Up Next, Los Angeles
The MetroStars go on the road when they visit the Los Angeles Galaxy on Wednesday, June 23, at 10:30 p.m. ET (TV: FSNY, HDNet; Spanish Radio: WADO 1280 AM). This is the second time in a week that the "Red and Black" will square off against the Galaxy after the MetroStars' 2-1 win on Saturday. Located at 1034 Willow Avenue, McMahon's Brownstone Ale House in Hoboken, N.J. will be bringing all the excitement from L.A. to New York. Come join fellow MetroStars fans as they cheer the team on to victory. Directions and other information can be found at
www.mcmahonsbrownstonebar.com
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In addition, the "Red and Black" are hitting the road this Saturday, taking on the New England Revolution at 7:30 p.m. Come join fellow fans for all of the MetroStars' action at O'Donnell's Pub, located on 233 Harrison Ave. in Harrison, N.J. Directions can be found at www.odonnellspub.com.
Finally, the MetroStars will return to Giants Stadium for a doubleheader on Wednesday, June 30. After taking on the Colorado Rapids, the MetroStars will host an exciting international friendly between Argentina and Peru.
MetroStars on TV
Not in our house
The MetroStars win against the L.A. Galaxy on Saturday reaffirmed their strong home form in Giants Stadium this season, as they have a record of 3-1-2 in East Rutherford, N.J. The Metros have won three times (April 17, 3-2 vs. D.C. United; May 30, 1-0 vs. Kansas City Wizards; June 19, 2-1 vs. L.A. Galaxy), tied twice (April 25, 1-1 vs. New England Revolution; May 15, 1-1 vs. Chicago Fire) and lost only once (June 5, 2-0 vs. Dallas Burn).
In the crosshairs
With the Metros' 2-1 win against the L.A. Galaxy last Saturday, the "Red and Black" moved up to a second-place tie with D.C. United in the Eastern Conference. The MetroStars are a point behind Eastern Conference rivals, the Chicago Fire (17 points), but have a game in hand over the Windy City team and two games in hand over United. The Columbus Crew is one point behind the MetroStars.
Rocking the Arena
MetroStars defender Kenny Arena's 42nd minute goal last Saturday marked his first career tally for the "Red and Black." The second year player's finish from a Mike Magee corner kick delivery is the second consecutive week that a MetroStars defender has scored his first MLS regular season goal as fellow stopper Jeff Parke scored in the previous weekend's 3-1 loss to the San Jose Earthquakes. Magee's assist on Arena's goal was also his first of the season and third in his career.
Last minute hero
MetroStars forward Mike Magee's 90th minute tally in last Saturday's 2-1 win over the L.A. Galaxy was the Metros' first game-winning goal after 75 minutes this season. It was Magee's second tally of the season and ninth of his career.
First time's the charm
The Metros are undefeated this season when scoring first. They have maintained their lead to either win or tie in three matches (May 8, 5-5 tie against San Jose Earthquakes; May 15, 1-1 tie vs. Chicago Fire; May 30, 1-0 win vs. Kansas City Wizards; June 19, 2-1 win vs. Los Angeles Galaxy).
Young bloods
In their 2-1 win over the L.A. Galaxy last Saturday, the MetroStars again fielded the youngest team in Major League Soccer history. Breaking their own record from a week ago against the San Jose Earthquakes, the MetroStars' average age on Saturday was 22 years 138 days. Prior to the past two games against San Jose and L.A., the lowest age average was 24 years and 55 days, set by the Miami Fusion on April 15, 1999.
Brenes makes start, Stammler debuts
MetroStar Pablo Brenes came on for his first MLS start last Saturday, playing the full 90 minutes. The defender/midfielder made his debut with the "Red and Black" in the 85th minute as a substitute for midfielder Mark Lisi on June 12 against the San Jose Earthquakes. Brenes' replacement, MetroStars defender, Seth Stammler, also made an MLS appearance for the first time in his career last Saturday against the Galaxy.
In addition, MetroStars midfielder Gilberto and Saturday's goal scorer Kenny Arena were making their second starts for the "Red and Black" this season. Defender Chris Leitch and midfielder Eddie Gaven are the only players who have started every game for the MetroStars this season.
A distant galaxy
The MetroStars extended their unbeaten streak against the L.A. Galaxy to four games with their 2-1 win on Saturday. Last season, the MetroStars earned two draws and a win against the Western Conference rivals - who have not defeated the "Red and Black" since an August 31, 2002 3-0 defeat at the Rose Bowl. In each game during the streak, the MetroStars have held the Galaxy to a goal or less. In addition, the Galaxy's last victory in Giants Stadium was on April 29, 2000, as the "Red and Black" have been 3-0-1 at home since then.
