July 11 — New England at Columbus
Location: Ohio Stadium. Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. (ET). Television:
ESPN2. Satellite: Galaxy 5, Tr. 14.
Previous meeting: Columbus edged the Revs 2-1 in a shootout June 27 in Foxboro, and the Crew scored two goals in the final three minutes for a thrilling 3-2 victory May 11 in Columbus.
Injuries: New England — D Iain Fraser (strained groin) and F Welton (strained thigh) are probable, D Francis Okaroh (strained knee) and F John Kerr (pulled muscle) are questionable, M/D Mike Burns (arthroscopic knee surgery) is out; Columbus — D Paul Caligiuri (bruised foot), M Brian Bliss (strained knee and groin) and F Brian McBride (separated shoulder) are probable, D Mike Clark (pulled hamstring) is questionable, M Shane Battelle (bruised knee) is doubtful.
Preview: The Crew will be attempting to win their first home game in two months — when they beat New England. Columbus desperately needs some production from forward Brian McBride — outside of penalties, the former St. Louis University striker hasn’t scored since mid-May. Look for Adrian Paz to get a night off, and for Marcelo Carrera to start in midfield for the Crew, with McBride and Pete Marino (9 goals) up front. Midfielder Doctor Khumalo, who has been criticized for his inconsistent play, will be back in the starting lineup. Khumalo has struggled to adjust to a central midfield position in Columbus (he prefers to play on the flank).
New England’s Argentine playmaker Alberto Naveda has also been having his share of difficulties. The Revs top scorer (5 goals 2 assists) was benched for all but eight minutes of the team’s West Coast road trip because of an inability to adjust to the counterattacking, ultra-defensive style now favored by New England coach Frank Stapleton. The Revs will be without Alexi Lalas (one-game red card suspension) and Mike Burns (still out with a knee injury), so the back should be packed again tonight. The speedy Welton and new acquisition John Kerr have teamed well up front, while former Boston University star Francis Okaroh has been a good addition in defense. Goalie Jim St. Andre had another fine game in New England’s shootout win over San Jose. Forward Patrick Tardieu, the Haitian national team captain, joined New England on July 8, and will be available to play tonight.
PROBABLE LINEUPS
New England — St. Andre, Fraser, Okaroh, Wylie, Cronopoulos, Sawatzky, Aunger, Woodring, Welton, Kerr, Keegan.
Columbus — Winner, Clark, Iribarren, Caligiuri, Thompson, Warzycha, Khumalo, Carrera, Bliss, McBride, Marino.
Prediction: The Crew break through with a 3-1 win.
July 12 — Tampa Bay at D.C. United
Location: RFK Stadium. Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. (ET). Television:
Home Team Sports. Satellite: Spacenet 3, Tr. 23.
Previous meeting: none.
Injuries: Tampa Bay — M Goran Hunjak (sprained MCL) is doubtful, M Peter Hattrup (torn ACL and MCL) is on injured reserve; D.C. United — G Jeff Causey (slightly separated shoulder) and D Mario Gori (strained groin) are probable.
Preview: This will be the first meeting between the top two teams in the Eastern Conference. Both clubs are coming off of blowout wins — Tampa buried Columbus 4-1 on July 4, while D.C. demolished Dallas 6-1 on Sunday behind four Raul Diaz Arce goals. The Salvadoran striker was named to replace D.C. midfielder Marco Etcheverry in the MLS All-Star game, but declined the offer (although league officials are still trying to change his mind). Etcheverry will play against the Mutiny, and, with John Harkes playing well, United will have its full complement of offensive players. The defense, on the other hand, must attempt to contain Carlos Valderrama. Look for Jeff Agoos and Mario Gori to step up and play a more physical game — Valderrama struggled against San Jose’s Troy Dayak and John Doyle. Tampa’s Roy Lassiter has scored in seven of the team’s last eight games, and Steve Ralston has been a steady presence in midfield. Steve Pittman played superbly against Columbus, despite arthroscopic knee surgery just nine days before the game. Tampa (0-3) has yet to earn a shootout victory.
PROBABLE LINEUPS
Tampa Bay — Dougherty, Pittman, Kooiman, Yallop, Vasquez, McKinley, Ralston, Valderrama, Wise, Galderisi, Lassiter.
D.C. United — Causey, Vaudreuil, Imler, Agoos, Gori, Williams, Sanneh, Harkes, Etcheverry, Rammel, Diaz Arce.
Prediction: This one has the makings of a high-scoring affair — a 3-2 win for D.C.