MORENO RETURNS UNITED TO GLORY BOLIVIAN LEADS D.C. IN QUEST FOR FOURTH MLS TITLE.Byline: Fred J. Robledo Staff Writer CARSON - One year in the Big Apple nearly ended Jaime Moreno's career. The Bolivian forward suffered a career-threatening back injury in his first season with the MetroStars, and this time last year wasn't thinking about Major League Soccer championships. ``I was only worried about recovering and getting a job,'' said Moreno, who underwent surgery last year. ``I was lucky to do that.'' That job was back with D.C. United D.C. United is a professional soccer club located in Washington, D.C. that participates in Major League Soccer. The club's official nickname is the "Black-and-Red" and home uniforms are black and white with accents of red. The team's name refers to Washington, D.C. , with which Moreno spent his first seven seasons, winning three championships in the league's first four year. Moreno scored and was the MLS Cup The MLS Cup is the final game of the Major League Soccer postseason, officially recognized as the championship of the league. The trophy is called the Alan I. Rothenberg Trophy, after the founding chairman of MLS. MVP (Multimedia Video Processor) A high-speed DSP chip from Texas Instruments, introduced in 1994. Officially introduced as the TMS320C80, it combines RISC technology with the functionality of four DSPs on one chip. in the 2-1 victory over Colorado in 1997, and scored again in the 2-0 victory over the Galaxy to claim the 1999 prize. Now he has a chance to win another title when D.C. United faces the Kansas City Kansas City, two adjacent cities of the same name, one (1990 pop. 149,767), seat of Wyandotte co., NE Kansas (inc. 1859), the other (1990 pop. 435,146), Clay, Jackson, and Platte counties, NW Mo. (inc. 1850). Wizards in today's MLS Cup 2004 final at Home Depot The Home Depot (NYSE: HD) is an American retailer of home improvement and construction products and services. Headquartered in Vinings, just outside Atlanta in unincorporated Cobb County, Georgia, Home Depot employs more than 355,000 people and operates 2,164 big-box Center. ``It would be special because of what I've been through,'' Moreno said. ``But we have to win it, or we'll be just like the other nine teams (not in the final).'' Moreno's return to D.C. has been much more than a comeback. He was a finalist as league MVP after leading United in scoring (seven goals, 14 assists). And United, which appeared in the first four MLS Cup finals, then quickly sank to the bottom of the MLS See multilevel security. , has returned to glory following four poor seasons. ``Our biggest chore is to keep an eye on to watch. - Shak. See also: Eye him,'' Kansas City Wizards defender Jimmy Conrad said, ``and make sure we have (a teammate) close enough so he can't run at us.'' Moreno and his supporting cast - including Alecko Eskandarian, Earnie Stewart, Ben Olsen and Dema Kovalenko - likely will find it difficult penetrating the Wizards' suffocating suf·fo·cate v. suf·fo·cat·ed, suf·fo·cat·ing, suf·fo·cates v.tr. 1. To kill or destroy by preventing access of air or oxygen. 2. To impair the respiration of; asphyxiate. 3. backline backline the upper outline of the body's silhouette viewed from the side. and central midfield. The Wizards had the league's stingiest defense, allowing only 30 goals and posting 12 shutouts - and another five in other competitions. Anchoring the backline are Conrad and Nick Garcia. ``It starts with Diego (Gutierrez) and Kerry (Zavagnin) plugging the passing lanes, and Nick and I just make it real tough to beat us,'' said Conrad, a former UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX standout. ``We always say that if we're going to give up a goal, it's going to be the greatest goal you've ever seen.'' The ninth MLS final contains a myriad of storylines. Will United's 15-year-old phenom Freddy Adu make an impact? Will Wizards goalkeeper Tony Meola, who hasn't played since August because of a torn calf muscle, start over Bo Oshoniyi, who has performed well in Meola's absence? Will Peter Nowak, who led the Chicago Fire to the 1998 MLS title in his first season in the league, guide D.C. to the championship in his first year as a head coach? The teams split 1-0 victories during the regular season, so the team that scores first will have an edge. ``I've said all year that scoring the first goal is the most important thing,'' Wizards forward Josh Wolff said. ``In our last two games, against San Jose and L.A. at home, once we got the first goal, the game changed, and we were able to lock them down. ``In these finals, it's especially important, because if you have to play catch-up, you might expose yourself to a number of other problems.'' Fred Robledo, (626) 962-8811 fred.robledo(at)sgvn.com CAPTION(S): photo, box Photo: Jaime Moreno returned to D.C. United this season and led the club to its fourth MLS Cup appearance. Chris Carlson/Associated Press Box: MLS CUP 2004 |
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