Up Next, CHICAGO: The "Red and Black" hit the road this weekend for the second time in '05 when they travel to Chicago to take on their windy city rival - the Chicago Fire. The Metros and Fire met on April 22, with the Fire handing the "Red and Black" their first loss of 2005 by a score of 1-0.
The Metros return home next weekend when they battle their I-95 North rivals, the New England Revolution. Thus far in 2005 the Revolution are undefeated in MLS play. The match is set for 4:00 p.m. ET live on ESPN2.
METROS FALL TO SAN JOSE, 1-0: San Jose's Ronald Cerritos scored the game's lone goal in the 60th minute and the 'Quakes defeated the Metros, 1-0 on Saturday, May 7. The MetroStars had two great scoring opportunities in the first half, but came away empty. Midfielder Amado Guevara rocketed a shot off the post from 25 yards out in the 14th minute and Sergio Galvan Rey found the woodwork again in the 31st, after heading a Guevara corner kick off the crossbar.
REGAN, WARD MAKE SECOND STRAIGHT STARTS: After a strong showing in Colorado on 4/30, Metros head coach Bob Bradley elected to stick with the Ward/Mendes/Regan/Leitch combination in the back against San Jose. Central defender Jeff Parke- who started the first three games of the year before suffering a concussion against Chicago on 4/22- was cleared to play last week, but Regan started in his place.
MetroStars on TV: Saturday, May 14: MetroStars @ Chicago Fire - MSG, 8:30 p.m. ET.
Metro soccer report: MSG will air the Metro Soccer Report this week on Thursday at 10:30 p.m. ET. The show will also re-run two more times (on Friday at 6:30 p.m. and on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET).
THREE MEN OUT: The MetroStars were missing three of their regular starters for the 5/7 game versus San Jose due to injury - Jeff Agoos (calf), Youri Djorkaeff (calf) and John Wolyniec (hip flexor).
young and restless: The MetroStars starting lineups for April 30 and May 7 averaged only 23 years and 131 days, and 23 years 138 days for their game last weekend. The MetroStars are accustomed to a young lineup however, as the club holds the MLS record for youngest starting lineup when on June 19, 2004 the starters averaged just 22 years and 138 days.
Bradley vs. THE FIRE: Since coming to the MetroStars before the 2003 season from the Chicago Fire, head coach Bob Bradley has struggled against his former club with a record of 1-4-4 in regular season action. Last year history was made when the two teams met, as Bradley not only secured his first win against the Fire, but also became the first coach in MLS history to garner 100 career wins.
GUEVARA PUTTING OUT THE FIRE: MetroStars midfielder Amado Guevara has played in eight games against Chicago in his career. In those eight games, he has scored three goals, and tallied two assists.
HOMECOMING: This weekend will mark a homecoming for a number of MetroStars players. Both Tim Regan (Orland Hills) and Mike Magee (South Barrington) are from Chicago suburbs, and Michael Bradley spent much of his childhood in the Chicago area when his father was the head coach of the Fire.
"THE JUDGE'S" PADDING: MetroStars midfielder Eddie Gaven will be wearing some padding on his left wrist for this weekend's game to protect his left ring finger that was broken while he was playing with the U.S. U-20s in late March. Gaven has missed one game due to the injury, and has worn this protective padding in every game that he played in this season.
Metros get first win: The MetroStars got their first win of 2005 on April 30 when they snapped the Colorado Rapids 12-game home unbeaten streak. Amado Guevara tallied a hat-trick in the team's first road game of 2005. The MetroStars 3-goal offensive explosion marked the first time since July 4, 2003 that the Rapids have allowed more than two goals at home - a span of 25 games. The game featured some unique weather conditions as it was played in constant snowfall.
Hat-Trick for "El Lobo": Amado Guevara returned to his 2005 MLS MVP form on April 30 as he tallied a hat-trick against the Rapids. The scoring marked Guevara's first goals of the season, and the first time in his MLS career that he registered a multi-goal game.
For his efforts, Guevara was selected as the Honda MLS Player of the Week by the Professional Soccer Reporters Association (PSRA) for Week 5.
The last time a MetroStars player had a hat-trick was on June 15, 2002 when Mamadou Diallo notched 4 goals.
INSTANT OFFENSE: MetroStars forward Abbe Ibrahim saw action for the second time of the season on April 30, and had an impact immediately upon entering the game. On the first play after he entered he settled a loose ball, and then slid a skillful pass to Amado Guevara, who then tallied his third goal. The assist was the first of Ibrahim's MLS career.