Metros return from international duty
Trinidad and Tobago forward Cornell Glen, Honduran midfielder Amado Guevara and American goalkeeper Jonny Walker will rejoin the MetroStars squad for the "Red and Black's" Wednesday game against the L.A. Galaxy following their respective tours of duty with their national teams for the second round of World Cup Qualifying matches.
While Walker was on his national team's bench for Sunday's, second-leg victory over Grenada, Guevara scored a 7th minute goal on Saturday to help lift his Honduran mates to a 4-0 victory over the Netherlands Antilles. The Honduran has now earned 83 caps for his national team. Glen played 68 minutes on Sunday and tallied one assist in T&T's 4-0 win over the Dominican Republic.
Coaches duel
In a battle of MLS coaching veterans, MetroStars head coach Bob Bradley and L.A. Galaxy head coach Sigi Schmid will face off this Wednesday. Bradley and Schmid have a combined 173 wins, with the MetroStars coach holding the league record with 97 career regular season victories in his MLS head-coaching career. Schmid is the closest active coach to Bradley with 76 wins, and needs seven more to surpass Thomas Rongen (D.C., New England, Tampa Bay) for second place in career regular season victories. Bradley is 7-10-3 lifetime against the Galaxy while Schmid is 5-5-2 when facing the "Red and Black." Schmid was not present during the Galaxy's 2-1 loss to the MetroStars last Saturday.
Galaxy's gun holstered
The MetroStars' stifling defense last Saturday in their 2-1 win over the L.A. Galaxy held the highest scoring team to just one shot-on-goal - the lowest total in a game for the Western Conference team this season. The one shot-on-goal was a penalty kick scored by Galaxy midfielder Andreas Herzog.
Starting a Revolution
Although the MetroStars' form against their Saturday opponent, the New England Revolution, has not been particularly strong, they have tied with the team from the east in their last three matches. In addition, MetroStars midfielder Amado Guevara has scored twice in the past three games against the Revolution - a team that is in the cellar of the Eastern Conference with just nine points over 12 matches.
Taking the shots
Although the MetroStars have dropped the last two games, they are still creating many chances. The "Red and Black" are ranked 3rd in the League this season in shots on goal with 73 - behind D.C. United and the L.A. Galaxy. Although United and L.A. have taken 15 and three more shots on goal respectively, they have also both played two more games than the MetroStars. Additionally, the MetroStars are third in total shots (177), behind the Kansas City Wizards (181), and United (179) - teams which have played one or more games than the "Red and Black" in the 2004 season.
MetroStars, ACS raise $10,500
In conjunction with the American Cancer Society (ACS), the MetroStars raised $10,500 in the first ever "Relay for Life" held at Giants Stadium on June 18 and 19. "Relay for Life" is the ACS's signature fundraising activity, offering the community a chance to participate in the fight against cancer. The overnight "relay" included teams of people walking or running around a "Relay" course throughout the night and was set up inside the Giants Stadium bubble, along with various other fun activities.
The MetroStars brought a unique element into this year's "Relay for Life." Along with the relay there was a 7 vs. 7 overnight soccer tournament that was held on the Giants Stadium field. This tournament ran from 12-8 a.m. when the final match ended. The winning team, which was undefeated with a 6-0 record, was the More Fire Squad. More Fire Squad's captain Khouri Mullins helped his team shutout Weehawken Massive 4-0.
Sport Club wins Chivas Regal Cup at Giants Stadium
The MetroStars hosted the Chivas Regal Cup at Giants Stadium last Saturday immediately following the conclusion of their 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Galaxy. This marks the second consecutive year that the Chivas Regal Cup, the championship match of Champions League Soccer (CLS) has been played in conjunction with a MetroStars match at Giants Stadium. In the cup final, Sport Club Portuguese Newark knocked off Kearny Scots-Americans 2-0. This came after two first-half goals by the Newark side.
CLS is one of only 2 USSF regional leagues directly affiliated with the U.S. Soccer Federation. The league is composed of teams from the tri-state area, and gives future top-level players the opportunity to play side-by-side with former MLS and MetroStars players like Billy Walsh and Nansha Kalonji, and former New England Revolution players Jesse Van Saun and Kevin Anderson.
Chivas Regal is imported and marked by Pernod Ricard in the USA. Pernod Ricard produces Wild Turkey Bourbon and Extra Seagram's Dry Gin and imports and markets Chivas Regal Scotch Whiskey, The Glenlivet Single Malt Scotch Whiskey, Jameson and Bushmills Irish Whiskeys, Martell Cognac, Jacob's Creek and Wyndham Estate Wines.
Time and TV changes
The MetroStars September 11 game time against the New England Revolution will be pushed back from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and will be shown on MSG rather than ESPN2. Additionally, the MetroStars' July 24 game against Chicago will now be shown on FSNY rather than MSG and the August 29 game against the Columbus Crew will no longer be televised.
