MLS debuts are impressive

by MLS Press Release
April 10, 2001 - Major League Soccer (MLS)

MLS Press Release

New Faces Make Noteworthy MLS Debuts, Look to Continue Success in Second Week

New York, NY (Tuesday, April 10, 2001) - As MLS' sixth season kicked off last Saturday, it featured debuts of numerous new faces around the league. These MLS newcomers wasted no time in making their impact felt as many contributed to the thrilling drama, intense action and unexpected surprises of week one.

The two biggest surprises of week one were D.C. United's 3-2 upset victory over the reigning MLS Cup champion Kansas City Wizards at RFK Stadium and the San Jose Earthquakes' 3-2 road triumph over the Los Angeles Galaxy in the Rose Bowl.

United was led by a trio of 2001 SuperDraft picks who each made their professional MLS debuts on Saturday. First round selection Mark Lisi (No. 3 overall), who entered his first MLS game as an 80th minute substitute, broke a 2-2 tie with the game-winner eight minutes later. Third round SuperDraft choice Craig Ziadie (No. 28 overall) factored into the game-tying goal for D.C. as he caught Wizards' 'keeper Tony Meola off his line, but was foiled when defender Nick Garcia deliberately handled the ball in an attempt to prevent a goal. The foul resulted in a penalty kick conversion and D.C. gained a man advantage for the remainder of the game. Another first round pick Ryan Nelsen (No. 4 overall) played solid in the midfield, logging the full 90 minutes.

Roy Lassiter, MLS' all-time scoring leader, netted the 82nd goal of his illustrious career in his first game as a member of the Wizards. Lassiter, currently playing for his fourth MLS team, has scored in his debut game with each of his four teams. Budding MLS star Bobby Convey registered his first MLS goal in the match for United.

San Jose shocked the Galaxy as several young players made their debuts for first-year Head Coach Frank Yallop's club. Canadian international forward Dwayne DeRosario debuted for San Jose by scoring his first MLS goal and leading all players with six shots on frame. The much-anticipated MLS debut of Landon Donovan also highlighted the evening, as the 19-year-old phenom entered the match as a substitute in the 73rd minute. Along with the dangerous DeRosario and Ronald Cerritos, the trio will certainly test MLS back lines this season. Defender Troy Dayak made a notable return to the 'Quakes with a goal nine minutes into the game, after playing the past two years in the A-League.

The Miami Fusion also fashioned a surprising come-from-behind 2-1 win versus the visiting Colorado Rapids. Honduran icon Alex Pineda Chacon entered his first MLS game in the 60th minute, with his team trailing 1-0. The 31-year-old midfielder/forward added to his legend by scoring two goals in a four-minute span, earning MLS Player of the Week honors in the process. Fusion midfielder Preki had a strong debut in the midfield for Miami along with English international Ian Bishop who also recorded an assist in his first official game for the Fusion.

Colorado midfielder/forward John Spencer made his first MLS appearance, scoring the Rapids' lone goal and leading the team with three shots on goal. First-year Head Coach Tim Hankinson had his first look at 2001 Super Draft selection Steve Herdsman (No. 17 overall), who started at central defense for the Rapids.

Head Coach Alfonso Mondelo earned his first Tampa Bay win, as the Mutiny doubled up the Dallas Burn 4-2 in the Cotton Bowl. Tampa Bay's first SuperDraft selection (No. 2 overall) Ali Curtis, recorded his first MLS goal with a breakaway strike in the 51st minute. The Mutiny's other first round selection, defender Craig Demmin, played the full 90 minutes on the back line.

Dallas Burn first-round SuperDraft selection (No. 5 overall) Joselito Vaca, the 2000 Bolivian Player of the Year, played the full 90 minutes and assisted on Dallas' first goal in the 16th minute. Mike Jeffries will look to notch his first victory as head coach as Dallas travels to San Jose this Saturday.

The MetroStars' 2-1 home-opening win over New England signaled a new era in goal, as 2000 Olympian Tim Howard made his debut as the Metros' regular starting 'keeper. Howard had a strong showing as he was tested four times by the Eastern Division rival Revolution.

