Orange Legionnaire

From what I have on previous results I would expect the Dutch Lions and Forest City London to take the two playoff spots, with Forest City slightly edging out the Dutch Lions for the Great Lakes title unless the Lions get some help-

Dayton Dutch Lions Remaining Schedule:

Schedule/ Chance of winning/ Homefield/ previous result/ Guess of score
Michigan at Dayton/ 50-50/ +/ 1-0 Dayton/ 2-1 Dayton
Dayton at London/ 50-50/ - / 0-0 Tie/ 1-1 Tie
Dayton at Toronto/ 90-10/ -/ 2-0 Dayton/ 3-0 Dayton
Kalamazoo at Dayton/ 90-10/ +/ 4-0 Dayton/ 4-0 Dayton
Dayton at Chicago/ 60-40/ -/ 2-1 Dayton/ 1-0 Dayton

33 points

Chicago Fire PDL Remaining Schedule:

Schedule/ Chance of winning/ Homefield/ previous result/ Guess of score
London at Chicago/ 50-50/ +/ 1-0 Chicago/ 2-0 Chicago
Chicago at Michigan/ 50-50/ -/ 2-1 Chicago/ 1-1 Tie
Indiana at Chicago/ 60-40/ +/ 1-0 Chicago/ 2-0 Chicago
Cleveland at Chicago/ 70-30/ +/ 1-1 Tie/ 2-1 Chicago
Dayton at Chicago/ 40-60/ +/ 2-1 Dayton/ 1-0 Dayton

32 points

Michigan Bucks Remaining Schedule:

Schedule/ Chance of winning/ Homefield/ previous result/ Guess of score
Michigan at London/ 50-50/ -/ 2-2 Tie/ 1-0 London
Michigan at Dayton/ 50-50/ -/ 1-0 Dayton/ 2-1 Dayton
Michigan at Cincinnati/ 60-40/ -/ 2-1 Michigan/ 1-0 Michigan
Chicago at Michigan/ 50-50/ -/ 2-1 Chicago/ 1-1 Tie
Toronto at Michigan/ 80-20/ +/ None/ 3-0 Michigan
Michigan at Toronto/ 70-30/ -/ None/ 1-0 Michigan
Michigan at Indiana/ 60-40/ -/ 3-2 Michigan/ 1-1 Tie

30 points

Forest City London Remaining Schedule:

Schedule/ Chance of winning/ Homefield/ previous result/ Guess of score

Michigan at London/ 50-50/ +/ 2-2 Tie/ 1-0 London
London at Chicago/ 50-50/ -/ 1-0 Chicago/ 2-0 Chicago
London at Indiana/ 60-40/ -/ 6-1 London/ 4-0 London
Dayton at London/ 50-50/ +/ 0-0 Tie/ 1-1 Tie
Cincinnati at London/ 60-40/ +/ 3-2 London/ 2-0 London
Kalamazoo at London/ 75-25/ +/ 5-1 London/ 3-0 London
Cleveland at London/ 60-40/ +/ 2-0 London/ 3-0 London

36 points

Indiana Invaders

Schedule/ Chance of winning/ Homefield/ previous result/ Guess of score

Indiana at Cleveland/ 60-40/ -/ none/ 2-1 Indiana
London at Indiana/ 40-60/ +/ 6-1 Indiana/ 4-0 Indiana
Indiana at Kalamazoo/ 60-40/ -/ 2-1 Indiana/ 1-0 Indiana
Indiana at Chicago/ 60-40/ +/ 1-0 Chicago/ 2-0 Chicago
Cleveland at Indiana/ 60-40/ +/ 2-1 Indiana/ 2-0 Indiana
Cincinnati at Indiana/ 50-50/ +/ 2-1 Indiana/ 1-0 Indiana
Michigan at Indiana/40-60/ +/ 3-2 Michigan/ 1-0 Michigan

31 Points

Dutch Lions George Davis IV kicked the Dutch Lions into contention for a Great Lakes Division title with his 89th minute game winner over the Chicago Fire on Saturday. But, where exactly do the Dutch Lions stand down the stretch?

