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| | Friday, July 21 Matthaeus' Metros future up in air | |||||
| Reuters NEW YORK -- German libero Lothar Matthaeus and his agent, Brian Eylert, will meet with MLS officials and New York/New Jersey MetroStars general manager Nick Sakiewicz to see if he will return to the team, be placed on injured reserve for his back injury to heal or be given his release. The MetroStars and Matthaeus discussed the matter at the league offices in midtown Manhattan on Tuesday night, but no determination was reached. Matthaeus on Thursday was named to the East team for the MLS all-star game. He received 57,160 votes in balloting by the fans, as the leading vote-getter among defenders. It wasn't known whether Matthaeus would be available for the July 29 game in Columbus, Ohio, because he has not played since June 28 due to his injury. "We hope everything is resolved and he can play in the all-star game," Sakiewicz said. Matthaeus, 39, captain of Germany's 1990 World Cup championship team and the all-time leader in international appearances (150), has been at odds with the MetroStars for two weeks since injuring his back. Team officials were particularly irked by a published photo of Matthaeus and his girlfriend lounging on a beach in St. Tropez on the French Riviera while he was away for treatment of his injury. The war of words between the two sides has continued. In an interview with the German Press Agency, Matthaeus criticized MetroStars coach Octavio Zambrano again, claiming he could never play for him after reading comments from the coach in the German magazine Kicker. "Octavio Zambrano offended me way too much," Matthaeus said. "He changes his mind way too often. The next time he changes his mind would be when I show up at practice. I couldn't enjoy working together with him." Sakiewicz was not too happy about Matthaeus's latest comments. "His recent statement looks like a man who's grasping at straws," Sakiewicz said. "I'm disappointed in those comments. They're not very professional. He went after the coach and I won't be surprised at another point if he goes after me." | ALSO SEE Boot Room: Matthaeus' antics typical | |||||