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Angel vs Toronto, 2007
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Metro history vs expansion teams
March 19, 2009
What do you know... another MLS season, Metro's 14th, is about to start. And Metro kicks it off against the newly-minted Seattle Sounders. So let's look in the past and find out exactly how Metro did against expansion teams up to this point.
1998, Chicago -- 1:0, 3:2
Chicago, of course, is the best expansion team in MLS history, winning the MLS Cup and the Open Cup in their inaugural year. But the Metros had their way with the Fire, sweeping them for the first and only time. The first game saw Mike Petke's debut and a single goal on the header by Alexi Lalas, rising above the diminutive Jorge Campos. The home leg saw Metro winning 3:2, with goals from Eduardo Hurtado, Miles Joseph, and Brian Kelly.
1998, Miami -- 4:2, 2:1, 3:1, 1:3
In the opener, Eduardo Hurtado scored eight minutes in, and Metro never looked back, with Paul Dougherty scoring once and Jim Rooney twice, one off a direct free kick. The next two games were playing within a week of each other: In Florida, Giovanni Savarese opened the scoring, but Metro needed a late Miles Joseph winner. Back in New Jersey, two from Savarese, one from Hurtado, three secondary assists from Mike Sorber, and a laugher that was 3:0 until the last minute. Finally, the Fusion got their revenge in August. Metro tied the game on a Mike Duhaney shot in the 84th, but Miami answered in the 89th and 90th to pull out the victory.
2005, Salt Lake -- 0:0, 2:2
MLS took a seven-year break with expansion, until 2005, when Metro became RSL's first ever opponent in a downpour in Giants Stadium. Hurricane winds and wild ball swings could produce only one possible result: a scoreless draw. The two teams got another draw in Utah; Metro went up 2:0 on goals by Ante Razov and Mike Magee, but a late ridiculous penalty call by the idiotically blind Kevin Terry made the tie feel like a loss.
2005, Chivas USA -- 3:3, 2:0
The Goats were terrible in their first year, but got a rare road point against Metro, as newly-signed Francisco Palencia made a meal of former Goat Ryan Suarez. Metro was down 3:1 in the second, but Amado Guevara's second penalty of the match to half the margin, and then, four minutes into stoppage time, took a short free kick from Youri Djorkaeff and one-timed it into the net for the hat-trick and the draw. The return leg was as memorable, as the Metros needed a win and only a win to make the playoffs in the final game of the season. Michael Bradley's header and Tony Meola's barrage of saves will never be forgotten; Guevara added one late to make it 2:0.
2007, Toronto -- 2:1, 3:0, 1:2
Juan Pablo Angel singlehandedly took down TFC in the opener, scoring twice in two minutes, the first off a direct free kick, for the win. Metro had an easy time in Giants Stadium, with Angel scoring again and Jozy Altidore finishing it up with a brace. Back in Toronto, a win would have clinched a playoff berth, but Metro fell, a rare header from Dane Richards not being nearly enough.
2008, San Jose -- 2:0, 1:1
Metro dominated the entire match, but needed a late penalty from Magee to earn the win (Altidore added one in garbage time). In San Jose, former Metro-for-a-minute Eric Denton scored into his own net early, but the Quakes replied soon after for the final score.
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