Open Cup run ends before it begins
May 9, 2007
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Donovan
Martino
Quaranta
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Angel
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On the bright side, Metro has only allowed one goal in minutes 1 through 89 of its first six matches of the 2007 campaign. On the other side, games last 90 minutes, and in the Open Cup, they extend beyond that if regulation ends tied. And on the heels of blowing a two-goal lead just three days ago, Metro allowed three goals in the extra session, losing to the Galaxy in the Open Cup "qualifier" 3:1 and exiting the competition before it officially begins. Oh well. At least no one can complain about a crowded calendar.
Arena went with a first-choice lineup, with the only changes from the weekend being the insertion of Jon Conway for the injured Ronald Waterreus and Dema Kovalenko for Seth Stammler. Stammler did go into the game in the 33rd minute after Hunter Freeman suffered an early injury.
In the 15th minute, Jozy Altidore was brought down by Galaxy keeper Steve Cronin in the box, but the teenager continued the team's penalty woes, with Cronin stopping the ensuing kick. (Paging the ghost of Amado Guevara, anyone?)
Juan Pablo Angel made his Metro debut in the 62nd minute, eight minutes after the Galaxy was reduced to ten men after a straight red on Cobi Jones. In the 73rd, it was Dema Kovalenko's time to get the marching orders with his second yellow, and both teams ended regulation down a man and goalless.
The scoreboard didn't stay zeroed for long, unfortunately, as three minutes into the extra session, LA was awarded a penalty kick after a supposed Jeff Parke foul. Landon Donovan buried it and Kyle Martino made it 2:0 ten minutes later. Even though Angel curved a free kick for his first Metro goal in the 109th, New York could not get any closer. Santino Quaranta sealed the game with a goal in the last minute.
In scoring on his debut, Angel became the 12th player in team history to do so, and the second player to do it in the Open Cup, joining the forgettable Mike Nugent. And seriously, can someone on this team make penalty kicks?
Lineup: Conway, Dunivant, Mendes, Parke, Freeman, Kovalenko, Reyna, van den Bergh, Richards, Mathis, Altidore. Subs: Stammler, Angel, Wolyniec, Ubiparipovic.
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