MLS Red Bull New York

Pre-Game Report: MetroStars @ Colorado

Published on May 16, 2003 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Red Bull New York News Release


Up Next, Colorado: The MetroStars face the Colorado Rapids this upcoming Saturday at INVESCO Field at Mile High with kick off scheduled for 4:00 p.m. ET (ESPN2, WADO 1280 AM). The MetroStars are 5-1-1 in their last seven meetings overall between both clubs. The Metros also hold the all-time edge on the Rapids with a 9-7-1 mark including a 2-1 win at Giants Stadium on May 3. Metro defender Craig Ziadie posted his first professional goal and an assist on Clint Mathis' first goal of the season in the win.

Former Metros midfielder Tab Ramos stands as the all-time leading scorer for the team against Colorado with five goals and five assists for 15 points. Former Rapids midfielder Ross Paule leads Colorado all-time with four goals and two assists for 10 points. When wearing the Colorado uniform, forward John Spencer is the leading active scorer for the Rapids against the Metros with one goal and one assist for three points, while midfielder Chris Henderson has only earned one assist with Colorado against the MetroStars in 11 games (10 starts).

Three Straight: The MetroStars have rolled off three straight wins increasing their record to 3-1-1 for 10 points and second-place in the Eastern Conference. The three-game winning streak is the first in team history since 2001 when the Metros won five straight from April 28 through May 16 (all home games). No MLS team recorded a three-game winning streak last season until September 14, when the Los Angeles Galaxy won its third straight. There were 135 MLS games played last season up to and including that date. No major professional North American sports league has ever reached even half that total of games played before at least one of its teams had won three in a row. The only league to reach even the 60-mark was Major League Baseball, which did it three times in the 1800s-66 games in 1884, 64 games in 1889, 63 games in 1891.

Mathis Gets Two in a Row: Clint Mathis scored his second goal of the 2003 season and his second in consecutive games this past Saturday night in the 1-0 home win over D.C. United at Giants Stadium. The tally is the first in successive games for the U.S. World Cup star, since the 2001 campaign. Mathis last knocked in goals in consecutive games on May 5, 2001, against DC in a 3-2 and May 12, 2001, in a 2-0 win over Los Angeles. The MetroStars are now 19-0-2 (includes two playoff wins), whenever Mathis finds the back of the net.

DiGi Returns: MetroStars midfielder Joey DiGiamarino will be returning to Denver for the first time as a member of an opposing team. The Corona, CA native played 67 games (43 starts) logging 4,291 minutes, scoring seven goals, and seven assists, totaling 21 points for the Rapids from 1998 through 2000. The 2000 U.S. Olympian left Colorado for Bayer Leverkusen of the German Bundesliga, but returned to the United States in the off-season and joined the MetroStars on March 31, 2003, via a weighted lottery. The spirited winger helped the Rapids reach the playoffs in each of his three seasons with the club.

The Spine of the Metros: MetroStars goalkeeper Tim Howard has posted an impressive 0.60 goals against average, which ranks him second in the league behind San Jose's Pat Onstad's 0.38 average. Howard is getting help from solid performances out of the defense and midfield. Metros coach Bob Bradley assembled a back line of Craig Ziadie, Steve Jolley, captain Eddie Pope, and Joey DiGiamarino with defensive midfielders Richie Williams and Ricardo Clark directly in front of them. The defense has held opponents to three goals in five games without allowing more than one goal in a game. Howard has earned two shutouts in the process increasing his career mark to 14.

Mathis vs. Colorado: MetroStars midfielder/forward Clint Mathis has scored three goals and eight assists for 14 points against the Rapids. Three of the goals and three of the assists have come as a member of the MetroStars. His latest tally came in the last meeting between the teams on assists from Craig Ziadie and John Wolyniec in a 2-1 Metro win on May 3 at Giants Stadium. Two goals were scored on August 20, 2000, in a 5-3 win at Giants Stadium.

Howard vs. the Rapids: MetroStars goalkeeper Tim Howard has posted a 5-2-1 record against the Rapids with a 0.87 GAA. The North Brunswick, NJ native made his MLS debut against the Rapids on August 18, 1998, making five saves in a 4-1 win at Giants Stadium to record his first victory in MLS. Howard has only allowed seven goals in eight games against Colorado and has recorded one shutout on May 16, 2001 in 1-0 win at Giants Stadium. Howard also recorded his first and only assist against Colorado on April 13, 2002, on the game-winning goal by Brad Davis in a 2-1 win.

Stifling the Rapids offense: Only five of the current Rapids have scored goals against the MetroStars and all have only one goal each. Chris Carrieri, Mark Chung, Chris Henderson, Zizi Roberts, and John Spencer are the only Rapids to tally and only Henderson has earned more than one assist with his eight. The Metros have kept the Rapids to only five goals in the first half all-time.

Bradley vs. Hankinson: MetroStars coach Bob Bradley has posted a 6-2-3 regular season mark against Colorado coach Tim Hankinson.

Ricardo Clark Goes 90: MetroStars rookie midfielder Ricardo Clark played all 90 minutes in a 3-1 win for the United States Uncer-23 national team over Mexico U-23 in Guadalajara, Mexico on Wednesday. The Atlanta, GA native anchored the midfield and helped close down a ferocious Mexican attack. The Furman product returned to the Metros on Thursday evening and will be available for the Metros encounter with Colorado this Saturday.

10 Players Make Metro Debut: Defender/midfielder Kenny Arena became the 10th player on the roster this season to make his Metro debut when he came on as a late substitute for Amado Guevara. The other players are Ricardo Clark, Joey DiGiamarino, Amado Guevara, Jacob LeBlanc, Chris Leitch, Mike Magee, Jaime Moreno, Eddie Pope, and Tim Regan.

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Major League Soccer Stories from May 16, 2003


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