MLS notes

Valderrama trade return to Tampa Bay appears imminent despite delay.

That Valderrama will be sent to Tampa Bay apparently is certain, The sticking point apparently is who the Fusion will receive in return.

Bolivian striker Mauricio Ramos was thought to be the player Miami would receive, but that plan apparently his a snag. But management of the winless Mutiny (0-4) was apparently hedging on that deal, offering instead Bolivian forward Jefferson Gottardi or Costa Rican frontrunner Alejandro Sequiera.

Valderrama has not practiced with the Fusion in a week because of a battle of wills with Miami coach Ivo Wortman, who has accused the Colombia nation team star of refusing to accept his coach’s directions. Furthermore, Wortman accused Valderrrama of being subversive with the other Fusion players regarding the coach’s system.

"I came here to play, not to vacation and go to the beach," Valderrama told the Miami Herald. "We have beaches in Colombia. These are the players Ivo selected, and now he is saying the system doesn't work. I don't agree. I think I can help this team, but if he doesn't, I'll go where they send me."

MLS commissioner Doug Logan said Miami was not necessarily due a player comparable to Valderrama’s skill level in return. "It's not our fault that Carlos didn't fit into Ivo's plans," Logan said. "Ivo thought he had to go in a different direction, and we have to respect that and move on with our lives."

Valderrama, 37, came to the Fusion from Tampa Bay in November 1997 and instantly became the poster boy for the expansion franchise. His likeness is virtually everywhere in all Fusion advertising and promotional material. The former Colombian World Cup captain is three-time MLS All-Star led the Fusion with 12 assists last season despite playing only 18 games because of World Cup commitments.

"It would be silly to leave Carlos in a position where he's not playing," Logan said. "We are acting as a facilitator from a league office standpoint to find a home for him to contribute his vast talent."

This season, "El Pibe" led the Fusion with one goal and two assists in four games before Wortmann benched him. The coach said Valderrama's style -- short passes and little attention to defense did not fit in with the coach’s philosophy.

Ramos, 29, joined the Mutiny two months into last season and led the team with nine goals and nine assists. He scored the only goal for the World team in a 6-1 loss to the United States team in the 1998 All-Star game. He led the Mutiny with 85 shots, including a team-record seven against Columbus. This season, he has no goals and one assist. Gottardi has two goals and no assists and Sequiera no goals or assists.

Columbus Crew

WILDER, Ky. -- The Crew defeated it's A-League affiliate, the Cincinnati Riverhawks 3-0 before 3,161 fans the Town and Country Soccer Complex here. The exhibition raised over $15,000 dollars for the Jacor/Fifth Third Bank Relief Fund established to help the victims of the tornado that ripped through suburban Cincinnati during the early morning hours of April 9, damaging hundreds of homes and killing four.

Jeff Cunningham, Billy Thompson and Jason Farrell scored the goals while goalkeeper Matt Napoleon recorded the shutout.

MetroStars

SECAUCUS, N.J. -- The MetroStars added former U.S. national team defender Fernando Clavijo, 43, to coach Bora Milutinovic's coaching staff today.

Clavijo, who earned 61 caps for the U.S., immediately joined the MetroStars who are preparing for a weekend home match with the Tampa Bay Mutiny.

Clavijo recently served as an assistant coach for the Pro-40 Select team, MLS’ developmental team which plays in the A-League. He directed the Seattle Seadogs to an indoor title in 1997 and subsequently coached the National Professional Soccer League’s Florida Thundercats. He was a star indoor player for many years.

Clavijo made his national team playing debut on November 21, 1990, against the Soviet Union, and was a starter for Milutinovic's U.S. side against Colombia, Romania and Brazil in the 1994 World Cup.

"Expectations are very high this season, not only for the team, but for the organization, and I am definitely looking forward to the challenge," Clavijo said.

New England Revolution

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- New England announced the addition of Italian national team veteran and 1997 MLS All-Star Giuseppe Galderisi as an assistant coach.

Galderisi, 36, has served player/coach Walter Zenga in an unofficial capacity for the Revs' last two games.

Galderisi was on the 1997 MLS Eastern Conference All-Star squad with Zenga. He tallied 12 goals and 16 assists in 48 games for the Revolution and the Tampa Bay Mutiny during his two-year playing career in MLS.

He was a member of Italy's 1986 World Cup Team and played in nearly 400 Italian Serie A matches for Juventus, Lazio, Milan, Verona, and Padova.

In other news, the Revolution will play Dutch power Ajax July 21 at Foxboro Stadium.