6/28/2010: Hunt For Playoffs (Part 1)- Winning Out May Be Only Strategy For Dutch Lions In Last Five Games
By Ryan Kozlowski



Too many ties.. Have the Dutch Lions under pressure to win out. As the Indiana Invaders, Forest City London, and the Michigan Bucks are all only a point to four points behind the Dutch Lions, while each team have 7 or 8 games left on the table compared to the Dutch Lions 5 games. Luckily, for the Lions they'll have a chance to take points off of the Michigan Bucks and Forest City London in their next two games; As the Dutch Lions play both of those two clubs consecutively on this Saturday and the Friday after. Those two games will be pivotal, in similiarity to the Fire game this previous Saturday, as the games have been do or die every week for the Dutch Lions since then.

The Dutch Lions need wins to keep Forest City London especially at bay. Forest City have 3 more games (9 more points) on the table compared to the Dutch Lions; while Forest City are currently only three points behind the Dutch Lions. If Forest City London were to win out they would have 41 points. In comparison, if the Dutch Lions were to win out the Lions would only have 35 points. However, the Dutch Lions have one head-to-head with Forest City, where if the Dutch Lions were to win, F.C. London could only gain 38 points on the season. Still not enough to pass Forest City London in the final standings without some help.

The Chicago Fire are currently two points ahead of the Dutch Lions and have played the same ammount of games. Therefore, if Chicago were to win out they could gain a total of 37 points. But, the Dutch Lions have a head-to-head matchup left against the Chicago Fire to end the season and the Lions will feel confident going into Toyota Park with a 2-1 victory already under their belts against the Fire. If the Dutch Lions would beat the Chicago Fire in the season finale, the Dutch Lions would have 35 points on the season compared to the Fire's 34 points. The Dutch Lions control their own destiny against the Fire.

The Michigan Bucks are currently one point behind the Dutch Lions with two games in hand. If the Michigan Bucks were to win out they would have 40 points on the season. However, the Dutch Lions once again have a head-to-head against the Michigan Bucks at home and will feel confident with already one, 1-nil win on the road against the Bucks. If the Dutch Lions win the head-to-head, the Bucks could then only gain 37 points on the season. But, this would still best the Dutch Lions 35 points. The Dutch Lions will need some extra help to overcome the Michigan Bucks.

The Indiana Invaders are currently four points behind the Dutch Lions with two games in hand. The Invaders, if they win out, could finish the season with 37 points and the Dutch Lions have no more games to contest against the Invaders this season. But, with one loss in the Invaders last seven games the Dutch Lions would best the Indiana Invaders with 35 points compared to the Invaders 34 points.

Possible Points For Contenders
Forest City London- 41 pts
Michigan Bucks- 40 pts
Indiana Invaders- 37 pts
Chicago Fire- 37 pts
Dayton Dutch Lions- 35 pts

Possible Points For Contenders If They Win Out Except For Dutch Lions Remaining Head-To-Heads
Forest City London- 38 pts
Michigan Bucks- 37 pts
Indiana Invaders- 37 pts
Dayton Dutch Lions- 35 pts
Chicago Fire- 34 pts

Possible Points For Contenders If They Lose Head-To-Head Against Dutch Lions, Lose One More, and Dutch Lions Win Out
Dayton Dutch Lions- 35 pts
Forest City London-35 pts
Michigan Bucks- 34 pts
Indiana Invaders- 34 pts
Chicago Fire- 31 pts

Tomorrow in Part 2 will take a look at each of these team's remaining schedule and figure out, dependent on who each team plays, who has the best chance to win the division and which couple of teams have a shot at making the playoffs.

Come out to Bar Louie tomorrow, this Tuesday, to have a $1 dollar burger as well as Budweiser specials with the Dayton Dutch Lions & Dayton Bud Girls! Budweiser is the official beer of the Dayton Dutch Lions and the Dayton Bud Girls will be there to pass out promotional items. The Dutch Lions staff will also be giving out posters and will have a raffle for two free tickets!

This is the Dayton Bud Girls (pictured at events around Dayton below) second out of three events with the Dayton Dutch Lions, stay tuned for details on the third event.

Den Ouden leaves the Dutch Lions with 8 goals in 10 games, an emotional exit for the 33 year old target striker.

