v C.D. Árabe Unido

March 23Leg 2	Columbus Crew	3-0 (3-2 agg.)	C.D. Árabe Unido	Columbus, OH
4:00 PM EST	Hejduk  37'  71' Buddle 42', 59' Martino  55', 70'	Report	20'  29'  59'  62'	Stadium: Columbus Crew Stadium Attendance: 6,443 Referee: Jorge Casso (Mexico) Assistant referees: Craig Lowry (United States) Nathan Clement (United States) Fourth official: Michael Kennedy (United States)

Quarterfinals

Monarcas Morelia v Columbus Crew

April 9Leg 1	Monarcas Morelia	6-0	Columbus Crew	Morelia, Mexico
9:00 PM EDT	Palacios 38' Íñiguez 42', 69' Bautista 49', 54'  48' Navia 65'	Report	Clark  11' McCarty  82'	Stadium: Estadio Morelos Attendance: 10,000 Referee: Joel Aguilar (El Salvador)

Columbus Crew v Monarcas Morelia

April 16Leg 2	Columbus Crew	2-0 (2-6 agg.)	Monarcas Morelia	Columbus, OH
7:00 PM EDT	Denton  13'  31' Buddle 15' Cunningham 28',  43' Hejduk  62' Oughton  78' Walsh  88'	Report	27'  64'  86'	Stadium: Columbus Crew Stadium Attendance: 3,358 Referee: Jean-Francois Corrivault (Canada) Assistant referees: George Vargara (United States) Robert Fereday (United States) Fourth official: Ali Saheli (United States)

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.

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		MLS		U.S. Open Cup		CONCACAF Champions' Cup
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK	USA	Jon Busch	27	0	24+0	0	0+0	0	3+0	0
2	DF	USA	Frankie Hejduk	27	0	23+0	0	1+0	0	3+0	0
3	DF	USA	Mike Clark	33	0	29+0	0	1+0	0	3+0	0
4	DF	NIR	Mark Williams	5	0	5+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
5	DF	USA	Chad McCarty	23	0	14+5	0	0+0	0	3+1	0
6	DF	USA	Eric Denton	30	2	25+1	2	1+0	0	3+0	0
7	MF	BRA	Diego Walsh	17	1	6+8	1	1+0	0	1+1	0
8	DF	NZL	Duncan Oughton	27	0	18+5	0	1+0	0	2+1	0
10	MF	USA	Brian Maisonneuve	28	2	20+3	1	1+0	1	2+2	0
11	FW	USA	Jeff Cunningham	25	6	13+8	5	1+0	0	2+1	1
12	FW	USA	Edson Buddle	26	16	16+5	10	1+0	2	4+0	4
15	MF	GUA	Freddy Garcia	26	1	12+10	1	0+0	0	4+0	0
16	MF	USA	Ross Paule	30	4	25+0	4	0+1	0	2+2	0
17	FW	USA	Brian West	28	4	17+7	4	0+1	0	2+1	0
18	DF	USA	Nelson Akwari	14	0	5+6	0	0+1	0	2+0	0
20	FW	USA	Brian McBride	27	12	23+1	12	0+0	0	2+1	0
21	MF	USA	Kyle Martino	24	3	20+2	2	0+0	0	2+0	1
22	GK	USA	Tom Presthus	9	0	6+1	0	1+0	0	1+0	0
23	FW	HON	Alex Pineda Chacon	9	0	3+5	0	0+1	0	0+0	0
24	MF	USA	Jeff Matteo	7	1	3+3	1	1+0	0	0+0	0
25	FW	USA	Michael Ritch	3	0	0+3	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
27	MF	ECU	Andres Murriagui	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
28	DF	USA	Jake Traeger	2	0	0+1	0	0+0	0	0+1	0
31	GK	USA	Michael Ueltschey	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
			Own Goal	0	0	-	0	-	0	-	0
Players who left Columbus during the season:
4	DF	CRC	Daniel Torres	9	0	6+2	0	0+0	0	1+0	0
13	DF	USA	Brian Dunseth	22	1	17+2	1	1+0	0	2+0	0
26	MF	USA	Trevor Perea	1	0	0+1	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
-	MF	USA	Ryan Mack	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
-	GK	USA	Clint Baumstark	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0

Source:

