Relegation Fighters - MLS Game Progress Thread. [*Established Clan*]

I'm going to transfer the entire MLS thread from our website to here. We'll then update individually as we go.

Please visit www.fmusa4you.com for more information on the Relegation Fighters Clan.

I'm going to transfer the entire MLS thread from our website to here. We'll then update individually as we go.

Please visit www.fmusa4you.com for more information on the Relegation Fighters Clan.

RELEGATION FIGHTERS CLAN: MLS EDITION

MLS SHOCKS FOOTBALLING WORLD WITH MANAGERIAL CHANGES!

MLS has invoked sweeping changes to the managerial ranks ahead of the 10-team 2004 season.

In keeping with the single entity nature of MLS, the new managers all are part of the same cryptic Managers Association, known as the Relegation Fighters. An odd term, most will concede, in a league where the up/down, promotion/relegation format does not exist!

The rag tag group of unlikely coaches vary wildly in age, from teenages to their 50's. They boast managerial experience from some of the most unlikely leagues in World Soccer - Spain Division B, Belgian D3B, Championship, French National and other LLM Haunts.

Here's the way the new-look MLS shapes up, after the managerial changes.

CHICAGO FIRE: Russ

COLUMBUS CREW: Lee

DC UNITED: Omer

METROSTARS: Ricky

NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION: [Nick] Jimmy

COLORADO RAPIDS: Greg

FC DALLAS: Stu

KANSAS CITY WIZARDS: Et

LA GALAXY: Tom

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES: Al

Clark Introduced To The Masses At Spartan Stadium

Alan Clark stood before the rowdy 'Quakes fans a man who had built a reputation in the various lower leagues of Europe. However, the SJ Board and MLS felt Clark (a 29y/o Brit) was the man for the job leading SJ into a new era.

"SJ is a club used to success, and I'm here to continue that trend. I'll be the first to admit that as a club, we're going into something of a rebuilding phase, after all, not many teams in the world would not be hurting from the loss of a player with Landon Donovan's caliber and we're no different."

He continued, " Of course, we thank Landon for his service to the club over the years, wish him the best in Germany and hope that he will return one day, perhaps even to North California. He will always be welcome here."

"But I'm not here to talk about LD, we've got a full roster of good players and, I assure you, more will be on the way. The loss of Landon has opened up some room on the cap and I'll be doing my professional best to get a quality replacement. The fans will have a new hero."

"We've got quality through the side - Canucks Pat Onstad and Dwayne de Rosario, Wily vet Agoos and the energy and craft of Dunnivant and Mullen. I feel we're strong in almost every position, and although I will bring my own flavour to the team, I feel it's more of a fine-tuning that is required, as opposed to wholesale changes."

Responding to a member of the public about the uncertain future of the franchise, Clark had this to say...."I am as aware as anyone that the future of this franchise in SJ is in the balance. But I'm not going to let what's happening off the field distract me or the boys. There's a job to be done and the best thing we can all do - and that includes you, the fans - is to get out there and do our level best to make this franchise a success. I want bums on seats - I think the quality we put on the field will warrant that. Spartan, with its narrow dimesions can be intimidating and rowdy. That's what I'll be looking for this season, and if all goes to plan we wont be going anywhere - except the MLS Cup Final".

Fighting talk from Clark. We'll see come season's end where the 'Quakes end up, not just in the rankings, but what city.

SJ Fans - Clark has laid down the gauntlet....time to pick it up.

The Rebuild is Underway!

"It didn't take Coach Clark long to start to ring in the changes"......said John Harkes on last night's MLS Wrap "...and that's something of an understatement".

In a blockbuster 6 player, 2 pick deal Clark and new Metros gaffer Ricky Lung hammered out a mega trade that gave Clark a solid foundation for the future, and the Metros a couple of wiley vets for what looks a very sincere push for the MLS Cup.

To SJ:

Ricardo Clark (arguably the future of the USMNT in theholding Midfied role)

Sergio Galvan Rey (The Argie is a capable scorer, though has struggled in his short time in the league. A change of scenery could be all he needs to regain his crown as 'King of Goals'.

Pablo Brenes (The TI Costa Rican brings a solid left foot to the Quakes and fills the second TI slot).

To the Metros:

Jeff Agoos (A born leader, he brings everything to the table, every time)

Ronnie Ekelund (The Dane is a former La Liga and EPL starter, his vision and ball winning skills make him a great addition alongside the attack minded reigning MVP, Amado Guevara).

Roger Levesque (a talent youngster who plays up front, bags of potential).

5th Round Pick in 2005

1st Round Supplemental Pick in 2005.

Clark's activities didn't end there. Welcomed to Spartan Stadium were :

GK Mark Bonsich (Aussie Intl)

F Dwight Pezzarossi (Guatelmalan hitman)

M Ramon Ramirez (ex-Mexico playmaker, even at 34 will be a creative force to be reckon with)

D Drew Moor

D/M C.J Klass

F Wolde Harris (knows what MLS is all about)

Of course, such additions meant that space had to be made both on the cap and in the 24 man squad. Shown the door were Jamil Walker (who was snapped up by DC), Dwayne de Rosario the talented Canadian who was purely a victim of the SI rule. His registration is now held by the Rapids. Steve Conway, the 3rd string keeper has gone and is rumoured to be considering retirement as many feel his chance has passed.

Clark was offered the opportunity to sign a number of other SI players, including Italian Legend Pepe Signori but until the goalkeeping dual has been settled between Bosnich and Onstad (and one can reasonably expect the lsoer to be shown the door to release that precious SI spot) there will be no foreign vets coming in.

Pre-season has gone well so far with no defeats in their games against A-League and D3 teams. Obviously the season will be a much stiffer test. Clark was up-beat "I'm thrilled at the quality of player we've been able to bring in so far, both the veterans and the two youngsters. We've got a great future in this line up, and enough experience and enthusiasm to have a real go this year. I think our team is match for anyone in MLS, though DC remain the team to beat. I also fancy Chicago's chances of making a good run. Luckily for us - they're both in the East! I guess we'll probably see one of them come Final Sunday!"

A NEW ERA IN MEADOWLANDS

"Last broadcast we have discuss about a new era is about to begin out west in San Jose, they are in a rebuilding process, Alan Clark was named as their new head coach, a blockbuster trade one month before the start of the MLS season, a lot of stuff is going on there."

"Apparently, a similar situation is going on at the east coast. Lets talk about the team on the other end of the blockbuster trade on tonight's broadcast."

"The Metrostars is sort of in a rebuilding process or you can say a transitional period."

The Metrostars made a very very suprising move two months ago when they named Ricky Lung, an unknown gentleman who will turn thirty this year<in the game, haha>, came out of nowhere, as their team new head coach.

At the news conference at Giant Stadium two months ago when they officially announced the hire of Ricky Lung, the fans were upset, disappoint, furious on the management team decision.

"I personally was shocked at news as were the fans in New Jersey, but apparently the management must have seen it differently. They must have seen something in Lung and they think he is suitable for the job."

"Let us recall what Lung had said at the news conference." He said,"......I know I am not known in the soccer world, I know the fans are disappointed, I understand all that. When a team did not achieve any significant results in the past few years, then an unknown head coach is being named, a lot of stuff is going on........" He also said,"......I will prove to you guys what I can bring to this club, I will prove to you that the management had made a right decision, I will do all my best and help this team win. I cannot promise anything, I cannot promise that I will bring the MLS champion or the US Cup here in New Jersey at the end of the season, but I can guarantee that we will compete night in and night out. Our goal this year is to win the East and get to the MLS Final......"

"He seems so confident."

Shortly after Lung has been named as the head coach, he went out and made a blockbuster trade with San Jose, which will bring Jeff Agoos, Ronnie Ekelund, and Roger Levesque to Giant Stadium, and leaving for San Jose are Ricardo Clark, Sergio Galvan Rey, and Pablo Brenes. The team also obtain a 5th round pick a 1st round supplemental pick in the 2005 draft from SJ.

Agoos and Ekelund, two veteran players, will provide leadership for the Metros at the back and in the middle. Agoos, a long served US international, along wtih Eddie Pope will give the team a very solid back line. Ekelund, a former La Liga and EPL starter, along with reigning MVP, Amado Guevara, will be the focus in the middle. The concern is whether they can make up for the departure of Clark, who is arguably the future of the USMNT in theholding Midfied role. They have to depend on some young player in the middle to provide support for Ekelund and Guevara, namely Regan, Arena, Vaca.

Up front, the departure of scoring machine Rey means more playing time for the young forwards, Gaven, Magee, and Levesque. Levesque is a very promising young striker who may shine in a couple of years time.

"It is hard to tell who is the winner of this trade at this moment, we will have to wait until the middle or the end of the season to make a judgement."

Lung seems is not set with his roster yet, he has been in some serious look at a couple of young talents: Kevin Harmse, a D/AMRC from Canada, and Jesse Munoz, an AMC from Cuba. It will not be suprise if a few more moves will take place before the new season kicks off on the 3rd of April.

"We will keep an eye on whats going on at Meadowlands. How will they do this season? And will Lung keep his "promise"?"

And they're off....!!

The MLS season 2004 is under way! After a lot of chopping and changing Coach Clark has to be happy with his 2-1-1 record after 4 games. After losing the season opener to the very strong Fire side, he recovered to take the spoils against LA and Colorado. SJ sit second in the West, behind Willy's (Et) KC up-starts.

Scoring was initially a problem for Clark, with two new strikers up front. However, SGR has now hit three goals and strike partner Pezzarossi has a couple. However, the secondary scoring has been sadly lacking and Clark will be hoping for more goals from his midfield which includes some talent attack-minded player, like new captain Ramon Ramirez (who is currently in the Top 5 in MLS for average rating at over 8.00). Mulrooney is good for a goal or two also, but as long as the results are going Clark's way this is less of an issue. However, should the points dry up, the Quakes players can expect to beon the receiving end of Clark's Wrath.

Despite proclaiming that this would be a season of rebuilding, Clark made a couple of moves to solidify his team and perhaps make a real push for a title this year.