Before this week, the Dutch Lions attack was a bit stagnant; as striker Geert den Ouden could only seem to find the net through PK's in the previous two weeks. While the midfield could not connect with the lengthy, talented striker.

However, in this week leading up to Geert den Ouden's exit for family matters, the lengthy 33 year old striker seemed to come alive for the Dutch Lions and the connection with midfield service was regained. What this led to in Geert's final week with the club was some thrilling link up play between Geert den Ouden and his wingers; as den Ouden played some excellent pass and move soccer with both wingers, the Dutch Bas Ent and the American George Davis IV, in both the Cincinnati Kings and Chicago Fire games from this previous week.

What Geert den Ouden left the Dutch Lions with in his final two regular season games was three goals from the run of play and a heads up assist that led to the game winner against the Chicago Fire. The game winner was the difference between keeping the Dutch Lions alive for a Great Lakes Division title this year and putting off trophy talk for next year.

Therefore, the timing of den Ouden's departure is cruel for both den Ouden, his teammates, and Dutch Lion fans. As the Dutch Lions appear to be once again clicking in the attack, and their vital chess piece must go. What goes with him is 8 goals in 10 games, which is good enough for third place currently on the PDL scoring charts out of 70 PDL teams! To put this more into perspective, eight goals puts den Ouden in third place on the scoring charts out of over 250 PDL strikers. Not so shabby, and not so easy to replace.

When showing den Ouden's hustle goals in the Cincinnati Kings game to FC Twente Advisor Rene Hake, Hake said, "Those are typical Geert goals." And, Geert was back to his typical self, and quite possibly nearing his Excelsior and ADO Den Haag type days of form with the Dutch Lions. So, it will be a tough task for the Dutch Lions to replace den Ouden (who could be back possibly in time for the PDL playoffs if the Dutch Lions are to make it that far). However, an emotional exit in the 90th minute from den Ouden, who appeared very emotional leaving the game, leaves a return this season likely up in the air.

The Dutch Lions will therefore have to look to resurging Ivar van Dinteren, or the Americans Steven McCarthy and Jeff Popella to fill the void. Or the Dutch Lions could place Hans van de Haar back at forward (who usually has played a defensive distrubutor role with the Lions this year before being injured); that's if van de Haar can come back from an injury that he suffered against the Rochester Rhinos in U.S. Open Cup. Van de Haar has been a striker at multiple Eredivise clubs.

However, no matter what player fills the striking shoes it will be very difficult for the Dutch Lions to replace den Ouden and his 8 goals in 10 games.

Head Coach Sonny Silooy had the following to say:
“We shall miss him. Geert is a good person. But private matters come first. We are human beings.”

We wish you luck den Ouden. Hopefully, whatever the family matter, it works itself out and you can lead the Dutch Lions to glory in the playoffs and in upcoming seasons.

den Ouden's departure in the news:
Parting Gift From Dutch Lions Striker Leads To Victory from Dayton Daily News writer David DiCenzo

Highlights from the Dutch Lions 2-1 victory over the Chicago Fire:

The Dayton Dutch Lions will play a crucial game tomorrow against the Chicago Fire at 7:30 p.m. in the Lions den (Bellbrook's Miami Valley South Stadium). The game will be a six point swing, win and the Lions will only be two points back of the Chicago Fire, who currently are leading the Great Lakes Division; Lose and the Lions will be eight points back, with only 15 points left on their schedule. Thus, a loss tomorrow will make it nearly impossible for the Dutch Lions to win their Great Lakes Division. A win and the Dutch Lions will move into second place putting themselves in a position to be breathing down the necks of the Fire. The pressure is on.

The Chicago Fire come into this matchup on a three game winning streak and looking for a decisive fourth. The Fire most recently pulled off a big 1-0 win in Ontario against Forest City London and followed that up with a 5-0 drubbing of Toronto earlier this week.

The Dutch Lions have not been as lucky of late in league play with two ties in their last two league games, both 2-2 results against Cleveland and Cincinnati.

Tonight's game is Mascot Night and will feature Dayton Gems mascot Blade and the Dayton Fliers mascot Rudy. Those that get their hands on a Warriors Classic Tournament flier, with a $3 dollar discount in the flier, will receive $3 bucks off of tonight's game. Go Lions!

