MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER GAME SUMMARY

MARCH 27, 2002 - COLUMBUS CREW 1, METROSTARS 0

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey - In what was nearly a carbon-copy of their 2001 meeting at Giants Stadium, the Columbus Crew managed a 6th minute goal and then killed of the match shorthanded to defeat the MetroStars 1-0 Wednesday night. Jeff Cunningham netted the early game-winner for Columbus, which captured a nearly identical result at Giants Stadium on August 19, 2001, when a 6th minute goal from Brian Maisonneuve proved to be the difference.

Columbus again drew first blood as Cunningham tallied the Crew's first goal of the season. Crew midfielder Brian West gathered the ball just outside the penalty area and beat MetroStars defender Mike Petke at the top of the box. Drawing Metros goalkeeper Tim Howard out of the net, West made a quick pass to his left to find Cunningham, who easily redirected the ball into the back of the open net. Cunningham's shot on goal was the Crew's first of the season as Columbus went without a shot in their season opening loss against Chicago last Saturday.

Columbus dictated the tempo of the match for the majority of the first half, as the MetroStars struggled to complete passes once they advanced the ball past midfield. Meanwhile, the Crew's counterattack effectively used both flanks as West and Cunningham spread the MetroStars backline thanks to the distribution of John Wilmar Perez.

Nice ball movement from the Crew kept up the pressure in the 24th minute as Cunningham centered the ball to Dante Washington 18-yards from goal. Turning, Washington hit a streaking Brian Maisonneuve in the right corner. The veteran midfielder promptly sent a centering pass to John Wilmar Perez whose shot sailed well high of the net.

The MetroStars best chance came in the 43rd minute when a Daniel Hernandez free kick from 35 yards out was deflected on its way to the goal before Crew goalkeeper Tom Presthus knocked the ball out of bounds. Ross Paule followed that up in the 44th minute with another deflected shot that forced Presthus of his line to gather the ball.

A drastically different second half saw the MetroStars attack frequently. Only seconds in to the second half, Petter Villegas found space down the right flank. But his crossing pass to Brian Kamler sailed past the far post and out of bounds.

The MetroStars' striker Rodrigo Faria almost broke through the Crew defense with a side volley in the 65th minute when pinpoint service from Villegas found him open inside the penalty area. Faria's shot however sailed straight into the chest of Presthus.

Momentum turned even sharper in favor of the MetroStars when Crew defender Chad McCarty received his second yellow card, and a subsequent red card when he pulled Faria down 30-yards from goal in the 71st minute. McCarty's expulsion was the Crew's second consecutive at Giants Stadium following Robert Warzycha's late first half send-off in the match last August.

Following a quiet first half that saw him get few touches, Tab Ramos nearly hit the equalizer in the 74th minute, but his skipping 25-yard shot was smothered by Presthus. The pressure on the Crew net continued in the 75th minute as a long ball from Kamler found Faria top of the box. However, an untimely high bounce allowed the Crew defense to thwart Faria's close range attempt as he sent a shot wide of the net.

More pressure from the MetroStars nearly paid dividends as the match neared its final 10 minutes. Crew defender Daniel Torres blocked a shot from Tab Ramos in the 78th minute and Hernandez blasted a 35-yard freekick just over the crossbar in the 81st minute.

Faria broke through again on a long ball from Forko in the 87th minute, only to send his shot wide right. As the match neared its end, near misses from Faria and Serna had the Crew defense scrambling until the final whistle.

The MetroStars will not wait long for a rematch, as the two teams will face each other at Columbus Crew Stadium on Saturday, April 6 at 7:30 p.m. ET. That game will feature the return of MetroStars striker Clint Mathis and Columbus Crew forward Brian McBride. Both players were called to join the U.S. National Team for today's exhibition against Germany in Rostock.

MARCH 27--COLUMBUS CREW 1, METROSTARS 0

1 2 F

COLUMBUS CREW 1 0 1

METROSTARS 0 0 0

Scoring Summary:

CLB--Cunningham (West) 6

COLUMBUS CREW--Tom Presthus, Mike Clark, Chad McCarty, Daniel Torres, Eric Denton, Robert Warzycha, Brian Maisonneuve, John Wilmar Perez (Duncan Oughton 75), Jeff Cunningham, Dante Washington (Brian Dunseth 75), Brian West (John Harkes 81)

TOTAL SHOTS: 8 (Cunningham 3); SHOTS ON GOAL: 4 (Cunningham 2); FOULS: 20 (Denton 5); OFFSIDE: 3; CORNER KICKS: 4; SAVES: Presthus 6; CAUTIONS: McCarty 27, Denton 60, Oughton 80; EJECTIONS: McCarty 71; POSSESSION PERCENTAGE: 0%

METROSTARS--Tim Howard, Steve Jolley, Sam Forko, Mike Petke, Brian Kamler (Brad Davis 82), Daniel Hernandez, Petter Villegas, Ross Paule (Winston Griffiths 78), Tab Ramos, Diego Serna, Rodrigo Faria

TOTAL SHOTS: 18 (Hernandez 5); SHOTS ON GOAL: 7 (Faria 3); FOULS: 21 (Villegas 5); OFFSIDE: 3; CORNER KICKS: 4; SAVES: Howard 3; CAUTIONS: Hernandez 23, Forko 61; EJECTIONS: none; POSSESSION PERCENTAGE: 0%

Referee: Gus St. Silva; Assistant Referees: Craig Lowry, Steve Taylor

Attendance: 45,511; Weather: Cold, 35 degrees

Source: Metrostars.com

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