Playoffs start with Montreal misery, 1:0
October 30, 2016
It's not the worst result. Let's say that again: it's not the worst result. Maybe if we repeat it, we'll start to believe it? IT'S NOT THE WORST RESULT!
The result was 1:0. Yes, Metro, the team that hasn't lost since July 3, a team that has been scoring goals at a record-setting pace, a team that laughed off its opposition for a good four-month span, lost. Got shutout. It's not the worst result?
It actually looked good early on: Metro was clearly the livelier of the two. The patented high press worked, and domination looked possible. And when Bradley Wright-Phillips was brought down in the box...
No foul was called, but that should have been OK. It shouldn't have mattered. For the entire week, Jesse Marsch harked on how this is a team with a new mentality, how the mistakes of the past will not be repeated...
It was clear how Montreal was going to play it: absorb the pressure, hit on the counter. That's exactly what happened. Midway through the first, Metro's ballyhooed offense stopped creating chances, and slumbered into the second half. Then, in the 61st, a long ball over the top found Matteo Mancosu, who split Aurelien Collin and Damien Perrinelle, and blasted a scorcher into the Metro net. It's not the worst result!
No, a second goal would have been worse, and Metro had to survive some testy moments. The attack improved late in the game, and Metro's best chance came in injury time, when BWP pounced on a loose ball in the penalty area... but missed the net.
So now, Metro comes home to Red Bull Arena, knowing that they need a two-goal win to advance. Clearly, there are scenarios much worse than a one-goal loss in the opener, and yet...
It's not the worst result, right?
Lineup: Robles, Lawrence, Collin, Perrinelle, Duvall, McCarty, Martins, Kljestan, Grella, Muyl, Wright-Phillips. Subs: Veron, Damari, Zizzo.
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