3:0 New York Vancouver Royer Wright-Phillips Martins 10.07.17 · League

Now, here was a game we waited for. Riding a winless run of close to two months, Metro put up a complete, dominating performance in every area of the field, shutting out Vancouver 3:0. The win clinched a long-awaited playoff berth.

The defense was reshuffled again, with Kemar Lawrence and Damien Perrinelle coming in for Sal Zizzo and Michael Murillo. Sacha Kljestan and Bradley Wright-Phillips returned to their usual starting spots for Derrick Etienne and Gonzalo Veron.

Metro was fantastic right off the opening whistle, controlling possession, winning every loose ball, and not allowing Vancouver to venture into their half. After a couple of close calls, the goal came in the 33rd minute. A Kljestan pass was dummied by BWP, and landed at the feet of Daniel Royer. The Austrian, whose injury coincided with the start of the winless run, placed the ball perfectly into the net.

Metro doubled the lead in the 58th, with Tyler Adams feeding Wright-Phillips on the left, as the wonderful Englishman raced down the field. A defender caught up in the penalty area, but BWP made him look like a fool, and followed by scoring his 98th goal in all competitions.

The third came in the 72nd, when Kljestan, operating on the endline, sent the ball back. Felipe ran onto it and slammed a low shot from outside the box to set the final margin.

The win eliminated Montreal, Orlando, New England, and Philadelphia, putting Metro in the playoffs for the eighth straight season. The lowest sixth seed seems incredibly likely, but Metro can still rise up, meaning the last two regular season games still have some meaning. Let's see if Metro is as wonderful going forward as they were today.

Lineup: Robles, Lawrence, Long, Perrinelle, Lade, Adams, Martins, Davis, Kljestan, Royer, Wright-Phillips. Subs: Muyl, Veron, Bezecourt.