May 22 — MetroStars at Kansas City
Location: Arrowhead Stadium
Kickoff: 8:30 p.m. (ET)
Television: None.
Satellite: None.
Injuries: Sorber (KC), Klopas (KC) doubtful with hip-flexor strains.
Preview: In an effort to shore up the league’s most porous defense (20 goals in eight games), Wiz head coach Ron Newman will deploy Scott Uderitz as a defensive midfielder. Uderitz has been impressive at left back, and should anchor a midfield loaded with explosive attackers but lacking defensive bite with Sorber injured and Matt McKeon on Olympic duty.
Either Kevin Koetters or Diego Gutierrez will play left back, with Koetters the more likely choice. Garth Lagerwey keeps his spot in goal after making his first MLS start in a 2-0 loss to the Galaxy last Sunday.
On the surface, the MetroStars’ 2-0 loss to New England may have looked pathetic, and in many ways, it was. But Giovanni Savarese, who hit a hat trick against Colorado just three days earlier, fluffed several good scoring opportunities. Head coach Eddie Firmani will start Chris DaSilva at right back in place of the hopeless Jeff Zaun; DaSilva replaced Zaun at halftime of the Revolution game. Too bad Firmani can’t do something about Peter Vermes, whose impression of a headless chicken is becoming tiresome.
But unless Tab Ramos quits whining and Ruben Dario Hernandez — whom the club may drop in the next few weeks, so poorly has he played — gets into the action, the New York/New Jersey/TriState Whatevers will stumble again.
PROBABLE LINEUPS
MetroStars — Meola, DaSilva, Caricola, Knowles, Harty, Ramos, Vermes, Silvera, Rodriguez, Savarese, Hernandez.
Kansas City — Lagerwey, Ekeme, Okafor, Bowers, Uderitz, Koetters, Chung, Preki, Wright, Takawira, Johnston.
Prediction: Wiz win it, 2-1.