The signings of Sergio Galvan Rey and Dwight Pezzarossi meant Clark had strikers to spare, and despite being young US internationals both Brian Mullen and Brian Ching were shipped out in return for Jimmy Conrad (KC) and Eddie Pope (Metros) respectively.

The addition of these two stand-out D-men gives SJ a very solid back line and a legitimate shout at honours this year. "Opportunity knocked and I let it in" said Clark. "Who in their right mind passes up Eddie Pope? He's arguably the best defender this nation has ever produced - AND - we got a 2nd round pick to boot. Sure, his wages are high [$5800] but hopefully we can restructure as part of a long term deal and either way, we had cap room after shifting some vets earlier in the offseason."

Here's the current starting line up for the 'Quakes:

GK Mark Bosnich

DR Craig Waibel

DC Eddie Pope

DC Jimmy Conrad

DL Todd Dunnivant

MR Brian Mulrooney

MC Ricardo Clark

MC Ramon Ramirez (Captain)

ML Arturo Alvarez (an area of concern, he's too young)

FC Sergio Galvan Rey

FC Dwight Pezzarossi

The rest of the squad has a mix of quality and potential including: Pat Onstad (GK), Troy Dayak (DC), Eddie Robinson (DC), Drew Moor (D RC), CJ Klass (MR), Chris Brown (SC) and Wolde Harris (FC) amongst others.

Clark seems to be in the market for a AML as the consensus is that Arturo Alvarez, though indesputdely talented, is not ready to start just yet. Clark has a free TI slot and his scouts have been busy in South and Central America looking for a deal. There's also potentially a SI slot available...now that Bosnich has wrapped up the #1 shirt duel, Onstad's days may be numbered. Using two of three SI slots on keepers just doesn't make sense in MLS.

On the Block:

Clark has made the following players available for trade should an appropriate deal come in:

Pat Onstad (GK),

Troy Dayak (DC),

Eddie Robinson (DC)

Tighe Dombrowski (D/M L)

RICKY LUNG MADE HIS MLS COACHING DEBUT

A couple of days before the season opener, Lung went out and made a deal, they sent young forward Fabian Taylor to New England in return for young midfielder Bobby Thompson.

After a 2-1-2 pre-season, Lung, the head coach of the Metrostars was set to coach his first competitive MLS game, but it turned out to be a miserable performance by the club, a 4-0 loss to the FC Dallas on the road.

Things didn't get any better for the next couple of games. They can just managed to pull out a 1-1 draw with New England at Giant Stadium, where the New England scored on their only shot on target. They conceded 4 goals again on a 4-1 road loss to DC United a couple of days later. Jonny Walker, the goalkeeper of the Metros had a very poor outing again.

Nothing seems to go for the first year head coach. Their goalkeeper Walker conceded 9 goals in 3 games.

Just when things were about to go out of control, they seemed settle down a bit as they stormed back during the second half and won the Columbus 2-1 with goals from John Wolyniec and Eddie Gaven.

Lung noticed the lack of scoring power up front when his team only score twice during the first three games, and his forwards did not score a goal until the win against Columbus. Because of that, Lung made yet another trade, with the offer of Brian Ching from San Jose head coach Al Clark, Lung sent Eddie Pope, the veteran full back in return for the forward.

After a 2-1 come back victory against Columbus, the Metros seems to have established some kind of momentum when they face the undefeated Kansas City. The forward combo of Cing and Gaven bond together right away. Eddie Gaven finished a hat-trick in the first 20 minutes of the game, he scored one more at the 68th min. Kansas made thing a little bit interesting when they pulled back with two when they scored their second goal at the 78th min, but Brian Ching, the newly acquired forward scored on his debut at the 83 min. mark. They hold on to win 5-2 despite an excellent shooting effort by their opponent, Kansas shot on target on their first 14 attempts before missing 2 during the stoppage time.

Pre Season

DC United fans were delighted with the signing of the 28 year old ex Turkish international Oktay Derelioglu prior to the season. While the Turk brings a great deal of attacking power to DC, his problems with adjustment saw him change three clubs last season. Reportedly, Oktay has already expressed concerns of adjusting to life in the USA even before the first match of the season.

United also added some experience on the left wing with the signing of the 28 year old Georgian Georgi Gakhokidze. The Georgian was brought in on a free transfer after being released by FC Twente. He has spent five seasons in Holland appearing in 70 matches and scoring 7 goeals in that span with PSV and Twente.

United also brought in reinforcements in the centre of the park with Hashim Suarez of Mexico and Marko Dinjar of Croatia and Carlos Fernando Figueroa of Guatemala. Costa Rica international full back Leonardo Gonzalez was also brought in to fill the hold on the left side of the defense. Finally, Jamil Walker was brought in as a 4th choice striker after his release from San Jose.

And we kick off: Defense Solid, Attack Questionable in D.C.

United kicked off the season in Los Angeles with an entertaining game that produced a lot of chances but failed to produce a goal. Dema Kovalenko was sent off in the dying minutes of the match which saw him miss the all important match against Chicago. Man of the match Nick Rimando who has been criticized for his eccentricity was solid between the posts. In a post match interview he hailed DC's new manager and his solid defensive tactics which left little room for the LA forwards.

The contest in Chicago was another solid performance by DC. Despite having most of the chances, Chicago never looked like scoring as once again man of match Nick Rimando gave another stellar performance. DC had their best chance of going ahead on the 35th minute from the penalty spot but the newly signed Oktay Derelioglu's shot was saved. Despite failing to score in their first two matches United manager is delighted of the defensive performance put forward by his players.

Keeping the United forwards in check was not possible for the MetroStars as the United home debut went accoridng to plan. United came out attacking and kept the MetroStars goal under constant pressue in the early parts of the match and finally found a goal thanks to Dema Kovalenko scorcher from the edge of the area right before half time. The man of the match Jason Thompson added two in the second half before Santino Quaranta closed United's scoring in the 70's minute. The final score was determined by an Amado Guevara free kick in the 82nd minute.

Next, United travelled to Foxboro to face New England. United seemed to be back to their old ways as a game of few chances ended in a 0-0 draw. Ben Olsen won the man of the match for his performance in the midfield.

Colorado's visit to D.C. was no different as the 0-0 score did not impress the home fans. Man of the match Joe Cannon was forced to make five saves as the pre-season signings of Oktay and Gakhokidze to reinforce the attack are still not working to the liking of the DC United manager who may be forced to take some decisive actions in the coming matches.

Despite the string of draws, United sit second in the Eastern Conference one point behind the leaders Chicago.

(Scene opens to blizzard-like conditions. Camera zooms in on a large earthen hut)

“Over priced prima dona....†The words still ringing in my ears.

Who else would schlep their butts out to this place this time of year?

I swear Tom is off his rocker. Either that or he is ****ed he caught his wife with me. Who knows.

First Siberia, and now Iceland and it isn't even the good time of year to go to Iceland! 24 hours of darkness... and the hotel is 200 miles from a town, plus I have to change my own sheets! What is the deal?

Oskarsson, he said there was this Oskarsson fellow up here, but I have yet to hear anyone talking of him. I am probably chasing a ghost. No matter. I am sure my time will come. Some MLS team will want me to coach. I am young, but I know my stuff. Tom is going to miss my services in LA. Boy is he going to rue the day.

Just as I was walking to the fireplace (had to chop the wood for that too!) a carrier pigeon swooped down and smacked into the window. After bringing it inside. I read the message he was carrying. It was from Colorado. They were looking for a new manager and they thought I was someone that could help pull them from their eternal #3 position.

The next morning I was on my way to the airport. I called Tom to say good luck, and called Colorado to let them know I was on my way. The only problem was that they were in the “Champions Cup†and I had almost no time to get the team ready for it. Hell, I had almost no time to even evaluate the squad and make trades.

I was shocked at my reception in Colorado. There were more fans waiting at the airport than I had expected. Guess I should have shaved before my trip. Oh well. Apparently it was big news that the Rapids had been able to steal away a member of the Galaxy's staff. I told the press I was looking forward to the challenge and that I would do my best to put the team in a position to challenge for the MLS championship.

The team was already being put through their paces by the former Rapid, Paul Bravo. I Looked at my staff and realized that I would not have the time to make staff changes, but it did not matter as I liked what I was seeing out of the current staff. As for the players, I had a few I wanted to get rid of but there was hardly any time to do it. We faced Comunicaciones in just a week's time and we had to get ready.

Wildcat Willy takes over as coach of Kansas City Wizards

In a move to increase ticket sales to interest buyers to move the Wizards out of Kansas. The management has hired a mascot from a college in Marquette Michigan called Wildcat Willy. When asked what he wanted to do with the team Willy gave two thumbs up. Then his assistant Ethan Allen a member of that university.

The plans were announced to try to get this team into the playoffs. They want to be able to see the team advance enough and get a home game for the playoffs. Something that they would be able to sell the team to a respectable buyer. Wildcat Willy was also handing out T-shirts and throwing a nerf ball for the press conference

Roster

GK- Tony Meola (United States Legend)

GKbk- Will Hesmer

3rd String GK- Bo Oshoniyi (Transfer Listed and 320

Defenders. This is a strong point to me we have many that are capable of holding the line we are about 5 or 6 deep in this area

Nick Garcia (capped American Defender corner stone of our Defense)

Alex Zotinca, Romanian (on active roster might night play a lot though)

Jimmy Conrad ( starter most of the time)

Shavar Thomas, Jamaican Transitional International. (Decent player in rotation could be moved if some other TI comes up)

Jose Burciaga Jr., (rotation)

Diego Gutierrez (could be moved look at him kind of a weak link)

Kerry Zavagnin (starting defender mostly at the full back region)

Jack Jewsbury ( good player can defend and attack well good asset)

Midfielders, A good position if you go though the first 4 but I think the depth is not that great here.

Francisco Gomez (Decent player should get some starting time)

Diego Walsh, Brazilian TI, ( Has raw potential needs to prove he can start full time and is reliable)

Preki! ( A veteran at 40 still has great skill and can be a asset and a teacher to other players)

Chris Klein (Player in his prime will start most of the games and should be a good contributor)

Khari Stephenson, Jamaican Ti, ( Good player I like his potential I see him being a sub often.)

