The Columbus Crew, who take center stage ahead of the Kansas City Wizards in tonight’s ESPN Major League Soccer Thursday matchup, are a great illustration of how MLS managers imprint their personal backgrounds onto their own team rosters. Crew boss Sigi Schmid (above) has deep roots in Southern California’s soccer-rich youth system — ‘rich’ is probably a hearty understatement in this case — as a longtime UCLA coach and Los Angeles Galaxy head man for six seasons thereafter. It’s clear when you look at how he’s overhauled the Columbus roster since taking over in 2004.

As mentioned, it’s not like there’s a lack of that proverbial California gold throughout the league. It’s plentiful in both conferences. But to have six starters from a single West Coast region in a Midwestern market is more of a clear indication how Schmid and assistant Mike Lapper have made concerted efforts to tap into a familiar talent base so strong they obviously feel would be foolish to ignore. A look at the six regulars in the team’s starting lineup with Southern California connections:

*Attacking midfielder Robbie Rogers (Born in Palos Verdes/raised in Huntington Beach)
*Midfielder Brad Evans (Spent college career at UC Irvine)
*Defender Chad Marshall (Born/raised in Riverside)
*Andy Iro (Spent college career at UC Santa Barbara)
*Defender Franke Hedjuk (Born/raised in La Mesa, spent college career at UCLA)
*Forward Steven Lenhart (Raised in Yorba Linda, spent college career at Point Loma Nazarene and Azusa Pacific)

PHOTO COURTESY: Displayed