Metro blows late lead again, settles for 1:1 tie
June 25, 2016
Perhaps bunkering with a late lead is not exactly a good idea. Three days after seeing a win turn into a loss, Metro once again had points slip through their fingers. This time, they did come out with a draw, but the ending was rather disheartening: Columbus scored three minutes into injury time to tie the game at 1:1.
Squad rotation and Collin's absurd suspension meant numerous changes: Connor Lade, Ronald Zubar, and Chris Duvall stepped in on the backline for Justin Bilyeu, Collin, and Sal Zizzo. Dax McCarty, Sacha Kljestan, Mike Grella, and Bradley Wright-Phillips regained their usual spots at the expense of Sean Davis, Lloyd Sam, Gonzalo Veron, and Anatole Abang.
Metro was spirited early, with Grella lobbing one off the crossbar and Wright-Phillips brilliantly turning at the edge of the box before shooting it wide. Columbus regained the possession edge midway through the half, but didn't really threaten, and we entered halftime scoreless.
Metro's breakthrough came in the 52nd minute. McCarty sprung Alex Muyl on the right, and the rookie sent a perfect cross into the box. There, Wright-Phillips met the ball with his head to knock in his 60th in all competitions. He now trails Juan Pablo Angel's team record by just two goals.
And then, just like in midweek, Jesse Marsch decided to pack it in. Zizzo entered for Kljestan, and all offense ceased. Columbus was now attacking at will, and things took a worse turn when Gideon Baah went down late. Metro had already made all of its subs, so the clearly injured Baah had to stay in. He was no help with a Columbus cross made its way into the box, Zubar let Ola Kamara get past him, and the game got tied just as the clock was to hit 93.
We've had better weeks...
Lineup: Robles, Lade, Baah, Zubar, Duvall, McCarty, Martins, Kljestan, Grella, Muyl, Wright-Phillips. Subs: Zizzo, Veron, Davis.
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