Forward, good postion I trust most of the people to score on this team

Igor Simutenkov, Russian SI, ( great player got nothing but love for him he will be a primer forward int eh system.)

Davy Arnaud, (good rotation player nice to have him as a option)

Justin Detter ( backup listed for loan)

Matt Taylor (backup)

Josh Wolff, (star forward one of the top strikers in the states will get a majority of starts)

Forwards, good position for us.

Traded Taylor Grahme for Giovanni Savarese (Venezuelan national player that can be a great move for us on the Offensive side)

Traded Jimmy Conrad for Brian Mullen (good young player with a couple American caps, gave up a good defenseman though looking to replace with a player on the market.)

Before the season started we got Josh Wolf back for a 5th round draft pick thanks to a generous sign and trade from Al Clark.

Well things started off decent after a 3-0-1 preseason we faced New England I will admit that New England had the best of us has their ace striker Twellman scored but we were able to hang in at the 84th minute I made a change and a substation. The tactical change pushed forward and 3 minutes later we had a goal. We were tied 1-1 they almost caught me off guard but I was able to get back and keep the draw.

Second game Dallas was getting the upper hand of us they just could not find the net effectively and we took good advantage of it. Igor Simutenkov (russia) made the Dallas defense look silly beating 4 defenders and scoring a goal in the 26th, right out of the break newly brought on sub Khari Stephenson (Jamacian) scored and then at the 74th minute Igor Simutenkov score again to cap the came off. at 3 -0 Tony Meola got a well earned Man of the match. 4 Points in two road games makes me a happy manager.

Our first home game was against the L.A Galaxy. Things started off bad as Igor Simutenkov got sent off for arguing with the ref to much. Later Arguing would be used to our advantage as a quick free kick went though a distracted defender and off the keeper to the legs of Josh Wolff for his first goal of the year. Our second goal came we had a nice cross it was bounced around Wolf Missed but it found Klien and then it found the net. L.A caught back up a little late when a unexpected long shot by Torres went in. The game would end 2-1 After this we acquired Giovanni Savarese on a good deal where we got a back up for a steal due to salary problems. We gave up Jimmy Conrad a good defender for Brian Mullin a good midfielder. This is a trade I could regret later.

The final game of the session saw me face the Metrostars, this was a very bad game which I do not want to speak much about basically the Metrostars had luck on their side they took advantage of our new defensive as Nick Garcia had a horrendous game and Eddie Gavin ended up with 4 goals. To top that off we could not beat their keep on 16 SOT we had 2 goals both by Wolff we were defiantly missing Igor for this game. WE had a terrible game it will not happen again. I have now marked down the next Metrostar game for sweet REVENGE!.

4-GAME LOSING STREAK

After a mini 2-game winning streak at home, the Metros went on a 3-game road trip, it was one that the team will want to forget, they lost all 3 games, and one more at home after that.

They faced Chicago on the first game of the trip, Chicago was unbeaten and didn't conced a goal at that time. The Metros did a good job in the first half, holding Chicago to a 0-0 draw, Jonny Walker had a decent first half. But the second half was totally opposite, Ante Razov of Chicago turned on and hit 4, and 4-0 is the final score.

Next up, LA, the Metros had an early chance, but Brian Ching's goal was disallowed, and things start going the other way 2 minutes later. Cobi Jones headed in from a corner and put the home team up by one, LA got 1 more from Jones and 1 from Albright before the break. Right after the break, an own goal by Jonny Walker, the keeper of the Metros made it 4-0, the Metros continue their big-time slump on the road. Guevara was able to get a goal back on the 58th min., but 7 minutes later, Agoos tripped Ngwenya, Gonzalez stepped up at the penalty spot to make it 5-1, and that is the final.

The next game was a little bit better, but they still cannot generate any kind of offence whatsoever, Pat Nooman scored the only goal of the game for New England.

The Metros had an 0 and 3 record on the road trip, they scored once and gave up 10 goals. They try to turn things around at home when they face Colorado, but they continue their scoring slump and ended up with a 2-0 lost.

The fans started to boo at the end of the Colorado's game, they are so upset at the recent performance of the team, the Metros had lost four in a row and 6 on the road. Lung has to come up with something before they find themselves out of the playoff race.

United on top

The match against high flying San Jose did not go as planned for United as an early second half goal by Dwight Pezzarossi secured the win for San Jose. The Earthquakes extended their lead further thanks to a long range effort by Pezzarossi and determined the final score. After the match, United manager expressed his concern about allowing two goals. "We don't have the kind of offensive power of some of the teams in this league so we have to play scrappy to get a win and more often than not we settle for a draw." He also added "San Jose have build themselves a good team in a very short time. Of course the blockbuster trade with the MetroStars has helped immensely and you can see it was a grossly one sided trade from the performance of the MetroStars. I am still at a loss as to what kind of a manager trades away Eddie Pope, without a doubt the best defender in the league to get an unproven striker. "

United came back home to face Columbus, Chicago and FC Dallas in 11 days. The match against division rivals Colombus was a game of few chances as both managers preferred to sit back and let the opposition make a mistake. Carlos Fernando Figueroa opened the scoring with a spectacular shot from the edge of the area on 6 minutes. Looking for more goals was not in the best interests of United in this occasion as Columbus hit back on the counter to even the score on 30 minutes. The rest of the match created too little for the specatator as United picked up their 5th draw of the season.

Chicago's visit into town is always a festive event with the quality of players they bring. This occasion was no different. Chicago's leading scorer Ante Razov was to be closely watched to ensure no goals for him this afternoon. And the United defense did just that. Razov as a lone striker was not effective enough to get a goal past the collected United defense. The lone goal of the match came 9 minutes from full time when a Figueroa cross was deflected past Zach Thornton by C.J. Brown. The United manager immediately went to a more defensive setup to preserve the lead and it was too late for Chicago who were sent home empty handed.

With FC Dallas in town, the United fans rushed to the RFK stadium to watch young explosive striker Eddie Johnson. They were not disappointed when Johnson connected with a Ronnie O'Brien cross to put the visitors up 1-0. The score remained until the middle of the second half. Oktay's shot was blocked by Jeff Cassar but the rebound fell to Figueroa and he had an easy finish. But the drama was not over yet as a late substitute Freddy Adu caught up to a long pass by Figueroa and coolly finished the one-on-one chance with Cassar to record his first goal of his career. Carlos Fernando Figueroa who has had an influence on the score in the last three matches picked up a second yellow card in the dying minutes of the match and will be suspended in the upcoming away game against the MetroStars.

In other news, the signing of Bulgarian striker Stoyko Sakaliev was finalized this week from Naftex. The Bulgarian will join up with the United squad at the beginning of next season when his current loan deal at CSKA (Sofia) ends. Sakaliev will occupy a Senior International slot and it is still not known who will be sacrificed to bring in the striker.

All or nothing

Coach Clark seems to have put together a useful side. This is the consensus of rival managers, FSC and the SJ Mercury alike. Whether they have enough for a title remains to be seen. However, with 9 games gone the 'Quakes are sitting atop of the West though the last 5 games have been anything but routine.

The session started with an absolute demolition of FC Dallas. Hapless rookie Manager Stu was left shell-shocked from an 8-1 MLS record victory. SGR, the striker picked-up from the Met's, blasted 5 goals to take his tally to 9 in just 4(1) games this season. Sadly, the Argie failed to find the net in the next four games and limped out of the last one early and will be missing for about a week. Clark even tried to take his foot off the gas introducing three youngster which the score at 5-1 and even finsihed with 10 men after an injury forced them to play out the last 10 minutes a man short.

"FCD need a goalie. Onstad's on the block if they're interested" said John Harkes on the Saturday MLS Wrap show. "Rumour has it, there's been communication but no deal has been ironed out yet".

Next up was DC, still to concede a goal and unbeaten in 5 albeit with 4 draws. A 2-0 result was a little flattering in a very tight game. Two individual efforts from distance were the difference. Clark understood Omer's frustrations but defended the trade between SJ and the Metros involving USMNT stalwart Eddie Pope. "I think it's an obvious knee-jerk reaction to the situation to say this was a hugely one-sided trade. Sure, Eddie is a top defender but he's pushing 31, on big-time wages [$5800] and a free agent soon. We gave up a national team player, a much younger and cheaper one - Brian Ching - to get him. The market valued Ching higher and reall the deal addressed both our need at the back, and the Metros dire need for a striker. We'd had interest from Europe and could have sold him for prob $2m....so the opportunity cost of picking up EP was not pocket change."

SJ had an early table topper against LA and Tom was in no mood to let SJ's good run upset him. The real winner at the end of a 0-0 stalement (though not without chances) was KC, who leap-frogged both teams to the top of the West.

Naturally, KC were next on the schedule and the game looked destined for a 1-1 draw when a late tactical masterstroke and substitution saw KC's Davy Arnaud pop up in the box to steall all three points. "It's was tough to swallow" said Clark "but Et got it spot on. It's a hiccup, nothing more, I doubt many teams will get points here at Arrowhead this season against KC".

SJ closed out the session with a narrow victory against the Rev's. The main news out of the game was the injury to top scorer Sergio Galvan Rey. Early reports are that the injury was not too serious and he could be back within a week. It ended a bad run of 4 games without a goal for the prolific SGR after blazing 5 in the game against Dallas. "He'll be back" noted Clark.

So, almost 1/3 of the way through the regular season, SJ sit atop of all teams with 17pts from 9 games with a very healthy +12 GD. It's worth noting that the two defeats were against bookies favourites Chicago and KC. It seems the wheat is beginning to sort from the chaff. They're three points ahead of both KC and LA in the west, though the Galaxy have a game in hand and could draw level on point with a win.

The SJ Mercury website carried an interesting article on the on-going search for a AML for the club. Todd Dunnivant had moved up from DL with Tighe Dombrowski at full back and although this combination has been steady, it's clearly not the answer for Clark. The article documented Clark's attempts to bring someone in: Mapp (CHI) outright refusal to even discuss a trade; Davis (FCD) talks rumoured but no deal done yet; Djalminaha (Brazil) offered contract but opted to move back to his homeland. The reporter stated that searches continued in central and southern america.

