Bradley Earns One-Hundredth Win With 2-1 Victory Over Chicago Fire

MetroStars Break Ten Game Winless Streak Against Windy City Team; Wolyniec Scores Fifth of The Season, Fourth Game Winner of The Year

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ (Saturday, July 24, 2004) – John Wolyniec's 57th-minute goal ended 25 months of frustration for the MetroStars against the Chicago Fire and lifted Bob Bradley to his 100th regular-season MLS victory as his team claimed a 2-1 come-from-behind victory on Saturday night at Giants Stadium.

Wolyniec's second-half strike gave the MetroStars their first win over the Fire since June 22, 2002, and gave Bradley his first win against the side he led to three cup wins from 1998 to 2002 before leaving to take over his current team. Chris Armas had given the Fire the lead against the run of play in the first half, but just before the break, Amado Guevara leveled the match from the penalty spot.

The MetroStars started out as the better team, and created the first quality chance of the match in the 10th minute when Wolyniec's deft touch beat Fire defender Jim Curtin before he fired wide. Four minutes later, Joselito Vaca delivered a perfect through-ball to Cornell Glen, but his shot was high.

The Metros' best chance in the run of play during the first half came in the 19th minute following a botched clearance by the Fire backline. Again, it was Vaca running the show, this time finding Eddie Gaven ten yards inside of the Fire goal. Gaven appeared to have an easy shot, but Curtin slid in at the last minute and broke up the play.

In the 23rd minute Chicago’s Justin Mapp found himself with time and space down the right flank, and lofted a poorly struck cross into the box. Gaven failed to handle the clearance and the ball bounced dangerously in the area before Chris Armas arrived in time to poke home his first goal of the season.

Gaven redeemed himself in the 42nd minute. Just as it looked like the Fire would take the one-goal lead into halftime, Gaven ran onto a pass from Glen and drew a penalty kick when Logan Pause shoved him to the ground at the left edge of the penalty area. Guevara found himself staring down at his third penalty kick in as many league matches, and he did not disappoint, hitting a perfect strike to the upper left corner for his eighth goal of the season and a 1-1 score at the halftime.

The second half began with a burst of physical play that saw referee Jair Marrufo dole out three yellow cards in the first seven minutes.

In the 57th, the Metros made good on the first offensive burst of the half. Gaven won the ball in the midfield and played for Mike Magee. Wasting no time, Magee immediately drove a long ball to Wolyniec, who collected the ball in stride, then set himself up for a left-footed strike that gave Henry Ring no chance to give the MetroStars their decisive lead.

The Fire nearly equalized just after an hour when Mapp whistled a free kick barely high and wide of the upper left corner. Four minutes later, Armas took the free kick and passed to Mapp, who found C.J. Brown streaking towards goal, but the defender's shot popped up and onto the top of the net. Moments later, Jeff Parke's clearing attempt dropped to the feat of Damani Ralph, but Chicago's leading scorer was off-balance and the Fire was unable to manage a shot during the sequence.

The Fire had the majority of the possession the rest of the way, but didn't create a dangerous chance over the final quarter hour. Instead, it was the MetroStars who twice came close to an insurance goal through the counter attack. The best of those chances saw Vaca fire wide after Glen motored through midfield unopposed.
Source: MetroStars.com

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