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| Friday, September 14, 2001 24:16 EST |
Don't look now, but the MetroStars are title contenders
By Jeff Bradley
[ESPN The Magazine]
If Kansas City was fastest team out of the gates, then the MetroStars have been the swiftest in the second-third. In their past 11, games, the Metros have gone 7-2-2, and moved six points clear of New England in the Eastern Conference.
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THE FIRST XI
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The Hard Men of MLS:
11. Ted Eck, Dallas
10. Diego Gutierrez, Chicago
9. Geoff Aunger, DC
8. Ivan McKinley, New England
7. John Doyle, San Jose
6. Daniel Hernandez, MetroStars
5. Chris Houser, Tampa Bay
4. Matt McKeon, Kansas City
3. Danny Pena, Los Angeles
2. Pablo Mastroeni, Miami
1. Mike Petke, MetroStars
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Before their rugged 2-1 win over Dallas on Wednesday, GM Nick Sakiewicz was talking about how he can't wait for next year, when he and Octavio Zambrano can add a little more depth to the Metros roster and make a run at the championship.
Surely, he was being coy.
The Metros are very much a threat to win the MLS Cup this year. Why? Why not? Name a team in the league they can't beat? They've already beaten Chicago (4-1), Los Angeles (2-0 on the road), Tampa Bay (2-0 on the road). They're right in the mix this year.
It's not a coincidence that the Metros burst came around the time that Tab Ramos returned to the field, giving their midfield a player who could not only keep the ball, but do positive things with it. Sure, the arrival of Clint Mathis and Roy Myers from L.A. should not be downplayed, but Ramos has been every bit as critical.
Apparently, U.S. national team coach Bruce Arena thinks so, because on Wednesday he announced that the veteran midfielder was on his roster for the national team's games at Guatemala and Costa Rica. Looking at it from the U.S. perspective, Ramos' call-up is a clear indication that the list of creative America midfielders is not a long one.
And from a Metro perspective, Ramos' call-up is further proof of what was stated above -- specifically, that the league's longest-running bad joke is now a title contender.
And with that come contender's problems.
Like the Galaxy, which loses Robin Fraser, Greg Vanney and Cobi Jones, and the Fire, which loses Ante Razov and Chris Armas, the Metros can now worry about how they're going to make it without Tab and Mathis, who was named to replace D.C.'s Ben Olsen.
"It's great to get called by the national team, even though I think the team's done great without me," says Ramos. "But on the other hand, it's tough leaving my team because I'm having so much fun here right now, and it's been a while since I could say that. All I told Bruce is I think I'm in pretty good form right now, and it's getting better."
A lot like the MetroStars.
San Jose left in a lurch
First the San Jose Earthquakes pursued Manuel Abundis, and then Emilio Mora. Both Mexicans were dangled in front of the Quakes eyes, then pulled away at the last minute.
And now the same thing has happened with Norwegian striker Jan-Aage Fjortoft. With all the player's paperwork in place and a press release typed up to announce his arrival, all that was left was for Fjortoft's club, Eintracht Frankfurt, to agree to a transfer fee.
Then everything went kablooey.
"The coach in Frankfurt didn't want to release him until the club signed him a new striker," explained Patrick McCabe, an American agent who works for the company that represents Fjortoft. "They asked for another week. I guess San Jose didn't want to wait."
The question now: will the Quakes ever get a player? We're already in the final third of the season, San Jose has the second worst record in the league and is battling injury problems. The Quakes look very much like a team that will miss the playoffs for the fourth straight season. And here they've got a hole on their roster that was supposed to be filled by a "major allocation," a marquee player, a difference-maker.
By now, Quakes fans have got to wonder, who's to blame? Is it Sunil Gulati, the director of soccer operations for Kraft Soccer, because he's been the one searching for the player? Is it Lothar Osiander, the coach, because he's been outspoken about what type of player he wants? Or, is it the people in the league office, because signing players is their job?
