Strong second half pushes Metro past Houston, 4:1
September 8, 2013
|
 |
|
Johnson
|
Alexander
Henry
Steele
Sam
|
|
|
|
|
Oh, as the Metro world turns... Who saw this one coming? Metro, with all their oft-documented road woes, went into Houston, and walked away with a victory over the Dynamo, 4:1. Metro scored three second-half goals. Perhaps most importantly, Titi Henry broke his two-month scoreless streak by tallying the game-winner.
Mike Petke was forced to make two changes to the starting lineup: Jamison Olave, still hurt, had no choice but to replace the suspended Ibrahim Sekagya. Tim Cahill's injury meant the return of -- who else -- Henry.
The teams exchanged goals early in the first. Metro went ahead in the 14th, as Eric Alexander exquisitely chipped Tally Hall from outside the penalty area. Houston responded four minutes later, when Jason Johnson was sprung through into the box, and had no trouble equalizing.
Bradley Wright-Phillips missed on a header just before the break, but Metro did not end up needing that. Instead, they poured it on in the second half behind some clinical finishing. Two minutes into the stanza, Henry scored his first since mid-July. The French ubermensch waltzed through the Houston defense, splitting two defenders like a man 10 years younger. He celebrated the goal by not celebrating.
In the 58th minute, Jonny Steele made it all by academic. Henry started the play by receiving the ball on the left flank, chesting it, and brilliantly flipping it off to Wright-Phillips. The hyphenated Englishman did one better, juggling to himself, before springing Steele. The Irishman, along against Hall, rounded the goalkeeper to make it 3:1.
And then, two minutes from time, it was Lloyd Sam's turn. The team's other Englishman backheeled to Peguy Luyindula, then received the ball back and slotted it past Hall. It was Sam's second goal in as many games.
Perhaps the only blemish of the second half was the injury to the ironman Swede, S. Markus Holgersson. 18-year-old academy product Matt Miazga was forced to make his first team debut.
Lineup: Robles, Carney, Olave, Holgersson, Kimura, McCarty, Steele, Alexander, Sam, Wright-Phillips, Henry. Subs: Luyindula, Miazga, Bustamante.
|
