Metro plays Dallas to tepid scoreless draw
May 15, 2015
Friday night football, we're told, is sort of a big deal in Texas; too bad it seems no one in Frisco got the memo ahead of tonight's game. A sparse crowd that recalled Chivas USA in its death throes witnessed a dull nil-nil draw between two of Major League Soccer's most heavily promoted attacking sides.
There was only one lineup change from the New York City game: Jesse Marsch stayed true to his word from midweek, inserting Impact castoff Karl Ouimette into Matt Miazga's spot as the latter headed out on the US U-20 adventure.
Summer is rapidly approaching in the northeast, but it appears to have already arrived in the south, judging by how heavily players on both sides were perspiring from the opening kick. Whether it was the humidity or a healthy respect for the opponent's offensive prowess, neither side was willing to commit numbers in attack. Instead, both teams opted to strike quickly on the counter. The most dangerous moment from either team saw the ubiquitous Kemar Lawrence swoop in at the last moment to block Fabian Castillo's shot and keep Luis Robles from having to make a spectacular save.
Coming out of the locker room for the final forty-five minutes, it was more of the same as both sides probed for weaknesses. Each team threatened each other's goal with speed and precision during transition, but Dallas looked more likely to score as the game neared its conclusion. In the 72nd minute, a well-placed shot inside the far post from Michael Barrios beat Robles, but midfield workhorse Felipe leaped into action, intervening just before the ball crossed the line with a nifty sidefooted clearance. Four minutes later, Castillo found himself to Robles' left with the goal at his mercy, but the Colombian showed little composure in firing over the crossbar.
Marsch went to his bench early in the second half on this humid night, though the insertion of Dane Richards in the second half for the typically ineffective Mike Grella did little to change the away side's fortunes. Both squads finished with only two shots on goal apiece as the match sputtered to an end.
The result means Metro has drawn in half of its ten matches, though it only has a single loss on the year. The players now have nine days to recover (and rehydrate) before the bottom-feeding Worms come to Harrison next Sunday, where nothing less than a victory will suffice.
Lineup: Robles, Lawrence, Perrinelle, Ouimette, Duvall, McCarty, Martins, Kljestan, Grella, Sam, Wright-Phillips. Subs: Richards, Davis.
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