Saturday, May 18
San Jose at Tampa Bay
Location: Tampa Stadium
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. (ET)
Television: KICU-36, San Jose
Satellite: Telstar 401, Tr. 7
Injuries: San Jose — M Paul Holocher (torn ACL) and F Eric Wynalda (separated shoulder) are out; M Ben Iroha (strained hamstring) is doubtful; F Jeff Baicher (sprained ankle) is questionable; Tampa Bay — M Peter Hattrup (torn ACL and MCL) is out; D Tayt Ianni (sprained knee) and M Derek Backman (bruised eye) are doubtful; D Adam Frye (strained groin) is probable.
Preview: Does the Clash have a chance without Eric Wynalda, out with a separated shoulder? Yes, barely.
Defender Michael Emenalo, who missed the Clash’s loss to the Galaxy 2-1 on Sunday with a red card, returns for the trip to Florida, as do Jeff Baicher, who has been hobbled by an ankle sprain, and Rafael Amaya, who has not played this season because of a preseason knee injury.
The Clash played a solid second half against Los Angeles, paced by Missael Espinoza, and Paul Bravo scored his fourth goal in as many games from a nice feed by Henry Gutierrez. But someone will have to take on the duty of subduing Carlos Valderrama in central midfield. U-20 U.S. international Ramiro Corrales did a good job against L.A.’s Mauricio Cienfuegos last weekend, but El Pibe is a much tougher task.
Tampa Bay will miss winger Evans Wise for the second straight match; he is in Canada with Trinidad & Tobago’s Olympic team. But the Mutiny has picked up Giuseppe Galderisi on waivers from New England, and his flank play combined with Valderrama’s passes and Roy Lassiter’s darting runs may stretch the Clash defense.
Mutiny goalkeeper Mark Dougherty will probably play an inspired game. He helped San Jose head coach Laurie Calloway win an APSL title with the S.F. Bay Blackhawks in 1991, and Tampa picked him in the MLS draft just ahead of San Jose in the first round.
PROBABLE LINEUPS
San Jose — Liner, Dayak, Doyle, Emenalo, Martin, Corrales, Gutierrez, Rodas, Espinoza, Baicher, Bravo.
Tampa Bay — Dougherty, Kooiman, Yallop, Pittman, Vasquez, Valderrama, McKinley, Ralston, Viera, Lassiter.
Prediction: The Mutiny keep first place in the East with a 3-2 win.
Washington at Dallas
Location: Cotton Bowl
Kickoff: 8:30 p.m. (ET)
Television: Home Team Sports
Satellite: Spacenet 3, Tr. 23
Injuries: Washington — M Kris Kelderman (bruised ribs) and F Juan Berthy Suarez (sprained foot) are out; Dallas — M Jason Kreis (strained groin) and M Lawrence Lozzano (strained back) are probable; M Gerell Elliott (broken foot) and D Tom Soehn (torn ACL) are out.
Preview: D.C. United gets a chance to prove its 5-2 rout of the Crew was no fluke, but it’s doubtful Steve Rammel and Co. will find as much space in the Burn backline. Moreover, the home team will have a crowd pumped up by the arrival of Hugo Sanchez.
United broke its four-match winless streak to open the season May 1 with a 3-1 thumping of the Burn in Washington. Jeff Causey, who gave up a pathetic goal last weekend against the MetroStars, rebounded with a strong display against the Crew.
Raul Diaz Arce regained his scoring touch with two fine goals against Columbus, and John Harkes meshed well with Richie Williams. Dallas has not lost at home; United has not won on the road.
Defender Eddie Pope is on duty with the U.S. Olympic team.
Dallas midfielder Leonel Alvarez, who sat out the Burn’s comeback win over KC last weekend, may have to rely on his strength, defense, to contain United’s Marco Etcheverry.
PROBABLE LINEUPS
Washington — Causey, Agoos, Huwiler, Peay, Imler, Williams, Harkes, Etcheverry, Sanneh, Rammel, Diaz Arce.
Dallas — Dodd, Lozzano, Santel, Farrer, Sonora, Haynes, Aston, Alvarez, Kreis, Kerr, Sanchez.
Prediction: United pulls off the away upset, 2-1.
Sunday, May 19
MetroStars at New England
Location: Foxboro Stadium
Kickoff: 3:00 p.m. (ET)
Television: Univision
Satellite: Spacenet 3, Tr. 5
Injuries: MetroStars — M Nidal Baba (strained groin) and M Ted Gillen (torn hamstring) are out; D Matt Knowles (bruised shoulder) is probable; New England — D Iain Fraser (groin surgery) is out; M Peter Woodring (sore heel) is probable.
