Date:
Saturday, July 10, 2004
Time:
4 p.m. ET
Location:
Giants Stadium
Local TV: ESPN2
Play-by-play: JP Dellacamera
Analyst: Eric Wynalda
Producer: Mitch Green
VYVX Conference: 1667533
Local Spanish Radio: WADO 1280 AM
Play-by-play: Ernesto Motta
Analyst: Robert Sierra
Referee: Kevin Terry
Referee's Assts: Tom Supple (SAR), Ken Kaplan (JAR)
Fourth Official: Ken Heller
Injury Report:
Michael Bradley - OUT - Stress fracture of right talarnavicular
Gilberto - OUT - Sprained left ankle
Cornell Glen - QUESTIONABLE - Left quadriceps strain
Mark Lisi - OUT - Right ankle sprain
Tim Regan - OUT - Left MCL sprain
Fabian Taylor - DOUBTFUL - Right ankle sprain
Probable Starters
GK #1 Jonny Walker
D #3 Chris Leitch
D #12 Jeff Parke
D #14 Kenny Arena
D #21 Craig Ziadie
M #2 Ricardo Clark
M #11 Pablo Brenes
M #10 Joselito Vaca
M #20 Amado Guevara
F #15 John Wolyniec
F #7 Mike Magee
METRO NOTES:
Up next, San Jose:
The MetroStars will get a much deserved full week off from match play before they come back to Giants Stadium and take on the the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday at 4 p.m. (TV: ESPN2, Spanish Radio: WADO 1280 AM). In their last encounter on June 12, a Jeff Parke goal could not overcome two late goals scored by the Earthquakes, and the Metros suffered a 3-1 loss at Spartan Stadium.
The MetroStars will then travel west a week later to take on the Chicago Fire (TV: MSG, Spanish Radio: WADO 1280) at Soldier Field before coming back to Giants Stadium to again face the Fire in an important home-home Eastern Conference series.
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).
Metros in Second:
After last weekend's MLS action, the Eastern Conference has tightened up, and the MetroStars have fallen into second place, one point behind D.C. United. The "Red and Black" (19 points) are also just one point ahead of the Columbus Crew, and two points ahead of the Chicago Fire. The New England Revolution round out the Conference table in fifth place with 12 points.
Slick Eddie:
MetroStars midfielder Eddie Gaven continued his hot streak for the club, scoring an 18th minute goal in Saturday's 6-2 loss against D.C. United. Gaven has now scored four goals in four games, building from his two-goal performance on June 23 against the Los Angeles Galaxy. Gaven also earned an assist on Fabian Taylor's 63rd minute goal, giving the starlet 13 points for the year.
On June 30, the 17-year-old also was called up to the U.S. senior national team for the squad's international friendly against Poland on July 11. If Gaven earns an appearance for the national team in that game, he will be the fourth youngest American player to earn a senior cap.
Goal-scoring Taylor:
MetroStars forward Fabian Taylor scored his fifth goal of the year during the team's 6-2 loss on Saturday. Taylor, who has appeared in 12 games for the team, has a strong record against United despite this past weekend's result. In the last two games against the Black and Red, the Jamaican has scored three goals including two in a Man-of-the-Match performance on April 17 in a Metros' 3-2 victory.
Taking shots:
The MetroStars are not afraid of shooting the ball. The team leads the League for most shots overall with 244. Their nearest opponent is the Kansas City Wizards with 204. In addition, the MetroStars are leading the league in shots on goal with 102 strikes - two more than the first-placed D.C. United.
Amado's piping hot:
MetroStars midfielder Amado Guevara continued his fiery form for the "Red and Black" with an assist on Eddie Gaven's 18th minute goal on Saturday. Last week, The Professional Soccer Reporters Association (PSRA) named the Honduran MLS Player of the Week for the week ending June 27 (Week 13). The Honduran international tallied two goals and two assists for the Metros in two games on opposite coasts within a four-day stretch after returning from international duty in World Cup qualifying for his native Honduras. With his 16 points off five goals and six assists on the year, Guevara is tied with Kansas City Wizards Davy Arnaud and San Jose's Brian Ching in second place on the MLS Budweiser Scoring list, just two points behind the Galaxy's Carlos Ruiz. He is also tied with Chris Albright (LA), Chris Klein (KC), Jaime Moreno (DC), Richard Mulrooney (SJ), Ronnie O'Brien (DAL) for the league assist lead with six.
Eddies earn U.S. call-up:
MetroStars defender Eddie Pope and midfielder Eddie Gaven were called to the U.S. national team by U.S. men's national team manager Bruce Arena for the team's July 11 international friendly against Poland at Soldier Field in Chicago, Ill. The match will serve as a final tune-up for the team in preparation for its semifinal round of FIFA World Cup qualifying. Gaven and Pope will consequently miss the MetroStars' match on Saturday against the San Jose Earthquakes.
