Schmid Confident Ahead of Fire Clash

Sigi Schmid has already taken one team, the LA Galaxy, to the MLS Cup final. Now with his second yellow-clad squad, he's looking to repeat that feat. With confidence like Sigi's, don't bet against him, says Goal.com's Shane Evans.

Nov 11, 2008 3:19:16 PM

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By Shane Evans

As they year progressed, the first place Columbus Crew seemed to get better and better with each passing match, and it’s easy to tell why. Their coach Sigi Schmid exudes confidence.
Recovering from a tough season last year that saw a whole host of players go down with injuries, Schmid has brought his team back to prominence as they prepare to take on the Chicago Fire in the Eastern Conference Final on Thursday night.

“Obviously [we're] very pleased with how things have gone this year,” said Schmid of the season to this point during an MLS teleconference. “Been a bit of a rebuilding process, but out team came out and are starting to see things in a very confident fashion. We’ve been fairly consistent this year and we are obviously very happy about that. I’m excited, I know the team and the players are excited going into this game.”

Advancing through the first round after decisively beating the Kansas City Wizards 2-0 last weekend, Schmid and the Crew are bursting with confidence as an explosive Fire set is set to visit Crew Stadium. Schmid believes if his team keeps playing the way they are now and have all season, success will certainly come.

“It’s great to be in the conference final, but it’s even better for it to be here in Columbus. We look forward to this match, it’s going to be a tough match, we expect nothing less. If we play our game and continue to play as a unit and continue to do what we’ve done all season offensively and defensively then we can be successful.”

Success is something the team is no stranger to as they dominated the MLS this season, finishing with a league-best 57 points, which gave them this year’s Supporters Shield.

One huge reason why the Crew were able to do what they did this year was because of the play of MVP candidate Guillermo Barros Schelotto. His seven goals and 19 assists were vital, but it wasn’t just his numbers that helped, it was his astounding presence on the pitch that the Crew really benefited from.

“We are very lucky to have Guillermo on our team,” said Schmid of his playmaker. “He’s similar to Blanco down in Chicago. Guillermo doesn’t strike you as a vocal guy on the field, there is a lot of talking with the guys in training. He’s had a big impact on our team. He’s also so experienced that he’s calm and composed going into big games, which rubs off on the others.”

The Fire do have their own Schelotto as Schmid mentioned, and he comes in the form of another MVP candidate, Cuauhtemoc Blanco. With Blanco in the line-up, the strategies of the two teams are similar, but Schmid believes the Crew’s speed will be the difference.

“I think there are a lot of similarities between both teams because both teams really play with one striker, with the other roaming around a bit, whether it’s Blanco or Guillermo. I like our pace on the flanks, I think it’s one of the best among any team in the league and we always look to exploit it in any games we play.” 

“They’re a little bit bigger than us. When you look at guys like [Wilman] Conde and [Bakary] Soumare and [Justin] Prideaux and [Brian] McBride, they’ve got some pretty good size and height, and I’m sure they’re going to try to use that to their advantage. As far as style and tactical system, we’re probably a little bit similar, but then you look at the individual players are the ones that make it different, and that’s what makes the whole thing interesting.”

It remains to be seen which of these teams will come out on top in Thursday’s clash, but in Schmid’s mind, there will be only one outcome and it will mean the German native will be coaching his second team to the MLS Cup.

Shane Evans is an associate editor of Goal.com USA

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