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03/05/98
Match Preview - New Orleans Storm vs. DC United

Who: New Orleans Storm (A-League, Central Division), vs. DC United (MLS Cup
holders).

What:  Exhibition match.

When: Thursday, March 5, 1998, 7:05pm CST (Rain Date: Friday, March 6, 1998,
7:05pm CST)

Where: Zephyr Field, 6600 Airline Hwy., Metairie.

The champs are in town for a warm-up match against a team of young guys with
lots to prove.  What originally was an obligation on the part of the MLS Cup
holders to play a couple of A-League teams in 1998 has become a useful tool
for a team that has been missing key players throughout training camp and
exhibition season.  This is the first time in over a month that Harkes,
Agoos, and Wegerle will be playing with their club, since the three have
been training and playing with the national team.  Like most of the other
clubs in the league, US participation in the World Cup finals in France this
June means that the national team players will be regularly going off for
practice and friendlies leading up to France.  Success in the MLS in 1998
hinges a great deal on two factors:  the performances of the non-national
team players on each squad, and how well the internationals mesh back in
with their clubs when not with the national team.

For the Storm, there's a lot riding on tonight as well.  New ownership, a
name change, a new playing ground, and a new coach all combine to make the
match something more than one where they have nothing to lose.  Storm
management is hoping that the walk-up sales for this match will equal or
surpass last year's US Open Cup match against the Dallas Burn, where a
little more than 4,000 tickets were sold on matchday.

This match was originally scheduled for tomorrow night (3/6), but DC United
requested that it be moved a day ahead when they had the possibility of
scheduling a friendly against the Columbian national team.  Plans for that
match fell through, so if weather conditions are bad this evening, the
Storm-United match may be delayed until tomorrow evening.

As of right now (1030CST), the weather is wet and nasty, so the pitch will
be soggy even if the match goes off.  These conditions will definitely work
in United's favor, since the Storm played all but one home match last year
on artificial turf, and United is more than used to playing in poor weather.

Probable starters for New Orleans:

The two question marks at the forward positions are there because the Storm
have lost both starting forwards to MLS squads.  Linus Rhode saw some time
last year at forward, and midfielders Gaby Gentile and Ricardo Blanchard
were occasionally moved up, with subs coming into their midfield slots.
Still, Stern John and Mickey Trotman played so many complete games last
season that the bottom line for the Storm is their front attack is currently
a mystery.

The midfield and defense are essentially the same as last season.
Blanchard, Gentile and Rocke all made significant contributions to the
scoring effort in terms of both goals and assists.  Owens is a solid
defensive midfielder, and Brown and Restrepo make for strong support in the
back.  Tom Dutra was injured in the second match last season (broken ankle)
and didn't return until the second-to-last match of the regular season.  He
is now back 100%, but is in many ways an untested aspect of this team.
Backing up Dutra will be Quinn O'Sullivan.  (Russell Payne, who started the
bulk of the season last year, is in Holland for a trial with a Dutch second
division club.)

From the fan perspective, this match should prove to be quite enjoyable.
Storm fans get to see all the new things this team has to offer, and see
some of the best that MLS has to offer in the bargain.  Teams from both
squads will be available for autographs and photos after the match,
maintaining the accessibility to the players the team offered last year.

Miller beer is sponsoring fireworks after the match, something we'll see
several times this season.

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