Metro loses third straight, 2:1 to Portland
May 24, 2014
The last two years, Metro used the month of May to set its seasons straight. Long winning streaks helped turn around bad starts. This is definitely not the case this year. Oh, the bad start was still there, but after an April rebound, May has turned into a horror show. Tonight, Metro suffered its third straight loss, 2:1 to Portland.
It all looked good early on. The only replacement from last week's lineup was Chris Duvall for the benched Kosuke Kimura, but the team performed much better than in Toronto. Bradley Wright-Phillips rung one off a goalpost from a Titi Henry feed. A few minutes later, he put one in off a rebound, but was called offside.
The Metro goal came in the 35th minute. Lloyd Sam was wrapped around in the box, and (it looks like the penalty gods have turned around), the referee pointed to the spot. Wright-Phillips converted for his tenth goal of the season.
Metro looked to be taking a well-deserved lead into the break, when, with Portland's last kick, the ball took a small deflection off Armando. Luis Robles was moving in the other direction, and couldn't get back in time, as the ball trickled into on his short side.
A setback, sure, but Metro looked determined. Early in the second half, Jonny Steele and Henry set up Wright-Phillips, who walked in on goal, but was denied by Donovan Ricketts. Then, a moment of controversy, when Ricketts gave up a rebound from a Henry free kick. Wright-Phillips put it in, but was incorrectly called offside. (It looks like it's the offside gods who need be placated now.)
The backbreaker came in the 75th minute, when a bad clearance from Armando and a whiff by Bobby Convey left the ball with Max Urruti, who knocked in his second of the game. The late substitution of Ruben Bover added some much-needed spark. The youngster walked in on the sidle, and after Henry shot was cleared off the line, Wright-Phillips missed again -- this time high.
Well, there is still one May game left -- on a quick turnaround on Tuesday. Let's just hope this month doesn't sink us even further...
Lineup: Robles, Convey, Olave, Armando, Duvall, McCarty, Steele, Alexander, Sam, Wright-Phillips, Henry. Subs: Bover, Kimura, Akpan.
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