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Everybody Mark Chung tonight Metros top Chicago, force game three in semifinal series
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- Mike Ammann dreamt Friday night that he returned to the New York-New Jersey goal and helped the MetroStars to victory. Ammann turned that dream to reality Saturday as the MetroStars' regular goalkeeper returned to action for the first time since Aug. 16, when he suffered three broken ribs and a punctured lung when he was kicked by Tampa Bay's Mamadou Diallo. Ammann made three saves, all in the final 13 minutes. More importantly, he seemed to provide an emotional lift to his teammates. The MetroStars evened their semifinal Major League Soccer playoff series with Chicago at 1-1 and three points each with a 2-0 win over the Fire. "Mike was excellent," said MetroStars coach Octavio Zambrano, who called his team "heartless" after a 3-0 loss to the Fire in Chicago in the series' first game. "We had all but written him off (after the injury), but he gave us a big emotional lift. We pondered playing him, but we obviously made the right decision." Ammann admitted he hoped his return would give his teammates an emotional boost. "It took a while to get into the flow of things because I didn't have much to do in the first half," Ammann said. "But the longer I played the more comfortable I got and I tried to stay focused." Ammann's first real test came in the 71st minute when he had to charge off his line and dive to take a through pass off the boot of Diego Gutierrez from 10 feet in front of the goal. In the 77th minute, he held his ground and tipped a hard shot by Ante Razov over the bar. "Mike was huge back there," said Mark Chung, who had the MetroStars' first goal in the 40th minute. "He really organized the defense and picked the whole team up." After dominating the MetroStars in Chicago, the Fire was on its heals from the early minutes. The series returns to Chicago on Friday for a third and deciding match. "They played with a lot of emotion and intensity," said Fire coach Bob Bradley when asked about the MetroStars. "They beat us to the punch. We got behind, took some risks in the second half and Ammann made some big saves." The Fire was 13-2-1 at home during the regular season and haven't lost a match since mid May. The MetroStars took the play to Chicago, outshooting the Fire 8-4 in the first half while committing 13 fouls to the Fire's nine. Referee Ricardo Valenzuela tried to keep control of the physical match, issuing five yellow cards in the first half, including three to the Metros. The home team's determination paid dividends in the 40th minute when it took a 1-0 lead on Chung's unassisted goal. Alex Comas started the play by carrying the ball down the right side and crossing into the box. Chung, at the top of the box on the left, volleyed the cross onto goal. But his initial shot rebounded off Valencia and bounced right back to Chung, who beat Chicago goalkeeper Zach Thornton to the far post with his second shot.
The MetroStars added an insurance goal in the 84th minute on a counterattack when Clint Mathis fed Valencia, whose low shot from the right was tipped off Thornton's fingertips and into the net.
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