Disciplinary record

No.	Pos.	Name	MLS		U.S. Open Cup		CONCACAF Champions' Cup		Total
1	GK	Jon Busch	3	0	0	0	1	0	4	0
2	DF	Frankie Hejduk	6	0	0	0	3	1	9	1
3	DF	Mike Clark	5	1	0	0	1	0	6	1
4	DF	Mark Williams	5	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
5	DF	Chad McCarty	5	0	0	0	1	0	6	0
6	DF	Eric Denton	7	0	1	0	2	1	10	1
7	MF	Diego Walsh	2	1	0	0	1	0	3	1
8	DF	Duncan Oughton	6	0	0	0	1	0	7	0
10	MF	Brian Maisonneuve	5	0	0	0	0	0	5	0
11	FW	Jeff Cunningham	2	0	0	0	1	1	3	1
12	FW	Edson Buddle	2	0	1	0	0	0	3	0
15	MF	Freddy Garcia	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
16	MF	Ross Paule	2	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
17	FW	Brian West	2	0	0	1	0	0	2	1
18	DF	Nelson Akwari	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
20	FW	Brian McBride	3	0	0	0	0	0	3	0
21	MF	Kyle Martino	1	0	0	0	1	0	2	0
22	GK	Tom Presthus	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
23	FW	Alex Pineda Chacon	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
24	MF	Jeff Matteo	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
25	FW	Michael Ritch	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
27	MF	Andres Murriagui	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
28	DF	Jake Traeger	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
31	GK	Michael Ueltschey	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Players who left Columbus during the season:
4	DF	Daniel Torres	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
13	DF	Brian Dunseth	6	0	0	0	0	0	6	0
26	MF	Trevor Perea	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
-	MF	Ryan Mack	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
-	GK	Clint Baumstark	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Source:

Clean sheets

No.	Name	MLS	U.S. Open Cup	CONCACAF Champions' Cup	Total	Games Played
1	Jon Busch	4	0	0	0	27
22	Tom Presthus	2	0	1	0	9
31	Michael Ueltschey	0	0	0	0	0
Players who left Columbus during the season:
-	Clint Baumstark	0	0	0	0	0

Source:

Transfers

In

Pos.	Player	Transferred from	Fee/notes	Date	Source
DF	Diego Walsh	SMU Mustangs	Drafted in round 1 of the 2003 MLS SuperDraft	January 17, 2003	[8]
DF	Nelson Akwari	NY/NJ MetroStars	Traded for a second round draft pick in the 2003 MLS SuperDraft	January 17, 2003	[8]
FW	Michael Ritch	Auburn Tigers	Drafted in round 4 of the 2003 MLS SuperDraft	January 17, 2003	[8]
DF	Jake Traeger	Ohio State Buckeyes	Drafted in round 6 of the 2003 MLS SuperDraft	January 17, 2003	[8]
DF	Frankie Hejduk	Bayer Leverkusen		March 8, 2003	[9]
MF	Ross Paule	NY/NJ MetroStars	Traded for Chris Leitch and Jeff Matteo	March 13, 2003	[10]
MF	Trevor Perea	Duke Blue Devils	Signed to a developmental contract	March, 2003
GK	Michael Ueltschey	Cincinnati Riverhawks	Signed to a developmental contract	March, 2003
MF	Ryan Mack	Chicago Fire	Signed to a developmental contract	April, 2003
MF	Jeff Matteo	NY/NJ MetroStars	Claimed off waivers	May 23, 2003	[11]
MF	Alex Pineda Chacon	Los Angeles Galaxy	Traded for a third round draft pick in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft	July 31, 2003	[10]
DF	Mark Williams	Stoke City F.C.	Signed via discovery	August 21, 2003	[12]
MF	Andres Murriagui	Cincinnati Riverhawks	Signed to a developmental contract	August 23, 2003	[13]

Loan in

Pos.	Player	Parent club	Length/Notes	Beginning	End	Source
GK	Clint Baumstark	MLS Pool	Short term agreement	July 30, 2003	July 30, 2003	[14]

Out

Pos.	Player	Transferred to	Fee/notes	Date	Source
DF	Chris Leitch	NY/NJ MetroStars	Traded with Jeff Matteo for Ross Paule	March 13, 2003	[10]
MF	Jeff Matteo	NY/NJ MetroStars	Traded with Chris Leitch for Ross Paule	March 13, 2003	[10]
FW	Dante Washington	Virginia Beach Mariners	Contract expired	March 23, 2003	[15]
MF	Ryan Mack	Syracuse Salty Dogs	Placed on waivers	May 23, 2003
DF	Daniel Torres	Deportivo Saprissa	Transfer, terms undisclosed	July 2, 2003	[16]
MF	Trevor Perea	Cincinnati Riverhawks	Placed on waivers	August 20, 2003	[17]
DF	Brian Dunseth	Dallas Burn	Traded for a fifth round draft pick in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft	August 21, 2003	[12]
DF	Chad McCarty	Retired	Placed on waivers	December 31, 2003	[11]
MF	Jeff Matteo	Minnesota Thunder	Contract expired	December 31, 2003	[11]
DF	Mark Williams	Wimbledon F.C.	Contract expired	December 31, 2003	[11]
MF	Alex Pineda Chacon	Atlanta Silverbacks	Contract expired	December 31, 2003	[11]
MF	Brian West	Fredrikstad FK	Contract expired	December 31, 2003	[11]
GK	Michael Ueltschey	Puerto Rico Islanders	Contract expired	December 31, 2003	[11]
MF	Andres Murriagui	Atlanta Silverbacks	Contract expired	December 31, 2003	[11]