That answer may never be clear. One thing that is clear, however, is that unless something falls out of the sky, and soon, the Quakes are in trouble.
There's even talk coming out of San Jose that they may just say "Wait Until Next Year" and start plotting how to use the allocation (plus another they'll get for missing the playoffs) and the eight draft picks they've got coming in the first three rounds of next year's SuperDraft to rebuild the entire team.
In tight space
It's been a pretty good year on the field for MLS -- strictly talking quality of play here. But this past week, I don't know whether teams are tired or irritable, but the games have been by and large awful, littered with fouls, devoid of passing and skill. Let's hope the week was an aberration, not a sign of things to come.
With tongue firmly in cheek, Nick Sakiewicz on the tabloid picture of injured defender Lothar Matthaeus on the beaches of St. Tropez with his girlfriend. "He has a pinched nerve in his back. His doctor gave him some stretching exercises and told him to stay in a warm weather climate. So, it looks like he's taking things very seriously."
To say the league is concerned about the future of MLS in Miami would be an understatement. To say the Fusion are moving in 2001 is an overstatement. So, take a look somewhere in between, says commissioner Don Garber
"We're clearly concerned about attendance," says the commish. "The numbers are so bad they bring down the entire league averages significantly." But, Garber also says, the problems in the South Florida market are not soccer specific. "Even the Dolphins struggle when the team is not doing well," Garber says. "Still, we know we have a neat little stadium down there ? so, nothing's imminent, but we are closely monitoring."
Chad Deering gets called to the national team, but can't start for the Dallas Burn? "Dave Dir told me not to take it personally," says Deering, "that he was just trying a different combination. But it's frustrating, because I want to be on the field making things better, not sitting on the bench, hoping things get better. I'm not asking to be traded, but if this continues, I'd have no qualms if they wanted to move me to another team."
In other Burn related news, while teams lose players to the Qualifying and the Olympics, Dallas will also lose midfielder Ted Eck to the CONCACAF Futsal (indoor) Championships, which will be played in Costa Rica, from July 21-19. The only other MLS player on the U.S. roster is New England's Johnny Torres.
Bruce Arena has got to be fretting somewhat that Ante Razov, the man most expect to replace Brian McBride in the U.S. lineup in Guatemala, has not scored a goal for the Fire since he returned from the Nike U.S. Cup, and has not scored an MLS goal in the run of play since May 24. Razov is a notoriously streaky goal scorer.
Pub talk
Will everyone just shut up about MLS referees already.
You know who I'm talking about all you GMs, coaches, players and fans who think your team's getting the shaft. That there's some plot to kill off your team.
It's tedious.
As someone who got their entire $150 worth of my Euro 2000 Pay Per View Package, I can tell you, if you want to complain about the refs, get in line with the rest of the world. The same jive you run by me is the same jive that you hear coming out of every camp after every game around the globe. The point is, referees are just an easy target.
After every Euro 2000 game, I could point out a handful of questionable lines calls and three or four coulda-woulda-shoulda-been penalties. In other words, same as MLS.
What's next? Are you all going to start accusing refs of taking bribes?
Actually, that reminds me of a day four years ago, when then-MetroStars coach Carlos Queiroz sat by the practice field at Kean College, bemoaning a series of calls that had gone against his club in a Metro loss to DC.
"I watch the tape once," Queiroz said, "And I'm am suspicious. I watch it a second time and I am sure, this referee is cheating us. I watch it a third time and now, there is no doubt in my mind. He has accepted money."
I listened to the coach, who had come to the Metros after winning two World Youth Championships in Portugal, and after coaching the famous Sporting Lisbon club. I pondered his words for a moment, before saying, "Carlos, there's one thing you have to understand. This is America. We don't care enough about soccer for that to happen."
"Here," I added, "it is just a game."
And I don't think that's a bad thing.
Jeff Bradley covers soccer ... among other things ... for ESPN The Magazine. Boot Room hits the web every Thursday evening.
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