Henry shines, BWP sets record, Metro wins 4:2
August 23, 2014

4:2
New York Montreal
Henry 2
Wright-Phillips 2
Duka
Romero
08.23.14 · League

Metro didn't play poorly in the first half, dominating everywhere... except on the scoreboard. That read 1:0, with Montreal scoring on their only chance of the period. But a second-half surge quelled the worries. Two from Titi Henry and two from Bradley Wright-Phillips saw Metro run out 4:2 winners over the pathetic Canadians. Wright-Phillips' tallies gave him 20 for the year, breaking Juan Pablo Angel's single-season league record.

Mike Petke actually changed the formation. Seemingly realizing that the Dax McCarty - Tim Cahill midfield pairing doesn't work, he switched to a 4-3-3, with Cahill moving up front. The other changes were in the backline, where Jamison Olave returned from suspension, pushing Roy Miller back to his usual left, and Ambroise Oyongo to the bench.

Metro had two excellent early goal-scoring chances. First, Wright-Phillips, standing in front of an empty net, flubbed a Lloyd Sam cross. On the ensuing corner kick, Wright-Phillips' close-range header was saved. The Englishman's day will come, but not until later in the match.

Metro dominated the first half, but they were not the team that made it to the scoreboard. Off a turnover at midfield in the 37th, Metro's right side was left exposed, and Montreal's Dilly Duka stormed down the field. It looked like Metro defenders caught up, but Duka slotted a shot to Luis Robles' short side.

Metro evened the score in the 53rd. Operating on the left side, Eric Alexander beat a man and sent a ball into the box. There, the diving head of Henry met the pass and expertly put it into the bottom right corner. 14 minutes later, the French ubermensch gave Metro the much-deserved lead. This time it was Dax McCarty playing provider. The Marty McFly lookalike, who was a terror in midfield all game, received the ball from Henry just outside the box. He passed it back to the Frenchman, who curled a bouncer that fooled Bush and ended at exactly the same spot as his earlier effort.

Montreal almost evened it in the 72nd, when Marco Di Vaio got behind the Metro defense, and Robles stepped out to block the shot. Two minutes later, the game looked to be made academic. Second-half sub Peguy Luyindula found Henry, who found Wright-Phillips, who side-footed past Bush to increase the margin to two.

Metro kept pressing forward, and paid it for in the 79th. With most of the team caught upfield for a corner kick, the Montreal counterattack struck again, this time Andres Romero racing down the field and curling the shot into the upper corner. But in the last minute of regulation, the two-goal lead was restored. Saer Sene, making his Metro debut, centered the ball to Luyindula, who sent it forward to Wright-Phillips. The Englishman took into into the box and sent it around Bush for his 20th of the season. If someone had Wright-Phllips breaking Angel's record before the season, please let us know. We could use some stock tips.

Lineup: Robles, Miller, Olave, Sekagya, Duvall, McCarty, Alexander, Sam, Cahill, Wright-Phillips, Henry. Subs: Oyongo, Luyindula, Sene.

•  News Archive
•  Rumor Mill
•  Weekly Awards
•  Season Ratings
•  Last Game Ratings

•  History Overview
•  All-Time Roster
•  All-Time Results
•  All-Time Stats
•  Team Records
•  Hall of Fame
•  All-Time XI
•  Numeric Roster
•  International Roster
•  Coaching History
•  Captain History
•  Draft History
•  Trophy Case
•  Transfer Records
•  Frivolities
•  Honors History
•  Award History
•  Ratings History

Home · Team · News · History · Boards · Stuff · About