Metrostars' missing piece?
Ante Razov is good at a lot of things, be it scoring with his left foot or making defenders look foolish. One thing he wasn't good at this week was hiding the happiness with being reunited with his favorite coach, or at hiding the contempt for his most recent former coach.
The newest addition to the MetroStars stood outside his new locker room and glowed when asked to consider being reunited with Bob Bradley, the man who plucked him off the scrap heap in 1998 and turned him into one of the most prolific strikers in MLS history.
Acquired by the Metros for John Wolyniec, Razov is being seen as the missing piece to a potential championship puzzle. That is role that didn't seem likely for him this year before the trade went down.
You couldn't really blame Razov for being happy. He just escaped his own personal hell in Columbus, where Razov clashed with coach Greg Andrulis over what he considered a poorly run team.
Razov's brutal honesty led to what he felt was an unfair benching (according to Razov, he was told his lack of fitness led to the benching). Razov had enough. He asked for a trade and never wore a Crew uniform again.
"It was just a clash of philosophy of how the club should be run, how the players should be treated and trained," said Razov. "I've been part of a lot of championship teams and they haven't had many championship teams and I was brought there to influence that and I think some people felt threatened by that."
"Some people (in Columbus) are in their own little niche and don't want to really to rock the boat and keep things as they are," said Razov. "I don't really operate like that."
After weeks of discussions, the Crew and Metros finally agreed on a trade on Monday. Once the deal, Wolyniec and $100,000 in allocation money for Razov, was announced, Andrulis couldn't resist taking one final, thinly veiled swipe at Razov.
"Wolyniec is also the type of player who will work hard and do the little things and care more about the name on the front of the jersey than the name on the back."
The dig didn't go unnoticed by Razov, who didn't bother hiding his contempt for the reigning MLS coach of the year, who happens to be coaching the last-place team in the East.
"My trophy locker room is pretty full with a lot of medals and championships," said Razov. "I don't know how many (Andrulis) has.
"I think he should be worried about just having a job in the next few weeks," said Razov of Andrulis. "I'll leave it at that."
Try as he might, Razov couldn't help but offer up his own thinly-veiled shots at Andrulis.
"You see the sign of a good coach is how young players improve under them," said Razov, referring to Bradley's success in grooming young players. "You see a lot of young players around the league where they're stagnant and almost going in the other direction. That's a direct reflection of coaching."
With Columbus in the rearview mirror, Razov is now focused on rewarding Bradley for taking another chance on him. In 1998 Bradley, who first met Razov when the forward was trying out for the 1996 U.S. Olympic team, took the advice of then Chicago Fire player Jorge Salcedo and gave Razov a tryout.
After two non-descript seasons with the Los Angeles Galaxy (where he scored one goal in six appearances), Razov was running out of options. He tried out for clubs in Germany and Holland but found no takers.
"He's the one who gave me a chance when I really had no other options," said Razov, who impressed Bradley enough to earn a roster spot and becoming the leading scorer on the Fire's championship team in 1998.
The relationship Razov and Bradley share is easy to see when watching them interact. The trust built in five seasons in Chicago hasn't faded and the last thing Bradley is worried about is Razov having a negative impact in the MetroStars locker room.
"He's learned from players like Peter Nowak and Lubos Kubik how things are supposed to be done," said Bradley. "He's competitive and wants to help make sure that other players understand what has to go into the everyday. He's not afraid to speak up and that's important.
"I've been lucky to be around some players like this. They're essential for a good environment and Ante brings a lot of that to our team."
Razov is hoping that the reunion puts an end to a tumultuous few years since Bradley left the Fire and joined the Metros in 2003. He enjoyed a strong campaign in the Fire's first season without Bradley, helping lead the Fire to the MLS Cup final in 2003, but things were not the same in Chicago.
Despite leading the team in scoring for the fifth time in six seasons, Razov was left waiting for a chance to negotiate an extension on a deal that ended after the 2004 season. No talks ever materialized and when Razov saw his 2004 season cut short by ankle surgery, he knew his days in Chicago were numbered.
Even when the Fire finally approached him about re-signing just before the 2005 season, Razov balked.
