BWP's 63rd ties Chicago late, 2:2
July 31, 2016
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Accam
Polster
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Polster(OG)
Wright-Phillips
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For 90 minutes, Bradley Wright-Phillips couldn't do much. It wasn't his fault; the Metro attack just couldn't find its leading scorer. With Chicago sitting back, clinging to a lead, Metro spent long stretches passing the ball around the box without sending in a shot. Until the last minute of regulation, when BWP became the leading scorer in team history, tying the game at 2:2. But first things first...
The lineup stayed the same from last week's dismantling of NYCFC. Metro started lively, and it paid off 16 minutes in. Mike Grella sent a ball into the box that was confused Chicago's defense. Matt Polster and goalie Sean Johnson launched at it, with the former redirecting it into the net. Sacha Kljestan looked to have touched the ball as it was going in, but it was counted as an own goal.
A half hour into the match, the game was delayed, as Luis Robles looked to have hurt himself on a goal kick. He initially signaled for a substitution, but the ironman stayed in. Five minutes after, a shot by David Accam from outside the box tied the game. Would a 100% Robles get to that? Possible.
A terrible tackle by Khaly Thiam forced Dax McCarty to exit the game in the 42nd minute. Then, two minutes into much-required injury time, Polster got behind the defense and headed in a cross to give Chicago the lead.
Chicago had two breakaways in the second half that would have put the game out of reach, but incompetence from their forwards kept the score at 2:1. Metro's activity of the period involved keeping the ball for long stretches, kicking it back-and-forth, but having no ability to break the Chicago defense. Then, in the 90th, Connor Lade set in a cross from the right side that BWP hit across his body for the historic goal: 63rd in all competitions, one more than Juan Pablo Angel.
But let's not let the record obscure the problems. This team has blown yet another lead, has genuine problems playing on the road, and cannot create opportunities (two shots on goal the entire game!) against teams that bunker.
That being said, hooray for BWP!
Lineup: Robles, Lade, Collin, Zubar, Zizzo, McCarty, Martins, Kljestan, Grella, Muyl, Wright-Phillips. Subs: Davis, Veron, Bilyeu.
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