[retired_mallory08]

Chicago Fire Appoint Grommen

GROM is back!!!!!!!

Johan Grommen, the legendary striker that served UR Namur and Stade Brestois 29 with distinction, has decided try his hand at management. The man affectionately referred to as Grom will use his vast playing expierence, that saw him progress from the Belgian Third Division B level all the way to the Champions League, to bring success to the Fire's faithful fans. Grommen was introduced late to the supporters because he was in Brittany meeting with former boss Heiðar Tryggvi Sigurðsson discussing his retirement from playing, so he also missed the first 4 games of the season.

The first game that Grom was incharge for saw the Metrostars visit Soldier Field. The first half was an even affair, but in second half it was the Ante Razov show. He scored all four goals in the 4-0 win, and Damani Ralph picked up a minor wrist injury. Ralph's injury led to the introduction of Justin Mapp and he sparked us into life down the left wing. After the match, Grom dedicated the victory to his mentor Dr. James Preen, who has recently decided to retire as manager and spend his saturday afternoons at Vicarage Road cheering on his beloved Watford. Chicago also announced the trade of Henry Ring to San Jose for Troy Dayak. A good bit business for both teams, we got a solid centre half and they got a decent backup keeper.

The Fire's long road trip started off in Kansas Ciy ended as bore draw, 0-0. We were forced to take off Ante after 20 mins with a leg injury and Andy Herrón the Costa Rican international came on but didn't impress. The next stop was Foxboro to face the Revs. The Revs proved too tough a task they got an early goal from Taylor Twellman and we couldn't get going. Logan Pause saw red late on for a dangerous two footed lunge, a tackle that completely showed his inexperience since it was well inside the opposing half. Joe Max Moore went on to add an insurance goal, the first loss of the season and the first goals conceded, 0-2. The trip took us next to the nation's capital to take on DC United. The game was decided in a cruel manner, a deflected Figueroa cross by CJ Brown left Thornton stranded and flat footed with no chance to stop it. The goal came late on with just about 10 mins to go and DC shut up shop and we couldn't come back. 0-1.

The final destination of road trip was Mexico City for the first lef of the Champions Cup Semi Final with Pumas. The team's moral had sunk to a new low and our confidence was nonexistent. Pumas tore us appart and they were a class and a half above us on this day. 4-0 down after the first leg with little chance of progressing to the final. However, this opportunity will give valuable experience and aid player development.



Grom refusing to speak English

Lately, Grom has decided not to embroil himself in the war of words going around the MLS so he is only speaking in Flemmish these days.

2-1 against Columbus. They got an early goal from Chad Marshall off a corner. Nate Jaqua came on to replace Andy Williams and he scored, a long range deflected effort. Then in the 90th minute Andy Herrón popped up in the penalty box with the winner.

The return leg with Punas was next, this time Andy Williams scored a nice a drive created by Alexandre Boucicaut down the right flank. The Haitian international was in top class form as he also created a second half headed goal by Ralph. In the 62nd minute Pumas were reduced to 10 men as del Olmo saw red, we tried to slow the temp down and tire them out but our efforts were hindered 10 mins from time. Kelly Gray saw yellow again and was off this virtually ended any remote chance we had of coming back. We won 2-0 and netted 300k in prize money and the boys showed true class with a performance that did the club proud.

The home and home with Tom. The first game was decided by a doggy pk awarded for an unfair jump in box. Hong Myung-Bo scored it, this forced us to push forward as we went to a 2 striker formation. Then new signing Schmidt finished off on the counter as we were exposed at the back, 0-2 LA. The return match was better as Jesse Marsch hit a rocket to the bottom corner of the net. We were up 1-0 at the half. The second half was largely dominated by LA but the galaxy were still unable to break through until Chris Albright answered Tom Yaglowski's prayers. It ended 1-1, a fair result and true reflection of the pattern of play.

