3:0 New York Dallas Altidore Mathis van den Bergh 04.15.07 · League

He is back! Clint Mathis, after three years in the wilderness, is back and, if not better than ever, then at least better than anyone expected. He directed the team for 90 minutes, scored a goal and added an assist, as Metro got their first win of the year in a 3:0 triumph against Dallas. Jozy Altidore had the opening goal and Dave van den Bergh got his first Metro tally in the dying minutes. The game was played in a bitter cold and a torrential downpour in front of very few, but very brave, fans.

With Claudio Reyna not fully recovered from his collision with Dane Richards, Bruce Arena switched Metro to a 4-5-1 with Mathis taking Reyna's spot in central midfield. John Wolyniec was benched and Seth Stammler moved to the middle to partner Dema Kovalenko behind Mathis. Jeff Parke made his nascent appearance as the league's first #60 in the middle, with the other change being the insertion of Hunter Freeman at right back for the benched Marvell Wynne.

Metro started fast and furious, and their efforts paid off in the 18th minute, as Mathis placed a corner kick directly at Altidore's head at the near post, and the young forward redirected it for the team's first goal of the year. In the 34th minute, it was Clint time, but not before a great give-and-go between Richards and Kovalenko. A terrific great subtle flicker by Altidore left Mathis all alone, and he slammed home his first Metro goal in over three years. The goal was Clint's 40th all-time, moving him one above Amado Guevara and just four behind Giovanni Savarese on the franchise's leaderboard. Late in the half, van den Bergh almost had one himself, but his short-distance blast went over the bar.

At half, Metro was forced to make a change in goal as Ronald Waterreus had to be replaced by Jon Conway after suffering from what was described was as the shakes. But with Metro defense playing spectacularly, neither keeper had much to say about the game; Conway did thwart Dallas' best attack after coming out and knocking the ball out from an onrushing attacker.

Altidore almost got his second midway through the second half, but was stopped on his breakaway. Then the exclamation point was provided by van den Bergh in stoppage time, as he blasted home a rebound from a Shaka Hislop save of a Richards shot.

Lineup: Waterreus, Dunivant, Mendes, Parke, Freeman, Kovalenko, Stammler, van den Bergh, Richards, Mathis, Altidore. Subs: Conway.