Highlights from the Dutch Lions unlucky 2-2 tie with the Cincinnati Kings:

The crowd at the Cincinnati Kings game was 75% percent Dutch Lions to cheer on the boys, the Dutch Lions played their best 60 minutes of soccer to date as a gift for the support.

6/24/2010: Dutch Lions vs. Cincinnati Kings Review- Luck Draw For Cincinnati Kings As Dutch Lions Command Game
By Ryan Kozlowski

There's a saying in soccer that would ring true for tonight's Dutch Lions match: "It's sometimes better to be lucky than good."

The Dayton Dutch Lions (4-1-5) came into Cincinnati (5-4-2) tonight looking for a much needed three points. Three points would've helped the Dutch Lions chase down the Chicago Fire PDL squad, who currently lead the Great Lakes Division on 22 points at a 7-2-1 record. For the first 70 minutes the three points looked like a forgone conclusion for the Dutch Lions; as the Dutch Lions went up 2-0 by the 54th minute off of two superb goals from Geert den Ouden. The Lions controlled the tempo, the ball, and played smart defense for nearly the entire game. The Lions would also go close to making it 3-nil multiple times over the next ten minutes after their second score. But, in the last 25 minutes the Dutch Lions had to make a few substitutions and the game got a bit heated at times leading to a little loss in concentration. This loss of concentration, in turn led to Cincinnati creating two half-chances that surprisingly led to the ball in the back of the Dutch Lions net twice for a frustrating 2-2 tie.

The result left the Dutch Lions shaking their heads, as the first 65 minutes of tonight's game against the Cincinnati Kings was hands down the best minutes that the Dutch Lions played as a team all season. The Dutch Lions looked like champions against boys (as you'll see in the highlights upcoming).

The chances started early and often for the Lions. And, their good, composed possession led to a beautiful chance for Geert den Ouden in the 13th minute. As den Ouden took a touch off a nice pass and then scooted past a Kings
defender. Geert den Ouden's move also took the Kings keeper out of position and den Ouden slotted the ball home, 1-0 Dutch Lions 13th minute.

The Dutch Lions continued to take most of the possession and continued to pound the Kings over the next 15 minutes with many chances as the Kings couldn't deal with the Dutch Lion wing play. Around the 30th minute, Dutch Lion winger George Davis gave the Kings trouble that led to two free kicks near the penalty area for Julius Wille to try to cross in successfully. The Dutch Lions failed to convert these. But, for the rest of the first half opposite side winger Bas Ent gave the Kings a lot of difficulty as well. This led to a golden opportunity in the 40th minute, as Bas Ent juked two Kings defenders and found his way free into the Kings penalty area. Bas then chipped the keeper and just barely missed as his cheeky flick just rolled right of the post. A minute later Geert barely missed a similiar chance.

On the Kings side of the attack they would have to wait until the 44th minute for their first real chance. The Dutch Lions would go into the locker room unamused at their missed opportunities as the Lions should've been up 3-nil at this point, but luck wasn't on the Lions side in this Wednesday night fixture.

Nevertheless, the Dutch Lions did not get down on their missed opportunities and kept coming in the second half with wave upon waves of attack. This would lead to another goal in the 54th minute as a beautiful chip by George Davis found Geert den Ouden's foot in stride and Geert beautifully slotted it home.

The Dutch Lions looked full of confidence at this point up 2-nil and in total command of the Kings. Looking for the dagger in the Kings heart the Dutch Lions poured on the opportunities. As in the 57th minute, the Dutch Lions had a great chance to go 3-0 up as a Bas Ent cross found the head of Geert den Ouden but did not go in.

In the 60th minute, Bas Ent pulled his own number working his way in the box from the left side and striking a low shot with no angle at the keeper. Bas's shot would ping pong against each of the goalposts before flying out (Bas's cross may have crossed the line, check the highlights later). Then Bas, a few minutes later passed a ball that found the foot of Ivar van Dinteren who hit it and was denied by an excellent, goalline block save by the keeper. In the 66th minute yet another cross by Bas Ent found the head of Eddie Hertsenberg who was denied again by the Kings keeper who made an acrobatic save.

