Metro coops up Worms, 2:0
July 21, 2012
 |
2:0
|
 |
| New York |
|
Philadelphia |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Earlier this season, Metro turned into a dominating offense, wiping teams off the field. Then there was a stretch when the leaky defense turned dominant, but the offense took a nap. And then, more injuries hit, and it all never seemed to come together. Well, it did today. On a perfect summer afternoon, Metro dominated the toothless Philly Worms in every area of the field, running out 2:0 winners. Kenny Cooper headed in both Metro goals.
"Clever" Hans Backe pushed Sebastien Le Toux to right midfield, giving back to Cooper his starting job up front. Connor Lade started at left midfield, as Mehdi Ballouchy and Victor Palsson went to the bench. Brandon Barklage had to leave the game early due to a hamstring injury, and Jonathan Borrajo got taste of first MLS action in relief.
The Worms had maybe one good chance the entire match. It came late in the first half, when Josue Martinez found himself on a breakaway. But Bill Gaudette, on his way to a second consecutive shutout, came up big with a save.
As the first half went on, Metro started dominating more and more. The best opportunity came when Le Toux sent a rebound of a Dax McCarty shot over the net. That is, until the 43rd minute, when Joel Lindpere sent a pass in the direction of Titi Henry. The elder Frenchman purposely missed the ball, as it landed at the feet of Lade. The feisty rookie sent a cross into the box, where Cooper, two men on top of him, rose to the occasion to head it in.
The second goal looked very similar. Lade found Henry in the 58th minute, and Titi sent a cross in. Cooper smartly avoided the offside trap, rising to double his tally.
And that was more than enough, for the Worms were beyond impotent. The much-maligned S. Markus Holgersson had a terrific game in the center of defense, denying any opportunities to the visitors. So, the three-game homestand resulted in seven points and ended with a dominant performance. Let's hope this carries over to the rest of the season...
Lineup: Gaudette, Miller, Holgersson, Conde, Barklage, McCarty, Lade, Lindpere, Le Toux, Cooper, Henry. Subs: Borrajo, Ballouchy.
|
