The opening of the new MetroStars' stadium in Harrison, N.J. could be pushed back to later in the 2007 season or even to 2008, according to Nick Sakiewicz, the president of AEG Soccer for New York/New Jersey.

Delays in the current tenants moving out of the warehouse, which affects knocking down the building have forced officials to move back the timetable of sticking a shovel into the ground on the site on the Passaic River, Sakiewicz said.

It's like a domino effect. If one thing is an obstacle, it holds up everything else is as well.

"It may be late '07," Sakiewicz said in an interview earlier this week. "If things continue to drag along, it may be an '08 opening."

Team and government officials have been hopeful of the Metros moving in around May 2007.

The 2007 season is still viable as long as the tenants vacate the premises in February.

"We are optimistic we can open in the middle of '07," Sakiewicz said. "There are things that are out of our control. All of it has to be with the tenant leaving.

"We were hoping we could start demolition (soon), but the tenant has to move off the premises before we can."

Sakiewicz stressed that there is nothing more to be done politically by the Town of Harrison or the state of New Jersey or the Metros' part to move along the stadium process.

"It's logistics now," he said. "All of the bonds issues have been approved. Everything within our control is done and established."

Once the tenants leave, it is expected to take 90 days to demolish the building on the site, which would put ground-breaking at the end of April or beginning of May, Sakiewicz said.

"Then it's about 14 months from there," he said of building the stadium.

Using the current timetable, "then we're looking at July 07," Sakiewicz added.

Sakiewicz, who has spearheaded the stadium project for years, is in charge of the stadium as president of AEG NY/NJ.