On piece of transfer activity was completed last session. Clark shipped ex-international Troy Dayak to Chicago for back-up keeper Henry Ring. A decent piece of business for both parties. It also allows Clark to move Onstad and free up that invaluable TI spot, ideally for a quality left winger.

United Boss Slams Clark

When reached for comment to respond to Clark's earlier comments regarding the Eddie Pope trade, United manager asked Clark to be a little more consistent when making statements :wink: reminding Clark the 24 goals Metrostars have conceded only 9 matches into the season. United manager, a well known admirer of Pope, stated "Surely Pope could have single handedly lowered that number by quite a few goals." He went on to add that the Metrostars have been one of the higher goal scoring sides in the MLS thus far and Ching, a man surplus to requirements during his time at San Jose, could have been picked up at a much lower cost than Eddie Pope who is contracted to the MLS until the end of 2006. United manager went on to say that he didn't blame Clark for defending the trade since he clearly got the better end of the deal while the MetroStars have traded away any chances of competing this season.

Not a War of Words....yet! :mrgreen:

On hearing the recent outburst by DC gaffer Omer, Clark again made himself available to the press.

"I admit, perhaps I've had something of tunnel vision on the trade. Eddie Pope was exactly what we needed. I will say though, that Ching was not surplus to requirements, not any more than Mido is at Tottenham. Yeah, we had a few good strikers..but Ching was a top 2 striker at this club - and good enough to start at any other team in MLS. He would likely have started for us once he had got over a pre-season niggle. We didn't solicit the trade for Pope but we were happy to do business again with the Metros."

"Obviously, it's rained goals at the Meadowlands lately, and not at the right end. But much can be said for the tactics they've played, the poor form of Johnny Walker - who is no Tim Howard - and having a rookie manager at the helm. The Metrostars have the quality, but are perennial under acheivers. I wouldn't take that job for a 5x pay rise! It's rough out there. Fans have a long memory - all the way back to the NASL and the Cosmos. Being one of only three teams never to have won a major trophy since the league's inception has not helped make it any more hospitable. I wish Ricky luck....he'll need it".

"Infact, I enquired about DC's Mike Petke at one point and was rebuffed becuase they needed more defenders, rather than trading one. Perhaps this is a little jealously, we have picked up some great defensive minded players lately nipping in ahead of DC on the likes of Ricardo Clark and now Pope. "

"Omer and I go back a long way. I'm hoping we can settle this on the field...at MLS Cup 2004."

United Boss Responds to Clark Swiftly

United boss did not waste any time responding to Clark. "He can justify the trade to himself any way he likes, but it's clear as day that the best player in MLS now plays for San Jose while Brian Ching is at best a mediocre striker in this league."

Responding to Clark's comments regarding a proposed trade of Petke for Ching, United boss couldn't hide his amusement. "How on earth can you try and justify a trade for the best defender in the league when you have been rejected for a relativley less talented defender like Petke?" the United manager said. "As for Ricardo Clark, I would have liked to have seen him play for us alongside Kovalenko, but obviously the MetroStars manager preferred to pick up an over the hill Agoos, by trading away the future of his team. I have no regrets over Ricardo"

United boss also added that Clark was dreaming by trying to lure Spanish ex-international Josep Guardiola to MLS while he's still under contract at Al Ahli. He reminded to Clark that without a release from his club, Guardiola could not be signed and there was no need for shortlisting the player without having his scouts report on Guardiola's recent performances. Guardiola's contract is set to run out on June 30, 2004. :wink:

COACH LUNG'S RESPOND ON COMMENTS BY UNITED AND SJ BOSS

After the recent comments by United and SJ boss, Metros head coach just cannot keep silent, this is his respond regarding the comments, "....I admit that I am a rookie manager in MLS, but I never fail when I was coaching elsewhere, or at least I never finish near the bottom of the table, and I am sure that this time there is no exception. Regarding the trade of Eddie Pope, I admit that he is an excellent defender, and no coach should trade him away without getting enough quality in return, but I still believe Brain Ching is the type of player that I am looking for after losing SGR to SJ in a blockbuster trade. I believe in the forward combo of Ching and Gaven, and the rest of the squad, it is just a matter of time before they bond together as a good....."

He also said,"....I will make the people, who are already ruled me out of competing the title, take back their word. There is still a long way to go, with 21 games remaining, anything can happen. Despite conceded 21 goals through 9 matches, I am still the top scoring team in the East. We will start winning game when the defending line of Agoos, Leitch, and Bonseu live up to their expectation; and Walker returns to form. I will not change to a defensive style of football just because we conceded 21 goals, I believe that attack is the best way of to denfense...."

So this is the respond of Metrostars head coach Lung, let see will United or SJ coach have some more comment on that.

And it continues......

"Pepe's not likely to be out here any time soon. We have a policy of bringing in solid veterans to help the development of the team. However, we got Ramon Ramierz to fill that role before the season bagan so even if he was interested we'd be unable to accommdate him right now. " It seems that Clark was side-stepping the real issue at hand - namely, why was he on the short-list. [ ops: ] "Just keeping an eye on him. I wouldn't want someone else to swoop in and get a HOF player like him when I wasn't looking. We've heard he'd consider a move to MLS and as such wanted to cover our bases."

"I play by the rules....or at the very least, change them to suit me in advance!" :wink:

United Manager Questions Clark's Health

Following Clark's comments that he heared Josep Guardiola would be interested in a move to the MLS, Omer asked "I wonder if he's hearing voices in his head, because his scouts have certainly not gone out and watched Guardiola and said anything to Clark. I certainly hope Clark is healthy and fit to manage because I relish the competition :wink: " Omer also added that there were quite a few other names on the list that he would rather not disclose at this time.

These comments by the United boss have attracted interest from the commissioner's office as well. The commissioner reported that they would be watching Clark's transfer dealings very closely to ensure that the MLS is run on a level playing field for all managers.

RE-FOCUS

The recent 4-game losing streak have seen the Metros down to the bottom of the East. Head coach Lung slots in an extra practice today and try to make every player focus again. He said to a reporter today,"We have some time before our next match, so I slot in an extra practice today and try to make the team re-focus. We reviewed some tactical info, it is great, all of them understand their role now, everyone is in good shape, we are ready to go." He then asked about all the comments that is going on off the field. He said,"All those comments are just pure talking, the bottom line is we have to go out and play hard as a team, everyone is on the same page, we are all focus again. I am looking forard to our next match."

A Solid Start

After winding his way through England, Belgium, France and Spain, new Galaxy manager Tom Yaglowski relishes the idea of now working in America. "Football, or as you say, 'soccer', is gaining popularity here in the States, and LA plays the type of exciting 'soccer' that will keep you coming back for more."

The Galaxy squad did start quite slow in the first month of the season, compiling a 2-1-2 record. But the first half of May saw a renaissance in the LA team as they took consecutive wins against the MetroStars and Colorado. The 5-1 thrashing against NY/NJ did wonders for the confidence of the whole team. And the 2-0 win against Colorado swelled the chests of the solid LA defensive line.

The big West Coast grudge match is between LA and San Jose. On May 15, the two sides played to a stalemate, 0-0. Either side, with one shot, could have come out victors. "I am looking forward to all that American soccer has to offer and also looking forward to a long, successful run here on the West Coast."

With that, Yaglowski ended the news conference, slid on his trademark Ray Ban sunglasses, and strode out of the room.

Our last away game for a while was at Colorado. We came out we did not have a good game we could not finish well and that describe the game we pushed forward at the end and we ended up conceding a second goal we were playing a man down. We blew a golden opportunity hear. I was really disappointed with the way that the team came out.

“We came out flat and we paid dearly for it. We should have won they lost their best striker early and we just played poorly.â€

We finally get home for a game against Chicago and we put our crowd to sleep. This was a very defensive game, Stephenson had 3 open shots at goal but could not convert so now he is in my dog house you get playing time in the Open cup and that is all. The game ended 0-0. “Russ is a good friend he had a great defensive tactic†“We screwed up right now Khari Stephensonis definitly in my dog house though we should have got 3 points out of that game.â€

Another home game this time against San Jose this one was a one sided affair. In the ultimate irony Josh Wolff scored the first goal. Making Al wish he had not been so generous with the sign and trade. San Jose would score again it seemed destined for a draw until I turned up the heat and brought in Mr Clutch Davy Arnaud who scored in the 90th minute to put us ahead.

“Davy has a sense for the ball at the end this is the third time he has done this for me when the result looked like it was going be different.â€

“San Jose played better for 80 minutes but we showed that we are a 90 minute team. That makes me feel very strongly that we will be contenders at the endâ€

Home at Dallas was next, once again Dallas was the better team though out most of the match. With Tony Meola out Will Hesmer was our hero making some near impossible saves against Dallas. They came out early and scored . Wolff tied it up it seemed destined for a draw but once again in the late stages of the game Nick Garcia out of no where gets the game winner to put us ahead 2-1 and give us the win.

Wolff, Nick Garcia game winner. We also brought in long time United States Defender Richie Williams. “ A player that has been capped a lot and can become a good presence that we need in the midfield or fullback positions†“We once again showed that we can play 90 minutes I am very proud of this team these are the kind of games that really build character I am proud and convinced we can win the west now.â€

Home to Columbus, Preki scored on a free kick early and things looked bright. We were of good spirits until they score two in a row and I realized my mistake in starting Will Hesmer so I put Meola back in. I accidentally subbed in Khari Sanderson (wrong button click) and that cost me has he committed a penalty inside the box that put us down 3-1.

“This obviously was not the way I wanted to end the home stand it was a swift kick where I don’t want to be kicked, Hesmar prooved he was nothing more than a backup and I am glad I get Meola back next gameâ€

“ As far as Khari goes , he is a nice kid I wish him luck in the future but he has screwed up to many times. If you do the team will I will reward you but he has hurt the team to much so I will release himâ€

“Tony and Preki have just took pay cuts to help us with our cap and to find some more sutiable defenseman. I am very grateful for this and as long as I am here these two players will retire Wizards if I have my wish.â€

GETTING A LITTLE BIT BETTER

After the recent losing streak and the poor display of defense, Metros' head coach Ricky Lung were looking to solidify his defense. He traded away John Wolyniec to DC United and got Brian Carroll, Eliseo Quintanilla, and a 5th round pick in return.