2-2 with Colorado. We took the lead with a nice finish from Razov and then Williams added to it early in the second half. Then it all went pear shaped after 74 mins with an Orlando Perez own goal. Colorado took the game over at that point and we struggled to get the damn thing out our half. Their persistent preasure payed off with Peguero and then they pushed for a winner and we were lucky to hear the final whistle blow, while it was still level.

[retired_mallory08]

Dallas Rookie Manager Stu Hopkins has broken his long media silence to address the Texas media hordes today.

"When I took control of this squad, a few things were quickly apparent. I had a decent strike force. a competitive midfield, and an utter deficiency in depth in defense and goal. So, I did the obvious thing...I signed two international strikers."

"In Mr.Mathis and Carlo Corrazin I had the makings of a world-class partnership...but I was pleasantly surprised by the top flight ability of Eddie Johnson, who's form has quickly relegated Corrazzin to the substitutes bench."

"My next order of business was to secure the services of a decent assistant, as the squad I inheirited did not come equipped with one. In quick order I had found two. With both assistants in place, I felt the time was ripe to take a well-deserved vacation."

"I arrived back just in time to preside over the record 1-8 mauling at the hands of Al Clark's San Jose squad. I though we were alright when we went into the break only 5 down, but my team just couldn't find its form in the second half."

"After that debacle came a time of desperate soul-searching. Who was to blame? Were the assistants to blame for inadequate preperation? The players for failing to execute my top-class tactics? Or had the long trip to San Jose merely sapped their resolve?"

"Although not one for rash judgement, I soon correctly identified the culprit as keeper Casser, and I quickly told him so. I reminded him after the match that the bus promptly left the stadium an hour after final whistle...I told him to make sure he was under it."

"When I was a player we always accepted constructive criticism like that and endeared to do better the next time out. Cassers reacted differently. When we got back to Dallas he attempted to blow up my car in the parking lot...ended up burning his lips on the tailpipe."

"All joking aside, after we had had it out, I elected to stick with him and revamped the rest of the squad entirely for our next game. A 1-1 gutcheck stalemate against the eastern cellar dwellers. Still it was an important result at the time."

"After the game I realised that our training was not doing its job. Understanding that my ideas of eight hours of head tennis was not cutting it at this level, I delegated the training to the capable hands of one of my assistants."

"The next two games, we jumped out to quick leads, only to find ourselves losing both games to two quick goals in the last fifteen."

"They were both crippingly disappointing games, besting the Wizards for the entire game only to lose to a MOM performance by their backup goalie and a last minute strike. The DC United game was just as irksome. The tactical battle that ensued kept me occupied just enough not to notice some kid named Adu come on late as a substitute to grab the late winner...and his first ever goal."

"Once again some soul searching was needed. Did the late collapses result from tactical errors? Or was my team just not in good enough shape to last ninety minutes? Or was it just the dearth of quality at the back?"

"The wisest course seemed to be to do nothing. Just take a nice vacation and tell my assistants to keep my tactics and player selection the same as I had it. Maybe the setbacks were due to ill-timed substitutions? Time would tell."

"My decision to wait has appeared to paid off. We came out of the last round of matches as the in-form team. Perhaps the time is right for another vacation..."

[retired_mallory08]

It's been an up and down season for the Revs. A tough, draw-riddled patch at the beginning of the season, followed by a three game winning streak saw the New England side briefly rise to the top of the Eastern Conference, only to see a recent cold streak bring them back to the pack. New manager Nick Gutierrez isn't worried, however.

"We've played well," the new boss told a local paper. "It's just a matter of finishing our chances when they come to us."

He said he has been especially impressed with midfielders Felix Brilliant and José Cancela. "We have all the necessary parts to go as far as we want to go. Brilliant and Cancela have been crucially important players, and our striker rotation is pretty good. And, while our goalkeeping situation is a place of some concern, we have the defense to make up for it."

When asked about his priorities for the rest of the season, he responded with a simple, yet familiar "Playoffs? You want to talk about playoffs? We can't even win a game! Playoffs..."

