METROSTARS EARN FIRST PLACE WITH, 0-0, TIE WITH SAN JOSE
Move Into 1st Place In Eastern Division, Extending Unbeaten Streak To Four

East Rutherford, NJ (Wednesday, June 28, 2000)--- The MetroStars moved into first place in the Eastern Division after earning a, 0-0, tie with the San Jose Earthquakes before a crowd of 10,476 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The tie, the Metros second straight in as many home games, improves the club to 8-7-2 (26 points) and moves them into a tie with idle New England (7-6-5 26 pts) with one game still in hand. This evening marks the latest the club has ever been in first place 17 games into a season.

The Metros owned the best scoring chances in the first half of action with Earthquake ‘keeper Joe Cannon up to the task. The Metros, who had several dangerous scoring opportunities, had perhaps their best chance just before the end of the half. Tab Ramos played a ball back in front of the Earthquake net that Mark Chung volleyed directly into the mid-section of Cannon. San Jose’s best chance to get on the board came in the 22nd minute on a shot by Dan Calichman. The Metros dodged a bullet when Calichman directed Harut Karapetyan’s corner kick past Howard and struck the far left post.

The Metros opened the second half with yet another excellent scoring opportunity. Adolfo “El Tren” Valencia blasted a shot from about 18 yards out that Cannon had to go to the ground to gather in. In the 58th minute, ‘Quake forward Abdul Thompson Conteh finished a quick counter rush by surprising Howard with a bending shot. Howard made a leaping save of a blast that was labeled for the upper corner.

Metros midfielder Lothar Matthuas, making his return from EURO 2000, was forced to leave the game in the 60th minute after sustaining a lower back injury while attempting a bicycle kick deep in the Metros end. In the 76th minute, Metros midfielder Roy Myers ran onto a Mark Chung cross and sent a booming shot just over the top of the San Jose net.

SAN JOSE—Joe Cannon; Richard Mulrooney, Jimmy Conrad, Dan Calichman, Mike Burns; Ian Russell, Mauricio Solis, Dario Brose, Wojtek Krakowiak (Khodadad Azizi, 75’, Travis Mulrainey, 88’), Harut Karapetyan; Abdul Thompson Conteh. TOTAL SHOTS: 18 (Brose, 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 7 (Conteh, 3); FOULS: 20 (Calichman, 4); OFFSIDE: 2; CORNER KICKS: 5; SAVES: 9; CAUTIONS: Conrad, 55’, Calichman, 85’; EJECTIONS: None; POSSESSION PERCENTAGE: 45%

METROSTARS—Tim Howard, Steve Jolley, Daniel Hernandez, Thomas Dooley (Roy Myers, 46’); Lothar Matthaus (Petter Villegas, 60’), Steve Shak , Mark Chung, Billy Walsh (Mark Semioli, 97’), Tab Ramos; Clint Mathis, Adolfo Valencia. TOTAL SHOTS: 22 (Valencia, Mathis, 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 11 (Mathis, 3); FOULS: 22 (Shak, 8); OFFSIDE: 7; CORNER KICKS: 9; SAVES: 4; CAUTIONS: None; EJECTIONS: None; POSSESSION PERCENTAGE: 55%

Referee: Michael Kennedy; Referee's Assistants: Nathan Clement, Alex Schuster, Ricardo Renderos. Attendance: 10,476; Weather: Humid, 73F, SW9m, 71%H, Partly Cloudy.

Courtesy MetroStars

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