MLS Red Bull New York

Pre-Game Report, MetroStars at Colorado

Published on April 12, 2002 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Red Bull New York News Release


PROBABLE LINE UP: Howard (15 saves); Forko, Petke, Jolley, Kamler; Hernandez (1A), Paule, Villegas (2A), Faria (2G); Mathis (1G), Serna (2A) BENCH: Grafer, Griffiths, Addo, Ramos, Davis (1G)

NEXT GAME: MetroStars host the Chicago Fire at Giants Stadium next Saturday, April 20 at 7:30 p.m. ET. Tickets for the game are on sale at all Ticketmaster locations in the tri-state area, Ticketmaster.com, or by calling Ticketmaster directly at 201-507-8900, 212-307-7171, 845-454-3388, or 609-520-8383. Fans can also call the MetroStars at 1-888-4Metrotix to purchase group tickets.

TEAM NOTES:

FIRST PLACE EAST MEETS FIRST PLACE WEST: The MetroStars will hit the road again when they face former Metro Mark Chung and the Colorado Rapids this upcoming Saturday night, April 13, at 9:00 p.m. ET (MSG-TV, WADO 1280 AM Spanish Radio) at INVESCO Field at Mile High. The Rapids are off to a terrific start with a 2-0-1 record, good for seven points and first place in the Western Conference. Midfielders Chris Henderson (3G, 1A) and Chung (1G, 2A) lead the offensive attack. The Rapids also feature Pablo Mastroeni, Carlos Valderrama, and John Spencer in their potent lineup. The MetroStars lead the all-time series between both clubs, 7-6-1 (GF: 25, GA: 18, +7), but have struggled in Denver with a 2-4-1 mark (GF: 7, GA: 9, -2). Tab Ramos (5G, 5A) and Clint Mathis (2G, 3A) hold the best all-time numbers as MetroStars against the Rapids. Marcelo Balboa, currently on the Injured List (bone bruise, right knee), is not expected to play this weekend in what would have been the first appearance against the Rapids for perhaps the most popular player in that team's history.

COLD KICK OFFS: The MetroStars have kicked off in each of their first three games this season with chilly temperatures of 45 degrees on March 23 against New England, 35 degrees on March 27 against Columbus, and 38 degrees on April 6 against Columbus in Ohio.

ZAMBRANO TAKES FOURTH PLACE: MetroStars head coach Octavio Zambrano, the team's all-time leader in regular season coaching wins with 32, currently stands in sole possession of fourth place all-time in league history with 71 wins. The win Saturday night against Columbus helped him surpass former Crew coach Tom Fitzgerald (70 wins) for fourth place, with only current Chicago coach Bob Bradley (72) and former coaches Dave Dir (81 w/ DAL) and Thomas Rongen (82 W/ TB, NE, DC) ahead of him on the list.

HOWARD'S SAVE OF THE YEAR REACHES ONE ANNIVERSARY: GK Tim Howard is close to the one-year anniversary of his Nickelodeon GAS Play of the Year when he saved a Paul Bravo shot on April 14, 2001 in the eight minute of OT of a 1-1 tie in Denver.

TWO MORE PLAYERS CLOSE TO TEAM RECORDS: Defender Steve Jolley has played in all 56 league, eight playoff, five Lamar U.S. Open Cup, and four Copa Merconorte games for the MetroStars since joining the club on April 19, 2000 in a trade with Los Angeles. Jolley's streak of 56 regular season games is an ongoing team record... M/F Clint Mathis needs just one goal to move into sole possession of second place in team history. He is currently tied with Adolfo Valencia with 21 goals. Giovanni Savarese is the all-time leader with 41.

MATHIS ON A ROLL: In his last eight starts (MetroStars/U.S. National Team combined), Clint has registered at least one point in seven of those games. The log, dating back to May 25, 2001 (just prior to the ACL injury on June 5), goes like this:

May 25, 2001 MetroStars vs. Bayern Munich (2-0 W) 1G*
June 2, 2001 MetroStars at New England (1-1 tie) 1A
March 2, 2002 U.S. vs. Honduras at Seattle, WA (4-0 W) 2G*
March 10, 2002 U.S. vs. Ecuador at Birmingham, AL (1-0 W) 1A*
March 23, 2002 MetroStars vs. New England (3-1 W) 1G
March 27, 2002 U.S. vs. Germany at Rostock, Germany (4-2 L) 2G
April 3, 2002 U.S. vs. Mexico at Denver, CO (1-0 W) 1G*
April 6, 2002 MetroStars at Columbus (2-1 OT-W) --
* denotes game-winner
TOTAL PTS: 16 (7G, 2A) ...Mathis has also registered at least one point in his last seven starts with the U.S. national team alone, including 11 points (5 G, 1 A) in his last four starts (see above) since coming back from the right knee surgery.

MATHIS CALLED TO NATIONAL TEAM: MetroStars midfielder/forward Clint Mathis was part of a 18-man roster called up Thursday to the U.S. National Team for next week's friendly match against World Cup-bound Ireland at Dublin, Ireland. Kickoff at Lansdowne Road on Wednesday, April 17 is set for 2:30 p.m. ET, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and tape delay that evening on Telemundo at 11:30 p.m. ET. Fans can also follow the action live from Ireland online via ussoccer.com's MatchTracker, presented by Philips Electronics, beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET. Mathis will return in plenty of time for the MetroStars April 20 home game at Giants Stadium against the Chicago Fire (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG-TV, Spanish Radio WADO 1280). He is available for the game Saturday against Colorado.

