MLS announced its full 2014 schedule Tuesday, including the Columbus Crew's slate of 34 matches.
The league continued its strategy of an unbalanced schedule, where teams play each opposite conference opponent once, and east conference foe twice or three times. The 2014 season will also see a two week break from play to accommodate players involved with the 2014 FIFA World Cup, taking place from July 12-24.
The Crew will open its season March 8 with a trip to the nation's capitol to face DC United, who they swept in 2013. They will host their home opener March 22 in Crew Stadium against the Philadelphia Union.
Columbus plays three non-weekend games, May 7 in Houston, June 6 against Real Salt Lake and July 16 against Sporting Kansas City.
Highlights of the schedule include primetime matchups in Seattle against the Sounders at 10 p.m. March 29, and in Portland against the Timbers at 10:30 p.m. May 17. The Crew also have a Sunday afternoon matchup with national coverage on May 4 in Kansas City and a summer matchup against the LA Galaxy in Columbus on August 16.
During an eight day stretch between July 12 and 19, the Crew will face the daunting task of a trip to New York on the 12th before two home games against Sporting Kansas City on the 16th and the Montreal Impact on the 19th. The midseason stretch could be a barometer of the team's strength in new head coach Gregg Berhalter's first season.
Columbus finishes its season with a home match against the Philadelphia Union October 26 at 5 p.m. The match will be the club's second against Philadelphia in its final three matches, and the last of its final 7 matches that all come against Eastern Conference opponents.
