E. RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Eddie Gaven had barely been on U.S. soil for 24 hours before he was back at Giants Stadium, back with the MetroStars, back preparing for another MLS grudge match.
MetroStars head coach Bob Bradley wanted to give Gaven a rest after the young talent started and played the entire 90 minutes in four matches in 10 days for the United States under-20 national team.
But injuries to forwards Abbe Ibrahim, who had surgery Monday to repair his torn left lateral meniscus, and Ante Razov, who has inflammation of the ilioposas muscle, means Gaven will be put to work right away.
However, don't expect to see the road-weary Gaven in the starting lineup when the Metros play the New England Revolution on Saturday night at Gillette Stadium.
"Alexi (Lalas) and I had talked about the possibility of trying to give Eddie this weekend off and not seeing him until the middle of next week," Bradley said. "It's not going to work this time but we're going to try and get him some days off after this game."
Razov might not start either.
He is being called a "game-day decision" by Bradley after inflaming his ilioposas muscle, a strong muscle that lifts the knee up. It starts at the lower back and inserts into the thigh bone. However Bradley was quick to point out it wasn't related to groin surgery Razov had last year.
Razov, who scored his first two goals for the MetroStars in a 3-2 win against the Columbus Crew last Saturday, isn't concerned.
"In Columbus, the last three or four weeks I wasn't very active and then I came in here and these two weeks I've gone really hard in training, did some extra fitness," he said after Friday's practice. "I played 70 minutes and a full 90 minutes and it's like a preseason thing, when you go at it hard and you get a little overworked."
Gaven had a disappointing World Youth Championships in Holland, where he was held scoreless. U-20 coach Sigi Schmid played Gaven in a more withdrawn position in midfield, a position he played at times with the Metros, and Gaven wasn't his best.
After the U.S. clinched Group D with a pair of wins and a draw, the U-20s were upset 3-1 by Italy in the quarterfinals Tuesday. By the time the U.S. played Italy, Gaven was admittedly spent.
"In the second half against Italy I was definitely feeling it," he said. "Sometimes mentally you know you want to get there and sometimes your legs can't take you there."
But the U-20s loss is certainly the Metros gain and Gaven, no matter how long he can play Saturday, will be a welcome addition to a MetroStars team that is riding a five-game unbeaten streak into Foxborough, Mass., and has moved up to third place in the Eastern Conference table.
"I think Eddie's a better player than he showed in Holland. But that is the nature of world championships and World Cups," Bradley said. "(French superstar Zinedine) Zidane was the best player in '98 and not the best player in 2002. That's just soccer. Obviously the team did very well to advance. I think everyone with the U.S. team thought the Italy game was a disappointment. Actually I thought in the Italy game he was a little more dangerous."
While the Metros won't have Gaven or Razov at full strength, the Revs will still likely be without Taylor Twellman, who is nursing a pulled hamstring. But they still have Clint Dempsey, Metros-killer Pat Noonan and Jose Cancela.
"They have guys who can make chances for themselves and are always dangerous," Metros 'keeper Zach Wells said. "It's all always a challenge to play against that caliber of players."
After a red-hot start, which saw them open the season with 11 consecutive unbeaten games - including the 2-2 draw with the MetroStars on May 21 at Giants Stadium - the Revs were exposed a bit defensively in a 2-0 loss to D.C. United and again Wednesday in a 3-1 win against the Columbus Crew.
"I thought D.C. was able to move the ball quickly and get some one-on-ones and cause them trouble," Bradley said. "I would assume that Michael Parkhurst is still having nightmares about Jaime (Moreno). If he's not, he should be."
Dylan Butler is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