Things start to get a little bit better for the Metros after their 4-games losing streak, they manage a 1-1-2 record in their next four.

First, they host United at Giant Stadium, both team had a quite first half, neither team had any real chance, second half didn't get any better, the highlight of the game belongs to Thiago Martins of United, he scored on his debut at the 59th minute mark. DC hang on to win the game.

For the second game, the Metros went on the road against Columbus, they shot a little bit better, but still didn't have any real threat on scoring. Amado Guevara scored on a 30-yard free kick on the 58th minute, but Columbus struck right back on 62th minute by Marshall's header off a corner kick. The game ended with a 1-1 draw.

The Metros seems to return to the form that they had during their skid. They lost 4-0.

They finally went back to the win column when they face Kansas City at home. Ironically, their last win was also against Kansas at Giant Studium. This game was no where close to the last one as far as shooting effort was concern, it ended at 1-0, Eddie Gaven scored the only goal in hte 85th minute off the post.

Desipte their improved defense, the Metros still cannot find any ways to score some goals, their forward cannot even shot the ball on target, coach Lung has to address this during their next practice, they need to do some serious work on their shooting touch. Let see will their offense do better in the next few games.

Momma Told Me There'd Be Days Like This.....

Clark was philisophical, "We'll play worse than those two games and get 3pts in each....but it just wasn't our day". "Hats off to the other managers, they did exactly what was needed to secure the wins".

Clark was referring to the two recent defeats - to high-flyers DC (2-0 at RFK) and a 2-1 reverse at the Cotton Bowl to a Dallas side hell bent on revenge after the 8-1 mauling the previous month. "The AssMan kicked some Ass, Man. I think Stu's best managerial decision so far was to start to delgate more tasks - like picking the 1st team squad and tactics to the AM. That AM has a real future in the game I'd say at the coaching level". "Of course, it didn't help that Int'l call-ups depleted our squad and robbed us of Eddie Pope and Dwight Pezzarossi amongst others. We also lost four players to the U20 US team. I guess that's one advantage to having no internationals on your side. Eddie Johnson should have been in the senior USMNT but was inexplicably overlooked. I wish he had been picked - it would have earned us at least a point. He's been on fire lately - 11 goals on a struggling team tells you everything you need to know. I'd be surprised if we see him in MLS for much longer - a big European club is gonna swoop in and take him to the Champions League....and as far as I'm concered, the sooner the better!"

The DC game had been hyped up and the Screaming Eagle's were ultimately the ones cheering after a couple of well taken goals handed SJ a 2-0 defeat and returned the favour on a similar scoreline when the two teams met at Spartan Stadium. "A goal of the season contender" said Clark of Oktay's long range strike which effectively killed the game off in the second half. "Their fans were amazing once again. They are the proverbial 12th man. Spartan Stadium has been just that lately - spartan. I hope our fans get behind us, particularly given our good standing. It's like they've forgotten about the fact we're candidates for relocation." Clark was referring in part to the disappoint average attendance at Spartan. The recent game against Dallas saw just 11,500 through the gates.

The other two games went a little better - a victory against Colorado and a 1-1 tie with Columbus. The Columbus game had threatened to get away from the 'Quakes early, but they came back strong and looked good for all three points by the end.

The last four game thus ended with a 1-2-1 record.

On a positive note, Sergio Galvan Rey got back to fitness and on the scoresheet a couple of times. He shares the goalscoring lead with 11 goals with EJ.

Clark was quiet on the transfer front for a change. He signed recently released Khari Stephenson (ex-KC) to a developmental contract whilst he takes a closer look at him. The young Jamaican winger has already received national team recognition and could be a useful squad player.

The search for a AML continues. Clark reportedly bid on an un-named Honduran to fill the void, but was turned down. We've heard on the grapevine that Pablo Brenes was offered as a makeweight to no avail. The scouts are scouring the lower leagues of South and Central America and Clark hopes they find a diamond in the rough soon. He's got only $230k to spend and is reluctant to use all of that in one go. He recently reassigned one of his scouts to Britain in order to try and find some young talent. Perhaps a Bosman deal is in the offing, the scouts need to do their jobs and earn their corn. Clark has also intimated that he is a little disappointed with the form down the right too, where Mulrooney, Klass, Brenes and Stephenson have all failed to make the position their own. Mulrooney - a key cog at Spartan Stadium - has split his time between MR, DR and the IR.

Clark will be looking for more consistency and more wins, after surrendering both the lead in the west (to LA) and the overall lead (to DC). Individually the team is playing well (SGR and Pezz are both in the top 5 in scoring, Ramirez leads in assists and SGR and Ramirez are top 5 average performers). What the team lacks is cohesion and familiarity, not too surprisng give it's rapid assembly in the offseason. Aussie netminder Bonsich's recent slump in form has also had a major part. He was rated #2 in the league average ratings but has recently fallen off the rader. Clark was quick to snuff out some negative speculation in the press "No, he's not been snorting anything he shouldn't."

United Add Striker and Keep Rolling

United have continued their rebuilding by picking up a much needed target man to strengthen their attack. So far in the season, United's main area of concern was the strike force as players like Quintanilla, Quaranta and Eskandarian just did not have the strength to compete with the physical MLS defenders. When the MetroStars put up John Wolyniec up for trade, United jumped at the opportunity to add the seasoned striker to their books. Going the other way were Brian Carroll, Eliseo Quintanilla and a 5th round pick. When approached about allowing the young Carroll to leave, United manager commented "He's obviously a very good player at his young age and we are sorry to let him go. But Leonardo Gonzales has made the left back spot his own since the beginning of the season and Carroll was just not going to get playing time unless there was a major injury." The trade was completed while United were visiting the MetroStars but Wolyniec did not take part in the game as United boss preferred not to play him until he had a chance to train with the team.

The match against the MetroStars was another tough encounter for United. United played a cautious attacking formation against the MLS bottom dwellers and was able to scrape with a win thanks to a Thiago Martins goal. Martins joined United before the new manager's arrival and was not rated highly initially but the scoring start to his United career will surely get the manager to re-evaluate Martins' position in the squad.

Wolyniec had a scoring debut against Colorado and showed exactly why United obtained his services. Quick on the ground and strong in the air, Wolyniec appeared to have the element the United attack had despite making his first start with his new team. Colorado were not to be taken lightly though as they equalized in the second half to turn the contest into a goal to goal high paced thriller. However neither team managed to break the deadlock before the final whistle.

Next game against division rivals was a classic DC United match that we have grown accustomed to. Oktay Derelioglu opened his scoring account for United after 11 matches and looked to be a lot more lively than his previous matches. With Marko Dinjar and Dema Kovalenko controlling the midfield with percision, New England got few chances to equalize while United seemed happy to sit back and look for a counter attack opportunity. The opportunity never presented itself as United came out winners on the day.

Following their war of words of United manager and San Jose skipper Al Clark, the match between San Jose and United was a widely anticipated one. San Jose handed United their only loss of the season in a convincing 2-0 win on the west coast. With San Jose in town, United manager altered his tactics to create a barrier between the San Jose midfielders and their attackers. It was one of these United midfielders Marko Dinjar that opened the scoring with a long range shot that Bosnich just could not reach. After picking up the lead, United manager made sure not to give up a quick goal to San Jose by going to a more defensive formation. In the second half, as San Jose were pushing for the win, United brought in Freddy Adu to give problems to the San Jose defense as United went to a 3 man attack. This move set up the goal by Oktay towards the end of the match as the Turk scored his second goal in two matches after being silent for his first eleven. San Jose pushed forward but the United defense was precise time around leaving little space for forwards Mulrooney, Pezzarossi and Sergio Alejandro Galvan Rey.

So far United have managed to remain in the top part of the Eastern Conference. However, United boss reminds us that they are in a rebuilding year and it is unlikely that they will go all the way for the MLS title. "We don't have the kind of balanced squad that wins championships. We are not able to bring a lot of creativity into your game yet. I'll be looking to bring in some versatile players in the next year to give us a better chance of winning against any of our competitors, home or away. But this season we are a little far off that mark. But we will go as far as we can with what we have."

Chicago Fire Appoint Grommen

GROM is back!!!!!!!

Johan Grommen, the legendary striker that served UR Namur and Stade Brestois 29 with distinction, has decided try his hand at management. The man affectionately referred to as Grom will use his vast playing expierence, that saw him progress from the Belgian Third Division B level all the way to the Champions League, to bring success to the Fire's faithful fans. Grommen was introduced late to the supporters because he was in Brittany meeting with former boss Heiðar Tryggvi Sigurðsson discussing his retirement from playing, so he also missed the first 4 games of the season.

The first game that Grom was incharge for saw the Metrostars visit Soldier Field. The first half was an even affair, but in second half it was the Ante Razov show. He scored all four goals in the 4-0 win, and Damani Ralph picked up a minor wrist injury. Ralph's injury led to the introduction of Justin Mapp and he sparked us into life down the left wing. After the match, Grom dedicated the victory to his mentor Dr. James Preen, who has recently decided to retire as manager and spend his saturday afternoons at Vicarage Road cheering on his beloved Watford. Chicago also announced the trade of Henry Ring to San Jose for Troy Dayak. A good bit business for both teams, we got a solid centre half and they got a decent backup keeper.

The Fire's long road trip started off in Kansas Ciy ended as bore draw, 0-0. We were forced to take off Ante after 20 mins with a leg injury and Andy Herrón the Costa Rican international came on but didn't impress. The next stop was Foxboro to face the Revs. The Revs proved too tough a task they got an early goal from Taylor Twellman and we couldn't get going. Logan Pause saw red late on for a dangerous two footed lunge, a tackle that completely showed his inexperience since it was well inside the opposing half. Joe Max Moore went on to add an insurance goal, the first loss of the season and the first goals conceded, 0-2. The trip took us next to the nation's capital to take on DC United. The game was decided in a cruel manner, a deflected Figueroa cross by CJ Brown left Thornton stranded and flat footed with no chance to stop it. The goal came late on with just about 10 mins to go and DC shut up shop and we couldn't come back. 0-1.