[retired_mallory08]

West All Stars 5 - 3 East All Stars

[retired_mallory08]

[retired_mallory08]

Unbeaten in Five

Sj have been on a reasonable run of late, but Clark is far from happy "We simply threw points away lately by not killing off teams when we had the chance. We need to be more effective infront of goal - we're wasting chance after chance and getting caught out late".

The first order of the day was a deal with FC Dallas - the league's form team. Sadly, Clark was unable to interest gaffer Stu in a deal for scoring Phenom EJ, but did snap up bright prospect Brad Davis to help solve that tricky AML position. He didn't come cheap though - Clark parted with Canadian #1 Pat Onstad and 1st team regular Eddie Robinson, who for Clark's money "is the most under-rated D-man in the league". "I wish them both well at Dallas, I would have preferred to deal them out of the West but Davis is a player we really wanted so I guess that's the price you have to pay".

The session started well with a 2-0 win over Basement boys - the Metros. SGR returned to haunt his former employers once again with a clinical brace. The league was hard-hit by international call-ups and SJ was no exception - losing 4 players from the game "It's ********" said Clark "We can't do our jobs with call ups like this. I've another 4 youngsters flying out tomorrow two. That's 8 of 23 players on my roster unavailable at once. The Commish has to do something about this, it's not acceptable".

The following three games all ended in draws 1-1 with Chicago, 2-2 with Kansas and 0-0 with LA. The Fire game was on the road and all said and done was a fair reflection of a tight game. The Quakes were powerless to stop Razov scoring an equalizer after Richard Mulrooney had struck home a sweet opener. Mulrooney later went from hero to villian as he was red-carded for a second bookable offence. The 10 man 'Quakes held on for a good road point. (Razov's season would be cruelly ended shortly thereafter....ligament surgery putting the sniper out for 5 months are seriously denting the Fire's MLS credentials in the process).

The KC game was an entirely different matter. SJ exploded out of the gates and were quickly 2-0 to the good and truly bossing affairs. Chance after chance was created by a flowing and cohesive SJ team that looked the real deal. Midway through the 1st half Richie Williams was dismissed for KC and the points looked in the bag. But Willy (Et) had other ideas. He pulled off his hapless strikers and brough on fresh legs, including those belonging to Josh Wolff. The striker again scored against the team that signed him in the summer - he scored twice infact- as KC bagged 2 goals on 3 shots. They hadn't even mustered a shot till the last 10 minutes. And so KC had performed a miraculous escape. "There will be reprecussions" said Clark..."I'm not standing for that kind of capilulation, not from one of my teams. Some of these players took this result for granted after our good start and their red card. I'll see they don't do it again".

The LA game was crucial for Clark as he tried to get back to winning ways (the KC draw felt every bit like a defeat). Sj were at home to the Western Conference leaders and Clark threw everything at the Galaxy who showed exactly why they had the stingiest defence in the league (just 8 goals through 18 games). Despite holding the LA team to just one (off target) shot and mustering more than a dozen good chances of their own, game MVP Kevin Hartman showed why he is currently the top keeper in this year's MLS.

After completing yet another deal with the Metrostars (swapping recently acquired back up Henry Ring and a pick for Johnny Walker) the final game of the session saw a road trip to struggling Colorado. The Rapids' manager, Greg, had just left on a short vacation and so it was left up to the AssMan to take on the Quakes. And Colorado certainly started the brighter and went up early courtesy of a Zizi Roberts goal. It was still 1-0 at the half before SJ came storming back and eventually the Californians ran out comfortable 4-1 winners. SGR had another brace, taking his season's total to 17 and was ablely supported by Pezzarossi (who now has 8 himself).

Goals continue to be a stength for SJ as they lead the league in goals scored and are second in GD with +14. However, secondary scoring is still an issue with only SGR, Pezz and Ramirez having scored at least 4 goals. Only 8 outfield players (of 26 who have played for the team) on the SJ roster have made it onto the scoresheet all season.

