Crew's Warzycha to Lead Generation adidas Squad in Upcoming Tour in South Africa

COLUMBUS, OH – Major League Soccer and adidas announced today that Crew head coach Robert Warzycha has been selected to lead 18 MLS ‘Generation adidas’ players to South Africa – site of the 2010 FIFA World Cup – for a two-week tour that will include a trio of friendly matches. The group is scheduled to depart Friday, Nov. 27 and will return stateside Tuesday, Dec. 8.

The squad will first take on the Orlando Pirates reserve squad on Monday, Nov. 30, then will take on a yet-to-be-determined opponent on Thursday, Dec. 3. The schedule of friendlies will then conclude with a match against the AJAX Cape Town reserves on Sunday, Dec. 6.

The group will also enjoy sightseeing and take part in several appearances while in South Africa, including visits to Soweto “Nelson Mandela House," the Apartheid Museum, the World Cup 2010 Draw and the opening of the first FIFA Football for Hope Centre. 

Warzycha, who will be joined on the trip by Crew assistant coach Mike Lapper, head athletic trainer Jason Mathews and equipment manager Rusty Wummel, leads the group of rising MLS stars after recently completing his first full season at the helm of the Black & Gold. In it the Crew won its second consecutive MLS Supporters’ Shield with a 13-7-10 regular season record (49 pts.) and advanced to the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League, while earning recognition as a top-three finalist for the 2009 MLS Coach of the Year award.

Generation adidas, which was established ahead of the 2005 MLS season, is Major League Soccer's youth player development program designed to identify and nurture the elite youth soccer talent in the United States. The youth players who join MLS as part of the Generation adidas program receive unprecedented opportunities to develop their game and hone their skills at the professional level in Major League Soccer. In addition to training and playing on a weekly basis with one of Major League Soccer's 14 professional clubs, Generation adidas players also receive educational grants to further their college education. 

More News

The Crew Review Home