From Boston Globe:
Stars are in their sights

Noonan, Joseph primed for today

By Frank Dell'Apa, Globe Staff  |  April 25, 2004

FOXBOROUGH -- Shalrie Joseph has special motivation for competing
against the MetroStars. The Revolution have special motivation for
having Pat Noonan compete against the MetroStars.

Joseph has been recovering from a broken nose, and he plans to return
to the starting lineup for the Revolution against the MetroStars today
at Giants Stadium. Noonan, who scored nine goals in seven games against
the MetroStars last season, will return to a striker position after
playing on the left wing in the first two games of the season.

"This is like a second homecoming for me and I definitely want to
play," said Joseph, who moved to Brooklyn from Grenada in the early
1990s and had a tryout with the MetroStars. "We have been struggling
the last two games, and the last game [a 3-1 loss to San Jose] was
tough to watch because I wanted to help. Our biggest problems were
organization and communicating as a team. We struggled with doing those
things as a team."

Joseph, who was injured in an April 9 scrimmage, has been wearing a
protective mask in practice.

"I am about 85-90 percent," Joseph said. "The only thing to worry about
is getting hit in the face. That is the concern of the doctors. But
that is part of the game and it's not something I am worried about.

"Breathing is tough. It was like learning to breathe again, or learning
to walk again, for the first two days. Now, it's much better."

Joseph, who turns 26 next month, is among the lowest-paid players in
Major League Soccer, and it would be understandable should he prefer to
heal completely before returning to competition.

"I am not going to worry about my salary," Joseph said. "Joe Franchino
is our captain and he is playing hurt, Pepe [Jose Cancela] is
struggling, and we all need to step up. We need to get everyone healthy
and start clicking as a team.

"New York has great guys in the middle and we have been struggling.
They are a good team and we definitely need a win against them."

The absence of Cancela (left calf bruise) means Joe-Max Moore moves to
central midfield, alongside Joseph, with Noonan taking Moore's spot at
forward.

The Revolution scored 16 goals in seven cup, playoff, and
regular-season matches against the MetroStars last season. Noonan
converted his first MLS goal against MetroStars goalkeeper Tim Howard
-- the last goal Howard allowed before transferring to Manchester
United -- in a 3-3 tie July 12. Noonan converted nine times in the last
11 games, from Sept. 7 through the playoff semifinals Nov. 14, earning
a place on the US national team. He also scored in the Revolution's
season opener, a 3-2 loss at Los Angeles April 3.

"Past success doesn't mean anything," said Noonan, who will join the US
for a game against Mexico in Dallas Wednesday. "Hopefully, we can go
and get a result. If [the MetroStars] are watching me, there will be
other problems for them, because Taylor [Twellman] and Joe-Max are
healthy. I don't think they will focus on me, they will just play like
they normally do. Nobody knows what our lineup is going to be, so they
really can't prepare for any one thing." . . .
The MetroStars lost Clint Mathis to the German Bundesliga (Hannover
96), but added three strikers: Sergio Galvan Rey (Argentina), Cornel
Glen (Trinidad & Tobago), and Fabian Taylor (Jamaica). "Every team has
quality strikers," said Revolution coach Steve Nicol, "and we have to
make sure we are solid at the back, stay compact and tight. [The
MetroStars] have generally improved all the way through, from top to
bottom. If you've got that much money, that opportunity, you are bound
to make improvements, and they have made vast improvements, especially
up front."