MetroStars, New England swap six players, including Serna, Diallo.

(Friday, May 24, 2002) -- Two slumping Major League Soccer teams swapped underperforming supposedly star strikers today.

The New England Revolution, which fired coach Fernando Clavijo, sent 2000 MLS leading scorer Mamadou Diallo, midfielder Ted Chronopolous, the last original Rev, and midfielder Andy Williams to the MetroStars for forward Diego Serna, midfielder Daniel Hernandez and defender Brian Kamler.

The always temperamental Serna walked out on the MetroStars last Friday without permission, returning yesterday from his native Colombia without ever contacting the team. He was suspended from last Saturday’s 4-2 loss at D.C. United because of a red card, but missed practices Tuesday and Wednesday. Rather than deciding whether to suspend Serna, the MetroStars decided to get rid of the once prolific scorer who had only one goal in eight games in New Jersey

"Diego is a proven goalscorer who has made an impact in this league since he joined it in 1998," New England interim coach Steve Nicol said. "He and Alex Pineda Chacón connected so well together on the field playing for Miami last year, and we are excited to pair them up again here in New England. Daniel Hernandez and Brian Kamler will bring strength to our team's overall defense."

Serna, 28, spent his first four years in the league playing for the now-defunct Miami Fusion, a team that he led in scoring in 1998 (11 goals), 1999 (10 goals) and 2000 (16 goals). In 2001, he was second in that department (15 goals) behind Pineda Chacón. The two finished at the top of Major League Soccer's scoring list, combining for 34 goals and 24 assists that season.

Serna was acquired by the MetroStars from Miami in the allocation draft after the Fusion and Tampa Bay Mutiny were folded.

Diallo, who 26 goals and four assists from Tampa Bay en route the scoring title, has 36 goals and 10 assists in 57 MLS regular-season games. In seven games since the Revolution acquired him in the allocation draft, Diallo had one goal and one assist. While one paper, combining him with 2001 scoring champ Pineda Chacón, also picked up in the allocation draft, seemed a sure-fire recipe for success, neither player has been effective, apparently the victims of poor chemistry.

Williams, the Revolution's 2001 "Most Valuable Player," had two assists in five games for the Revs this season, his fifth in MLS. Chronopoulos, the lone remaining player from New England's original 1996 lineup, was an MLS All-Star in 1997 and 2000 with career totals of 16 goals and 14 assists in 119 regular-season matches.

Hernandez, who was drafted in the second round of the 1998 college draft by the Los Angeles Galaxy, started all nine games for the MetroStars this season, amassing two assists. In five season with Los Angeles, Tampa Bay and the MetroStars, he has one goal and 12 assists. Last year, playing sometimes in midfield, Hernandez scored his only career goal -- a 91st-minute game-winner -- and tallied seven assists.

Kamler, 30, had one goal and one assist in eight games this season with the MetroStars. The midfielder was acquired by the MetroStars on February 10 in a trade with D.C. United, a team with which he celebrated two MLS championships. He spent the end of 1999 and all of 2000 in Miami, part of a career that includes four goals and 15 assists in 120 games.

To make room on the roster for Diallo and Williams, both of whom are senior internationals, the MetroStars waived senior international forward Darin Lewis. Diallo (Senegal) and Williams (Jamaica) join with Rodrigo Faria (Brazil) to reach the MLS maximum of three.

"We're thrilled to be able to acquire three talented players who will all be important pieces of our lineup," said MetroStars president and general manager Nick Sakiewicz. "In order to that, we obviously had to give up some players who have meant a great deal to this team, but the bottom line is that we are now a better team than we were yesterday, and we have greatly improved our chances to win not only the Eastern Division, but the MLS Cup as well."