MLS Red Bull New York

Pre-Game Report: MetroStars at Chicago Fire

Published on July 16, 2004 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Red Bull New York News Release


Up Next, Chicago Fire: This weekend, the MetroStars will hit the road for their next game against DaMarcus Beasley and the Chicago Fire on July 17 (TV: MSG, Spanish Radio: WADO 1280 AM) at 8 p.m. ET. The Red and Black will be trying to break their nine-game winless streak against their Eastern Conference rivals.

The Metros then head down to Charlestown, SC on June 20 to face the Charleston Battery at 7:30 in a 2004 U.S. Open Cup fourth round match. The MetroStars next home game is on July 24, when they host the Fire at 7:30 p.m (TV: FSNY, Spanish Radio: WADO 1280 AM).

Tickets are available for all MetroStars home 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).

Bradley One From 100: MetroStars Head Coach Bob Bradley is one win away from reaching 100 career MLS wins. Bradleys all-time league record of 99 career regular season victories is 20 more than the closest active coach, Sigi Schmid. Schmid needs four more to surpass Thomas Rongen (DC, NE, TB) for second place in career regular season victories.

If Bradleys 100th victory comes within the next two league games (July 17, 24) against the Chicago Fire, it will be ironic since 82 of his victories came at the helm of the Windy City team. Bradley has earned 17 wins with the MetroStars since being named Head Coach on October 22, 2002.

Firefighting on Saturday: The MetroStars go into Soldier Field this Saturday knowing that they are riding on a nine-game winless streak against the Chicago Fire. Yet, the Red and Black have renewed confidence from this past weekend, beating the San Jose Earthquakes 2-0 in a crucial win which snapped a three-game losing streak and propelled them back to first place in the Eastern Conference. The MetroStars will have to keep an eye on Fire strike pair Ante Razov and Damani Ralph, a duo which has combined for 40 points against the Red and Black. Razov, who is the Fires all-time scoring leader when playing against the MetroStars with 11 goals, is currently nursing an ankle sprain. Ralph has scored five goals and added two assists in six games against the Metros.

On the other hand, the MetroStars have several players who are on good form, namely, midfielder Amado Guevara, who has a goal and two assists in four games against the Fire. Guevara, who currently is second on the MLS Budweiser Scoring List, has recorded a point in each of his last five MLS games. In addition, if forward Fabian Taylor can rebound from his ankle injury, he could add to the goal he scored against the Fire in a 1-1 draw at Giants Stadium earlier this season. This year, Taylor has five goals in 12 games played. Finally, the Fire are riding a six game winless streak going into Saturdays game.

Back On Top: With their 2-0 win over the San Jose Earthquakes last Saturday, coupled with losses by key rivals, the MetroStars have retaken the top spot in the Eastern Conference with 22 points. They are two points ahead of D.C. United and three ahead of the Columbus Crew. This Saturdays opponent, the Chicago Fire, are farther adrift with 18 points with no games in hand over the Red and Black. The Crew has two games in hand over the MetroStars.

Guevaras Amadoriffic: MetroStars midfielder Amado Guevara continued his strong form for the "Red and Black" with an assist on John Wolyniecs 63rd minute goal and a strike from the penalty spot last Saturday. It was his sixth goal and seventh assist of the season. Guevara now has earned at least a point in five consecutive league games, garnering three goals and five assists during that stretch (11 points). Guevaras 19 points off six goals and seven assists this year, puts him in sole position of second place on the MLS Budweiser Scoring list. He is one point behind L.A. Galaxy striker Carlos Ruiz. Guevara was also named as an MLS All-Star starter last week, along with teammates Eddie Pope and Eddie Gaven. He has now has racked up four goals and three assists in four career games against San Jose.

Eddies Make Their Mark: MetroStars midfielder Eddie Gaven and defender Eddie Pope both appeared in the United States 1-1 draw against Poland last Sunday. Coming on as an 82nd minute substitute for Kerry Zavagnin, Gaven became the fourth youngest player ever to appear in a senior national team game at 17 years and 260 days. Pope also played a key role in the game, playing the full 90 minutes in the heart of the American defense. Both players were named as Eastern Conference starters last week for the July 31 MLS All-Star Game.

The MetroStars will look forward to having both players back from national team duty. Gaven has scored four goals in the past four MLS games hes played, building from his two-goal performance on June 23rd against the Los Angeles Galaxy. The 17-year-old star has 13 points in 15 games this season.

Pope has now earned 62 caps for his country, wearing the captains armband on several occasions during international matches this year. Pope has started in 12 of the teams 16 games and helped the "Red and Black" to their Eastern Conference-leading record of 6-6-4. He has scored six goals for his national team.

Woly In The Box: In his ninth start, MetroStars forward John Wolyniec scored his fourth goal of the season in the 63rd minute last Saturday. The Staten Island, NY native last scored in a May 30, 2004 1-0 victory over the Kansas City Wizards, where his 73rd minute tally earned him Man-of-the-Match honors. Wolyniec has played in each of the MetroStars 16 games this season and scored the eventual game winner in a 3-1 victory versus the Columbus Crew on April 3.

In addition, MetroStars defender Craig Ziadie earned his first point of the season with an assist on Wolyniecs goal and goalkeeper Jonny Walker rebounded from the teams 6-2 defeat to D.C. United with his third shutout of the season on Saturday.

Going For Goal: The high-powered MetroStars offense has been productive this year, scoring 28 goals second most in the league behind the L.A. Galaxys 32. In addition, the MetroStars are tied for first with D.C. United in first-half goals with 12 tallies. The Red and Black are 4-1-2 after scoring the first goal.

The MetroStars are also not afraid of going for goal when they are playing away from Giants Stadium. The MetroStars lead the league in scoring away from home, earning 16 tallies in eight games. With an average of two goals per away game, the MetroStars are ahead of the L.A. Galaxy (1.63 average).

Quaking San Jose: With the MetroStars 2-0 win over the San Jose last Saturday, the Red and Black extended their home-unbeaten streak against the Earthquakes to five (four ties, one win).

Lovin The Red and Black: The MetroStars are 6-2-2 when wearing their red and black-striped jerseys, compared to 0-4-2 wearing their white kits. The team usually wears their all-white uniforms when traveling for away games.

Loaded Guns: The MetroStars are not afraid of shooting the ball. The team leads the league for most shots overall with 258. Their nearest opponent is the Chicago Fire with 227. In addition, the MetroStars are leading the league in shots on goal with 108 strikes four more than D.C. United.

Closing Like Gagne: The Red and Black are generally very solid in closing out games. When the MetroStars are ahead after the 75th minute, they are 5-1-0.

Metros Down Rough Riders: Goals by forwards John Wolyniec and Sergio Galvan Rey helped give the MetroStars a 2-1 win over PSL team, the Long Island Rough Riders, in a soggy exhibition match at Mitchel Athletic Complex on Tuesday. The scoring started when former Rough Rider Wolyniec scored on a 16th minute tap-in on a ball played to him by Joselito Vaca. The Metros then doubled their lead in the 35th minute when Cornell Glen crossed from the right to set up Galvan Rey, who slotted it home to give the team a 2-0 lead. Rough Rider Shawn Higgins scored an 80th minute consolation goal with a shot that beat Metros goalkeeper Zach Wells.

With the win, the MetroStars are now 2-0 in friendly action in the 2004 season, as they beat Boavista F.C. of the Portuguese Super League by a score of 3-1 on May 26th at Williams Field in Elizabeth, NJ.

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Major League Soccer Stories from July 16, 2004


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