In the 1-1 draw between Columbus and Chicago, forward Edson Buddle started and played a solid 72 minutes for the Crew. The Nike Project-40 and U.S. Under 20 National Team member forced a save from Chicago 'keeper Zach Thornton in the 60th minute. At 19 yrs., 10 mos., 17 days, Buddle became the youngest Crew player ever to appear in an MLS match.

COLUMBUS CREW AND D.C. UNITED TO PLAY PIVOTAL MATCHES TOMORROW IN THE GIANTS CUP TOURNAMENT: D.C. United and the Columbus Crew will play the second and final leg of their Giants Cup quarterfinal series tomorrow. The two MLS clubs will face entirely different circumstances following mixed results in the first leg matches.

Following their 3-0 road win over their Jamaican opponent Arnett Gardens in the first leg, D.C. United needs only to avoid a two-goal loss at home to automatically advance to the semifinals. United's three-goal advantage means that in order for Arnett Gardens to advance straightway, the Jamaicans would need to win by a four-goal margin.

Conversely, the Columbus Crew faces much more difficult circumstances following their 2-0 loss to Central American powerhouse, Saprissa in San Jose, Costa Rica last Wednesday. In order to advance directly to the semifinals, the Crew would need to win by three goals. A 2-0 Crew win in regulation time, would trigger a 30-minute "Golden Goal" or "Sudden Death" period of play. Barring a goal, the game would then go directly to a penalty kick shootout.

The Crew will likely need a shutout victory, as Giants Cup competition rules state that away goals count double if the series ends tied in aggregate goals.

Consequently, even a 3-1 Crew win would result in elimination for the MLS club. If Saprissa scores one goal, then the Crew would have to score at least 4 to advance.

The semifinals and finals will be played in a "final four" format at a single venue in the United States that will be announced.

The Giants Cup champions will receive $50,000, with the runner-up set to earn $40,000. The winner of the third-place match will receive $35,000, with the fourth-place side garnering $30,000.

The winner and runner-up of the inaugural 2001 Giants Cup will also gain berths for the first FC Clubs Cup, to be held in early 2003. Additionally, the winner and runner-up of the 2002 Giants Cup, along with the top two clubs in the 2001 and 2002 editions of the FC Champions Cup, will also gain entry into the 2003 FC Clubs Cup (for a total of eight teams). The 2003 FC Clubs Cup will determine the two FC representatives in the 2003 FIFA Club World Championship.

The other half of the field in the 2001 FC Giants Cup features: Guadalajara and America of Mexico, and Comunicaciones and Municipal of Guatemala.

LASSITER CLIMBS THE AMERICAN SOCCER SCORING CHARTS: Kansas City forward Roy Lassiter, MLS' all-time leading scorer, is closing in on the list of top goal scorers in modern U.S. professional soccer history.

Lassiter notched his 82nd career goal in last weekend's 3-2 loss to D.C. United. "Rocket Roy" currently stands 13th on the modern goal scoring chart. However, with 11 more goals, Lassiter will vault to 5th place all-time on the scoring list. Former NASL legend Giorgio Chinaglia, of the New York Cosmos, tops the chart with 242 career goals.

Lassiter is now just two points away from becoming the first MLS player to join the 200-point club. D.C. United forward Raul Diaz Arce is also within range of the 200-point club with 184 career points.

MLS RAISES MONEY FOR EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS: Major League Soccer raised nearly $4,000 for the earthquake victims in El Salvador with a charity auction on Yahoo! last week. A total of $3,913.50 was raised for Ayuda al Pueblo Salvadoreno. Soccer fans bid on various items ranging from autographed jerseys to season tickets. MLS' four Salvadoran stars, Mauricio Cienfuegos, Raul Diaz Arce, Jorge Rodriguez and Ronald Cerritos all donated valuable memorabilia to help their homeland. The item that generated the most money in the auction was the 2001 MLS Cup VIP package. The winning bid was cast at $900.00 for that item alone. In addition to league efforts, many MLS clubs have raised money to benefit the earthquake victims of El Salvador.