Loans out

Pos.	Player	Loanee club	Length/Notes	Beginning	End	Source
FW	Brian McBride	Everton F.C.		January 10, 2003	March 21, 2003	[18]
MF	Trevor Perea	Cincinnati Riverhawks	Multiple short term agreements	April, 2003	August 20, 2003	[19]
DF	Nelson Akwari	Cincinnati Riverhawks	Multiple short term agreements	April, 2003	End of Season	[19]
DF	Jake Traeger	Cincinnati Riverhawks	Multiple short term agreements	April, 2003	End of Season	[19]
FW	Michael Ritch	Syracuse Salty Dogs	Multiple short term agreements	April, 2003	End of Season	[20]
GK	Michael Ueltschey	Montreal Impact	Multiple short term agreements	April 16, 2003	End of Season	[21]
MF	Andres Murriagui	Cincinnati Riverhawks	Multiple short term agreements	August, 2003	End of Season	[19]

MLS Draft picks

Main articles: 2003 MLS SuperDraft and 2003 MLS Supplemental Draft

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:

2003 Columbus Crew SuperDraft Picks [22]
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College
1	7	Diego Walsh	DF	SMU
4	37	Michael Ritch	FW	Auburn
5	47	Guy Abrahamson	MF	Rutgers
6	58	Jake Traeger	DF	Ohio State

2003 Columbus Crew Supplemental Draft Picks [23]
Round	Pick	Player	Position	Team
1	7	Ian Joy	DF	Kidderminster Harriers F.C.

Awards

MLS Player of the Week Week Player Opponent(s) Link 1 Edson Buddle Los Angeles Galaxy 3 Brian McBride New England Revolution

2003 MLS All-Star Game Starters DF Frankie Hejduk [11] Reserves MF Kyle Martino

Postseason MLS Fair Play Award [11] FW Brian McBride

Crew Team Awards Most Valuable Player – Ross Paule [11] Defensive Player of the Year – Eric Denton Scoring Champion – Brian McBride Man of the Year – Brian McBride Coach's Award – Brian Maisonneuve Goal of the Year – Brian McBride & Diego Walsh Humanitarian of the Year – Mike Clark Hardest Working Man of the Year – Frankie Hejduk Comeback Player of the Year – Edson Buddle

References

1. "2003 Columbus Crew Players". www.thecrew.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2003.
2. "COLUMBUS CREW AND CREW STADIUM". www.thecrew.com. Archived from the original on August 17, 2003.
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4. "Notes On Crew Happenings". www.thecrew.com. Archived from the original on October 9, 2003. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
5. "Buddle Buries DC in First Half". www.matchnight.com. Archived from the original on April 13, 2003. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
6. "Goode starts in goal for Crew". The Kansas City Star. July 13, 2003.
7. "Columbus tops Mexican club team". The Kansas City Star. July 13, 2003.
8. "Crew SuperDraft Picks". www.thecrew.com. Archived from the original on October 3, 2003. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
9. "Crew Acquires U.S. World Cup Veteran Frankie Hejduk". www.thecrew.com. Archived from the original on August 22, 2003. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
10. "Crew Acquires Ross Paule's Rights From Metrostars". www.thecrew.com. Archived from the original on October 9, 2003. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
11. "2005 media guide – Columbus Crew".
12. "Crew Signs N. Ireland International Mark Williams, Trades Dunseth to Dallas". www.thecrew.com. Archived from the original on February 25, 2004. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
13. "27 - Murriagui, Andres". www.thecrew.com. Archived from the original on October 30, 2003. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
14. "Baumstark, Clint". www.thecrew.com. Archived from the original on August 17, 2003. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
15. "Farewell, Dante..." www.thecrew.com. Archived from the original on August 17, 2003. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
16. "Torres To Transfer Back To Saprissa". www.thecrew.com. Archived from the original on February 23, 2004. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
17. "26 - Perea, Trevor". www.thecrew.com. Archived from the original on May 26, 2004. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
18. "Error Occurred While Processing Request". Archived from the original on August 19, 2003.
19. "2003 Cincinnati Riverhawks Division II and III soccer Statistics on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com. Archived from the original on April 17, 2025. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
20. "2003 Syracuse Salty Dogs Division II and III soccer Statistics on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com. Archived from the original on April 17, 2025. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
21. "A-LEAGUE PREVIEW: Eastern Conference". old.socceramerica.com. Archived from the original on July 31, 2025. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
22. "2003 MLS SuperDraft". www.mlssoccer.com.
23. "2003 MLS Supplemental Draft". www.mlssoccer.com.