By Ridge Mahoney, Senior Editor

MATHIS MAGIC: He scored, his team won.

The Metros' record when Clint Mathis scores is 17-0-2 after Thursday night's 3-1 win over the Burn.

Mathis scored in the second minute as the Metros moved into a first-place tie in the East with Columbus at 35 points. But the hero was Rodrigo Faria, who scored the second and third goals after Mathis came off in the 60th minute.

Faria, the 2001 Rookie of the Year, has 11 goals after notching eight last season.

MAN-MANAGEMENT: It's easy to second-guess Burn coach Mike Jeffries after the fact and nothing can be easy about playing three games in five days as the Burn had to do.

Yet by resting many of his regulars last Sunday in a 3-2 league loss to Colorado and sending out a stronger squad Tuesday in the U.S. Open Cup and losing, 4-1, to Los Angeles, he may have negated any chance of beating the Metros.

Most of the nine starters against L.A. came back after just two days' rest and were run off the field by the Metros.

What affected the Burn just as much as fatigue against the Metros was the absence of suspended midfielder Antonio Martinez.

He was sent off in stoppage time against Colorado after crashing into Chris Carrieri and receiving a second yellow card.

Without his slashing, aggressive runs into the box the Burn was unable to fully exploit the inexperience of right back Nelson Akwari, who several times was stranded upfield.

Martinez has scorched the Metros for three goals and six assists in six games.

The Burn has secured a playoff spot but has yet to clinch homefield advantage for the playoffs.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: The Metros' win prevented the Burn from sweeping the season series.

Dallas had held a 3-0-0 lead going into the Thursday night encounter.

Los Angeles goes for a four-game sweep Saturday night when it takes on Chicago in Naperville, Ill.

It has won the first three by scores of 2-1, 1-0, and 1-0. The teams have not played since June 8.

CERRITOS SCORES; GETS INJURED: Ronald Cerritos equalized for the Burn on a tap-in after a sharp low pass through the goal area by Ryan Suarez. Cerritos had to leave the field in the second half because of a knee injury suffered during a collision with Akwari. Cerritos is scheduled to undergo an MRI today.

GAME SUMMARY

Sept. 5 in Dallas DALLAS (11-8-7, 40 pts) 1 METROSTARS (11-12-2, 35 pts) 3.

Goals: Cerritos (Suarez, O'Brien) 14; Mathis (Davis, Williams) 2, Faria (Moore) 62, Faria (Diallo, Williams) 73.

Att.: 7,913.