The 2007 Columbus Crew season was the club's twelfth season of existence, and their twelfth consecutive season in Major League Soccer, the top flight of American soccer. Columbus also competed in the U.S. Open Cup but failed to qualify for the

MLS Cup Playoffs The MLS Cup Playoffs is the annual postseason elimination tournament of Major League Soccer. The final match of the tournament is the MLS Cup, the league's championship game. Under the current format adopted for the 2019 season, 14 teams quali ...

. The season covered the period from November 9, 2006 to the start of the

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

. Although the Crew faced

FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes as a member of the Western Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). The franchise began play in 1996 as a charter club of the le ...

in the regular season, control of the inaugural edition of the

Lamar Hunt Pioneer Cup The Lamar Hunt Pioneer Cup is a Major League Soccer (MLS) series between FC Dallas and the Columbus Crew . The series is named after the late Lamar Hunt, who was one of the league's early major investors and a key supporter of American soccer. Ini ...

was decided in the preseason. Columbus claimed a 3–0 victory and hoisted the cup for the first time. The Crew were eliminated in the U.S. Open Cup qualification semifinals by

Los Angeles Galaxy LA Galaxy, also known as the Los Angeles Galaxy, are an American professional soccer club based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Galaxy competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), as a member of the Western Conference. The club began pla ...

and finished three points out of a spot in the

, the third consecutive season without a playoff berth for Columbus.

Background

In the 2006 season the Crew finished sixth place in the East, finished last in the Supporters' Shield table, and failed to qualify for the U.S. Open Cup or the CONCACAF Champions' Cup. Columbus lost defender

Ritchie Kotschau Richard Scott Kotschau (born November 22, 1975) is an American former soccer player who last played as a defender for the Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer. Club career Kotschau was born in Levittown, New York. After playing college soccer a ...

to expansion team

Toronto FC Toronto Football Club (commonly known as Toronto FC or TFC) is a Canadian professional soccer club based in Toronto. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home matches at BM ...

, but he would be replaced by

2007 MLS SuperDraft The 2007 MLS SuperDraft was held in Indianapolis, Indiana on January 12, 2007. It was the eighth annual Major League Soccer SuperDraft. The first selection belonged to expansion team Toronto FC. The SuperDraft was followed by the 2007 MLS Suppl ...

second-round selection

Brad Evans Bradley Ray Evans (born April 20, 1985) is an American retired professional soccer player who played as a midfielder. Born in Phoenix, Evans was drafted out of University of California, Irvine in the second round of the 2007 MLS SuperDraft by ...

. Coach Sigi Schmid would also bring in Danny O'Rourke,

Robbie Rogers Robert Hampton Rogers III (born May 12, 1987) is an American former professional soccer player. He played as a winger and as a left back. Rogers has also represented the United States men's national soccer team. In February 2013, Rogers came o ...

Alejandro Moreno Alejandro Enrique Moreno Riera (born July 8, 1979) is a Venezuelan former footballer who played as a forward, and who is currently a television commentator for ESPN FC, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Latin America. Moreno won three MLS Cups during hi ...

William Hesmer William Hesmer (born November 23, 1981 in Wilson, North Carolina) is a retired American soccer player who played as a goalkeeper. Career College Hesmer played college soccer at Wake Forest University from 2000 to 2003, establishing himself as ...

, and the team's very first

Designated Player The Designated Player Rule, nicknamed the Beckham Rule, allows Major League Soccer franchises to sign up to three players that would be considered outside their salary cap (either by offering the player higher wages or by paying a transfer fee ...

Guillermo Barros Schelotto Guillermo Barros Schelotto (; born 4 May 1973) is an Argentine football manager and former forward who currently manages the Paraguay national team. Barros Schelotto played 16 years of his professional career in the Argentine Primera Divis ...

. The 2007 season was ultimately unsuccessful, but would be a rebuilding year for Columbus in preparation for the 2008 season, in which they would win both the Supporters' Shield and MLS Cup.

Roster

Non-competitive

Competitive

MLS

Standings

= Eastern Conference

= * – Toronto FC cannot qualify for the U.S. Open Cup, as it is a Canadian-based team.
If they had qualified for an automatic berth into the U.S. Open Cup, the next highest placed team in the Eastern Conference not already qualified would have qualified.

=Overall table

Results summary

Results by round

Match results

U.S. Open Cup

Statistics

Appearances and goals

Disciplinary record

Clean sheets

Awards

''Sources:''

MLS Player of the Week

MLS Player of the Month

; 2007 MLS All-Star Game * FW Guillermo Barros Schelotto * MF

Frankie Hejduk Frank Daniel "Frankie" Hejduk (born August 5, 1974) is an American former soccer player who played as a wingback and midfielder. At the club level he represented the Tampa Bay Mutiny, Bayer Leverkusen, St. Gallen, Columbus Crew, and the LA G ...

Postseason

;

MLS Best XI The MLS Best XI is an annual acknowledgment of the best eleven players in Major League Soccer. Winners *Players in bold were awarded the Landon Donovan MVP Award for that season. Most appearances by a player The following players have appeared ...

* MF Guillermo Barros Schelotto ;Columbus Crew Team Awards * Most Valuable Player – Guillermo Barros Schelotto * Golden Boot –

* Defender of the Year – Frankie Hejduk * Breakthrough Performance of the Year – Guillermo Barros Schelotto * Humanitarian of the Year – Danny O'Rourke * Comeback Player of the Year – Frankie Hejduk * Hardest Working Man of the Year – Alejandro Moreno

References

Notes

{{2007 in American soccer Columbus Crew seasons