By Darren Van Paris, Aka “Rick”

Hello fellow Crew fans!

I hope everyone has had an opportunity to recover from the game this past Sunday and bask in the glory that your Columbus Crew SC men will once again be back in the MLS Cup Playoffs this Thursday. Despite the massive distractions that Gregg and the boys have had to deal with the entire year, they still found a way to get it done. Truly incredible right? Could’ve packed it in and nobody would’ve thought much of it other than 3 people on social media that want major changes at every bump along the way. Anyways, hats off to the entire staff and players who fought, scraped, and battled to get to this point.

I know I’m pumped and can’t wait to check out the game this Thursday at 8 PM. DC United is playing some solid soccer right now on what seemingly felt like a 20-game home stand to get into the playoffs.

Enough of those guys, let’s talk about more important things like what YOU should be doing this Thursday. You should be going out to a local bar, restaurant, or watch party (ideally any #Save The Crew business ally establishment!) in your area to support the boys. Oh boi, I can already hear some people saying:

“but it’s a Thursday and I have work tomorrow”

“8 PM isn’t a super convenient time for me on a weekday”

“I cooked this pot of chili for 5 hours last night and didn’t eat any of it because I’ve heard it tastes better after giving it 24 hours for the flavors to come together! I really just want to curl up on the couch with a blanket, a bowl of chili, and watch the game there”

Well, these are all reasonable excuses for you not to leave your house to watch the game on Thursday. However, I challenge you to think about this: think of all the individuals in our community that have rallied around this team and what we have done to be the 1st city EVER to keep a team from re-locating in modern age sports. As amazing as that sounds, (it really is!) the biggest thing we all did was show-up and engage in our community more than anyone thought possible. By creating connections with others for a common goal we can work to keep this soccer momentum going. We can still continue to create connections with people that we don’t know to create an even greater bond moving forward. Plus, every time the Crew scores you can yell and scream as loud as you would like without your significant other or furry friend getting upset with you!

So make some plans, get off your couch this Thursday night, put on that Crew gear, and make your way down to a watch party or bar and support this team with your Black & Gold friends.

Watch the Columbus Crew vs DCU Knockout Round:

*Will be offering drink specials during the match.

Other Supporter Group Locations