MLS: Metros announce revised home schedule

The MetroStars have announced their revised home schedule for the remainder of the 1997 MLS season. Previously postponed games against New England and Dallas have been rescheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 9, and Tuesday, Sept. 16 respectively. Home dates against San Jose (Aug. 29) and Columbus (Sept. 25) will remain unchanged. All four games will be played on artificial turf at Giants Stadium. MLS Commissioner Doug Logan had postponed the New England and Dallas games to see if the MetroStars modular grass field could be re-installed for the final four home games. “We apologize to our fans for the inconvenience and thank them for their patience,” said Metros GM Charlie Stillitano. “Our fans are purists and made it clear that they wanted the rest of the home games to be played on grass. It’s just not possible.” “Playing on grass is not cosmetic, it is central to our sport,” added Logan. “We left no stone unturned in attempting to play the remaining matches on grass. We owed that effort to our players and our fans. With the gracious cooperation of (New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority president) Bob Mulcahy, we investigated alternate sites. At the end of the day, the problems of last-minute scheduling and logistics left us with no other prudent alternatives.” Logan also said that MLS, the MetroStars, and the NJSEA would begin working on a resolution to this issue immediately after the conclusion of the season.

Revised MetroStars Home Schedule