Columbus Crew 0, Newcastle United 3

The faithful did a lot of grumbling about the American tour coming into this match - there was drama about visas, the heat, a plastic pitch, and, of course, injuries.  Now that this one is over, Newcastle can head back home and put America in their rearview mirror, and at least after tonight they can do it with a victory under their belts.  Worrying about results in the preseason is a fool's errand, of course, but a long plane ride would have certainly seemed quite a bit longer had the Toon failed to tally a W.  Can you imagine Jose Enrique Sanchez sitting by himself on the plane, pondering what he would say on Twitter if he hadn't deleted his account?  Instead, a bit of levity will follow the team back across the Atlantic.

Shola Ameobi, Fabricio Coloccini, and Haris Vuckic scored for the Toon.  Ameobi's goal came as a result of a defensive howler, Colo's off a deflection following a corner, and Vuckic's in open play, by all accounts a sublime shot into the upper corner.  We'll have to wait on highlights to judge them, of course, but for now I suggest we all pat each other on the back for avoiding serious injury.

Talking Points

1. What did you think about the formation and selection (limited as it was)?
2. Worried about Demba Ba yet?
3. How do we feel about Sylvain Marveaux taking corners?