Columbus Crew SC announced Wednesday that the club will host Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt in an international friendly on Monday, July 17th. The match is slated to kick off at 7:30 PM ET.
USA TOUR#Eintracht will prepare for 2017/18 in July in the US and play friendlies v @SoundersFC, @SJEarthquakes and @ColumbusCrewSC!#SGE pic.twitter.com/0JgzJfCiGT
— Eintracht Frankfurt (@eintracht_eng) February 15, 2017
Columbus Crew SC to Host Bundesliga Club Eintracht Frankfurt July 17th
The summer exhibition is set to be Crew SC’s 21st all-time friendly against foreign competition. It will also mark the first match against a German club since they faced FC Nurnburg in 2002. The Eagles will be the fourth club from Germany Columbus has faced in its history.
The Black and Gold will look to remain undefeated against German foes. They own a 3-0-0 record in their previous matches, outscoring the opposition 15-6. In addition to Nurnburg, Columbus played Hamburg in 2000 and Bayer Leverkusen in 2001.
Eintracht Frankfurt is a club with a long and storied history. Founded in 1899, they were one of 16 original Bundesliga members when the league began play in 1963. The Eagles have won the DFB Pokal, Germany’s domestic cup competition, four times (1974, 1975, 1981, and 1988). Perhaps their greatest accomplishment in team history was winning the UEFA Cup, now known as the Europa League, in 1980.
This season has marked a renaissance of sorts for the Frankfurt side. Six seasons after being relegated to Germany’s second tier, the club currently finds itself in third in the Bundesliga standings behind RB Leipzig and Bayern Munich. That would qualify them for the 2017-18 UEFA Champions League group stage if they end the season in that position.
Eintracht remains in contention for their fifth German Cup. The club defeated Hannover 96 2-1 in the Round of 16 and will play Arminia Bielefeld in the quarterfinals on February 28th.
Crew SC is currently preparing for the Carolina Challenge Cup which gets underway on Saturday. The Black and Gold will face MLS expansion side Atlanta United on February 18th, USL club Charleston Battery on February 22nd and defending MLS Cup champions Seattle Sounders FC on February 25th. All games will be live-streamed online.
The 2017 regular season kicks off on Saturday, March 4th with Crew SC hosting the Chicago Fire. Kickoff at MAPFRE Stadium is set for 2 PM ET.