Gaven (17 years, 260 days old) could be one of the youngest Americans to make an appearance for the senior national team - fourth behind Mike Slivinski (16 years, 318 days old; 9/14/1991 vs. Jamaica), Mark Jonas (16 years, 332 days old; 9/14/1991 vs. Jamaica) and Bobby Convey (17 years, 151 days old; 10/25/2000 vs. Mexico). He has earned several appearances and starts on other U.S. national teams, most notably playing for the Under-17 national squad that took fifth place at the 2003 FIFA U-17 World Championship in Finland. Gaven most recently appeared for the United States on the Under-23 national team during Olympic qualifying. During the 2004 Olympic qualifying, he became the youngest player ever to appear on a U.S. Olympic qualifying team (at 17 years and 89 days), passing fellow New Jersey native Claudio Reyna. Reyna was 17 years and 336 days when he made his appearance in the tournament. Third on the list is current U.S. national team and Chicago Fire star DaMarcus Beasley, who appeared at 17 years and 362 days.
Pope has earned 61 caps for his country, wearing the captain's armband on several occasions during international matches this year. The defender last appeared in a 3-0 first-leg World Cup qualifier victory over Grenada on June 13. Although he has missed time with the MetroStars due to international duty, Pope has started in 10 of the team's 13 games and helped the "Red and Black" to their Eastern Conference-leading record of 5-4-4. He has scored six goals for his national team.
Metros on the Richter Scale:
The MetroStars will host Western Conference rivals, the San Jose Earthquakes, on Saturday. Although the Metros lost their last encouter with San Jose 3-1 at Spartan Stadium on June 12, the Earthquakes will be without U.S. national team players Landon Donovan, Brian Mullan and Brian Ching - three players who have combined for 21 points against the "Red and Black" during their careers. In addition, the Earthquakes have had trouble getting winning results at Giants Stadium as the two teams have tied their four previous games in East Rutherford. San Jose is having trouble on the road - they are 2-4-1 away from Spartan Stadium.
Although Eddie Gaven and Eddie Pope will also be unavailable for Saturday's game due to U.S. national team responsibilities, the MetroStars have several players who have had success against San Jose. One player is Amado Guevara, who has racked up three goals and two assists in three games against the Earthquakes and will be looking to continue his strong form against the Western Conference team. In addition, rookie defender Jeff Parke also scored his first career MLS goal in the team's loss against San Jose.
Home Sweet Home:
The MetroStars have a record of 3-2-2 in East Rutherford, N.J. They have won three times (April 17, 2004 3-2 vs. D.C. United; May 30, 2004 1-0 vs. Kansas City Wizards; June 19, 2004 2-1 vs. L.A. Galaxy), tied twice (April 25, 2004 1-1 vs. New England Revolution; May 15, 2004 1-1 vs. Chicago Fire) and lost twice (June 5, 2004 2-0 vs. Dallas Burn; June 30 2004 3-2 vs. Colorado Rapids).
Goal-Scoring Guys:
The high-powered MetroStars offense has been productive this year, scoring 26 goals - second most in the League behind the L.A. Galaxy's 30. In addition, the MetroStars are tied for first with D.C. United in first-half goals with 12 tallies. The "Red and Black" are 3-1-2 after scoring the first goal.
Clark, Parke Taking Caution:
MetroStars defender Jeff Parke and midfielder Ricardo Clark are both in danger of missing time due to disciplinary reasons. Parke and Clark both have 21 caution points. If Parke and Clark receive a caution worth two or more points or three of more points respectively in this weekend's game against the Earthquakes, they will receive a one-game suspension - resulting in their absence in next Saturday's game against the Chicago Fire.
Red and Black Threads:
Even though the MetroStars are known for their red and black kits, on some away games, they switch to their white uniforms - a change which has not resulted in great success. The MetroStars are 0-4-2 when they wear their white uniforms. They are 5-2-2 when wearing their red and black-striped jerseys.
Keeping The Lead: When leading at halftime, the MetroStars are 2-0-1. Even more promising, when the MetroStars are ahead after the 75th minute, the "Red and Black" are 4-1-0.
Bradley Two Away From Century:
MetroStars head coach Bob Bradley is two wins away from reaching 100 career wins. Bradley all-time league record of 98 career regular season victories is 20 more than the closest active coach, Sigi Schmid. Schmid needs five more to surpass Thomas Rongen (DC, NE, TB) for second place in career regular season victories.