The final destination of road trip was Mexico City for the first lef of the Champions Cup Semi Final with Pumas. The team's moral had sunk to a new low and our confidence was nonexistent. Pumas tore us appart and they were a class and a half above us on this day. 4-0 down after the first leg with little chance of progressing to the final. However, this opportunity will give valuable experience and aid player development.

Grom refusing to speak English

Lately, Grom has decided not to embroil himself in the war of words going around the MLS so he is only speaking in Flemmish these days.

2-1 against Columbus. They got an early goal from Chad Marshall off a corner. Nate Jaqua came on to replace Andy Williams and he scored, a long range deflected effort. Then in the 90th minute Andy Herrón popped up in the penalty box with the winner.

The return leg with Punas was next, this time Andy Williams scored a nice a drive created by Alexandre Boucicaut down the right flank. The Haitian international was in top class form as he also created a second half headed goal by Ralph. In the 62nd minute Pumas were reduced to 10 men as del Olmo saw red, we tried to slow the temp down and tire them out but our efforts were hindered 10 mins from time. Kelly Gray saw yellow again and was off this virtually ended any remote chance we had of coming back. We won 2-0 and netted 300k in prize money and the boys showed true class with a performance that did the club proud.

The home and home with Tom. The first game was decided by a doggy pk awarded for an unfair jump in box. Hong Myung-Bo scored it, this forced us to push forward as we went to a 2 striker formation. Then new signing Schmidt finished off on the counter as we were exposed at the back, 0-2 LA. The return match was better as Jesse Marsch hit a rocket to the bottom corner of the net. We were up 1-0 at the half. The second half was largely dominated by LA but the galaxy were still unable to break through until Chris Albright answered Tom Yaglowski's prayers. It ended 1-1, a fair result and true reflection of the pattern of play.

2-2 with Colorado. We took the lead with a nice finish from Razov and then Williams added to it early in the second half. Then it all went pear shaped after 74 mins with an Orlando Perez own goal. Colorado took the game over at that point and we struggled to get the damn thing out our half. Their persistent preasure payed off with Peguero and then they pushed for a winner and we were lucky to hear the final whistle blow, while it was still level.

Dallas Rookie Manager Stu Hopkins has broken his long media silence to address the Texas media hordes today.

"When I took control of this squad, a few things were quickly apparent. I had a decent strike force. a competitive midfield, and an utter deficiency in depth in defense and goal. So, I did the obvious thing...I signed two international strikers."

"In Mr.Mathis and Carlo Corrazin I had the makings of a world-class partnership...but I was pleasantly surprised by the top flight ability of Eddie Johnson, who's form has quickly relegated Corrazzin to the substitutes bench."

"My next order of business was to secure the services of a decent assistant, as the squad I inheirited did not come equipped with one. In quick order I had found two. With both assistants in place, I felt the time was ripe to take a well-deserved vacation."

"I arrived back just in time to preside over the record 1-8 mauling at the hands of Al Clark's San Jose squad. I though we were alright when we went into the break only 5 down, but my team just couldn't find its form in the second half."

"After that debacle came a time of desperate soul-searching. Who was to blame? Were the assistants to blame for inadequate preperation? The players for failing to execute my top-class tactics? Or had the long trip to San Jose merely sapped their resolve?"

"Although not one for rash judgement, I soon correctly identified the culprit as keeper Casser, and I quickly told him so. I reminded him after the match that the bus promptly left the stadium an hour after final whistle...I told him to make sure he was under it."

"When I was a player we always accepted constructive criticism like that and endeared to do better the next time out. Cassers reacted differently. When we got back to Dallas he attempted to blow up my car in the parking lot...ended up burning his lips on the tailpipe."

"All joking aside, after we had had it out, I elected to stick with him and revamped the rest of the squad entirely for our next game. A 1-1 gutcheck stalemate against the eastern cellar dwellers. Still it was an important result at the time."

"After the game I realised that our training was not doing its job. Understanding that my ideas of eight hours of head tennis was not cutting it at this level, I delegated the training to the capable hands of one of my assistants."

"The next two games, we jumped out to quick leads, only to find ourselves losing both games to two quick goals in the last fifteen."

"They were both crippingly disappointing games, besting the Wizards for the entire game only to lose to a MOM performance by their backup goalie and a last minute strike. The DC United game was just as irksome. The tactical battle that ensued kept me occupied just enough not to notice some kid named Adu come on late as a substitute to grab the late winner...and his first ever goal."

"Once again some soul searching was needed. Did the late collapses result from tactical errors? Or was my team just not in good enough shape to last ninety minutes? Or was it just the dearth of quality at the back?"

"The wisest course seemed to be to do nothing. Just take a nice vacation and tell my assistants to keep my tactics and player selection the same as I had it. Maybe the setbacks were due to ill-timed substitutions? Time would tell."

"My decision to wait has appeared to paid off. We came out of the last round of matches as the in-form team. Perhaps the time is right for another vacation..."

It's been an up and down season for the Revs. A tough, draw-riddled patch at the beginning of the season, followed by a three game winning streak saw the New England side briefly rise to the top of the Eastern Conference, only to see a recent cold streak bring them back to the pack. New manager Nick Gutierrez isn't worried, however.

"We've played well," the new boss told a local paper. "It's just a matter of finishing our chances when they come to us."

He said he has been especially impressed with midfielders Felix Brilliant and José Cancela. "We have all the necessary parts to go as far as we want to go. Brilliant and Cancela have been crucially important players, and our striker rotation is pretty good. And, while our goalkeeping situation is a place of some concern, we have the defense to make up for it."

When asked about his priorities for the rest of the season, he responded with a simple, yet familiar "Playoffs? You want to talk about playoffs? We can't even win a game! Playoffs..."

West All Stars 5 - 3 East All Stars

Unbeaten in Five

Sj have been on a reasonable run of late, but Clark is far from happy "We simply threw points away lately by not killing off teams when we had the chance. We need to be more effective infront of goal - we're wasting chance after chance and getting caught out late".

The first order of the day was a deal with FC Dallas - the league's form team. Sadly, Clark was unable to interest gaffer Stu in a deal for scoring Phenom EJ, but did snap up bright prospect Brad Davis to help solve that tricky AML position. He didn't come cheap though - Clark parted with Canadian #1 Pat Onstad and 1st team regular Eddie Robinson, who for Clark's money "is the most under-rated D-man in the league". "I wish them both well at Dallas, I would have preferred to deal them out of the West but Davis is a player we really wanted so I guess that's the price you have to pay".

The session started well with a 2-0 win over Basement boys - the Metros. SGR returned to haunt his former employers once again with a clinical brace. The league was hard-hit by international call-ups and SJ was no exception - losing 4 players from the game "It's ********" said Clark "We can't do our jobs with call ups like this. I've another 4 youngsters flying out tomorrow two. That's 8 of 23 players on my roster unavailable at once. The Commish has to do something about this, it's not acceptable".

The following three games all ended in draws 1-1 with Chicago, 2-2 with Kansas and 0-0 with LA. The Fire game was on the road and all said and done was a fair reflection of a tight game. The Quakes were powerless to stop Razov scoring an equalizer after Richard Mulrooney had struck home a sweet opener. Mulrooney later went from hero to villian as he was red-carded for a second bookable offence. The 10 man 'Quakes held on for a good road point. (Razov's season would be cruelly ended shortly thereafter....ligament surgery putting the sniper out for 5 months are seriously denting the Fire's MLS credentials in the process).

The KC game was an entirely different matter. SJ exploded out of the gates and were quickly 2-0 to the good and truly bossing affairs. Chance after chance was created by a flowing and cohesive SJ team that looked the real deal. Midway through the 1st half Richie Williams was dismissed for KC and the points looked in the bag. But Willy (Et) had other ideas. He pulled off his hapless strikers and brough on fresh legs, including those belonging to Josh Wolff. The striker again scored against the team that signed him in the summer - he scored twice infact- as KC bagged 2 goals on 3 shots. They hadn't even mustered a shot till the last 10 minutes. And so KC had performed a miraculous escape. "There will be reprecussions" said Clark..."I'm not standing for that kind of capilulation, not from one of my teams. Some of these players took this result for granted after our good start and their red card. I'll see they don't do it again".

The LA game was crucial for Clark as he tried to get back to winning ways (the KC draw felt every bit like a defeat). Sj were at home to the Western Conference leaders and Clark threw everything at the Galaxy who showed exactly why they had the stingiest defence in the league (just 8 goals through 18 games). Despite holding the LA team to just one (off target) shot and mustering more than a dozen good chances of their own, game MVP Kevin Hartman showed why he is currently the top keeper in this year's MLS.

After completing yet another deal with the Metrostars (swapping recently acquired back up Henry Ring and a pick for Johnny Walker) the final game of the session saw a road trip to struggling Colorado. The Rapids' manager, Greg, had just left on a short vacation and so it was left up to the AssMan to take on the Quakes. And Colorado certainly started the brighter and went up early courtesy of a Zizi Roberts goal. It was still 1-0 at the half before SJ came storming back and eventually the Californians ran out comfortable 4-1 winners. SGR had another brace, taking his season's total to 17 and was ablely supported by Pezzarossi (who now has 8 himself).

Goals continue to be a stength for SJ as they lead the league in goals scored and are second in GD with +14. However, secondary scoring is still an issue with only SGR, Pezz and Ramirez having scored at least 4 goals. Only 8 outfield players (of 26 who have played for the team) on the SJ roster have made it onto the scoresheet all season.

FSC reports Clark has been busy scouting in South America and roumers are rife of a bosman signing. "We've secured the services of a 22y/o Uruguay international. He's going to be a phenomenon in this league for years to come. We're very happy". "A name? Yeah, we know his name and we'll let you in on the secret when we hold our press conference. It wont be for a while as he's not joining us until the 2005 season".

"We're always looking to improve the side and I have scouts in Europe right now trying to find a bargain. Money doesn't grow on trees, not in MLS anyways, so we've got to be as fiscally responsible as we can. I'm running the player budget 20% below cap to try and save some money to buy a player or two. But, particularly in a struggling market like SJ, it can be tough. If we can get a bosman it would really help. Of course, there's always the draft coming up and we've got a lot of picks. Too many probably, so if any of the other managers would like to make a deal please let me know."

