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Team-by-team Chicago
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Major League Soccer MetroStars win fifth straight, edging Dallas 2-1 on late Jolley strike.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (Saturday, May 24,2003) -- Defender Steve Jolley's unassisted goal in the 84th minute lifted the MetroStars to their fifth straight Major League Soccer victory 2-1 over the winless Dallas Burn tonight before 9,110 at Giants Stadium. The MetroStars (5-1-1, 16) are atop the Eastern Conference, unbeaten in their last six outings and 21-0-2 all-time when Clint Mathis scores. Mathis found net for a fourth straight match, good for a 1-0 lead in the 60th minute. Jolley's first tally of 2003 was the winner. Mathis sent a bending free kick into the box where defender Steve Morrow attempted to nod the ball to safety. The ball fell to Jolley who, lurking on the edge of the box, sent a low drive to the far right corner. With defender Eddie Pope crossing in the opposite direction in front of and possibly distracting goalkeeper D.J. Countess, the ball sneaked into the net for the 2-1 lead. "I saw the corner and just tried to place it," Jolley said. "All I saw was it hitting the back of the net. As long as we win, that is all I care about." The first half was a tightly contested affair with the Dallas offense overloading the left side in an attempt to find a crack in the MetroStars' back line. Organized by Pope, their captain, the Metros were successful in limiting the Burn looks at goal. On the other side of the field, Morrow and Chris Gbandi held the fort in front of Countess, frustrating the tandem of Mathis and newcomer José Ernesto Galván.
On the other side of the field, Morrow and Chris Gbandi held the fort in front of Countess, frustrating the tandem of Mathis and newcomer José Ernesto Galván. Galván saw much of the ball, helping lead his new club forward in an attacking midfielder role, linking several times with Mathis. "I thought it was going to be rough, and I expected it," said Galván who picked up a yellow card in the 65th minute. "I felt OK with the team tonight and the more I practice and play with the team, the better I will get." The MetroStars capitalized on a big break in the 60th minute when Countess was ruled to have fielded a back-pass from a teammate. Awarded a indirect kick inside the Burn box, the ball was touched to Mathis who hammered a low shot through a maze of legs, leaving Countess no chance to see the ball before it settled in the net behind him. "It's a tough loss to swallow," MetroStars coach Mike Jeffries said. "I thought our concentration was there, but we didn't react well on the second goal." Three minutes later, Gbandi ran on to a Dallas corner kick, earning a whistle when Metros midfielder Ricardo Clark handled his shot inside the penalty area. Striker Jason Kreis hit the ensuing penalty kick low to his left with keeper Tim Howard made a diving stop. The loose ball, however, rolled directly back to Kreis who roofed the rebound into the right center of the net, ending Howard's shutout streak at 292 consecutive minutes. "I thought we played well and created chances," Kreis said. "I'm proud of the work we put in, but it seems we cannot get the ball to bounce our way. One-goal games won't get us results. We need to find a way to score two." MetroStars 2, Dallas 1 Lineups: MetroStars - Tim Howard, Craig Ziadie, Steve Jolley, Eddie Pope, Tim Regan, Jose Galvan (Jacob LeBlanc 80), Ricardo Clark, Amado Guevara, Mark Lisi, Mike Magee (Kenny Arena 89), Clint Mathis. Dallas - D.J. Countess, Philip Salyer (Joselito Vaca 86), Tenywa Bonseu, Steve Morrow, Chris Gbandi, Chad Deering, Antonio Martinez, Oscar Pareja, Brad Davis, Ronald Cerritos (Bobby Rhine 76), Jason Kreis (Edward Johnson 82). Scoring:
Total shots: MetroStars 17 (Mathis 6), Dallas 9 (Kreis 4). Shots on goal: MetroStars 10 (Guevara 4, Mathis 4), Dallas 8 (Kreis 4). Saves: MetroStars - Howard 7; Dallas - Countess 5, team 3. Fouls: MetroStars 15 (Galvan 3, Mathis 3), Dallas 22 (Pareja 4). Offside: MetroStars 2 (Guevara, Mathis), Dallas (Martinze). Corner kicks: MetroStars 3 (Guevara 3), Dallas 4 (Davis 3). Yellow card cautions: MetroStars - Kreis 11, Gbandi 20, Salyer 47, Pareja 50; MetroStars - Lisi 11 , Galvan 65. Referee: Alex Prus Referee's assistants: Jorge De la Bandera, Richard Eddy. Attendance: 9,110 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. Time of game: 1:51. Weather: Cloudy, 57 degrees. |
