The MetroStars won the first game of their preseason visit to Ecuador on Tuesday night, defeating Emelec by a 2-0 score in front of nearly 6,000 fans in Machala. Amado Guevara led the way for the Metros, scoring the game-winning goal from the penalty spot on the hour mark. Trialist Lopez Ederson put the game out of reach with a finish five minutes from full time.
"It is always good to win because we need to get used to winning," said Guevara. "I was very pleased with the effort that everyone on the field gave tonight."
The penalty was awarded when another non-roster player, Pascal Nouma, was taken down in the box after collecting a pass from Guevara. The Honduran international calmly slotted his shot home into the goalkeeper's right-hand corner.
Ederson clinched the victory for the "Red-and-Black" when he pounced on a loose ball inside the six-yard box. Emelec failed to clear a Gilberto corner kick, Ederson stepping in to pound the ball into the net and snag a victory for the MetroStars.
"I think that for us to come in here, at this point in the season, and beat a team that has a good reputation like Emelec, is a good result for us," said MetroStars defender Jeff Agoos. "We still have a long way to go, and there is a lot to be done still in preseason, but I think that we can be happy with our progress to this point."
The MetroStars next preseason match in Ecuador will come on Thursday when they face El Deportivo Quevedo in Quevedo at 4 p.m. ET.
Revs kickoff preseason with win: The New England Revolution won the first game of their 2005 preseason schedule on Tuesday night, using a goal from Connally Edozien and a Sharlie Joseph penalty kick to defeat the Bermuda Select XI 2-1 at the National Training Center outside of Hamilton, Bermuda.
Edozien scored the first goal of the game after 18 minutes of action. Midfielder Felix Brillant served up a cross from the left flank that rookie midfielder Ryan Latham squared to Edozien, who side-footed the ball past the Bermuda Select goalkeeper.
Bermuda Select used a penalty kick of their own to tie the score shortly before halftime, but not without some controversy.
Revs defender Carlos Llamosa was whistled for a foul on Omar Shakir and goalkeeper Matt Reis stepped behind his goal line to prepare for the ensuing shot. Defender Shannon Burgess quickly moved forward to place the ball into the net. New England argued that the referee had not asked Reis if he was ready, but the officials let the goal stand to pull the home side level at the break.
The second penalty of the match was awarded to the Revs with seven minutes remaining in the contest. Brillant went down under a challenge from Vernon Tankard to earn the call, Joseph stepping up to easily bury the shot to the goalkeeper's right side.
The Revolution will next be in action Wednesday in a 45-minute friendly against Bermuda Premier Division leaders Dandy Town Hornets. The next full match for New England is Thursday against the Bermuda national team at 6:30 p.m. ET.
La Manga victory as Crew top Molde: The Columbus Crew defeated Norwegian club Molde Sogndal by a 3-2 score Wednesday in the second match of their preseason visit to La Manga, Spain. First-half goals from Ante Razov and Edson Buddle had Columbus up at the break, then rookie Marcus Storey stretched the advantage four minutes after the intermission.
Second-year striker David Testo supplied two assists (to Buddle and Storey) in 67 minutes of action. Molde Sogndal closed the gap with a pair of goals in the second half, but the Crew were able to hold on for the victory. Head coach Greg Andrulis utilized 19 players during the game, Crew players young and old alike having a chance to impress their boss.
The Crew will continue training in Spain through Monday. Their next scrimmage will come against another team that hails from Norway, this time facing Bodo/Glimt on Friday at 6:30 p.m. local time.
Real blank Beira Mar: Real Salt Lake improved their preseason record to 5-1-1 by shutting out Portuguese second division club Beira Mar Algarve 4-0 on Tuesday in the first game of RSL's trip to Portugal. Forward Jamie Watson led the way for Salt Lake with two goals and an assist, while midfielders Kevin Novak and Luke Kreamalmeyer provided a goal apiece.
"Overall, the game went very well and several of our young players saw 90 minutes of action," said RSL head coach John Ellinger. "Beira Mar Algarve is a very talented team with a lot of youth, and our guys played extremely well as a cohesive unit, allowing us to essentially dominate the game."
Watson opened the scoring with a 16th-minute finish after a through ball into the box from Evan Whitfield. Three minutes later the advantage was extended when Novak put away a cross from defender Cameron Knowles. Whitfield and Watson connected for the third goal as well in the 65th minute, while Kreamalmeyer continued his fine preseason form by chipping the goalkeeper from outside the 18-yard box to complete the rout.
On Tuesday, Real Salt Lake will play Recreativa Huelva, who currently sit No. 2 in the Spanish second division.
Trinidadian defender/midfielder Marlon Rojas is expected to join the team on Wednesday, along with defender Senad Halilovic, forward Dipsy Selolwane and midfielder Andy Williams, as all four players resolved visa issues to allow travel into Portugal. Defender Brian Dunseth arrived in Salt Lake on Tuesday night for an examination of his pain-free, but swollen, right knee.
L.A. teams make swap: Major League Soccer's two Los Angeles-based teams, the Galaxy and Club Deportivo Chivas USA, announced on Tuesday a trade that sends the rights to midfielders Antonio Martinez and Jesus Ochoa to Chivas USA in exchange for an allocation. Both players recently completed trails with the Galaxy prior to the club's departure for Hawaii, where they participated in the inaugural Aloha Cup last Saturday.
Martinez has played four seasons in MLS, logging 72 appearances with eight goals and 23 assists during stints with the Dallas Burn (now FC Dallas) and the Galaxy. Ochoa spent two seasons with the Galaxy playing in 19 games (11 as a starter). Ochoa has most recently been playing in Mexico.
Jonathan Nierman is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
