Alex Crognale grew up sitting in the Mapfre Stadium stands, rooting for Crew SC and dreaming of the day he might play on the same field as his heroes.
As a little guy, the Gahanna native wanted to be striker Brian McBride, the goal-scoring dynamo of the black-and-gold’s formative years. When Crognale switched from forward to center back, he became a fan of Chad Marshall, a stout defender and member of the 2008 Major League Soccer champions.
Crognale, 22, is poised to make memories of his own as he joins his hometown club at a time it desperately needs help at his position.