EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – The frustration was etched in both the faces of Head Coach Mo Johnston and All-World goalkeeper Tony Meola. One more tie. One more blown lead. One more missed opportunity to escape the cellar in Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference.

Thus, after ten games, the New York Red Bulls own a league-high seven ties, four of which have resulted after scoring the game’s first goal. And, while there are still 22 games remaining, a disturbing trend has developed.

“Of course, we are frustrated,” Johnston said, after Ricardo Clark’s deflected goal in the 19th minute allowed the Houston Dynamo to forge a 1-1 tie Saturday night at Giants Stadium in front of 9,617 diehards. “But, I’d be more frustrated if we were losing every game. Teams are finding it hard to beat us, although we haven’t been playing our best soccer. Is that a positive? No. We need more victories.”

“These ties are feeling like losses now,” Meola quipped. “But, the other teams in our conference aren’t running away from us, so we’re still in it. We tried to jump a few teams tonight [the New England Revolution, with 11 points, and the Chicago Fire, with 10, are immediately ahead of the Red Bulls], but we didn’t get it done.

“We’re giving away points, and we’re giving them away at home.”

Clark, who scored just four goals in 54 games with the NY/NJ MetroStars from 2003-04 and was subsequently dealt to Houston [then known as the San Jose Earthquakes] in January, 2005, was triumphant in his return to the field he once called home. In the 19th minute, he accepted Ronald Cerritos’ pass, created a shooting lane in the middle of the field and blasted the equalizer off midfielder Mark Lisi. The rip, which originated from 25 yards out, zipped past Meola’s left as he attempted to play the shot’s original course.

“When things are going great, the deflection goes out of bounds,” said Meola, who -despite a stellar 1.43 goals against average- is 0-2-6 with two shutouts.

“Overall, I thought Clark was excellent tonight,” summarized Houston coach Dominic Kinnear. “This was one of his best games of the season. Looking at both sides, he was the best player on the field tonight.”

The tally was just Clark’s second, and eradicated the record-tying goal by forward Jean-Philippe Peguero in the 2nd minute. Peguero, who now has scored in three consecutive games to raise his total to five, knocked in a loose ball after Youri Djorkaeff’s throughball from midfield could not be cleanly handled by Dynamo goalkeeper Pat Onstad at the 18. When Onstad and Peguero met simultaneously, the sphere was jarred loose and the Haitian forward tapped the ball into the open net.

The Red Bulls goal, which was scored unassisted, eclipsed Seth Stammler’s 8th minute tally [vs. FC Dallas on May 24] as their quickest of the season. Peguero’s sudden strike also tied Clint Mathis for the fastest in franchise history; while playing for the MetroStars on September 5, 2002, Mathis –whose 33 goals in MLS play trail only Giovanni Savarese on the team’s all-time list- had scored two minutes into an eventual 3-1 win at Dallas.

“Still,” added Kinnear, “this game showed why they have seven ties. They scored a lucky goal, so to speak. But, we definitely controlled most of the game. There’s no way we should go home without three points [which are given for a win].”

But, where there are Red Bulls, there is usually a way

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