SHORTHANDED RAPIDS BATTLE BACK FOR LATE 1-0 WIN OVER METROSTARS

Carrieri Goal Offsets Mastroeni Ejection to Stop Losing Slide

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - An 88th minute goal from forward Chris Carrieri led the 10-man Colorado Rapids to a 1-0 victory against the MetroStars at Giants Stadium Wednesday night. The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Rapids, who prevailed despite the 32nd minute ejection of midfielder Pablo Mastroeni.

A late through ball from midfielder Carlos Valderrama led to the winning tally, as Carrieri outraced MetroStars defender Mike Petke into the box before slotting a low right-footed shot past charging Metros goalkeeper Tim Howard. The tally snapped Howard's streak of 348 consecutive minutes played without conceding a goal.

After controlling much of the first half, things looked even more promising for the home team when Mastroeni was dismissed from the game for a challenge on MetroStars midfielder Andy Williams. The match marked short-lived return to MLS play for Mastroeni following his standout performance with the U.S. National Team at the World Cup in Korea/Japan.

Despite taking an 11-4 advantage in shots into halftime, the MetroStars were unable to exploit their man-advantage in the second half. Colorado defenders Robin Fraser, Rick Titus and Jeff Stewart repeatedly ran down long passes and intercepted crosses intended for MetroStars' strikers Mamadou Diallo and Rodrigo Faria.

When his team unable to put the game away against their shorthanded opponent, MetroStars Head Coach Octavio Zambrano attempted to insert U.S. World Cup Team striker Clint Mathis into the game as the match reached the hour mark. Mathis however was denied entry into the match because his name was mistakenly left off the official lineup card thus delaying his potential return to MLS play until this weekend.

The MetroStars (5-6-2, 17pts) were denied in their bid to become the first team in MLS to post a three-game winning streak this season, in the process also losing a chance to overtake the Columbus Crew for first place in the Eastern Conference. Zambrano and company return to action on Saturday as they travel up I-95 to face Eastern Conference rival New England at CMGI Field in a game nationally televised on ESPN2 (4:00 p.m. ET).

The win was especially sweet for the Rapids, who in addition to Mastroeni's send off also played without starting forward John Spencer and regular goalkeeper Scott Garlick. Colorado (7-7-1, 22pts) will next play on Thursday, July 4, when they host the Chicago Fire at INVESCO Field (9:00 p.m. ET).

                   	1     2     F
COLORADO RAPIDS    	0     1     1
METROSTARS         	0     0     0

Scoring Summary:
COL--Carrieri (Valderrama) 88
	
COLORADO RAPIDS--David Kramer, Jeff Stewart, Rick Titus, Robin Fraser,
Ritchie Kotschau, Pablo Mastroeni, Wes Hart, Kyle Beckerman (Zach Kingsley
63), Mark Chung, Chris Henderson (Chris Carrieri 73), Carlos Valderrama

TOTAL SHOTS: 11 (Carrieri 2, Kingsley 2, Henderson 2); SHOTS ON GOAL: 4
(Kingsley 2); FOULS: 22 (Hart 6); OFFSIDE: 4; CORNER KICKS: 6; SAVES: Kramer
7; CAUTIONS: Kotschau 25; EJECTIONS: Mastroeni 32; POSSESSION PERCENTAGE:
47%

METROSTARS--Tim Howard, Craig Ziadie, Mike Petke, Steve Jolley, Ted
Chronopoulos, Jeff Moore, Ross Paule (Brad Davis 64), Tab Ramos, Andy
Williams (Byron Alvarez 73), Rodrigo Faria, Mamadou Diallo
TOTAL SHOTS: 18 (Faria 7); SHOTS ON GOAL: 8 (Faria 5); FOULS: 8 (Faria 4);
OFFSIDE: 9; CORNER KICKS: 11; SAVES: Howard 2; CAUTIONS: none; EJECTIONS:
none; POSSESSION PERCENTAGE: 53%

Referee: Ricardo Salazar; Assistant Referees: Greg Barkey, Richard Eddy
Attendance: 12,008; Weather: Cloudy, humid, 79 degrees

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