Certainly the Dutch Lions were just moments away from breaking this one open. But, luck was on the Cincinnati Kings side, and so was deja vu (if you remember the Dutch Lions first meeting against the Kings where they were up 3-1 and in command late just to end up with a 3-3 tie in the end). As in the 70th minute, against the run of play, the Kings got their breakthrough on the cornerkick as a half-header made it 2-1 for the home side.

The Dutch Lions would shake it off as a fluke goal and get back to work with a couple more opportunities to put the game away at 3-1. As the Lions would have a couple more close up free kicks, followed by a George Davis pass that rolled helplessly across the six yard box with no recipent on the end of the opportunity.

With the clock ticking down, it felt as if the Cincinnati Kings didn't have it in them to salvage yet another point against the Dutch Lions. But, not so fast, as in the 86th minute, the Kings would pull off their second comeback in two games against the Dutch Lions. As a nice move by a Kings forward made the Dutch Lions defense scramble. This move was followed by a nice chip, similar to George Davis's from the week prior, that made it 2-2 as the Dutch Lions would go home with one point instead of a pivotal three.

The loss of the two points late makes the Dutch Lions matchup at home against the Chicago Fire this weekend absolutely pivotal. The game against the Chicago Fire will be basically a six point swing. The Dutch Lions will need to look to beat the Fire twice to try to get back to first place. The Dutch Lions have six regular season games to go, be there to cheer them on starting this Saturday at Bellbrook's Miami Valley South Stadium at 7:30 p.m. as the Dutch Lions race towards the playoffs! If the Lions can play the first 65 minutes they played tonight, for 90 minutes, the Dutch Lions still have a good bet to accomplish their main goal of a PDL Championship this season.

Highlights will be upcoming tomorrow morning.

Come join the Dutch Lions as they watch the Netherlands vs. Cameroon game tomorrow on June 24th at the Dublin Pub at 2:30 p.m.! The American players on the Dutch Lions club are already happy to see their national team advance today and the Netherlands have already advanced and look to seal the top spot in their group tomorrow. So, come out and celebrate with the Dayton Dutch Lions!

We hope to see you tomorrow but if you can't make it or if you can, please join us for the later rounds as the Dutch Lions will be at the Dublin Pub again on July 6th and July 7th both at 2:30 P.M.!

DUTCH LION EVENTS AT DUBLIN PUB:
June 24th at 2:30 P.M.
July 6th at 2:30 P.M.
July 7th at 2:30 P.M.

MAPQUEST THE DIRECTIONS FROM YOUR HOUSE:
300 Wayne Avenue
Dayton, OH 45410

I'm going to make a few mixtapes, here is one that I made last night:

Here's a link to the ABC News 22 story on the Dutch Lions vs. Columbus Crew, including highlights. Click here for the link.

Some highlights from the Dayton Dutch Lions "Battle of Ohio" showdown against the Columbus Crew at University of Dayton's Baujan Field. The Crew won the game 3-0 off of goals from Steven Lenhart, Eddie Gaven, and Jason Garey. A more extended and professional highlight should be up later in the week in association with Erratic Media Group for this game:

Here are some good pictures from the Dutch Lions debut in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup taken by a Rochester journalist:

Dutch Lions midfielder Julius Wille battles with Crew's French midfielder Leandre Griffit in the first Battle of Ohio (Picture by Sam Fahmi, Massive Report)

6/20/2010: Dutch Lions Downed By Crew's Quality, Lose 3-0 At Baujan
By Ryan Kozlowski

The two professional soccer teams in all of Ohio, Columbus Crew at the MLS level and the Dayton Dutch Lions at the PDL PRO level, met this Saturday at Baujan Field. The crowd at Baujan was a sea of bright colors, both yellow and orange, as the Dayton Dutch Lions were set to play a competitive friendly against the MLS Columbus Crew. Unsurprisingly, when the Crew starters took the field in the second half, it was a little too much quality for the Dayton Dutch Lions to contest. The Dutch Lions had their moments and opportunities late in the first half and moments of brillant link up play in the second, but when all was said and done on a sweltering day, the Lions would be downed by a 3-0 scoreline.

