Sunday, March 24, 2002
Fire 2, Columbus 0
COLUMBUS -- Columbus defender Chad McCarty scored an own goal and Josh Wolff added a late goal for Chicago in the season opener. McCarty was sliding to intercept a dipping cross by Peter Nowak and inadvertently kicked it past Crew goalkeeper Tom Presthus to give the Fire a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute. Nowak has four goals and four assists in 13 games against Columbus. Chicago made it 2-0 in the 70th minute on a quick counter attack. Jesse Marsh sent a long pass to Ante Razov down the left wing past the Columbus defense. Razov then sent a centering pass to Josh Wolff, who slid a shot past Presthus' outstretched fingers. Columbus was shut out only once last season, June 9 game at Chicago. Zach Thornton got his third shutout against the Crew without having to make a save. The Crew had several chances to score even though they had no shots on goal. One of the Crew's best chances came in the 29th minute when forward Brian McBride was left unmarked but headed a cross wide left. A minute later Mike Clark shot the ball over the goal from seven yards out. In the 32 minute Jeff Cunningham was called for a hand ball with Thornton to beat. Brian Maisonneuve also missed an opportunity in the 60th minute when he tapped the ball just wide of the goal. Chicago leads the all-time series 9-3-1 and is 4-1-1 in Crew Stadium.
MetroStars 3, Revolution 1
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- New England defender Carlos Llamosa headed a ball into his own net in the 72nd minute for the go-ahead goal as New York-New Jersey beat the Revolution. Rodrigo Faria and Clint Mathis also scored, and newcomer Diego Serna had two assists on the blustery night at Giants Stadium, where 25 mph wind made the temperature feel like 34 degrees. Alex Pineda Chacon scored for New England.
Earthquakes 2, Burn 0
DALLAS -- Dwayne DeRosario scored off a rebound early in the first half to lead San Jose. Landon Donovan added a goal in the 46th minute. San Jose's defenders set the tempo, limiting the Burn to only one shot on goal in the first 65 minutes. The Earthquakes had five shots on goal during that time.
Rapids 1, Wizards 1
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Midfielder Chris Brown scored on a header late in the second half for Kansas City. Brown narrowly missed on another header in the 6th minute of overtime. Colorado midfielder Chris Henderson against his former team in the 16th minute, off an assist from John Spencer.
-- Associated Press