Guevara's hat-trick conquers snowy Rapids
April 30, 2005
What will the naysayers say now? A week after Amado Guevara got some deserved(?) bashing, he scored a hat trick to give the Metros their first win of the season, 3:1 over Colorado. With four starters out, the vultures circling, a team that hasn't lost at home in 12 matches, and the field being covered by freshly-falling snow, a result like this was anything but expected.
With Jeff Agoos and Jeff Parke still not recovered from last week's injuries, Tim Regan and Tim Ward made their first starts -- Regan of the season and Ward of the career. The Metros were also missing Youri Djorkaeff and John Wolyniec, both banged up in training this week. Eddie Gaven and Mike Magee, back from their own injuries, started instead.
The Metros had their first excellent chance ten minutes into the game. Ex-Metro Mark Chung lost the ball to an onrushing Sergio Galvan Rey, who then passed it off to Michael Bradley in the box. But the youngster, who had the full net to shoot at, missed to the short side. However, in the 23rd minute, the Metros finally got on the board. Magee was brought down in the box after a perfect Gaven pass sent him through, and Guevara stepped up for the penalty kick. He missed one last week, but not this time, the placement was perfect. The ball went past Joe Cannon's fingers and into the bottom left corner of the net.
Just three minutes later, Guevara doubled the score. A cross from Gaven, and onrushing Galvan Rey that fooled Cannon, and the ball going across the box to Amado, who easily blasted it into the net.
The Rapids had numerous chances to get one back in the half, mostly off set pieces. A goal got called back in the 45th minute, when Colorado's Luchi Gonzalez bumped into Zach Wells to take him out of the play.
Guevara got his third in the 73rd minute off a corner kick. Abbe Ibrahim, who just got into the game, fought to win the ball in the box and passed it back to Amado. Guevara blasted it into the upper right corner; his perfect placement left Cannon no chance, all the Rapids keeper could do was raise his arms. The hat trick was only the sixth in Metro history and the first since 2002.
Colorado got a pointless goal late through Jeff Cunningham, but not until Regan, who had a terrific game, saved the ball off the line while standing on all fours. Also notable was Pablo Mastroeni's vicious elbow to Ibrahim's face that knocked the Metro striker to the ground. Amazingly, the referees missed that completely. But overall, a terrific day for the Metros, and an amazing one for Guevara.
Lineup: Wells, Ward, Mendes, Regan, Leitch, Bradley, Lisi, Guevara, Gaven, Galvan Rey, Magee. Subs: Ibrahim, Flores.
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