IT HAS BEEN AN UP AND DOWN SEASON

"Since rookie manager Ricky Lung took over the coaching helm of the Metros, the performance of the club has been ups and downs so far, they cannot find any consistency in their game, people cannot predict what kind of a team will show up in a given night."

"They have been finding the shooting touch from their forward and their defensive intensity at the back. They are last in the league in points and goal conceded. Of couse, the sub-par performance of their number one goalkeeper Jonny Walker has a lot to do it. Walker had quite a few games this season that he conceded as many goals as the opponent had shot on target."

"Last week, Coach Lung finally decided that Walker's days in a metros uniform is over. Henry Ring from San Jose will be his replacement for the rest of the season. The Metros also got a 4th rounder in the GK swap."

"As far as goal scored concern, they socred 16 goals in 18 games, which give them 3rd in the East, but 3 players (Guevara, Gaven, Ching) combine for 13 of those 16, Gaven socred only once since his 4-goals performance against Kansas earlier in the season."

"For the mid-season classic, the East-West all star game that just past last week, the Metros had 3 players on the East squad (Guevara, Agoos, and Ching), Guevara weared the captain badge for the East and played the whole game, Ching came on at the 71st minute and scored a goal later, while Agoos didn't play in the game. The East lost 5-3 to the West."

"With only 12 games to go, the Metros played one more game and are 5 points behind NE. If they will have any shot at the playoff, they have to do exceptionally well for the remaining games."

Here is recap of their past five games:

VS CHI

Coach Lung left the game at the beginning of the contest due to some personal reason, the assistant manager coached the rest of the game. The away team Chicago came away with a 1-0 win behind Razov's goal at the 71st minute.

@ SJ

The Metros carried their poor form to San Jose, they lost 2-0. Former Metros, SGR, socred one in each half.

VS FC Dallas

The Metros took an early lead when Ching socred a pair, but Dallas faught back, Eddie Johnson scored twice and tie the game before the half. The Metros were down to ten men when Vaca was sent off at the 57th mark. Dallas socred two more and ended with a 4-2 victory.

@ NE

The Metros continue their downhill form, they lost 2-0.

@ DC

The team seems to show up in the last game of every session, they have won the last two of the first session, they also won the last game of the last 2 sessions. We played four session so far. In this one, Guevara socred a free kick early in the game, and the defense took over with a decent performance, 1-0 was the finally socre. Henry Ring made his Metros Debut with a cleansheet. This is the first shutout for the team this season if I remember correctly.

RAZOV EXTINGUISHED

The Fire's recent results have been indicative of the boys' true spirit, yet it has come at the cost of Ante Razov who has been sidelined for 5 months with a torn groin muscle. Initially, Grom began to look for answers at the bottom of a crate of assorted Belle-Vue beverages :wink:. After much thought, and even more beer, Grom issues the following statement which is translated below.

"The team will step up and I will demand more commitment to the team and work rate. Ralph and Herrón will need to collectively fill Ante's void and they will now have the chance to prove their worth to the team and stake a claim for a first team spot."

In other news the Chicago Fire heralded that they had come to a pre-contract agreement with Norweigan International Brede Paulsen Hangeland. He's had 9 full caps for his country and will join us once his current deal at Viking expires in December. He will be a versatile player for us providing depth in the centre of defense and cover in the midfield.

United Crashes Back Down To Earth

The good start for united saw them leading the Eastern Conference. But as the manager stressed, the squad still had many flaws. Injury to striker Oktay Derelioglu was enough to show these flaws as United started to look weak in attack finding it difficult to score without the Turkish ex-international in the lineup.

United first visited Kansas City and got off to a flying start tahnks to a Thiago Martins goal 15 minutes into the match. Pulling back in the second half, United allowed Kansas City more room on the ball and paid for it due to a Preki goal 6 minutes after the half. United pushed forward but just could not manage the winner.

Los Angeles' visit to D.C. was another disappointing match for United as the first goal of the match came due to a dodgy penalty kick call. Brandon Prideux was the culprit. Cobi Jones did not fail from the spot on the 80th minute and United offense never looked to trouble the LA defense all match long.

Bad became worse for United in their visit to Columbus as they were soundly beaten by goals from Brian Maisonneuve and Jeff Cunningham. Once again the United offense just could not create anything up front and the defense that held the team together, started to crumble.

United visited Chicago next in a nerve wrecking contest. United sat back to catch Chicago napping. A Mike Petke aerial challenge in the box handed Chicago the perfect opportunity to go ahead but Ante Razov missed from the penalty spot much to the displeasure of the Chicago manager. Two minutes later Razov was stretchered off for an injury that will keep him sidelined for about to 4 months. Before the half, a long shot by Carlos Fernando Figueroa found the back of the net with United's first shot on goal. United looked to shut Chicago down and pick up a much needed victory but an extra time giveaway by substitute Freddy Adu in midfield set up a long shot by Damani Raplh and got the equalizer for Chicago.

The all star game was once again a festive event as United were well represented with Nick Rimando, Leonardo Gonzalez, Mike Petke, Ben Olsen, Freddy Adu (no idea how this happened - he hasn't started a single match this season), Carlos Fernando Figueroa and Oktay Derelioglu were all selected as starters for the match. Georgi Gakhokidze also came off the bench in the second half while Oktay Derelioglu picked up a goal in the East All Stars' losing effort.

For the cup match against Milwaukee, United assistant manager got the team through after penalty kicks following a 1-1 draw after regulation.

The visit from the MetroStars once again showed the lack of quality up front for D.C. as they failed to score once again this season. An early free kick from Amado Guevara secured the win for MetroStars as Guevara beat Rimando for the second time this season.

Despite the bad patch, United still remain second in the Eastern Conference behind Chicago.

In transfer news, United has agreed a transfer with Colombian Left Winger Ivan Robelto. The 21 year old impressed United scouts during their searches in South America and he looks to be a good pickup for the future. United also picked up Russell Hutchinson a 26 year old right full back. Hutchinson spent the last two seasons at Virginia Beach and he indicated his delight to get a shot in the MLS after years of anonimity. Hutchinson started 3 matches so far and he has impressed under the United manager's system.

PREPARE FOR NEXT SEASON

"According to reliable sources, Metrostars head coach Ricky Lung has started to think about next season, he said their team will still try to make the playoff, but they are going to plan ahead."

"He is actively looking to make a few deals before this season ends so that they can have all the pieces in the off-season."

"He is willing to listen any reasonable trade offers with other MLS clubs, and he is planning to sign a few free agents."

Coach Lung had put the following players on the trading block:

Craig Ziadie (D/DM RL)(SI)

Jeff Agoos (DC)

Joselito Vaca (AM RC)(TI)

Roger Levesque (SC)

Ronnie Ekelund (MC)(SI)

Seth Stammler (D RLC)

At the start of the latest session, Dallas manager Stu swung a controversial,high profile deal with divison rivals San Jose. Coming to the Cotton Bowl was Canadian Int'l keeper Pat Onstad and stalwart defender Eddie Robinson.; traveling in the other direction was US starlet Davis.

"I didn't want to deal Davis,"Stu confirmes,"But it was the only deal I could make that would significantly upgrade my team's problem areas, with the minimum loss. Davis might turn out to be great, but midfield was our one position of strength that I could deal from."

To be contd tomworrow...

In one of the shortest press conferences ever seen in MLS history, Columbus GM Lamarr Hunt announced that a somewhat unknown but talented coach, Lee Smith-Bryan would be their next head coach. When asked about his unorthodox choice of coach, Hunt simply replied, "We needed a fresh impetus and a change of direction, I think this coach fits the bill well."

Coach Smith-Bryan simply said "If we win more than we lose, we'll have done ok." He then promptly left the press conference stating that he had personal matters to take care of.

On paper the first few fixtures seemed a tough task for a youthful looking Columbus side.

Colorado (H)

DRAW

1-1

Cunningham(51)

Col - Peguero

***********

Chicago (H)

DRAW

0-0

***********

MetroStars (A)

2-1

LOSS

Wolyniec(47)

Eddie Gaven (73)

Anthoney Sanneh (pen9)

***********

San Jose (A)

2-0

LOSS

Galvan Rey (55,84)

CBS - Robin Fraser red-card (63)

With two draws and two defeats, the Columbus fans and players looked somewhat disheartened, with a lot of effort being put in, and getting very little reward in return.

Smith-Bryan commented that it was still very early days and he expected his players to play each game fully comitted and with a strong desire to win.

***********

New England (H)

2-0

WIN

Edson Buddle (28,39)

***********

FC Dallas (H)

1-1

WIN

Buddle (26)

Mathis (13)

***********

DC United (A)

1-1

Figueroa (6)

TIE

Jeff Cunningham (30)

***********

Kansas City (A)

3-1

WIN

Jeff Cunningham (27) Ross Paul [58] Steven Curfman (pen80)

KAN Preki(53)

An impressive recent run of results for Columbus. Two wins and two draws saw the Crew take a possible eight points from twelve. Edson Buddle in particular has looked in good shape scoring three in four while his strike partner Jeff Cunningham has also looked decent with two strikes in his last two matches.

************

Soldier Field

Chicago (A)

LOSS

2-1

Jaqua(84) Herron (90)

Chad Marshall(27)

************

MetroStars (H)

1-1

TIE

Chad Marshall (62)

Guevera [58]

INJ - Manny Lagos

Duncan Oughton

*************

San Jose (A)

1-1

TIE

Galvan Rey(32)

Buddle(9)

*************

FC Dallas (H)

LOSS

0-2

Eddie Johnson [28]

Gbandi (83)

Carey Talley sent off (75)

***************

So, the current coaches record now stands at 12 games played with a 12 point total. Not a bad points tally but nothing to shout home about either. Smith-Bryan seemed most displeased with the way the team was giving up goals and rumors in the press were circulating about Smith-Bryan looking to bring in some new recruits to bolster his squad.

Won two, drawn six, lost four.

