Columbus Crew SC 0, Vissel Kobe 0 | 2019 Preseason Match Recap

In their first match since the takeover of the club by the Haslam and Edwards families, Columbus Crew SC opened the 2019 Preseason, presented by Advocare with a 0-0 tie against Japanese side Vissel Kobe, which featured the likes of Andres Iniesta, Lukas Podolski and David Villa.

The match was played at Championship Soccer Stadium in Irvine, Calif. and although there was no livestream was available, one intrepid fan at the stadium broadcast a good portion of the match for Crew SC fans.

Both teams next take on LAFC at Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles: Vissel Kobe pay LAFC a visit on Thursday, January 31, while the Crew face LAFC on Monday, February 4.

Here’s what head coach Caleb Porter made of his team’s performance:

Head Coach Caleb Porter on tonight’s friendly 🆚 Vissel Kobe // #Crew96 pic.twitter.com/bt4vpBOF6o

— Columbus Crew SC (@ColumbusCrewSC) January 29, 2019

And on the same day that the Crew formally announced their new technical director and the rest of their coaching staff, club president Tim Bezbatchenko had this message for Crew fans prior to the match:

Hear from @tbez10 prior to tonight’s preseason friendly with Vissel Kobe 🎥 // #Crew96 pic.twitter.com/C1LfUdRPnm

— Columbus Crew SC (@ColumbusCrewSC) January 29, 2019