Moreno chokes as Metro shutouts DC, 0:0
August 30, 2008
Hate is a strong word and should not be used lightly. We hate going to work on Mondays. We hate "American Idol". And we definitely hate Jaime Moreno. We hated him before his Metro spell, we hated him during it, we hated the way he left, and we hate him now, more than ever.
Sadly, the hate stems from the fact that Moreno has killed Metro for these 13 years. But not tonight. For the fat bastard was marked out of the game by Metro's Juan Pietravallo, and then, with three points on the line, missed a penalty kick wide. The game ended 0:0, Metro's third shutout in as many matches, and their first shutout in DC EVER. So yes, it was a draw, but possibly one of the best-feeling draws in Metro history.
Even with Jorge Rojas back from his visa-finding adventures, Juan Carlos Osorio made no changes to the lineup that destroyed Houston last week. The first half was a pretty even affair, with Metro holding firm on its end (Moreno was invisible), and missing a couple of chances on the other, with the best coming when Mike Magee laid a pass off for Juan Pablo Angel, whose shot went straight at Louis Crayton.
DC owned much of the ball of the second half, but one can't remember a single clutch save that Jon Conway had to make. So, 80 minutes in, it looked like Metro will have no trouble holding on for the draw. This is when Andrew Boyens tacked Marcelo Gallardo inside the box. It certainly looked like he got the ball first, but the leg scrape afterwards earned DC the penalty kick.
And Jaime Moreno rarely misses penalty kicks. He scored something like 37 of them in his MLS career. Hell, one of the two goals he scored during his pathetic injury-shortened Metro season came from the spot. So here we are thinking that hopefully, Metro will be able to scrape something and come back in the ten minutes that are left.
But they didn't have to. Because Jaime Moreno missed. Missed wide to the left. Jon Conway didn't even move.
Oh, Jaime Moreno! May you go home and cry on your giant pillow tonight! The victory, the three points were right there for the taking, and you blew it, you choked. You blew it for yourself, you blew it for your teammates, and you blew it for your loser fans. Choker.
Metro pressed on late, with an Angel shot crossing the goalmouth but not going in, and a Diego Jimenez header off a corner that was saved by Crayton. Three points would have been great... but the one point still seems more than satisfying.
So, our hate for Jaime Moreno definitely had a positive outlet tonight. And look at that, we don't have to go to work this Monday... Sadly, we can't do anything about "American Idol".
Lineup: Conway, Goldthwaite, Jimenez, Boyens, Leitch, Pietravallo, Stammler, van den Bergh, Richards, Magee, Angel. Subs: Freeman, Rojas, Borman.
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