During their inaugural campaign in 1996, the MetroStars used 36 players. In 12 years since, no other team has come close to matching that record. Metro itself has been averaging 14 new players each year from 1997 to 2007, with the high of 18 in 2002 and 2006. They entered 2008 with 191 players on their roster. So who will be #200?

First, an important explanation: only players who played for Metro in a competitive match count. No preseason games (sorry, Mario Rosas), no friendlies (sorry, Billy Andracki), no reserve matches (sorry, Daniel Garipe). What does count is the Merconorte tournament in 2001, Metro's lone venture into international competition (2004's La Manga Cup was a non-sanctioned pre-season affair). Merconorte is the reason the number is 191, not 190, for Alex Dixon became the 103rd player in Metro history when he debuted against Deportivo Italchacao, yet he never played in a league match. (The other player to debut in Merconorte, Birahim Diop, played four league matches the following season.)

The 50th player in Metro history was Brian Bliss, who made his debut on July 13, 1997 in a 4:1 win over Colorado (Bliss was acquired from Columbus for A.J. Wood). The 100th player was the immortal Cordt Weinstein, a call-up from the Long Island Rough Riders on June 16, 2001, in a 0:0 tie with San Jose. The 150th was Costa Rican Pablo Brenes, a mid-season signing who was one of three Metros to make their debut on June 12, 2004, in a 3:1 loss to San Jose (Zach Wells and Gilberto Flores were the others, but they started while Brenes was subbed in).

So who will be player #200? In theory, we should find out this year. Metro has never debuted less than 10 players in a season (2004 was the minimal year). However, with this season almost halfway through, only five new players have played (Luke Sassano, Oscar Echeverry, Danleigh Borman, Andrew Boyens, and Chris Megaloudis). So right now, we stand at 196. Juan Carlos Osorio is promising at least three new signings; perhaps they will push the count to 199. Perhaps one of the reserves will get some field time, maybe in the Open Cup, or later in the regular season. Or perhaps we'll have to wait until 2009 to see the 200th Metro.

#196: Chris Megaloudis, 35 minutes as a sub at New England, June 18, 2008.

Rostered players yet to play: Danny Cepero*, John Gilkerson, Gordon Kljestan, David Roth, Michael Palacio*, Caleb Patterson-Sewell, Ricky Schramm.

Cepero is on a season-long loan to Harrisburg of USL2, Palacio is out for the year with an injury.