COMMISSIONER TO PRESENT RINGS IN KANSAS CITY: Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber will travel to Kansas City this weekend to present the Wizards with their MLS Cup 2000 championship rings. Kansas City takes on Western Division rival Los Angeles at 8:30 pm ET. Commissioner Garber will join Wizards Investor-Operator Lamar Hunt to present the rings during pregame ceremonies. In addition, the club will unveil an MLS Cup championship flag that will be on display at Arrowhead Stadium. The match also marks Los Angeles defender Alexi Lalas' return to Arrowhead Stadium since his retirement in September 1999. Lalas spent the 1999 season with Kansas City.

UNITED AND CREW TO FACE EUROPEAN GIANT: German Bundesliga power Bayer Leverkusen will face a pair of MLS clubs to conclude its season in late May. D.C. United will face Bayer Leverkusen in an international friendly on Wednesday, May 23, at 8:00 p.m. in RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.

"This is another opportunity for D.C. United to test ourselves against international talent," said United President and General Manager Kevin Payne. "Last summer we defeated Newcastle United from the English Premier League 3-1 in a friendly at RFK. We are proud of our record against such renowned teams and we look forward to the match against Bayer Leverkusen."

Bayer Leverkusen will also be in Columbus on Tuesday, May 29, to play an international exhibition match against the Crew at Columbus Crew Stadium at 7:30 p.m. ET.

"I am very pleased that we will have an opportunity to play a team of Leverkusen's caliber," said Crew Head Coach Tom Fitzgerald. "They are truly an elite side and playing those kinds of teams - in addition to being fun - allows us to evaluate ourselves using a different measuring stick."

Leverkusen is currently tied for second place in the Bundesliga standings, trailing leader Bayern Munich by just a single point with six matches remaining. Bayern Munich has 50 points, while Leverkusen, Schalke 04 and Borussia Dortmund all have 49. The Bundesliga is Germany's top professional league and it has consistently been considered one of the best leagues in the world.

MLS DELEGATION TO TAKE IN WUSA OPENING WEEKEND: Major League Soccer Chief Operating Officer Mark Abbott will head the league's delegation at the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) inaugural weekend. Abbott, who served as a consultant to the United States Soccer Federation and John Hendricks during a leave of absence from MLS in 1999 to draft of the business plan for the Division 1 Women's professional soccer league, will travel to RFK Stadium to see the Washington Freedom host the Bay Area CyberRays in the WUSA's inaugural match on April 14.

SOCCER SATURDAY HEADS TO THE WINDY CITY: For the second straight week, the Chicago Fire will be featured on MLS' Soccer Saturday. This week, the MLS Cup 2000 finalists will host three-time MLS champ D.C. United at 9:00 on ESPN2.

Last week, Chicago drew with Columbus 1-1 in the first nationally televised MLS match of the season. John Wolyniec, the top goal scorer in MLS' Spring Training 2001 Preseason Tournament, continued his hot start with a goal in the opener. Chicago will bring a varied attack into their first game at Soldier Field, led by rising stars Josh Wolff and DaMarcus Beasley.

D.C. United pulled off one of the surprises of the opening weekend, earning a 3-2 victory over Kansas City on Saturday. Midfielder Mark Lisi, a first-round 2001 SuperDraft pick, scored the game-winner in the 88th minute. United boasts the deepest set of talented young players in the league, led by 17-year-old Bobby Convey, who also scored in the opener.

MLS broadcast partners ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 and Telemundo will combine to offer viewers 44 exciting MLS matches in 2001. Additional playoff telecasts will be determined at a later date. As a special bonus to MLS fans this season, as the September playoff races tighten, the Soccer Saturday format will be complemented with a bonus game on each Sunday of the season's final two weekends.

MLS QUOTES OF THE WEEK

``He's a master preservationist. We all know Valderrama's big hair is covering the eyes in the back of his head." - Miami Head Coach Ray Hudson on the durability of Carlos Valderrama (from the Tampa Tribune)

``When you have attacking players, sometimes the hardest thing is to defend. I'm going to have a lot of gray hair by the end of the season if games keep going like that.'' - San Jose Head Coach Frank Yallop on his team's defensive scheme during the second half of Saturday's 3-2 win over Los Angeles (from the San Jose Mercury News).

