MLS Red Bull New York

Pre-Game Report: MetroStars @ Burn

Published on July 18, 2003 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Red Bull New York News Release


Up Next, Dallas: On Saturday, the first-place MetroStars get back to MLS action, as they travel to the Lone Star State to take on the Dallas Burn at Dragon Stadium at 9:00 p.m. ET (MSG-TV, WADO 1280 AM). The Metros last squared off against Dallas on May 24th at Giants Stadium, when the "Red and Black" beat the Burn 2-1 on an 84th minute goal by defender Steve Jolley.

The MetroStars will not return home until after the MLS All-Star break on Wednesday, August 13, when they host Kansas City in a midweek clash, kicking off at noon ET. Tickets are available for all MetroStars games at the Continental Airlines Arena box office and at all Ticketmaster outlets. Tickets will also be available through Ticketmaster by phone for callers in New Jersey (201-507-8900), New York (212-307-7171), and for Spanish-speaking customers throughout New York and New Jersey (212-307-4757).

Instant Replay: Last Saturday the long five-game road trip continued as the Metros mounted a thrilling second half comeback to tie the New England Revolution, 3-3 at Gillette Stadium. Ricardo Clark and John Wolyniec scored for the Metros in the contest. With the tie, the MetroStars (7-4-4) are alone atop all of Major League Soccer with 25 points.

U.S. Open Cup: The MetroStars defeated the Mid Michigan Bucks of the Premier Development League (PDL) 4-0 in Berkley Michigan Wednesday night in the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Amado Guevara, John Wolyniec, Mike Nugent and José Galván tallied goals for the Metros in the victory. The MetroStars will now travel to Columbus on August 6th to take on the Crew in the fourth round of the Tournament at 7:30 p.m. ET. Nugent and Galvan registered their first career goals for the Metros in the contest.

Ziadie Gets the Nod: MetroStars defender Craig Ziadie played the full 90 minutes for the Jamaican National Team on Sunday in the team's first Group B game of the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Ziadie again contributed 90 minutes to the Jamaican effort in the second game of the tournament, when the Jams defeated Guatemala, 2-0. With a record of 1-1, Jamaica advanced to quarterfinal play in the Gold Cup, where they will play Mexico at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, Sunday.

Mathis with U.S.: MetroStars forward/midfielder Clint Mathis played 30 minutes for the U.S. National Team on Satruday July 12th as they beat El Salvador 2-0 in the first round of the CONCACAF Gold Cup at Gillette Stadium. Mathis and the U.S. National Team finished the Gold Cup group play, with a 2-0-0 record, after defeating Martinique 2-0 on Monday. Mathis did not play against Martinique.

Metro-Burn Connections: The MetroStars and Dallas Burn are quite familiar with each other these days and it starts with the head coaches. Metros coach Bob Bradley was the head coach of the Chicago Fire with current Dallas boss Mike Jeffries as his top assistant from the inaugural 1998 season through 2000. The duo helped the Fire win an MLS Cup (1998) and two U.S. Open Cups (1998 and 2000). Jeffries was hired by Dallas after the 2000 MLS season, which saw the Fire drop a 1-0 result in the MLS Cup Final to the Kansas City Wizards at RFK Stadium. The coaches had current Burn defender Tenywa Bonseu at their disposal with the Fire during the 2000 season.

Dallas goalkeeper D.J. Countess and midfielder Brad Davis are former MetroStars. Countess spent part of the 2001 season with the Metros after being acquired in a weighted lottery in August of that year. Countess did not appear in any games for the Metros and was then traded to Dallas on March 13, 2002, with a second round pick for midfielder Winston Griffiths (currently New England) and a first round selection.

Davis was a member of the MetroStars during 2002 and became a finalist for the MLS Rookie of the Year award. The St. Louis product played 24 games (12 starts), scoring four goals and three assists for 11 points. He was traded to the Burn on January 17, 2003, for a first round pick in the 2003 MLS SuperDraft. The MetroStars selected Mike Magee with the pick.

Bradley vs. Jeffries: MetroStars coach Bob Bradley has posted a 2-3-1 regular season mark against Dallas coach Mike Jeffries. Bradley's first win against Jeffries came on July 21, 2001, in a 2-1 overtime result on a goal by Eric Wynalda at Soldier Field.

Howard is Transferred: The MetroStars announced last Monday that superstar goalkeeper Tim Howard has been transferred to the world-renowned English Premier League club Manchester United. The financial details of the deal are undisclosed. The team will be receiving an allocation for future use. The two-time MLS Best XI goalkeeper will leave the Metros for the prestigious club, as the team begins preseason training for the upcoming Premier League season, which kicks-off with Manchester United taking on Bolton Wanderers on Saturday, August 16 at Old Trafford in Manchester, England.

Walker Joins Metros: The MetroStars announced Monday the acquisition of goalkeeper Jonny Walker to fill the roster vacancy left by Tim Howard. The Chilean First Division standout joins the MetroStars after superstar goalkeeper Tim Howard departed for Manchester United of the English Premier League. The 28-year-old Walker is currently a member of the United States National Team player pool.

Heard in the News:

"A win would have been nice for [Howard] to go out on, but getting a point showed the character of this team," "We're going to miss him, but we wish him the best." - Midfielder Mark Lisi in the Herald News (NJ) on Tim Howard's last game with the team.

"This is an unbelievable opportunity and he's earned it. He started with the MetroStars as a Project-40 goalkeeper, and the fans have had a chance to see him grow into one of the best players in the league." - Head Coach Bob Bradley in the Herald News (NJ) on goalkeeper Tim Howard.

"I grew into a man here. I grew into a professional and learned a lot of things. Now I'm going to Manchester United and there's a lot of things to still be learned. I've had so many great memories here. We've had our ups and some downs, but I grew into the person and goalkeeper I am in this dressing room so I'm just so thankful for the opportunity." - Goalkeeper Tim Howard in the Herald News (NJ) on his farewell from the MetroStars.

"Letting Tim the goalkeeper go was not difficult because this is a tremendous opportunity for him. The most difficult part is losing Tim the man. The amount of pride can't be described for what this man has done." - MetroStars President and General Manager Nick Sakiewicz in the Herald News (NJ) on transferring Tim Howard.

"It's been a wonderful six years that I've been down there (in Chile), and the experiences that I've had have made me grow both as a professional and an individual. But I think it was time to come home. I've played outside the boundaries of my country and wanted to come home." - MetroStars Goalkeeper Jonny Walker in the Herald News (NJ) on coming to the U.S. to play with the MetroStars.

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Major League Soccer Stories from July 18, 2003


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