In the first half, the Dutch Lions were able to stick around against a Crew side that had a few players (such as Shaun Francis, Othaniel Yanez, Kwaku Nyamekye) who were making their debuts for the Crew on the day and who, as a trio, had less experience then nearly all of the Dutch Lion players. However, this Crew first half lineup was balanced out with a few starters (such as Steven Lenhart, Adam Moffat, and company) who found their first goal in the 14th minute. The goal came off of a Leandre Griffit cross that found the head of Steven Lenhart and a destination in the back of the Dutch Lions net.

The Dayton Dutch Lions took a while to play their way into the game, but near the end of the first half they found their feet; As the Dutch Lions had good opportunity, after good opportunity to get an equalizer but could not find their way past Crew keeper Andy Greuenebaum as the seconds ticked down on the first forty-five.

In the second half, the Crew brought out the majority of their starters to raucious applause by both Crew and Dutch Lion fans. The screams got a little bit louder as the press announcer worked his way through the switches of Chad Marshall, Robbie Rogers, Frankie Hejduk, and Guillermo Barros Schelotto. Also, along with the switches, the game majorly turned in the favor of the Columbus Crew as one got a look, up close, at the quality it takes to win MLS Cups and Supporters Shields. With this turn of momentum for the Crew, Columbus scored two goals in the second half (55th minute by Eddie Gaven and 84th minute by Jason Garey) to seal up the friendly result.

Columbus Crew Head Coach Robert Warzycha was happy at the minutes the Dutch Lions game gave to both his starters and reserves on his team:

“It’s good for all the guys to get some minutes. For the guys who play a lot, because of the break, it gives them some minutes they need. For the guys who haven’t played much it gives them a chance to show what they can do.”

The Dutch Lions have also reportedly given the Crew the offer to give their reserves (such as Yanez, Francis, Duka, Nyamekye) minutes with the Dutch Lions at home games in Dayton; As the Dutch Lions could use the defensive help and the Crew's bottom of the roster could use game minutes with a purpose. The response is yet unknown on whether the Crew will take the Dutch Lions up on any of the Dutch Lions loan offers.

For the Dutch Lion players, the game was a great experience. The Dutch Lions centerback, Kyle Segebart, is a Crew fan and he talked about playing against some of the players he has looked up to and watched before at Crew Stadium:

"We thought we would have Guillermo locked up and then he would just do a little outside of the heel and be around us. It was great to play against Guillermo, Frankie, Marshall, and all the Crew players for the experience as it makes you better, playing better players. Although, Marshall was complaining a little about my elbows in the box," said a smiling Segebart.

Head Coach Sonny Silooy agreed that the experience of playing against a strong MLS side was a good one, but it could have came with less mental errors:

"For them, it’s a great experience to play an MLS team. We knew we would have a difficult game. It was our fourth match in seven days. Against a big team in the U.S., you have to play with your head. All the goals came from mistakes.”

The Dutch Lions will look to learn from their mistakes and correct them before this Wednesday's game in Cincinnati against the Kings at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday is a big game as Cincinnati can be a tricky little team, as they have defeated the Chicago Fire and came back from 3-1 down to tie the Dutch Lions in their PDL opener at Miami Valley South Stadium.

Please take the one hour trip down I-75 to support your Lions!

Many high quality pictures from the Dayton Dutch Lions vs. Columbus Crew "Battle of Ohio" can be found on Crew fan website, The Massive Report. Pictures taken by Sam Fahmi and Jason Mowry:









For all pictures, GO TO THE MASSIVE REPORT HERE!

Just some footage before the game, highlights of the game should be up early Monday:

George Davis had the goal of the year so far to give the Dutch Lions a 2-2 tie on Thursday.

Highlights from Thursday's 2-2 against the Cleveland Internationals:

The Dayton Dutch Lions will be facing off against the Columbus Crew in the Battle of Ohio, and you can listen to it on a live stream!

You can listen to the game at Teamline:

Columbus Crew have champion pedigree, Dayton Dutch Lions look to stake a similiar claim by the end of their inaugural season.