FSC reports Clark has been busy scouting in South America and roumers are rife of a bosman signing. "We've secured the services of a 22y/o Uruguay international. He's going to be a phenomenon in this league for years to come. We're very happy". "A name? Yeah, we know his name and we'll let you in on the secret when we hold our press conference. It wont be for a while as he's not joining us until the 2005 season".

"We're always looking to improve the side and I have scouts in Europe right now trying to find a bargain. Money doesn't grow on trees, not in MLS anyways, so we've got to be as fiscally responsible as we can. I'm running the player budget 20% below cap to try and save some money to buy a player or two. But, particularly in a struggling market like SJ, it can be tough. If we can get a bosman it would really help. Of course, there's always the draft coming up and we've got a lot of picks. Too many probably, so if any of the other managers would like to make a deal please let me know."

[retired_mallory08]

IT HAS BEEN AN UP AND DOWN SEASON

"Since rookie manager Ricky Lung took over the coaching helm of the Metros, the performance of the club has been ups and downs so far, they cannot find any consistency in their game, people cannot predict what kind of a team will show up in a given night."

"They have been finding the shooting touch from their forward and their defensive intensity at the back. They are last in the league in points and goal conceded. Of couse, the sub-par performance of their number one goalkeeper Jonny Walker has a lot to do it. Walker had quite a few games this season that he conceded as many goals as the opponent had shot on target."

"Last week, Coach Lung finally decided that Walker's days in a metros uniform is over. Henry Ring from San Jose will be his replacement for the rest of the season. The Metros also got a 4th rounder in the GK swap."

"As far as goal scored concern, they socred 16 goals in 18 games, which give them 3rd in the East, but 3 players (Guevara, Gaven, Ching) combine for 13 of those 16, Gaven socred only once since his 4-goals performance against Kansas earlier in the season."

"For the mid-season classic, the East-West all star game that just past last week, the Metros had 3 players on the East squad (Guevara, Agoos, and Ching), Guevara weared the captain badge for the East and played the whole game, Ching came on at the 71st minute and scored a goal later, while Agoos didn't play in the game. The East lost 5-3 to the West."

"With only 12 games to go, the Metros played one more game and are 5 points behind NE. If they will have any shot at the playoff, they have to do exceptionally well for the remaining games."

Here is recap of their past five games:

VS CHI
Coach Lung left the game at the beginning of the contest due to some personal reason, the assistant manager coached the rest of the game. The away team Chicago came away with a 1-0 win behind Razov's goal at the 71st minute.

@ SJ
The Metros carried their poor form to San Jose, they lost 2-0. Former Metros, SGR, socred one in each half.

VS FC Dallas
The Metros took an early lead when Ching socred a pair, but Dallas faught back, Eddie Johnson scored twice and tie the game before the half. The Metros were down to ten men when Vaca was sent off at the 57th mark. Dallas socred two more and ended with a 4-2 victory.

@ NE
The Metros continue their downhill form, they lost 2-0.

@ DC
The team seems to show up in the last game of every session, they have won the last two of the first session, they also won the last game of the last 2 sessions. We played four session so far. In this one, Guevara socred a free kick early in the game, and the defense took over with a decent performance, 1-0 was the finally socre. Henry Ring made his Metros Debut with a cleansheet. This is the first shutout for the team this season if I remember correctly.

[retired_mallory08]

RAZOV EXTINGUISHED

The Fire's recent results have been indicative of the boys' true spirit, yet it has come at the cost of Ante Razov who has been sidelined for 5 months with a torn groin muscle. Initially, Grom began to look for answers at the bottom of a crate of assorted Belle-Vue beverages :wink:. After much thought, and even more beer, Grom issues the following statement which is translated below.

"The team will step up and I will demand more commitment to the team and work rate. Ralph and Herrón will need to collectively fill Ante's void and they will now have the chance to prove their worth to the team and stake a claim for a first team spot."

In other news the Chicago Fire heralded that they had come to a pre-contract agreement with Norweigan International Brede Paulsen Hangeland. He's had 9 full caps for his country and will join us once his current deal at Viking expires in December. He will be a versatile player for us providing depth in the centre of defense and cover in the midfield.

[retired_mallory08]

United Crashes Back Down To Earth

The good start for united saw them leading the Eastern Conference. But as the manager stressed, the squad still had many flaws. Injury to striker Oktay Derelioglu was enough to show these flaws as United started to look weak in attack finding it difficult to score without the Turkish ex-international in the lineup.

United first visited Kansas City and got off to a flying start tahnks to a Thiago Martins goal 15 minutes into the match. Pulling back in the second half, United allowed Kansas City more room on the ball and paid for it due to a Preki goal 6 minutes after the half. United pushed forward but just could not manage the winner.

Los Angeles' visit to D.C. was another disappointing match for United as the first goal of the match came due to a dodgy penalty kick call. Brandon Prideux was the culprit. Cobi Jones did not fail from the spot on the 80th minute and United offense never looked to trouble the LA defense all match long.

Bad became worse for United in their visit to Columbus as they were soundly beaten by goals from Brian Maisonneuve and Jeff Cunningham. Once again the United offense just could not create anything up front and the defense that held the team together, started to crumble.

United visited Chicago next in a nerve wrecking contest. United sat back to catch Chicago napping. A Mike Petke aerial challenge in the box handed Chicago the perfect opportunity to go ahead but Ante Razov missed from the penalty spot much to the displeasure of the Chicago manager. Two minutes later Razov was stretchered off for an injury that will keep him sidelined for about to 4 months. Before the half, a long shot by Carlos Fernando Figueroa found the back of the net with United's first shot on goal. United looked to shut Chicago down and pick up a much needed victory but an extra time giveaway by substitute Freddy Adu in midfield set up a long shot by Damani Raplh and got the equalizer for Chicago.

The all star game was once again a festive event as United were well represented with Nick Rimando, Leonardo Gonzalez, Mike Petke, Ben Olsen, Freddy Adu (no idea how this happened - he hasn't started a single match this season), Carlos Fernando Figueroa and Oktay Derelioglu were all selected as starters for the match. Georgi Gakhokidze also came off the bench in the second half while Oktay Derelioglu picked up a goal in the East All Stars' losing effort.

For the cup match against Milwaukee, United assistant manager got the team through after penalty kicks following a 1-1 draw after regulation.

The visit from the MetroStars once again showed the lack of quality up front for D.C. as they failed to score once again this season. An early free kick from Amado Guevara secured the win for MetroStars as Guevara beat Rimando for the second time this season.

Despite the bad patch, United still remain second in the Eastern Conference behind Chicago.

In transfer news, United has agreed a transfer with Colombian Left Winger Ivan Robelto. The 21 year old impressed United scouts during their searches in South America and he looks to be a good pickup for the future. United also picked up Russell Hutchinson a 26 year old right full back. Hutchinson spent the last two seasons at Virginia Beach and he indicated his delight to get a shot in the MLS after years of anonimity. Hutchinson started 3 matches so far and he has impressed under the United manager's system.

[retired_mallory08]

PREPARE FOR NEXT SEASON

"According to reliable sources, Metrostars head coach Ricky Lung has started to think about next season, he said their team will still try to make the playoff, but they are going to plan ahead."

"He is actively looking to make a few deals before this season ends so that they can have all the pieces in the off-season."

"He is willing to listen any reasonable trade offers with other MLS clubs, and he is planning to sign a few free agents."

Coach Lung had put the following players on the trading block:
Craig Ziadie (D/DM RL)(SI)
Jeff Agoos (DC)
Joselito Vaca (AM RC)(TI)
Roger Levesque (SC)
Ronnie Ekelund (MC)(SI)
Seth Stammler (D RLC)