COLUMBUS -- Columbus Crew fitness and strength coach Steve Tashjian said he had ticket requests from high school friends he hadn't heard from in 15 years.
Welcome to the week leading to MLS Cup.
It's an exciting time for the Crew and people such as Tashjian, a Pasadena native, who have California connections because the team will face New York on Sunday in Carson, Calif., with the championship on the line.
Tashjian said he cut himself off at 15 tickets for his family and a few close friends and joked that he was going to leave a message on his cell phone for all others to order tickets and not bother him.
Being his first MLS Cup, as it is for nearly all of the Crew, he doesn't want to be overwhelmed by the attention and, yes, distractions.
Defender Ezra Hendrickson, who has two championships in four previous trips to the MLS Cup Final, knows the feeling.
"This is my fifth trip here. I tell the guys to just relax. It's going to be a little hectic for everything from ticket requests to just being at The Home Depot [Center] at practice. There's going to be a lot of media there. You put that past you and focus on what's at stake," he said. "It's one of the biggest moments they're going to realize and be a part of. It might not happen again.
"Some of us have been fortunate enough a couple of times but to get there the first time is an awesome feeling. From my first time going in '99 until now it's gotten bigger. It's an event. It's easy to get caught up in all that hype and media stuff but it's a game, just like a normal game, but it's a winner-take-all."
The Crew got a small preview of what lies ahead before the team departed Wednesday for a warmer climate. The reporters from the local TV stations, who are fairly scarce once Ohio State football starts, braved 32-degree temperatures and flurries to interview players Tuesday despite it being Michigan Week (for the uninitiated, the annual rivalry between OSU and Michigan is so big it merits capital letters).
Later that night the Crew were honored during the first period of the NHL game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Edmonton Oilers in Nationwide Arena. This weekend the Blue Jackets are running a half-page ad wishing the Crew well. Five hockey players appear wearing Crew jerseys.
"It's a different week," said Crew forward Alejandro Moreno, a two-time MLS Cup winner (Los Angeles, 2002; Houston, 2006). "There's more people around the team and a lot more media. There's a lot more scrutiny on what we're doing in training and what we're doing in the game.
"The key for us is to enjoy the experience, embrace it and know it doesn't happen very year and to make the most of it. In order for us to make the most of it we've got bring the championship home."
Hendrickson said even the players who have been in the league for a while but never been to an MLS Cup have noticed a different vibe.
"If it's your first time, no matter how old you are it's exciting," he said. "It's the biggest prize in our sport as far as league. It's something you can cherish the rest of your life. It's not just OK to get there. Winning it is really what matters."
He was a teammate of Moreno's on the 2002 Galaxy coached by current Crew coach Sigi Schmid, and with D.C. United when he and current Crew midfielder Brian Carroll took the title in 2004.
"We've had shared experiences," Hendrickson said. "We have an opportunity to do it again. This morning Ollie and I were talking about being on three teams and winning three different championships and how great that would be. If that happens Sunday that would really be something we can tell our kids, grandkids."
Moreno wants no part of that now. "It would be something special for us but let's not get ahead of ourselves," he said. "Of course, New York is a team that we respect and certainly have earned their way into the final and is a team that poses lot of challenges for us. It would be very special but I'd rather talk about it after the game."
The Crew have two other players who have been to MLS Cup but came up empty. Forward Pat Noonan was with New England for losses from 2005-07 and goalkeeper William Hesmer was on the Kansas City developmental roster in 2004 when the D.C. downed the Wizards 3-2 at The Home Depot Center.
Carroll obviously has good memories of playing there.
"We got out there in advance, kind of like we're doing now. We had good training. I don't remember too much of it. It was a good nervous feeling then the game happened and it was a great feeling to be on top afterwards and we're hoping to do the same thing this time," he said.
The Red Bulls are in the way. Columbus was supposed to be the feel-good story of the year after coming from three non-playoff seasons to win the Supporters' Shield. It's still an inspiring tale but New York has stolen the spotlight by qualifying on the last day -- after the Crew downed D.C. United -- then upsetting two-time defending champion Houston and Real Salt Lake on the road.
"I don't know if they're a Cinderella team," Moreno said. "They're a team that got hot in the end and even though they backed into the playoffs thanks to a result we got here at home against D.C. United, they made the most of the opportunity. They earned their way into the final. They certainly can be very dangerous on Sunday. We're very happy with what we've done this year and what we've accomplished and now we want to do it on Sunday."
He is relishing the opportunity to play for the MLS Cup again.
"I've been around this league for awhile and I've heard from a lot of people who are good friends of mine who are giving us support and wishing me the best," Moreno said. "I appreciate that very much. It shows the friendships that you make in professional sports and professional teams last a lifetime."
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