With Agoos now on board, Metros eyeing next steps
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
By IVES GALARCEP
HERALD NEWS
The MetroStars got a little bit older and a little bit better last week when the team acquired five-time MLS Cup winner Jeff Agoos from San Jose. The deal may not have the punch fans were hoping for, but it's a good first step in what will be a busy - if not flashy - off-season.
The Metros were trounced in the first round of the playoffs and faded badly in the regular season's stretch run, but the team doesn't need a complete overhaul. Agoos provides two of the team's greatest needs. He is a veteran leader who won't be afraid to speak up, and he's also a smart and vocal defender who should help Eddie Pope organize a defense that allowed the most goals in MLS last season.
Where do the Metros go from here? These are the next steps:
Land a big-time forward. Cornell Glen has great promise and John Wolyniec enjoyed a breakout campaign, but the Metros need a money striker, a proven goal scorer who can find the net even when the service isn't the best. The Metros don't have an allocation right now, so the only way they could clear the way for a high-profile signing is to find a taker for Sergio Galvan Rey. That seems less and less likely with each passing week, so the Metros may have no other choice but to trade for one of the many forwards on the MLS market.
Chicago' Ante Razov would be a perfect fit, but the Fire isn't about to hand him over to a conference rival without landing a high price. The possible sale of Damani Ralph could force Chicago to keep Razov, but if Razov stays there could be some interesting trade scenarios. A deal sending Eddie Pope to Chicago for Razov and C.J. Brown would make both sides happy. The Fire covet Pope, while Metros coach Bob Bradley would jump at the chance to add two key players from his championship Fire teams.
If Pope remains a Metro, which seems more likely now than a week ago, the Metros may have little choice but to keep its same forwards, unless MLS decides it needs a marquee striker in the New York market.
Sell Sergio Galvan Rey. All the Metros want for Christmas is to have someone offer them anything for the disappointing Argentine striker. With his 2005 contract guaranteed to the tune of the league maximum $280,000, the only way the Metros get from under that figure is to sell Galvan Rey to a foreign club. They are planning a preseason training camp run through South America, which will likely provide their last-ditch effort to sell him. If they fail to find a suitor, the Metros will keep their fingers crossed and hope that Galvan Rey finds the goal-scoring touch that earned him the nickname "The King of Goals" in Colombia.
Extend Guevara's deal. Amado Guevara is midway through his four-year contract with the MetroStars and repeatedly stated his desire to re-work his deal. The reigning MLS MVP wants to be among the league's highest-paid players and the Metros seem willing to make that happen if they can add two more years to his deal.
Find a true winger. For all the talent the Metros boast in midfield, the team lacks players who can consistently deliver good service from the wings. Joselito Vaca didn't get it done and Eddie Gaven seems destined for a more central role. Pablo Brenes showed some signs of potentially being a quality left wing midfielder, but Real Salt Lake took him in the expansion draft. Bob Bradley prefers fullbacks who can overlap and provide offensive punch, but the roster lacks that, too. So where will the wing play come from? Bradley is hoping to find some on his scouting trips to Europe and South America. If he comes back empty-handed the Metros will likely start 2005 with a midfield of Gaven, Guevara, Lisi and Clark. Mike Magee could be a fifth midfielder if Bradley runs a 3-5-2.
Re-sign Mark Lisi. Second in MLS in assists in 2003, Lisi suffered through a series of ankle injuries that forced him to miss a chunk of 2004. When he did play, Lisi showed an ability to deliver sharp passes and serve as a good complement to Guevara. A central midfield trio of Lisi, Guevara and Clark would be among the league's strongest and Lisi's relatively modest salary makes him worth holding on to.
Stadium deal lives
Ray McDonough could have simply said "no comment" when asked if the MetroStars Stadium still had a chance in tiny Harrison, but the Harrison mayor couldn't resist offering a little glimmer of hope. When asked by The Jersey Journal if the Harrison deal was dead, McDonough not only said it wasn't, he stated that a deal to secure a stadium, was in fact close to happening.
"I really can't let anything out of the bag yet on this," McDonough told the Jersey Journal. "There's a number of people involved. The state is involved, the MetroStars (are) involved, and the town of Harrison is involved. But we are making progress."
According to a source close to the project, the MetroStars Stadium efforts have received a tangible boost from New Jersey Governor Richard Codey, who is committed to securing the funding necessary to build the Harrison stadium. A new state-backed funding structure would have New Jersey floating bonds and make the MetroStars partners with the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority. That structure has replaced the original Harrison funding structure, which called for Hudson County to float bonds to pay off the $90 million needed to build the stadium. Anschutz Entertainment Group, the MetroStars' parent company, has agreed to contribute $30 million to the project.
MetroStars and Harrison officials would not comment on the new developments, but an announcement on the completion of an agreement could come before the New Year.
Clint coming back
When Clint Mathis left the MetroStars for Europe after the 2003 season, most people didn't expect to see him back in the league for years. Try months. After wearing out his welcome at German club Hannover 96, Mathis is on his way back to MLS. The league completed a transfer deal that will send Mathis to Real Salt Lake. An announcement is expected later this month.
Mathis started hot with Hannover, netting four goals and two assists in his first eight games for the German club, but he struggled for playing time under new coach Ewald Lienen. Mathis sealed his fate after making a controversial gesture toward Lienen following a goal he scored as a late-game substitute. Mathis didn't think much of the gesture but he only saw action in one more game and has been left of the team's active roster since.
Now Mathis joins an expansion team that is expected to struggle mightily. How will the 29-year old handle the pressure if he struggles early on? That is the big question for a player who hasn't always handled adversity well. He will have a quality forward partner in Jason Kreis and a coach he knows and likes in John Ellinger. Whether that is enough to help him salvage a career clearly on a downward spiral remains to be seen.
Yellow Cards
Sakiewicz and Bradley will take part in an online chat on Wednesday on the team's web site,
www.metrostars.com. They will discuss the team's plans in an hour-long chat that will begin at 2 p.m. ... Major League Soccer will reduce the length of the upcoming Super Draft from six rounds to four rounds, a league source said Monday. The reduction, along with the addition of two expansion teams, will mean the draft will consist of 48 selections instead of the 60 choices made last year. The move also leaves the Metros without a pick in the entire draft, unless the team can acquire one between now and the Jan. 14 draft. The Metros were probably looking forward to using a late-round selection after choosing defender Jeff Parke with the last pick in the 2004 draft.
Reach Ives Galarcep at (973) 569-7077 or
galarcep@northjersey.com.
Metrostars Holiday package