"The difference was I wore a size 11 glove instead of a 10. Kids, let that be a lesson. Always wear a bigger glove.'' - Columbus Crew GK Tom Presthus' comments about what made the difference on his spectacular diving save that denied Chicago's Dema Kovalenko of the game-winning goal in the closing minutes of the 1-1 draw at Crew Stadium (from the Columbus Dispatch)

"We talked about it sitting on the side, saying 'I'm ready to go in and get the game-winning goal,' We were just talking about how it would be nice to go in when it was 2-2 with like 10 minutes to go. And the next thing you know, it's the 88th minute and I was getting it." - D.C. United M Mark Lisi on his bench conversation with rookie teammate Santino Quaranta prior to his professional debut, which ironically saw him score the game-winner in a 3-2 upset of Kansas City (from the Washington Post).

"This game reminds me a lot of my debut game with Olimpia. I scored one goal in that game, but I feel better because I scored twice tonight." - Miami Fusion F Alex Pineda Chacon after scoring two goals in his MLS debut to lift his club to a 2-1 win over the Rapids (from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel).

``All the passion, all the work you put in the whole game, you work so hard for just a couple seconds. If you get those couple seconds, you've got to put away your goals.'' - Tampa Bay F Ali Curtis' thoughts after he scored the game-winning goal in his professional debut, a 4-2 win over the Dallas Burn (from the Tampa Tribune).

MLS TEAM NOTES:

D.C. UNITED:
D.C. United will face Jamaica's Arnett Gardens, who visits the nation's capital on Wednesday, in the return match of the CONCACAF Giants Cup quarterfinal pairing ... D.C. United will face German Bundesliga power Bayer Leverkusen in an international friendly on Wednesday, May 23, at 8:00 p.m. in RFK Stadium ... Midfielder Mark Lisi, currently completing his studies at Clemson University, has joined United on a fulltime basis after making arrangements with his professors to complete his work via correspondence ... Santino Quaranta and the United States under-17 Men's National Team will arrive in St. Louis, Mo., Thursday (April 12) to make final preparations before facing off against Jamaica, Canada and El Salvador in the FIFA U-17 World Championship qualifying tournament at Saint Louis University on April 18, 20 and 22 ... Quaranta will write periodic journals for MLSnet.com during the U-20 WC Qualifying Tournament.

METROSTARS:
The MetroStars pledged one dollar to the El Salvador Earthquake Relief Fund for every ticket sold in their 2001 MLS season opener against New England this past Saturday night ... As a result, the team will donate $30,753, thanks to the second largest home opener crowd in team history ... The team will hold training sessions Tuesday through Thursday this week beginning at 9:30 a.m. ET at Kean University-East Campus in Union, New Jersey ... Training session lengths vary, but generally last from 90 minutes to two hours ... The team will travel to Denver, Colorado Friday morning via Newark Airport ... The MetroStars will hold a special media luncheon for the "NASL Reunion Weekend" in New York City on Wednesday, April 18 ... Location and time will be announced later this week.

MIAMI FUSION:
The Miami Fusion and the City of Miami will host a news conference at the Orange Bowl tomorrow (Apr. 11) at 2:30 p.m. (ET), to announce the team's plans to play a limited number of regular season games at the legendary grounds later this year ... Miami will take to the road for the first time in 2001 as they visit Eastern Division rival New England this Saturday, April 14 at 7:30 p.m. (ET) ... Fusion defender Ivan McKinley was a member of the Revolution from 1997-2000 before being traded to the Fusion in exchange for forward Eric Wynalda on July 8, 2000 ... Revolution midfielder/forward Andy Williams joined New England on March 29 after being selected in the MLS Waiver Draft ... Revolution Head Coach Fernando Clavijo was head coach of the Florida Thundercats of the National Professional Soccer League from 1998-99 and has a home in South Florida ... Defender Carlos Llamosa is expected to make his Fusion debut on Saturday after missing the season opener against the Rapids due to a red card suspension carried over from 2000 ... The Fusion will play an exhibition match at the Cocoa Expo Sports Center against the Cocoa Expos tonight at 6:00 p.m. (ET).

NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION:
2000 New England Revolution Rookie of the Year Rusty Pierce has been practicing with the team after being slowed by a hamstring injury throughout much of the preseason and could see his first action of the season against the Fusion ... Revolution forward Eric Wynalda and midfielder Andy Williams will be facing their former team when the Fusion come to town ... Midfielder Leonel Alvarez was credited with the Revolution's lone goal Saturday ... The goal was his second as a member of the Revolution and matched his total for all of last season ... Alvarez last found the back of the net April 1, 2000 against the Los Angeles Galaxy.

CHICAGO FIRE:
The Chicago Fire announced the re-signing of defender Evan Whitfield to a multiyear contract yesterday (April 9) ... U.S. National Team Head Coach Bruce Arena was the keynote speaker at the annual FireWorks For Kids Season Kickoff Luncheon held this afternoon at the Chicago Hyatt Regency ... Fire midfielder Diego Gutierrez and defender Andrew Lewis will miss this Saturday's home opener due to red card suspensions ... This Thursday, midfielder Chris Armas will be a guest on the WUSN AM (US99) morning show, while Josh Wolff will be featured on WBBM FM B96's "Eddie and Jobo" Friday morning show at 7:30 a.m. (ET).

COLUMBUS CREW:
The Columbus Crew will take to the road for the first time during the 2001 MLS regular season, when they take on the Tampa Bay Mutiny on Saturday, April 14, at Raymond James Stadium at 7 p.m. ... The Crew will complete its FC Giants Cup quarterfinal series against CD Saprissa of Costa Rica at Crew Stadium, this Wednesday, April 11, at 7:30 p.m. Saprissa owns a 2-0 lead in the two-leg aggregate goals series, with its victory in San Jose, Costa Rica, last Wednesday (April 4) ... The Crew need to win 2-0 to force overtime, while a 3-0 victory will clinch a semifinal spot.

DALLAS BURN:
The Dallas Burn named Armando Pelaez as an assistant coach for the team ... The 39-year-old is a native of Venezuela and has been involved with the Olympic Developmental Program the past four years ... He has coached in the USL and was a professional player for 11 years ... Burn forward Jason Kreis underwent an MRI yesterday after he hyper-extended his right knee vs. Tampa Bay last Saturday, the same knee that he had arthroscopic surgery on in February ... As part of the Dallas Burn 5th Major Sport Program, the team will conduct a training session in conjunction with the Rowlett Youth Soccer Association at Rowlett High School tonight, followed by an autograph session ... Dallas will train at 10:15 a.m. Wednesday through Friday at the Blue Sky Sports Center, before departing for San Jose Friday afternoon.

TAMPA BAY MUTINY:
The Tampa Bay Mutiny opens their home schedule on Saturday against Central Division foe Columbus and former University of South Florida star Jeff Cunningham ... The Mutiny have faced the Crew more than any other opponent (including playoffs) ... The Mutiny are 13-7-0 all time against the Crew, 6-4-0 at home including wins in the last three in a row at home by a combined score of 10-3 ... Tampa Bay has won its last seven overall against Columbus, with the last meeting resulting in a thrilling 4-3 come-from-behind effort at Crew Stadium on August 30 where Mamadou Diallo had his second hat trick of the 2000 season ... Mamadou Diallo has six goals (12 points) versus the Crew, the most for Diallo against any MLS side ... Carlos Valderrama, who had two assists at Dallas, needs one point to become only the second player in team history to record 100 points in his career (Steve Ralston has 113); "El Pibe's" 77 Mutiny assists account for nearly 30% of Tampa Bay's all-time goals (284) ... The Dallas match was the 24th multi-assist contest of Pibe's career ... Scott Garlick, last year's MLS record-setter with 184 saves, already leads the league after one week (seven) ... Garlick enters Saturday's match one victory shy of tying the Mutiny record for wins by a goalkeeper (32); ironically, that record is currently held by his potential counterpart on Saturday, Mark Dougherty of Columbus.

