Weak Donkeys beaten by Crew on late goal, 1:0
August 19, 2006
Suddenly, the Red Donkeys are limping. Entering the All-Star break on a roll and now coming off although scoreless, but a very encouraging tie against DC, Metro came down to earth, losing to the Columbus Crew 1:0 on a late goal. While the defense held strong yet again, the offense looked completely impotent, led by the incompetent Edson Buddle.
Seth Stammler's return from suspension saw him come in for the injured Mike Magee in midfield; the rest of the lineup stayed the same. The first half was devoid of chances, with the two teams combining for a solitary shot on goal.
The second half was a little better from both ends, but their failure to penetrate the supposed worst defense in the league left the Donkeys vulnerable. Columbus employed the strategy of fouling Metro players far from the goal, and all the free kick opportunities went for naught. Tony Meola made a big stop on a Sebastian Rozental blast in the 77th minute, which was enough at the time to keep the game scoreless.
In the 82nd minute, John Wolyniec, making his Metro return as a sub, sprung Youri Djorkaeff in the box with a great pass, but the Frenchman was taken down, with no foul given. Quickly, the Crew went the other way, with ex-Metro Chris Leitch sending a pass to Joseph Ngwenya, who raced up the right wing, beat Carlos Mendes (who up to that point was having a terrific game), and beat Meola on the short side for the game's only goal.
And something has to be said about Buddle. The player who killed Metro many times when he was with the Crew, has been completely invisible this year. Three goals in 22 matches for a starting striker is a laughable number, and his inability in front of the net makes one wonder how much longer we will see him in the starting lineup.
Lineup: Meola, Dunivant, Mendes, Parke, Wynne, Kovalenko, Henderson, Stammler, Guevara, Djorkaeff, Buddle. Subs: O'Rourke, Jolley, Wolyniec.
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