COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Columbus Crew hired former U.S. mens national team and Major League Soccer player Gregg Berhalter as their seventh head coach. The Englewood, N.J., native replaces interim coach Brian Bliss, who took over during the recently completed Crew season for the fired Robert Warzycha, who had led the team the past five years. "The Crew has a strong history of winning and a dedicated fan base, and I aim to bring a style of play that resonates with our supporters and results that will make the city proud," Berhalter said in a statement Wednesday. "I am eager to get started, and my immediate priority is to reach out to the players and share our new vision for the club as we move forward." Berhalter became the first American to manage a European professional club when he was hired by Swedens Hammarby IF. His Hammarby teams went 18-11-16 in two seasons. He was fired last summer, largely because the team had difficulty mustering goals -- a problem he will also face with the defensive-oriented Crew. He had an 18-year run as a player, including stays in the Netherlands, England and Germany and MLS. Berhalter will also oversee all player personnel decisions with the team, with Crew President Mark McCullers relinquishing his duties as general manager to focus primarily on the clubs business operations. "Greggs strong vision, passion, work ethic, intelligence, data-driven decision-making, broad soccer network and playing credentials separated him throughout this search," said Anthony Precourt, the Crews chairman. "His unique skill-set gives us great confidence in boldly changing the structure of our soccer operations, with Gregg leading as our first-ever Sporting Director." In his final season with the L.A. Galaxy in 2011, Berhalter worked under coach Bruce Arena to prepare training sessions, video analysis and scouting as the club won the MLS Cup championship. He also was on the coaching side at 1860 Munich, where he helped with scouting for the German Club from 2007-09. After playing for the University of North Carolina, Berhalter spent time with Dutch Second Division team FC Zwolle and Holland First Division clubs Sparta Rotterdam and SC Cambuur before moving on to Englands Crystal Palace FC in the Football League Championship. He reached the quarter-finals of the 2002 World Cup with the United States before signing with Energie Cottbus of the German Bundesliga, where he served as captain while playing from 2002-06. He switched to 1860 Munich from 2006-09 before joining the Galaxy in 2009-11, serving as vice-captain. He earned 44 caps with the U.S. mens national team. Bliss leaves the Crew after six seasons as technical director. The club went 4-4-0 with him as interim coach. Nike Air Max 2016 Release Date . Despite dominating possession, Schalke needed an own goal from Nicolas Hoefler for the breakthrough a minute before the interval. The Freiburg midfielder misjudged Jefferson Farfans corner and bundled the ball into his own net. Nike Air Max 2016 For Sale . Most important, perhaps, it went off without a hitch. Organizers poked a little fun at the now-infamous opening ceremony gaffe that saw only four out of five snowflakes open up into rings, leaving the Olympics logo one ring short. . -- An ugly goal by Nick Bonino helped the Anaheim Ducks overcome the defensive-minded Phoenix Coyotes on a night when their ragged power play continued to struggle. [url=http://www.airmax2016uk.biz/nike-air-max-2016-release-date.html]Nike Air Max 2016 Shoes . -- Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Alrdridge were again the go-to duo for the Trail Blazers against the Kings.TORONTO -- Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver all passed on Stage 1 of the MLS Re-Entry Draft on Thursday but D.C. United continued its remake by taking defenders Sean Franklin and Bobby Boswell. United took Franklin first overall and then grabbed Boswell in the second round. Franklin spent the last six years with the Los Angeles Galaxy. Named 2008 rookie of the year, he played 160 matches and won two MLS titles with the Galaxy. He earned US$248,333 this season. "Sean is in the prime of his career, and we are excited that he is now part of D.C. United," United GM Dave Kasper said in a statement. Boswell joined D.C. United in 2005 and won Defender of the Year honours in 2006 before leaving for Houston. He played 32 games in 2013 for the Dynamo, making $220,000. "We are pleased to welcome Bobby back to United," said Kasper. "Bobby is a seasoned veteran and a winner, and he will provide our back line with solid leadership." Only Chivas USA gave up more goals (69) than D.C. Uniteds 59 in 2013. United had the leagues worst record at 3-24-7. On Tuesday, United acquired veteran midfielder and captain Davy Arnaud from the Montreal Impact in exchange for an international roster spot for the 2014 and 2015 seasons. Steve Zakuani, Corben Bone and Marc Burch were the only other players chosen Thursday as most teams elected to wait until the next stage of the re-entry process next Wednesday, allowing them to negotiate new salaries. Teams that chose players in Stage 1 must either exercise those players 2014 option or make them a "bona fide offer." Teams will have seven days to make an offer to the players taken in Stage 2. If an agreement cant be reached, the club will hold the right of first refusal for that player in MLS. Players not picked up after Stage 2 become available to any MLS club on a first-come, first-served basis. The Portland Timbers took Steve Zakuani, a former Seattle winger, after trading with Chivas USA to grab the No. 2 selection. Portland also picked up midfielder-defender Jorge Villafana in the deal while Chivas gott the No.dddddddddddd 17 selection and defender Andrew Jean-Baptiste. Zakuani, 25, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft after playing at the University of Akron under current Portland coach Caleb Porter. He earned $233,000 this season. Bone, formerly of the Chicago Fire, went to the Philadelphia Union while Burch, another Seattle alumnus, was taken by Colorado. Bone, 25, was taken by the Fire 13th overall in the 2010 draft. He made $49,000 this season. "We like what Corben can offer to our team going forward," said Union manager John Hackworth. Burch, 29, spent the last two seasons with the Sounders, and has 152 regular-season matches under his belt. The defender-midfielder made $75,000 in 2013. "Marc is a versatile and talented left-sided player with a lot of MLS experience," said Rapids technical director Paul Bravo. Torontos Bobby Convey was one of several players to pull out of the re-entry draft, suggesting another form of move was in the works. FC Dallas Kenny Cooper and New Englands Kevin Alston also dropped out. Portland also announced that midfielder Rodney Wallace had undergone successful surgery to repair a torn right anterior cruciate ligament and a non-displaced right tibial plateau fracture as well as a meniscectomy of his right knee. Wallace, injured in the Western Conference Championship against Real Salt Lake on Nov. 24, is expected to be out five to seven months. In other MLS news, the Seattle Sounders acquired veteran defender Chad Marshall from the Columbus Crew in exchange for a 2015 third-round pick and allocation money. Columbus sent its 2014 fourth-round draft pick to the Chicago Fire in exchange for the rights to midfielder Daniel Paladini. The Houston Dynamo announced the launch of the Houston Dash, a womens pro team that will join the National Womens Soccer League (NWSL) as an expansion team for the 2014 season. The Dash join the Boston Breakers, Chicago Red Stars, FC Kansas City, Portland Thorns FC, Seattle Reign FC, Sky Blue FC, the Washington Spirit and Western New York Flash. cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys cheap jerseys cheap jerseys cheap nfl jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '