OF? Predictions for the rest of the season Page | of 4 Homepage + News © Money + Life + Sports + Weather + Marketploce Reais | Pri flor Company, 4% Major League Soccer Gear.com ——_o7nsoo-Vpitetos24 Pet eae ea BUYandHOLD ““meirraey Predictions for the rest of the season Career Center 10008 of jobs! By Beau Dure, USATODAY.com Search Forget the preseason analysis. Toss it in the same bin with the © weste © ewer _ billions of tickets that didn't have the winning Powerball numbers. ® hose of us who dared to make predictions on TT? > Sa this season would have had better luck sailing S$ #UE9. in The Perfect Storm, (The MLS standings ‘Talk about the MLS indeed appear as if'a giant wave has tured season everything upside down.) Two of the three best Fee nde% scams in MLS 2000 finished last season farther behind than a sumo wrestler in an Olympic marathon, The MetroStars were taken to the garage and rebuilt in late spring. Kansas City has been slowed only inside mig PY # E40 2000 call-up (Denmark's pride, Miklos Molnar) arses Now were ready to tear up those preseason picks and start es ‘Leaders Here's what will happen in MLS the rest of the way Rosters Schedules July 15: D.C. United, which is missing 13 players through national TV schedule — team call-ups, injuries, suspensions and miscellaneous brooding, will ‘Sagarin ratings ¢ il uPSctanaings Pek promotion in which one lucky fan will be selected to play right Soccer front page Inside Sports July 22: Erie Wynalda makes his retum to San Jose, where he once ak ie Me beat keeper Jeff Causey for the first goal in MLS history. Inspired by the memory, he will drill three goals past Causey, forgetting that he and the keeper now play for New England. Aug. 2: The lucky fan picked to play for United will score three goals to end the MetroStars' unbeaten streak. Lothar Matthius, hearing the news while receiving treatment for a mild ankle sprain in St. Croix, will rip his teammates’ commitment to winning, ‘Aug. 5: Los Angeles will move into first place in the West with a 4-3 win at Kansas City. Cobi Jones will immediately demand $10 http://www. usatoday.com/sports/soccer/dure20.htm 8/20/00KCLS 2 Bikiétions for the rest of the season Page 2 of 4 Goit Soccer Horse racing WNBA Auto racing Tennis Boxing Preps Olympics Transacti Vegas Odds Print Edition Gry oo BARNESC-NOBLE Resources E-mail ‘Site map Feedback About us Jobs at USA ‘TODAY Free premiums USA TODAY Update mulhon tor the next four years. Aug. 12: D.C. United will win its fourth straight game behind another stellar performance by the "lucky fan." Fans around the league will complain that United has once again received preferential treatment, United will shrug off the accusations before trading a 2004 fourth-round pick to Miami for Roy Lassiter Aug. 16: The MetroStars will hold Tampa Bay scoreless in a 1-0 game ranked as one of the classics in the league's brief history. The German press will give full credit to Lothar Matthius for inspiring the team while receiving treatment for sunburn at a clinic in Sweden, Aug. 18: Miami will learn of an unexpected Olympic call-up as jego Serna is chosen to represent Colombia in diving. Coach Ray ‘Hudson's response: "Well, e's a good lad, but they're out of their wee little minds! The lad lands on his belly every time!” Sept. 9: D.C. United's dramatic run to the playoffs will end in tragedy, as the "lucky fan" suffers a career-ending injury during a bizarre sequence resulting in United's league-leading 18th own goal Oct, 22: The MetroStars will defeat the A-League's Minnesota ‘Thunder to win the U.S. Open Cup, completing the double a week afier winning the MLS Cup, Lothar Matthius will dash back from emergency tattoo-removal surgery in Tahiti to lift the Cup, whereupon his teammates will wrap him in adhesive tape and dump Powerade over his head On the calendar (Unless otherwise noted, home teams are listed first): LAST WEEK MLS playoff race July 6: FIFA picks host for 2006 St oe ae World Cup. For once, a prediction : made in this column was correct: The Los Anaees ae 37 8 bidding process was ripe for ‘Metrentars a conspiracy theorists. Somewhere in TampaBay* = 20 339 the Pacific Ocean is adistressed _Chiengo an 3 8 soccer bureaucrat who abstained from Colorado nw 7 the vote despite his confederation's Dallas 2m 6 apparent desire to back South Africa. New England 19.264 That decision gave Germany a 12-11 Miami 20 28 6 edge Columbus 21s 6 San Jose 21 2s July 7:US. women 4,ttaly1.A pe united = 22-17 team of youngsters did well against key. GP: Games played (out of the world’ ninth-ranked team. 532), Pus Points, LS: Points in last hitp://www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/dure20.htm 8/20/00AN@=P/2ARtions for the rest of the season Page 3 of 4 July 8: MLS All-Star balloting ends. The starters will be announced July 20; the reserves will be named July 24. July 9: Copa Brasil final, second leg. Cruzeiro defeats Sao Paulo 2- 1 July 9: River Plate clinches another league title in Argentina. July 8: World Cup qualifying, Africa. On a weekend in which a tragedy in the stands overshadowed play, Liberia pulled a shocking 2- 1 upset over Nigeria, which won the 1996 Olympic title and has looked terrific in the last two World Cups. Only one spot is available in this group, and Ghana has started well. UPCOMING This week's MLS games July 12: Champions League, (ail 1imes Eastern) Europe. The first leg of the first ‘qualifying round begins, pitting Wednesday the best of the Faroe Islands, Wales, Estonia and Ireland against tampa Bay at D.C."United, each other. The second feg is July 7:30 pim.: The three-time 19. Things get interesting July 26, champions now need a miracle when the second round starts and ‘New England at Columbus, teams such as Rangers (Scotland) 7:30 pm. "Revolution is, and Anderlecht (Belgium) get indeed a better description of involved. Eric Wynalda's carer than "Fusion." The of-injured, of pouting forward has been traded July 13: Chivas (Mexico) at totieiReve Chicago (moved from the 12th), ‘Saturday: July 16: U.S. Women vs. Norway in Germany. ‘+ MetroStars at New England, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN): You can't July 16: World Cup qual ‘op the MetroStars; you can CONCACAF: Guatemala oer y ete United States, Barbados vs. Costa * Kansas City Coltmbus, Rica, Panama vs. Mexico, St rey izatds ae 9-1-1 with Miklos Vincent/Grenadines vs. Jamaica, Molnar and 2-2-4 without him El Salvador vs. Honduras, Canada ‘The Danish striker is listed as vs, Trinidad & Tobago. probable # Dallas at Miami, 7:30 p.m: In July 18: Chivas (Mexico) at the ee at Fusion o obtained hard-nosed (some a ‘would say hard-footed) Ivan , McKinley. Nota bad deal in the July 18: World Cup qualifiers, las. South America: Uruguay vs. ‘+ Tampa Bay at Chicago, 8 p.m. Venezuela, Paraguay vs. Brazil (ESPN2): The lead in the brutal http:/www-usatoday.com/sports/soccer/dure20. htm 8/20/00REE MANTA for the rest of the season Page 4 of 4 Central is at stake, July 19: World Cup qualifiers, ‘* Colorado at San Jose, 10 p.m. South America: Bolivia vs. Chile, Tust when {swear L wont watch ‘Argentina vs. Ecuador, Peru vs the Quakes again, Joe Cannon Colombia makes 12 saves, andthe team is in better shape © D.C. United at Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m.: United wont play ‘another league game until Aug. 2 July 19: U.S. Women vs. China in Germany, July 21-29: CONCACAF Futsal tournament, Costa Rica. Think of futsal as indoor soccer for purists; it more closely resembles the ‘outdoor game than the hockey-ized version played commonly in the USA. Two teams advance to World Championships. The USA won this tournament in 1996 and has finished as high as second in worlds (1992). USATODAY.com's Beau Dure can be contacted at bkdure@usatoday.com. You can find his past columns at http: -www.usatoday. com sports’ soccer bdpast.htm. — 3 Front page, News, Sorts, Money, Life, Weather, Marketpace Hd j {© Copyright 2000 USA TODAY, a dision of Gannet Co, ine http://www usatoday.com/sports/soccer/dure20.htm 8/20/00