Metro dominates, but denied in Kansas City, 2:2
August 30, 2006
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Sealy
Wolff
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Wolyniec
Dunivant
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Tonight, the Metros were the better team everywhere but on the scoreboard, as they tied Kansas City 2:2 after the Wizards scored the equalizer following a questionable offside situation. John Wolyniec and Todd Dunivant scored for the second straight game, and Metro picked up a precious point in the Eastern Conference race... A precious point that could have been three.
Edson Buddle, fresh off his surprising hat-trick, started on top as Youri Djorkaeff drifted into the free role in midfield behind the strikers. Chris Henderson was benched for the first time this year.
Metro started off bright early, but was foiled by a Wizard counter-attack in the 28th minute as Scott Sealy knocked the ball through Tony Meola's legs and into the net. However, the lead only lasted two minutes, as on the other end, Amado Guevara took a pass from Djorkaeff and walked through the box around the KC defenders. Bo Oshoniyi came out to meat Guevara at the endline, but Amado coolly sent the ball through traffic and onto Wolyniec, who easily slotted it home into the empty net.
The second half started with a Metro flurry; they had numerous chances to take the lead, the best ending with Oshoniyi denying Wolyniec from close range with a reaction save. And the lead was indeed gained in the 53rd minute, as Djorkaeff took a short corner kick and crossed the ball into the Wiz penalty area, where Dunivant headed it home. After no Metro defender scoring for over two years, Todd got his second in as many games.
Unfortunately, the score would not hold. In the 71st minute, with three Wizard players (one of them Josh Wolff) in the offside position, Jose Burciaga received the ball (he was probably not offside), with the assistant's flag going up. Metro defenders hesitated, Burciaga took it to the endline, crossed the ball to Wolff, who knotted the game at twos. Metro protested to no avail, and the score remained the same at the final whistle.
Overall, a good performance by Metro, and if not for a couple of lapses (they allowed as many goals in this match as they did in their pervious seven in league play), they would have been rewarded with more at the end. But a point is a point...
Lineup: Meola, Dunivant, Mendes, Parke, Wynne, O'Rourke, Kovalenko, Guevara, Djorkaeff, Buddle, Wolyniec. Subs: Cila, Henderson, Jolley.
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