MetroStars Fall to Fire, 1-2

NAPERVILLE, Illinois – The Chicago Fire’s Ante Razov scored the golden goal Saturday afternoon, as the Fire knocked off the MetroStars 2-1 in an overtime thriller at Cardinal Stadium in Naperville. Rookie sensation Damani Ralph opened the scoring for the Fire, while the highly-touted Ricardo Clark lashed home the equalizer in the second half. With the win, Chicago passes the MetroStars in the Eastern Conference standings.

The Fire took the lead in the 36th minute of play, finishing a perfectly-executed counter attack from midfield. Andy Williams dug the ball out of a pile of MetroStars players, splitting the defense with a long pass down the right flank. An overlapping Justin Mapp collected the ball downfield, sending the ball into the area to connect with the run of rookie forward Damani Ralph. In perfect position, Ralph easily planted the ball into the back of the net for the 1-0 lead and his sixth tally of the season.

\Williams, a former MetroStar, has assisted on all four Fire goals against the Metros this season.

\The MetroStars drew even in the 60th minute, as Ricardo Clark lashed home his first professional goal. Mark Lisi started the play, sending the ball into the center of the penalty area, where it was immediately pounced on by the Fire defense. The failed clearance fell to Clark at the top of the penalty arc, who drove home an instep volley that blazed past a diving Zach Thornton.

Tim Howard logged a stellar performer in Naperville, making several spectacular saves to keep the visitors in the game. In the first half, Howard’s positioning allowed him to make a clutch save on a point-blank Ante Razov attempt, nullifying the work of Chris Armas on the right flank. Williams threatened early in the second half, catching Howard moving side to side on the Fire’s tenth corner kick of the night. Howard made the reflex save, however, snapping his legs together to take away the gap and to block the shot. In the 68th minute, only Howard’s diving save kept defender Carlos Bocanegra’s powerful header from sneaking inside the far post.

Early in the overtime period, Howard was called upon again to keep the game alive. Kelly Gray, who came in for Williams early in the sudden death period, unleashed a wicked blast, trying to pick out the lower right corner of the net. Howard made another diving save, touching the ball away.

However, Howard could not stop the final finish of Chicago’s Ante Razov, who put away his league-leading ninth goal of the season from the top of the penalty arc. DaMarcus Beasley dished the ball to Razov at the top of the box, where a trio of MetroStars immediately swarmed to cover. With two deft touches on the ball in tight space, Razov managed to open up a shooting lane. His swerving shot left Howard no chance, as the ball found the upper left hand corner.

With the win, the Fire (6-3-3, 21 points) take the top spot in the Eastern Conference, overtaking the MetroStars. Razov (21 points) also overtakes Kansas City’s Preki atop the Budweiser Scoring Leader table with his overtime tally. Chicago travels to San Jose on Saturday, July 5th to take on the Earthquakes at Spartan Stadium.

The MetroStars (6-4-2, 20 points) have dropped the first two games against Head Coach Bob Bradley’s former club so far in 2003. The Metros face a midweek game next, hosting the San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday, July 2nd. On Saturday, July 5th, the Metros travel to RFK Stadium to face off against former Metro defender Mike Petke and regional rival D.C. United (4:00 PM ET, ESPN2).

Source: MetroStars.com

Videos	New Posters	CALENDARS	Books	Magazines	Games