MATHIS TO RACK UP FREQUENT FLYER MILES: Clint Mathis will have gathered significant miles in a three-week span:
3/23 MetroStars vs. New England (1 goal in 3-1 win)
3/27 U.S. at Germany (@ Rostock) (2 goals in 4-2 loss) 3,890 miles traveled
3/28 Travel back to NY for one day (3,890 miles)
4/3 U.S. vs. Mexico (@ Denver) (1 goal in 1-0 win) 5,721 miles traveled
4/6 MetroStars at Columbus (no points in 1-0 win) 1,255 miles traveled
4/7 Travel back to NY (522 miles)
4/12 Travel for MetroStars at Colorado (1,831 miles) MILEAGE SUBTOTAL: 13,249 for five games
4/14 Travel from Colorado to Dublin for U.S.-Ireland friendly on 4/17 (4,404 miles)
4/18 Travel from Dublin to New York for MetroStars-Fire game on 4/20 (3,192 miles)
MILEAGE TOTAL: 20,845 for seven total games

MEXICO BRINGING ENTIRE FIRST-TEAM ROSTER FOR APRIL 17 FRIENDLY AT GIANTS STADIUM: World Cup-bound Mexico announced its 23-man roster for the upcoming friendly at Giants Stadium on Wednesday, April 17 at 9:00 p.m. ET against Bulgaria. Headlining the first-team roster for coach Javier Aguirre will be prominent Mexican stars Cuahutemoc Blanco (Valladolid, Spain), Francisco Palencia (Espanyol, Spain), Luis Hernandez (America), and Alberto Garcia Aspe (Puebla). For a complete listing, visit MetroStars.com.

Tickets for the international are on sale through all Ticketmaster locations in the tri-state area, or by calling Ticketmaster directly at 201-507-8900, 212-307-7171, 845-454-3388, or 609-520-8383. Fans can also call the MetroStars at 1-888-4Metrotix to purchase group tickets or a special two-game package created specifically for the Mexican soccer community. The special two-game package includes the Mexico vs. Bulgaria game, as well as the MetroStars' Cinco De Mayo celebration match on Saturday, May 4th, when they host the Dallas Burn at 8 p.m. ET. Prices for the package start at $33. Individual tickets are priced at $25, $35, $45, and $55, and group tickets are available from $20-$55 per person.

LATIN POP STAR PILAR MONTENEGRO HEADLINES METROSTARS CINCO DE MAYO CELEBRATION: Mexican songstress Pilar Montenegro, whose single "Quitame Ese Hombre" is currently number one on the Billboard Latin Music chart, will headline the MetroStars' special Cinco De Mayo celebration on Saturday, May 4, when the MetroStars host the Dallas Burn at Giants Stadium at 8 p.m. ET. Montenegro, whose album "Desahogo" (Univision Music Group) is also currently number 11 on the Latin music chart, will perform in a special concert following the game sponsored by Budweiser and co-promoted by the MetroStars and New York's Latino Mix Radio 105.9 FM and Radio WADO 1280 AM. Montenegro is also popular for her work as an actress in Mexican soap operas, including Univision's "Gotita de Amor" in 1999.

A special ticket package is available for both the May 4th Cinco De Mayo game and concert, along with next Wednesday's international friendly between World Cup-bound Mexico and the national team of Bulgaria. Prices for the package, available by calling 1-888-4-METROTIX, start at $33. Individual tickets for the May 4th Cinco De Mayo game and concert, as well as all MetroStars games, are on sale at all local Ticketmaster outlets (201-507-8900, 212-307-7171, 845-454-3388, 609-520-8383), at the Continental Airlines Arena box office, and at 1-888-4-METROTIX.

METROSTARS TO PRESENT SEMINAR FOR LOCAL PREP SOCCER PLAYERS, COACHES AND FAMILIES: Local high school soccer players and their families will get a special opportunity to score tips on combining a soccer career with a college education at "Success Through Sports," a seminar presented by the MetroStars and sponsored by the Morristown Westin Hotel, on Saturday, April 27th from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. at the Morristown Westin.

The event is a production of Vision Sports Marketing. In addition to getting valuable information, all workshop participants will also receive a ticket to the MetroStars game that night, a 7:30 p.m. ET contest versus the defending MLS Champion San Jose Earthquakes at Giants Stadium. MetroStars head coach Octavio Zambrano will headline the accomplished list of guest speakers, which also includes Duke University men's soccer coach John Rennie, Ohio State University women's soccer coach Lori Walker and Lenny Armuth, head men's soccer coach at Drew University in Madison, NJ. To attend as a team or individual, please contact Vision Sports Marketing at 360.883.2460 or email: gion@qwest.net. Space is limited, so reserve your spot today!

NATIONAL ANTHEM WINNERS DECIDED: Three exceptionally talented contestants were picked from among the more than 50 potential singers who turned oout on Thursday, April 4 at the 2nd Annual National Anthem auditions at Westfield Shoppingtown Garden State Plaza.

Cynthia Tucker, from Jersey City, NJ, wowed the crowd and judges to be named the Grand Prize winner of the National Anthem auditions. Cynthia will be singing on May 16th at Giant Stadium for the United States vs. Jamaica International. The second and third place winner were Julie Ann Earls of Paramus, NJ, and Paloma Martinez of Newark, NJ, each of whom will be singing before a MetroStars game at Giants Stadium during the 2002 season.

The contest judges consisted of MetroStars players Brad Davis, Daniel Hernandez, Martin Klinger, Orlando Perez and Mike Petke. The other judges included front office staff Jennifer Benjamin, Ben Tuliebitz and Stephanie Toomer.

Check out the Red Bull New York Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Major League Soccer Stories from April 12, 2002


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central