Metros stay alive with a 2:1 win over DC Scum
October 8, 2005
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Moreno
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Galvan Rey
Djorkaeff
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The Metros weathered the storm and Youri Djorkaeff hit a rocket midway through the second half to beat their arch-nemesis DC Scum, 2:1. The win keeps Metro alive in the playoff chase, as the Kansas City Wizards lost a two-goal lead to the New England Revolution to tie them with Metro on 44 points. Since the Wizards own the goal-differential tiebreaker, the Metros will have to do better in their finale against Chivas USA than Kansas City does in theirs against Dallas a day earlier.
The new-look Metro defense had Jeff Agoos on the left, Carlos Mendes in the middle, Jason Hernandez on the right, and Tim Regan in front of them in defensive midfield. Mark Lisi started for the suspended Michael Bradley, and Sergio Galvan Rey took the place of the also suspended Ante Razov.
Metro broke through 17 minutes into the game, as the King of Offside this time stayed on, received a long Amado Guevara pass, juggled it on a one-touch, and nipped it in past Nick Rimando. The goal was the Metros' only real chance of the first half, as DC kept assaulting the other way. A deflected free kick that went off the post, a breakaway off a horrible Lisi pass, and a huge Tony Meola save kept the Metros one-goal lead... almost until halftime, when a bogus foul by Mendes on Freddy Adu was called by our favorite ref Abbey Okulaja, and Jaime Moreno blasted the free kick over the Metro wall and past Meola.
Guevara had a great chance to give Metro the lead early in the second half, as his long low shot went through the DC defense and hit off the post and straight back to Rimando. And after the Scum completely dominated, an unlikely hero emerged. Seth Stammler, who came on for Mike Magee early in the second, sent a cross into the box, the ball got blocked back at him, so he sent it in again... to an onrushing Djorkaeff, who blasted it into the net to give Metro the lead.
And this time, Metro held on. Meola came up big a number of times, and the defense didn't break. Mo Johnston got his first win as a head coach. Metro is still alive... for another week.
Lineup: Meola, Agoos, Mendes, Hernandez, Regan, Lisi, Magee, Guevara, Gaven, Djorkaeff, Galvan Rey. Subs: Stammler, Parke.
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