Will Aidan Morris, Patrick Schulte be available for Columbus Crew vs NYCFC?
Even if there had been no report of Aidan Morris' expected signing with English Football League Championship's Middlesbrough FC, there still would have been a question about the midfielder's status going into the Crew's upcoming match against New York City FC.
Morris is expected to be available for Columbus on Friday and other future Crew matches until the deal with Middlesbrough is finalized and signed. Morris has been training with the team ahead of the NYCFC match.
This negated any question of if Morris' international duty with the United States U-23 national team would cause him unavailable for Columbus.
Morris and goalkeeper Patrick Schulte received a call-up to the U-23 team's final camp before the Paris Olympic rosters are decided. The camp concluded with a friendly against Japan on Tuesday in Kansas City. While Morris was absent for the match, Schulte was in the starting lineup, but still will be available for Friday, Crew coach Wilfried Nancy said.
Schulte's availability is pivotal with Columbus facing a top Eastern Conference rival, as both his usual backups at the goalkeeping position are unavailable.
Evan Bush is still recovering from a forearm injury he sustained in April, though Nancy has stated that he is "close to a comeback." And Nicholas Hagen has international duty with the Guatemalan national team.
'We cannot play on this type of pitch': Crew set to face NYCFC at Yankee Stadium
There is still quite a while before a Crew road match against NYCFC will be played at the club's new built-for-soccer stadium, set to open in 2027, rather than at a baseball ballpark. When that day does come, it will be a welcome change to Nancy.
"I’m so happy because it’s not good for the league," Nancy said. "People who can watch all our games all over the world, when they see that we play on the baseball field, this is not good at all, simple as that. ... We know why we do that, but people overseas, they don't know why we do that. And if we want to be good, we cannot play on this type of pitch."
NYCFC has become known for splitting its home matches between Yankee Stadium, the New York Yankees home field, and Citi Field, the home field of the New York Mets. When the Crew face NYCFC on Friday, it will be at Yankee Stadium, but the adjustments are the same no matter the park.
Nancy said the two goals fail to face each other straight on, and that is only where the problems start.
"The field is more narrow than anything else," said Crew defender/midfielder Sean Zawadzki. "I remember last year, playing back line, and you look to your left and everything kind of looks not as straight. The lines don't look as straight with the way the stands are, so it throws everything off a little bit, trying to maintain a backline."
NYCFC has an Eastern Conference-leading six home wins in 2024. In the club's most recent match at Yankee Stadium, NYCFC defeated the San Jose Earthquakes 5-1.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew Aidan Morris, Patrick Schulte available vs NYCFC