Interest Building For Dutch Lions-Columbus Crew Match

Co-owner Mike Mossel:
“The Crew have a lot of fans in Dayton, so it’s good for them and it’s good for us in terms of trying to get locals interested in soccer and the Dutch Lions,” DDL FC co-owner Mike Mossel said.

“Hopefully, we build this relationship for a long time.”

Crew's Technical Director Brian Bliss:
“It’s a working relationship with a club doing things a little differently,” said Bliss, suggesting there was a good exchange of information.

“The match is an opportunity to get our regular guys back in tune with the game after the World Cup break.”

Local Soccer Squad Eager To Slay The Crew

Sonny Silooy on the big game:
“We have nothing to lose,” DDL FC coach Sonny Silooy said of the upcoming exhibition match Saturday, June 19, with the Crew, who play three levels higher than the Lions. “The boys are excited, especially the younger ones. It will be a great test against such a quality side.”

Midfielder Andrew Giallombardo on the game:
“It’s a massive game,” said DDL midfielder Andrew Giallombardo. “It’s the Battle of Ohio. We want to have a good showing, and we want to put the Dayton Dutch Lions on the map.”

The Dayton Dutch Lions F.C. and Columbus Crew game this Saturday will be audio webcasted on a live stream. So, if your a Dayton Dutch Lions fan that can't make the game, are an interested party from the Netherlands, or are a Columbus Crew fan that can't make the hour trip.. Check the Orange Legionnaire blog or http://www.dutchlionsfc.com/ for a live webcast from the game.

Go Lions!

Here are the highlights from the Dutch Lions 2-0 loss against the Rochester Rhinos in U.S. Open Cup action from Rochester, New York:

**Crew are contracted to play their starters for 60 minutes in Saturday's contest, and would probably look to give their starters a lot of time even if they were not; as it's been a while since the Crew's last game and they need to look to get game fit before their matchup on June 26th against D.C. United. Some Crew supporters are a little iffy about paying the $20 bucks, when most home games in the Nordecke are less than that. However, the Dutch Lions have a lot of players that have played in the Eresdivise and it should be a good match with an intimate atmosphere. Should also be interesting to see what the Crew do to prepare themselves for D.C. United as they try to right their season.

**The Orange Legion has a lot of banners in their section, likewise the Crew have a ton in theirs. I thought it would be cool to make one end just Nordecke and Orange Legion, just a party down there with both the banners we have here and the Nordecke's banners. Since there really is no rivalry there and nearly the whole section are fans of both clubs, could be a fun day out. We'll have a walk through of Baujan Field on Friday and I'll mark out an area for this, at the gate just say you're with The Orange Legion or Nordecke and someone should be able to direct you to this area. Or just look for the banners, every $20 dollar ticket is general admission.

**Also, there is a great bar with friendly staff at the Dublin Pub downtown (not far from the stadium) where World Cup can be watched, make a day out of it.

**I was texted a few weeks ago by Crew supporters and I gave them the number to call of a guy who had more authority than me to get a group rate done. I'm sure he could have worked out a cheaper group rate at that time, still possible if were not soldout before game time. I didn't know a group rate off hand at the time because frankly we never have away supporters in the PDL and most of our "groups" get in half priced. But, nothing was followed through with from Nordecke's supporters groups. If someone is still looking to work out a rate from the Crew supporters, email me at r.kozlowski@dutchlionsfc.com and how many Crew fans are looking to come from the Nordecke and maybe it will be possible to work something out before game time.

I can't make any promises though as it's four days before.

**Dutch Lions fans will have a banner making session Friday night at 6:30 p.m., as we'll make a few things for the Crew game on Saturday. It will be at the 4123 N. Linda Drive address, same as usual. I cannot do it earlier because I'm traveling from Dayton to Rochester to Niagara Falls to Cleveland back to Dayton with the club this week and won't be back until 2 a.m. Thursday night.

**Overall, I think it will be a fun day out, good intimate atmosphere as will likely try to pack 2,200 into Baujan which only seats 1,700. Hope to see many fans from both sides.

**If you have any questions email me at crewture@live.com or r.kozlowski@dutchlionsfc.com.

More breakdowns of the "Battle of Ohio" will be upcoming tomorrow right here.