***************

New England (A)

WIN

0-2

Buddle (45) Counter

Paule (90) Free-kick

up tp 3rd

***************

Los Angeles (H)

WIN

1-0 Last minute pen

Kyle Martino

***************

Colorado (A)

LOSS

1-0

***************

DC United (H)

WIN

2-0

Brian Maisonneuve(13)

Jeff Cunningham(53)

***************

Chicago (H)

WIN

1-0

Buddle (83)

Jeff Cunningham injured on 60 minutes with a groin strain. This injury sees him out in rehab for three weeks.

***************

So, the Crew seem to have responded to the coaches displeasure with a marked improvement in the last few games. Four wins out of five have saw Columbus climb to a steady third in the league, with a game in hand on the league's top two. "We don't play pretty football" stated Smith-Bryan, "but I'm not coaching a team of pansies here, our aim is to win soccer matches..."

The general consensus thus far is positive. The fans and boardroom staff are said to be pleased the way Smith-Bryan is running things.

Stu Under Pressure

Speaking after a recent win, the FC Dallas Chairman refused to be drawn on the future of Manager Stu. He did deliver, however, the dreaded vote of confidence.

This seems especially harsh as FC Dallas sit 3rd in the West, a tough conference, with 31pts - enough to tie the best in the East. They've also won 3 games in a row.

Stu was unavailable for comment but is expected to respond soon.

Other managers were quick to chip in though, San Jose gaffer Al Clark had this to say "The FC Dallas board need to wake up. The guy is doing a good job up there and frankly, he inherited a shambolic side, barely fit to challenge in the A-League let alone MLS. Sure, they had a rough start to the season, but I think everyone can see they've grown and are now one of the league's form sides. The board need to just get out of his face and let him do his job. Man those guys make me mad, sticking their nose in......" [snip]

Stay tuned for more....

Vacationing Dallas manager Stu reacted angrily to the news of his Chairman's vote of non-confidence. Speaking from his seaside villa, Stu had some choice words for his embattled employer.

"I don't know what the guy wants. I have taken an utter crap side, made some changes, lowered the payroll, and far exceeded pre-season expectations. I've implemented an entertaining style of play, (as evidenced by our goals for and against), and have generally made the MLS a better place."

Stu went on to defend his noticeable absence at recent training sessions and MLS matches...

"It's unfortunate the chairman hasn't heard of 'compassionate leave'. I have deep-rooted psychological problems, and as such require long periods of absence from the team to avoid any 'unfortunate incidents'."

"I believe my results speak for themselves. We have become a legitimate dark horse candidate to win it all this year. Our revamped defence has been the key; and I believe it is all thanks to me and my efforts, well... maybe the players have chipped in a little bit too."

Grom backs Stu

The translation can be found below:

I think that the Dallas Chairman is how you say a moron. He needs to show his manager compassion and understanding. After all, we don't want to see Stu writhing on floor somewhere in the fetal position muttering on something about EJ.

BLOCKBUSTER UNLEASHED

During the last session SJ Manager Clark and Greg Broz's Rapids team put together the trade of the season so far.

The five player + pick deal was structured as follows:

To SJ:

Pablo Mastroeni

Joe Cannon

To Colorado:

Mark Bosnich

Eddie Pope

Chris Brown

3rd Round Pick

Both managers were happy, for different reasons.

Clark stated "People will look at Eddie Pope and perhaps gasp at his inclusion, but we were unable to restructure his deal and his wages were not allowing us to maneouvre properly in the transfer market. He's been playing great for us and I'm sad we lost him. But Pablo is a capable player in either the D or midfield. He's 27 and is still firmly in his prime. He also fits better with the cap."

Moving onto the goalies involved "Mark Bosnich has been awesome for us this year, he's been a Top 2 keeper in the league all season and his departure is 100% to do with us needing an additional SI slot. Dwight Pezzarossi will be SI eligible next year and we wanted to keep him around. We've recently acquired Johnny Walker and between him and Big Joe Cannon, I think we've assembled the best 1-2 GK tandem in the league. They're both in their prime and US internationals."

"Both Joe and Pablo haven't been in th4 greatest of form - and that's probably the only reason we could do this deal. I think the change in scenery will do them wonders and help move SJ to the next level."

"The pick and Chris Brown were make weights to compensate for the fact that our departing players are older and the Bozz is an SI. Colorado had to release Ruiz to make space and this was our allowance. We're really happy about the deal."

Back to the league form and SJ continue their fine run extending their unbeaten streak to 9 game in league and Cup.

Victories over Dallas, Columbus and Long Island (in the Cup) were complemented with another stalemate against the tough LA Galaxy side. "Tom has got his troops walking the walk and they're going to be tough to beat anywhere. They lack a little punch up front, but MLS can be blamed for that - for releasing Carlos Ruiz. For my money, the team that wins the West will will it all".

Dallas Marches On

due to previous time constraints this reaches back a little

In conjunction with the deal with San Jose, involving Brad Davis going in return for Pat Onstad and Eddie Robinson, Dallas made other key personnel moves...

The trade conincided with the immediate release of popular back-up keeper Garlick, and of Internationally renowned Cdn striker Carlo Corrazin.

"It hurt to let those boys go,"Stu confirmed,"They were an immense part of the spirit and soul of this clubhouse. They're both quality players, but with constraints what they are in the MLS, (financial and roster limit), I had to let them go."

The moves freed up valuable salary cap room for the Dallas squad, and a priceless senior int'l place.

Stu went on to cement his reputation as a player's coach, by immediatley going out of his way to find the pair continued playing employment.

"I talked to the New England coach and mentioned Garlick's new found freedom and his quite substantial talent level. I hope he'll be very happy there, and be able to make hay of his new opportunity. I wish him and Carlo nothing but the best in the future."

Hours after the personnel moves were finalized, Dallas found themselve in a death match against bitter rivals, Eastern Conference bottom-dwellers, New Engalnd. To make matters worse for the Dallas side, 5 players were out due to int'l obligations including new keeper Onstad.

The circumstances allowed inconsistent keeper Cassar a chance to hold on to his starting place, and handed reserve strikers Kreis and Rhine their opportunity to shine as they replaced regulars EJ and Mathis.

It was always going to be an uphill battle, but Kreis seized his chance on a cross from Behcke, to give Dallas a 1-1 draw. Newly signed defender Robinson handled himself with aplomb, garnering himself man of the match honors for his efforts.

Next up for the courageous boys from Dallas was a tough fixture against underachieving Metrostars. Rewarded for his decent performance against NE, keeper Cassar kept his place in the starting XI. Sadly, it was not to last.

The Metros jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead, before Dallas got into the game. Young superstar Eddie Johnson tied it up going into the half with two fine goals.

The second half saw a calm descend, previously unknown to the Dallas side, as Onstad replaced Cassar. The feeling of dread whenever the oppo had the ball in Dallas territory seemed to subside. The weights were lifted off of the hearts of Dallas player and fan alike.

In the end it was never a contest. A 70th minute red card to Metrostars saw Dallas through to its victory. A third goal to EJ and a second in two games for sub Kreis were enough to put paid to Metro ambitions. Robinson continued his immediate impact by playing an 8/10, and adding an assist.

Dallas third game of the session saw them up against bitter divisional rival Kansas City. Dallas struck quickly at the four minute mark from EJ again, connecting on a cross from the resurgent Quill, who's form of late has left the manager no choice but to keep him in the side.

Dallas jumped two in front in the 78th minute thanks to substitute Kreis third goal in three games, slotting home a penalty after EJ was brought down in the box.

With the game all but over, Dallas put on the cruise control, almost costing them three points. Preki brought KC within one immediatley after the restart, and only a Josh Wolff howler in the 88th minute, (missing the net undefended from the top of the box), enabled Dallas to escape. KC's penchant for coming back late in games, and Dallas for losing, is becoming a worriable trend for the Dallas manager.

The last game of the session saw Dallas in LA against a quality if boring side. In a dour, boring, game there wasn't much to choose between the sides. Nobody was likely to score unless someone conceded a silly penalty. Which someone did. Stu had this to say...

"I hate to blame Ronnie O'Brein for what happened. He's been really patient after losing his place in the side due to injury. He's always been the linchpin of the side, but with the team performing so well, I'm hesitant to break them up in order to give him back his place. But, he's a team player and understands the situation, which has made it much easier for me."

"I had already made 3 substitutions, including Ronnie, when he picked up a niggling injury. Anyone else I would have pulled off the field immediatley and gone on with ten men, but you just don't do that with O'Brein. Ronnie was beat tired and maybe shouldn't have been out there, but...hindsight is 20-20 and all that. The worse part of it, is I've lost Ronnie for two more weeks on top of losing the game!"

Other news saw a rumoured potential blockbuster with NE develop in a straight swap for high profile strikers.

"It's a dangerous game I'm playing,"Stu confirmed,"Mathis is the most popular man in the clubhouse. But, he's only averaging 6.8, which is low for a player of his quality, Twellman is doing the same in NE. Maybe a change in scenery could be beneficial to all parties concerned. It's a gamble and something we'll all have to think on, certainly."

That said, Stu decided a vacation was warranted. It had been a tough spell for the volatile manager, and his seaside villa was calling him home.

His decision appeared validated as his side immediatley embarked on a three game winning streak in his absence, until the cahirman threw in his two cents...

AXE POISED TO FALL....BUT WHO WILL THE CLEAVER TAKE FIRST?

MLSNET.COM can exclusively report that several managers in MLS are fighting for their careers. The notoriously fickle owners are sharpening their blades ready to take out another wave of young hopefuls from their management positions.

Rumoured to be under the kosh are Stu (Dallas), as previously reported but he has also now been joined by Omer (DC), Nick (NE), Greg (Colorado) and Ricky (Metros).

Ricky looks doomed, languishing 15pts adrift and sporting an ugly -33 GD. They already missed the playoffs and his departure is now a mere formality.

The rest seem to have their fates in their own hands. A good run in the last 4-5 games and a strong showing in the playoffs should stave off the executioners blade for some. Others will fall by the way side.

So, 5 of 10 MLS managers' jobs are on the line. But don't be surprised if that soon becomes 6. SJ gaffer Al needs to reverse a run that's seen him give up 5 striaght defeats (4 in the league). The board profess to being happy - for now - but surely their patience is being tested by this awful run of form.

Stay tuned.