Mutiny's pride on line vs. Uruguay Soccer Club

By RODNEY PAGE

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 14, 2000

Tonight's U.S. Open Cup match between the Mutiny and Uruguay Soccer Club of the U.S. Amateur Soccer Association is best described as a lose-lose situation for Tampa Bay.

If the Mutiny wins the game, at 7:30 at the University of South Florida Soccer Stadium, it was supposed to beat an amateur side. If the Mutiny loses, it could be the most embarrassing loss in the team's five years.

The latter is not lost on the Mutiny. Despite a few injuries, expect Tampa Bay to field its "A" team against the Region III Men's Open Cup champions from Fort Lauderdale. Carlos Valderrama, Mamadou Diallo and Steve Ralston are expected to be in the lineup.

"We still have to put a good enough squad together to win the game," coach Tim Hankinson said. "We don't want to risk the result. But (tonight's) game will probably involve two or three guys that did not start against New York (on Friday). I wouldn't say there'd be much more than that."

Uruguay Soccer Club defeated the Professional Development League's Central Florida Kraze 2-1 on June 5 to advance to the round of 32. New England coach Fernando Clavijo, a member of the 1994 U.S. World Cup team, played for Uruguay during the winter and is eligible to play tonight, though he won't.

"(Uruguay Soccer Club has) very good players," Clavijo said. "But I think at the end of the day, they don't have enough to beat Tampa."

All 12 Major League Soccer teams automatically advanced to the second round of the tournament, the oldest soccer cup in the United States. The Mutiny is the third seed in the East bracket.

The winner of the tournament receives $100,000, and the runner-up earns $50,000. The Rochester Rhinos of the A-League defeated the MLS' Colorado Rapids for last year's championship.

The Mutiny is 4-4 since 1996 in U.S. Cup games. Last year it advanced to the final eight before losing to Colorado 1-0.

If the Mutiny wins, it will play the winner of the MetroStars/Wilmington game July 25 at a site to be determined. The final match is Oct. 22, also at an undetermined site.

Tickets for tonight's game are $10 for general admission and $5 for season ticket holders who show their club cards.

LIGHTS OUT: Saturday's game between Kansas City and D.C. United was postponed at halftime because of a power outage at RFK Stadium. After a 63-minute delay, the crowd of 21,035 was sent home and the game declared a 0-0 draw when power could not be restored.

United general manager Kevin Payne said the team could lose $300,000 in revenue, and he is petitioning the league to have the game rescheduled. MLS rules state that a game is complete after 45 minutes. The scoreless first half was played in late afternoon sunlight, but when a bank of floodlights wouldn't work, the game was canceled.

LEAGUE LEADERS: Valderrama is the league leader in assists with 13, four ahead of Kansas City's Preki. Ralston is tied for third with eight assists. Diallo is second overall in scoring with 24 points. Goalkeeper Scott Garlick leads the league with 67 saves in 14 games.

INJURY UPDATE: Defender Chad McCarty is day-to-day with a hip flexor sustained early in Friday's match. He should be ready by Saturday night. Midfielder Dominic Kinnear is probable with a left abductor strain. Goalkeeper Andy Kirk is doubtful with a right thumb ligament strain. If he is unable to back up Garlick, Matt Nyman will travel as the reserve keeper.

© St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.

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