By Ridge Mahoney
Senior Editor
Soccer America Magazine
YOURI, OH YOURI: A hamstring injury will sideline the Metros' Youri Djorkaeff for at least a month, which won't help Coach Bob Bradley piece together a midfield that lost Ricardo Clark and Joselito Vaca during the offseason.
Djorkaeff, though, might be most critically needed as spring turns into summer. Eddie Gaven will be in Holland with the U.S. under-20s for the World Youth Championship, which kicks off June 10, and could also be called upon for national team duty at the CONCACAF Gold Cup (July 6-24) as well as World Cup qualifiers.
Not in question is Djorkaeff's willingness to contribute. Unlike Lothar Matthaeus, his head is in the right place. Yet to be determined, though, is if Djorkaeff — no matter how strong his spirit — has enough spring and speed left in his body to handle an MLS workload.
LIGHTS, CAMERA, COMEDY: On tap for release this spring is ''Kicking and Screaming,'' a Will Ferrell vehicle in which he plays a soccer coach whose persona can be discerned from the title.
To help promote the film, at least in Chicago, Ferrell's publicity representatives have contacted the Fire as to the possibility of Ferrell training with the Fire. Should be fun.
CAP SPACE: Although two weeks remain before the MLS transfer window closes, several teams are already at or near the salary cap.
One exception is San Jose, which shed the salaries of Jeff Agoos, Landon Donovan, Ronnie Ekelund and Richard Mulrooney during the offseason. Those four players accounted for more than one-third of the Quakesé cap.
The per-team salary cap has reportedly been increased slightly to $1.8 million, with the ''maximum salary'' pegged at $300,000. Under an agreement bargained by the league and the MLS Players' Union last November, teams must carry at least $1.5 million against their salary caps.
ALL IN THE FAMILY: After a week's trial, D.C. United has decided not to sign Brazilian defender Odvan, who played against United in the 1998 Interamerican Cup series for Vasco da Gama.
It has added English midfielder Steve Guppy, a veteran of 16 years in the English League who is the cousin of Metros executive vice-president John Guppy. ''He was a late bloomer,'' said John of Steve. They both grew up in Winchester, England.
''He didn't really break through until he was 22 or 23. He's a rarity in that regard. I was all washed up by then. People used to tell him he wasn't as good as his cousin John.''
Steve Guppy turns 36 this month and there's no truth to the rumor that Metros coach Bob Bradley didn't sign him because he isn't old enough. Djorkaeff and Agoos turn 37 this year.
SITTERS: SUM, the marketing company formed by MLS operator-investors, and the Fire will promote a Mexico-Poland friendly April 27 at Soldier Field. SUM and the MetroStars are promoting the May 31 match between England and Colombia at the Meadowlands. … Former MLS VP of communications Dan Courtemanche, who left the league in 2001 to take a position with WUSA, returns Monday as the senior vice-president of marketing and communications for MLS and SUM.