"I just felt very disrespected because I've done a lot for that organization," said Razov, who was traded to Columbus for Tony Sanneh before this season. "Don't put off talks with me and then come to me after other options fall through. I'm not some rookie or something.
"When Bob left things started to change (in Chicago)," said Razov. "We still had the best team the next year when Dave took over but I still felt that was a product of Bob's building. It just isn't the same type of club that it was built as."
The 31-year-old striker knows the perception that exists about him in the league. To some, he is the MLS version of Terrell Owens, the marquee player who whined his way out of town. Razov doesn't worry about the image some have of him. He is intent on letting his play do the talking, as it has for most of his 10 seasons in MLS.
"My playing record speaks for itself," said Razov. "I've set some records in this league and played on some championship teams. In six years in Chicago we played three championship games, three MLS Cups and three Open Cups.
"People will always have their perception of somebody and that's just how the world works," said Razov. "What my friends, family, teammates and Bob think is what matters most and they all know the kind of person I am."
If you're a fan of Eastern Conference teams this week is the start of a crucial month. All of the East's best teams square off in the coming weeks meaning that a poorly timed slide could see the gap between playoff qualifiers and bottom feeders could get wider.
Colorado Rapids at Columbus Crew
If there were ever an example of a game that should be pulled from the national television schedule this is it. Two of the worst teams in the league meet in match that has scoreless draw written all over it. Columbus might be happy with a point considering that its best defender, Chad Marshall, is expected to miss the match with a torn finger tendon. Colorado should be able to squeeze out a victory, but the Rapids abysmal road record (0-5-1) makes you wonder just how ugly this game will get. Rapids 0, Crew 0.
New England Revolution at Kansas City Wizards
Think the Wizards hate the MLS schedule-makers? You couldn't blame them after the Wizards were forced to fly cross-country and play the Revs at Gillette Stadium. Kansas City earned a tie then and have a good chance now of handing the Revs their first loss of the season. New England welcomes back Pat Noonan, Clint Dempsey and Steve Ralston from national team duty and you wonder if they'll step right in and play the way they were playing before their departure. Expect them to struggle a bit as the Wizards defense makes things difficult. Wizards 2, Revolution 1.
Real Salt Lake at Los Angeles Galaxy
Landon is back, meaning Steve Sampson can stop worrying about how mediocre his team looks without the national team superstar. The Galaxy are 5-0-2 at home while Real Salt Lake is 0-4-1 on the road, having scored just a single goal in those five matches. That combination doesn't bode well for the reeling expansion team. Galaxy 2, Real Salt Lake 0
San Jose Earthquakes at Chivas USA
San Jose gets it turn to whack at the Chivas piņata, but you wonder if the Earthquakes have the offensive weapons to take advantage of the opportunity. Chivas has been able to put together solid defensive efforts on a handful of occasions and could very well post a shutout. The question is whether the goats will be able to score a goal. We say yes. Chivas 1, San Jose 0
D.C. United at MetroStars
It might sound crazy to say a defending champion is in must-win situation in early June but D.C. needs to be careful heading into its next stretch of games. The champs face the Metros, New England and Chicago and can't afford to lose any more ground in the standings. They are four points behind the Metros for fourth, a margin that jumps to seven with a loss. The MetroStars will trot out their new forward, Ante Razov, who will find the net in his debut. MetroStars 2, D.C. United 1.
FC Dallas at Chicago Fire
If you have looked at the standings in the East and wondered how the Fire are in second place, you are not alone. Chicago has been far from a powerhouse yet the Fire stand just three points behind New England. How? Along with having a game in hand on every team in the East, Chicago has feasted on a weak early schedule.
Of the Fire's six victories this season only one has come against a team with a winning record (the MetroStars, who have beaten them twice since). Yes, it is true that the same can be said for FC Dallas but the Hoops have been far more impressive and consistent. They roll to a convincing victory and the Chicago falls to .500. FC Dallas 3, Fire 1.
Last week's record: 3-2 Ives Galarcep covers MLS for ESPN.com and is also a writer and columnist for the Herald News (NJ). He can be reached at Ivespn79@aol.comGame Previews
Overall record: 25-19
