MetroStars eyeing Addo

Former Mutiny defender Joe Addo may be training with the Wizards, but Kansas City is not the team he's expecting to land a contract with.

On Sunday night, Addo's agent, Patrick McCabe, said the former Ghana national team member with 44 caps to his name is close to signing with the MetroStars.

"The MetroStars want him, and I think we can work out a deal with MLS quickly," McCabe said. "He's training with Kansas City, but I don't think they really need him or have that great an interest.

"Joe had a trial in China and performed well. But the coach there didn't think he was tall enough, and we didn't get a contract offer."

Addo -- who stands 6 feet tall -- joined the Wizards' camp in Tampa Thursday. He played central defense during the second half of Kansas City's preseason match against the MetroStars on Sunday night. MetroStars President and General Manager Nick Sakiewicz and Coach Octavio Zambrano were in attendance, and McCabe suggested they liked what they saw.

As Mutiny GM in 1999, Sakiewicz signed Addo as a Senior International. However, Addo received his Green Card last year, making him a far more appealing prospect.

Addo, 30, was in and out of the Tampa Bay lineup in '99, but had a stellar season at sweeper for the Mutiny in 2000; he started 32 games and was a finalist for the MLS Bic Defender of the Year award.

In 2001, Addo struggled in a defensive midfield role for Tampa Bay and also was slowed by a hamstring injury. He was not selected in January's allocation or dispersal drafts of Mutiny and Fusion players.