Preview: Turmoil reigns in Foxboro, with the recent dismissal of Giuseppe Galderisi and uncertainty over just what head coach Frank Stapleton is up to.
Stapleton is still searching for an attacker, the midfield is muddled, and Alexi Lalas is lumbering about. One bright light is the emergence of Boston College product Paul Keegan. The Irishman had two assists in his first start last weekend, a 3-2 loss to the Crew.
Have the MetroStars finally put it together, and can they avenge that heartbreaking 1-0 loss to the Revs in the Meadowlands on Nicola Caricola’s classic own goal? Keeper Tony Meola pulled off several fine saves against the Rapids Thursday night, and if Giovanni Savarese keeps scoring, no one may notice Roberto Donadoni is gone.
Still, the Metros may succumb if Welton and Keegan are clicking. Deprived of Donadoni and his Olympic players, head coach Eddie Firmani has brought in Travis Rinker and Kevin Anderson from the USISL’s Long Island Rough Riders.
PROBABLE LINEUPS
MetroStars — Meola, Caricola, Restrepo, Harty, Knowles, Vermes, Kydes, Rodriguez, Ramos, Savarese, Hernandez.
New England — Heaney, Lalas, Burns, Chronopoulos, Naveda, Weiszmann, Aunger, Vukovic, Keegan, Ukrop, Welton.
Prediction: The Metros get their revenge, 3-1.
Colorado at Columbus
Location: Ohio Stadium
Kickoff: 4:00 p.m. (ET)
Television: none
Satellite: none
Injuries: Colorado: D Brian Bates (strained hamstring) and M Felipe Rodriguez (sprained knee) are out; D Troy Edwards (strained groin) is day-to-day; D Ian Butterworth (sprained knee) is doubtful; Columbus — D Brian Bliss (separated shoulder) is doubtful.
Preview: The Rapids have lost three straight and have scored only two goals in their last three games, so head coach Bob Houghton — ejected Thursday night against the MetroStars — is considering benching Jean Harbor in favor of Richard Sharpe up front and drafting Dominic Kinnear into midfield to spark the attack.
The defense looked shaky in the Meadowlands, and Ian Butterworth — who let Giovanni Savarese in for the second goal on a terrible error — may be sidelined with a knee sprain as Marcelo Balboa falls back to play sweeper. They may fare better on the Crew’s narrow field, but the cramped space of San Jose’s Spartan Stadium didn’t help in a 3-1 loss to the Clash on May 8.
Columbus was humiliated Wednesday night by D.C. United, falling behind 5-0 before scoring a couple of late goals sandwiched around a penalty saved by Washington keeper Jeff Causey. But the Crew is 2-1 at home, and rallied with two goals in the final three minutes May 11 to stun New England, 3-2.
Adrian Paz and Brian McBride may be too quick for Colorado’s tough, but ponderous, defenders.
Colorado — Woods, Cannon, Hamlett, Kmosko, Balboa, Trittschuh, Kinnear, Wegerle, Henderson, Sharpe, Bartlett.
Columbus — Oshoniyi, Clark, Watson, Michallik, Battelle, Ward, Yeagley, Khumalo, Thompson, McBride, Paz.
Prediction: The Crew wins a nailbiter, 3-2.
Kansas City at Los Angeles
Location: Rose Bowl
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. (EST)
Television: WIZ TV
Satellite: none
Injuries: Kansas City — M Preki (hyper-extended knee, bruised quadricep) is probable; Los Angeles — F Jose Vasquez (broken foot) is out; D Robin Fraser (sprained ankle) and M Chris Armas (strained hamstring) are day-to-day.
Preview: Wiz head coach Ron Newman has shuffled his defense in an attempt to shore up the league’s most porous (18 goals allowed in seven games) backline by starting Kevin Koetters at left back in place of the injured Tom Reasoner and replacing goalkeeper Pat Harrington with Garth Lagerwey.
But KC’s defensive woes stem from the lack of a midfield ballwinner. Without players capable of defusing Mauricio Cienfuegos and Cobi Jones, its goals-against figure will continue to be bloated.
L.A. has rode some luck and a favorable schedule to its status as the league’s sole unbeaten team. The defense has been solid, although some cracks appeared last Sunday against San Jose in the second half. The ride has to end sometime, but the Galaxy should be able to outscore a potent, but vulnerable Wiz team. Once again, the superior defense should prevail.
PROBABLE LINEUPS
Kansas City — Lagerwey, Koetters, Okafor, Bowers, Ekeme, Chung, Preki, Klopas, Wright, Takawira, Johnston.
Los Angeles — Campos, Motajo, Calichman, Fraser, Semioli, Salcedo, Noamouz, Jones, Cienfuegos, Hurtado, Karpetyan.
Prediction: The Galaxy wins 3-1 to go 6-0.