E. RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Forget the Super Clasico. Jeff Agoos has been part of two of the best rivalries in MLS. He won five MLS Cups between playing for D.C. United and the San Jose Earthquakes, and will again participate in the Atlantic Cup battle between the MetroStars and D.C. United from the Metros perspective Sunday.
"D.C. and New York has always been a big rivalry, from the time when I was in D.C. and the first year when we came here and lost here in the playoffs and then went on to win a championship, the road had to go through New York," said Agoos, who also played for San Jose in grudge matches against the Los Angeles Galaxy. "You could see how the two clubs have taken different paths but I think there is a lot of history between the two clubs and there's a big rivalry, no matter what year it is."
The two bitter rivals will meet for the first time this season Sunday on the grass - courtesy of an international friendly between Ecuador and Italy on Saturday - at Giants Stadium. The Metros have lost just once in its last six matches and D.C. staggers into what should be a sweltering Giants Stadium having been held scoreless in its last two matches.
"They're a potent team, they just haven't been clicking and we want to make sure they're not clicking on Sunday," said Agoos, who is questionable with a right calf strain. "There are no easy games in this league, especially against D.C., it's going to be a tough one."
Like Agoos, Mark Lisi has been on both sides of this rivalry. He spent a year and a half with D.C. before being traded to the MetroStars, along with Craig Ziadie for Petter Villegas and Orlando Perez on May 9, 2002.
"There's a lot of tension with D.C. and even when I was in D.C. there was tension with New York," Lisi said. "I'm not sure how it comes about, maybe it's because we're so close or that both teams are kind of similar, they go after teams and play hard."
This will be the first meeting between the I-95 rivals since D.C. knocked the MetroStars out of last year's playoffs.
"It's a very good rivalry, certainly one of the best in the league and that continues based on good games," Metros coach Bob Bradley said. "Hopefully now we're ready to really have some good games with them. Two years ago we had an edge, we knocked them out of the Open Cup in the semifinals. Last year, at the end of the year they were playing well. I thought we had a good playoff series with them but they got the better of us, which is something that we remember."
Ante Razov will get his first taste of D.C./Metros intensity after being acquired from the Columbus Crew in exchange for the ever popular John Wolyniec and a partial allocation Tuesday. Razov, who has had three training sessions with the Metros in the punishing New Jersey heat, is anxious to contribute.
"I'm a little bit sore, getting used to playing on the turf a bit," Razov said Friday. "I played five full games then sat out three games so I don't think (I'm) that far away, just a couple of weeks. I'll give it a go this weekend - not 90 minutes, that's for sure. I'm just going to go and whether I start or come off the bench, just run until I can't run anymore."
Razov could start alongside speedy rookie Abbe Ibrahim, who scored his second career MLS goal in a 2-2 draw at Los Angeles last Saturday. But Ibrahim is questionable with a left knee contusion. That could move Youri Djorkaeff up front, which would make for a very interesting pairing.
MetroStars forward Eddie Gaven and United star Freddy Adu are both out of the match, playing with the U.S. under-20 national team in the Netherlands. But Alecko Eskandarian and former Metro striker Jaime Moreno, who have both scored their share of big goals against the Metros, still pose a threat even though D.C. has scored just three goals in its last four games.
"Anybody who's watched their games of late recognized that they've played well," Bradley said. "They have talented attacking players and it's strange that they've gone through a stretch where they haven't scored as often as you would think."
Dylan Butler is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
