MISSING FROM ACTION Visa problems reason why Guevara was no-show at Metros' 1st pre-season practice
If Amado Guevara doesn't show up for Thursday's practice, "then he's in violation of his contract and we're not going to pay him," GM Alexi Lalas said. "It's as simple as that." Linda Cuttone/Sports Vue Images
By Michael Lewis
BigAppleSoccer.com Editor
East Rutherford, N.J. -- Visa issues were the reason why Honduran international midfielder Amado Guevara was missing from the MetroStars' first pre-season practice at the Giants Stadium bubble on Wednesday, according to one of his agents.
In an e-mail sent to BigAppleSoccer.com late on Wednesday night, Patrick McCabe said that Guevara has been waiting for his P-1 visa approval notice to arrive in Honduras. It was sent by Federal Express on Monday and was expected to arrive by Thursday, McCabe said.
Guevara then would need an appointment for the visa and would travel to Florida to join the team.
"The situation on the visa was beyond his control and the control of the MetroStars," McCabe said in the e-mail. "I expect he will arrive by next Friday possibly earlier if he can get a quick visa appointment."
Metros president and general manager Alexi Lalas could not be reached for comment late on Wednesday night. Lalas, who trained with the team, said he had expected Guevara to attend the training session.
"We're going to give him the benefit of the doubt and hope there is a very, very good reason," Lalas told the media immediately after practice. "We expect to have him obviously not here today, but hopefully he arrives tomorrow. I haven't heard one way or the other. It's not excused until a legitimate excuse is given."
Lalas had been embroiled in a war of words with Guevara during the off-season.
Guevara has been quoted by the Honduran media that he does not want to be a MetroStar as long as Lalas is with the organization.
If Guevara is a no-show for Thursday's practice, said Lalas, "then he's in violation of his contract and we're not going to pay him. It's as simple as that."
Lalas added: "I'm not going to go to the ends of the earth to track down Amado Guevara. I want him here. He understands what we expect of him. We have a bunch of other players here who are working very hard for opening day. It's not fair to them to spend all our time trying to figure what's happened to Amado Guevara. It's a distraction and we'll not have that."
Lalas said that he has contacted one of Guevara's agents, Roy Messing, but as of late Wednesday afternoon, he had not heard from the midfielder's representative.
"We'll basically get up tomorrow and do it all over again and see what happens," Lalas said.
If Guevara does show, Lalas indicated that he was willing to bury the hatchet.
"He's a big boy, I'm a big boy," Lalas said. "We all don't take any kind of that stuff personally. As I've said before, we need players who play like men and act like men on and off the field. We also need an organization that does that. If it means sitting down and hashing things out and apologizing and doing whatever we have to do to make sure we have a good team and quality players, I'm up for all of that."
Asked about his relationship with Guevara, Lalas replied, "Like every other player, I'm sure we have good days and bad days. The fact is that he is an incredible player and nobody is paying money to see me this year. They're paying money to see players like Amado Guevara. But they're also expecting a quality team and if Amado truly wants to be a MetroStar, he needs to prove it on the field and off the field. If he does that, we will have him here with open arms."
Chivas USA and F.C. Dallas have expressed interest in acquiring Guevara, although coach Mo Johnston was adamant that the club was seeking to trade the talented midfielder.
"Contrary to what you have heard, Amado Guevara is not on the trading block." he said. "There's been a lot of things said on Amado's part and our part. He should be here in the next couple of days."
Added Lalas: "Amado is arguably the best No. 10 in the league. He is a former MVP. I think everyone recognizes his talent in terms of keeping possession. So whether he's here or not, he is an asset to our team and his value I don't think changes. I think every other team would love to have an Amado Guevara on their team."
Blackburn of the English Premiership has expressed interest in obtaining Guevara as a loan player for the rest of the English Premiership season. MLS twice has turned down Blackburn’s request, sources said.
"If he is not here playing, I would like to be able to use his salary cap so I have to figure out one way or another how to work that," Lalas said. "He certainly deserves the benefit of the doubt to figure out what he's going to do and we'll go from there.
Michael Lewis can be reached at SoccerWriter561@aol.com. He will only answer e-mails and letters that are signed or have names. Lewis last week was honored by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, winning first place in the college division of its annual writing contest.