COLORADO RAPIDS:
The Rapids were off to a positive start in their opening game against the Miami Fusion at Lockhart Stadium, only to see a 1-0 lead disappear when MLS Player of the Week Alex Pineda Chacon scored two goals ... The team has not won a season opener yet, going 0-6 as it lost all six games on the road ... The defense, however, was missing its veteran central defenders Robin Fraser and Marcelo Balboa and Trinidadian defender Keyeno Thomas ... Scotsman John Spencer made an auspicious debut, scoring a goal in his first MLS match and South African newcomer Neathan Gibson also came close to hitting the back of the net had it not been for a spectacular Nick Rimando save ... Imad Baba, Geoff Aunger and Steve Herdsman also made their Rapids debut ... The Rapids also missed a chance to win their first match at Lockhart Stadium ... The team returns to the friendly confines of Mile High Stadium where it has won four of the six matches against the MetroStars in the series' history ... The Rapids have only lost one home opener over the team's five year history, a 1-0 decision to the Los Angeles Galaxy in 1998 ... Last year's top scorer Junior Agogo, will make his 2001 debut after serving a one-match suspension carried over from last season.

KANSAS CITY WIZARDS:
The Kansas City Wizards return to Arrowhead for their home opener against the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. (ET) ... The Wizards trail the all-time series against Los Angeles 8-10-1, but are 6-4-0 at Arrowhead ... The Galaxy has outscored the Wizards 31-21 all-time during the regular season ... Roy Lassiter is now two points away from becoming the first MLS player in the 200-point club ... A tie versus Los Angeles will give the Wizards 200 points all-time ... Seven of the eleven Wizards who started in 2000 MLS Cup started in the opener versus D.C. ... Nick Garcia's team-high streak of consecutive games played will be halted at 33, due to this week's red card suspension ... coming into today's contest Jose Burciaga was called in to U-20 U.S. National Team camp for a 14-day training camp beginning April 9th ... Media Day for the Wizards will be on Thursday, April 12, from 11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

LOS ANGELES GALAXY:
The Los Angeles Galaxy hit the road for the first time in 2001 to take on the defending MLS Cup Champion Kansas City Wizards on Saturday, April 14, at Arrowhead Stadium ... Defender Alexi Lalas, who returned to MLS after a year-long hiatus in the broadcast booth, will make his first trip to Kansas City since playing his final game as a Wizard on October 9, 1999, a 1-0 loss to the Galaxy ... The Galaxy will hold a closed-door scrimmage against the Under-20 U.S. National Team today in the Rose Bowl at 5:00 p.m. (ET) ... Midfielder Alex Bengard, a fifth round draft choice (57th overall) in the 2001 MLS SuperDraft, signed with the league on Saturday (April 7) ... A native of Chino Hills, Calif., Bengard was previously a college-protected player training with the team.

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES:
The San Jose Earthquakes will be hosting their 2001 Media Day/Mayor's Kicks for Kids Luncheon today at Spartan Stadium from 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. (ET) ... San Jose will hold training sessions at 10:00 a.m. through Friday of this week at West Valley College (Wed., Thurs.) and Spartan Stadium (Tues., Fri.) ... Frank Yallop won his coaching debut 3-2 Saturday night against the Galaxy ... Coaches making their debuts for the Clash/Earthquakes are now 4-0 in the history of the club ... Laurie Calloway led the Clash to a 1-0 victory over D.C. United in his first match, which was also MLS' Inaugural Game, on April 6, 1996 ... Brian Quinn coached his first game on June 28, 1997, and led the team to a 3-1 victory ... Lothar Osiander also coached the Clash to victory in his first game, a 2-0 win over the Chicago Fire on September 26, 1999.

Major League Soccer Stories from April 10, 2001

• MLS debuts are impressive - OSC Original by MLS Press Release

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