MetroStars let league know they're for real.

• Position: SPORTS

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Almost three months remain in the Major League Soccer season so it may be too early to say that the New York-New Jersey MetroStars have turned things around. But the only person who has been there since the beginning seems to think that the fortunes of the long-suffering MetroStars are finally changing. ``There are five or six games in the season that are really important,'' said Tab Ramos, who has been a MetroStar from the start and, when healthy, is still one of the best players in the league. ``This was one of them,'' Ramos said yesterday after the MetroStars surprised the Eastern Division-leading New England Revolution, 4-2. ``This was our first really big game this year and I think we made a statement. We were the best team on the field today and I think New England and the rest of the league will take notice.'' FOUR OF LAST FIVE The victory was the fourth in the last five Major League Soccer games and the fifth in six overall for the MetroStars (7-7, 21 points), all of them since Lothar Matthaus returned to Germany to play with the national team in Euro 2000. New England (7-5-4), which suffered just its third loss in its last 10 MLS starts, continued to lead the Eastern Division with 25 points. ``I liked the way we came out at the start of the game and again at the start of the second half,'' said MetroStars coach Octavio Zambrano, who ripped his team after a lackluster, 3-0, home loss June 9 to Tampa Bay. ``We came out today mentally prepared to play the team in front of us (in the standings). We renewed our commitment to play the game in our opponent's half of the field.'' Clint Mathis, who along with Adolfo Valencia had a goal and an assist...