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METROSTARS EDGE FUSION, 3-2, CLINCH PLAYOFF BERTH

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL (August 25, 2001) -- MetroStars midfielder Daniel Hernandez picked a dramatic time to score the first goal of his four-year Major League Soccer career, curling home a 25-yard free kick into the upper left hand corner in the first minute of second-half injury time to lead the MetroStars to a 3-2 win over the Miami Fusion, clinching an MLS Cup playoff berth for the MetroStars for the second straight season.

The win gave the MetroStars (12-9-3, 39 points) three wins in the three meetings thus far between the two teams this season. The Fusion, MLS' winningest team this season, dropped to 15-5-5 (50 points). The two teams will meet again for the final time this regular season on Wednesday, September 12 at Giants Stadium.

Hernandez, taking the kick after being fouled while battling for a loose ball with the Fusion's Carlos Llamosa, had a sense he was about to bring home the game-winner just before he approached the ball.

"I knew it was a do-or-die situation-because I felt like I was about to die out there, and I didn't want to play overtime," said Hernandez, who wore the captain's armband tonight. "I was starting to cramp up. I'm just glad I picked this time to score my first goal."

The lead see-sawed back and forth for most of the game, though the Fusion got on top first in the early going. In the ninth minute, Fusion forward Alex Pineda Chacon, who scored both of his team's goal on the evening, took a feed from Diego Serna and split two MetroStars defenders near the top of the box, eluded an onrushing Tim Howard by cutting to his right and knocked in his 15th goal of the year from six yards out.

That lead stood until early in the second half, when Rodrigo Faria knocked in a perfect centering pass from about eight yards out in the 48th minute past Nick Rimando, following a great individual effort from Petter Villegas.

Chacon struck again in the 79th minute. Ian Bishop knocked a short corner kick to Chris Henderson, who crossed the ball from the corner of the penalty area towards the far post, where Chacon outleaped Orlando Perez and nodded a header into the lower right corner past Howard.

Villegas equalized five minutes later, gathering in a loose ball from about 30 yards out, cutting hard to his left toward the center of the field past Jim Rooney and firing a low line drive from about 25 yards into the lower right corner past a diving Rimando.

And in the 91st minute, Hernandez netted the game winner, sending the MetroStars into the playoffs for the fourth time in the team's six-year history. The MetroStars also denied the Fusion (15-5-5, 50 points) the chance to clinch the Eastern Division crown.

Tim Howard was strong once again in goal for the MetroStars, making six saves. For the game, the MetroStars outshot the Fusion, 17-16 (10-8 in shots on goal).

METROSTARS NOTES:

The win marked the first time in the 15-game series history between the two teams that the team that did not score first won the game....

Orlando Perez, who entered the game with 20 caution points, picked up a yellow card on a foul in the 19th minute, putting him over 21 caution points for the season and forcing him to now sit out the MetroStars' next MLS game on Saturday, September 1 at Giants Stadium against Chicago (4 p.m. ET, Telemundo, Radio Unica 1660 AM).

Richie Williams also entered the game with 20 caution points and picked up a yellow card for dissent in the 35th minute. Williams will miss the game against Chicago on Sept. 1st as well, but is leaving for duty with the U.S. National Team on Sunday and would have missed the game anyway...

The MetroStars will remain in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area to train through Monday afternoon before departing for Bogota, Colombia, where they will face Millonarios in their second game of the 2001 Copa Merconorte. The MetroStars beat Deportivo Italchacao of Venezuela, 2-0, in their Merconorte opener at Giants Stadium on August 8, while Millonarios lost their opening game to Chivas of Mexico, 3-0, and then beat Italchacao, 5-0, this past Thursday night.

The MetroStars and Chivas are both currently 1-0 in Group B of the 16-team tournament...

Adolfo Valencia (right hamstring strain) was not with the team in Miami but went ahead of the squad to his native Colombia, where he will re-join the team on Monday evening. Tab Ramos also did not play, as his badly bruised left ankle has been slow to heal....

Ross Paule re-aggravated the mid-foot sprain of his right foot in a goalmouth collision with Miami's Ivan McKinley during injury time in the first half, forcing him to come out of the game for Gilmar. Paule is being listed as day-to-day...

Tonight's game was a homecoming for MetroStars midfielder Mark Chung, who grew up in nearby Pembroke Pines, FL. Chung had more than 20 friends and family members in attendance at Lockhart...

GAME SUMMARY

METROSTARS 3, Miami Fusion 2

Lockhart Stadium, Fort Lauderdale, FL

Saturday, August 25, 2001

Scoring Summary 1st 2nd OT Final

METROSTARS 0 3 -- 3

Miami 1 1 -- 2

Mia - ('09) Alex Pineda Chacon (15). Assist: Diego Serna (14), Ian Bishop (12).

MET - ('48) Rodrigo Faria (6). Assist: Petter Villegas (4), Gilmar (1).

Mia - ('78) Chacon (16). Assists: Chris Henderson (7), Bishop (13).

MET - ('84) Villegas (5). Assist: Mark Chung (6).

MET - (91+) Hernandez (1). Unassisted.

Lineups

METROSTARS - G Tim Howard, D Steve Jolley, D Orlando Perez, D Mike Petke, M Richie Williams, M Ross Paule ('47+ Gilmar), M Pedro Alvarez, M Daniel Hernandez, M Mark Chung ('88 Mark Semioli), F Petter Villegas, F Rodrigo Faria.

TOTAL SHOTS: 17 (Chung 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 10 (Chung 4); FOULS: 19 (Petke 4); OFFSIDE: 2; CORNER KICKS: 5; SAVES: Howard 6; CAUTIONS: Perez ('19), Petke ('35), Williams ('35). EJECTIONS: None.

Miami - G Nick Rimando, D Ivan McKinley ('61 Tyrone Marshall), D Carlos Llamosa, D Pablo Mastroeni, M Lazo Alavanja, M Ian Bishop, M Jim Rooney, M Chris Henderson, M Alex Pineda Chacon, F Preki, F Diego Serna.

TOTAL SHOTS: 16 (Serna 7); SHOTS ON GOAL: 8 (Serna, Chacon 2); FOULS: 15 (Llamosa, Alavanja, Serna 3); OFFSIDE: 5; CORNER KICKS: 12; SAVES: Rimando 7; CAUTIONS: Henderson ('04), Llamosa ('69). EJECTIONS: None.

REFEREE: Ricardo Salazar

REFEREE'S ASSISTANTS: Richard Eddy (bench), Greg Watson (Far)

4th OFFICIAL: Reggie Rutty

WEATHER: Warm, humid

MetroStars.com Players of the Match: Daniel Hernandez

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