Felipeless Metro advances in CCL, 2:0
March 1, 2018
Luis Robles was there. Bradley Wright-Phillips was there. Tyler Adams and Kemar Lawrence were there. So were Aurelien Collin, Daniel Royer, Aaron Long, Sean Davis, Michael Murillo, Alex Muyl, and Marc Rzatkowski. Even Alejandro Romero was there, but more on him later.
One man wasn't there: Felipe. The Metro stalwart, who never misses a match, was not present for this one, as rumors of a trade for Tim Parker are circling.
So, facing the uncertainty in it midfield, in a game played in a torrential downpoor, Metro held its own, topping Olimpia 2:0 to advance to the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals. Bradley Wright-Phillips and Sean Davis scored the Metro goals. Unexpectedly, both came from outside the box. (Here's that Felipe influence!)
Early in the second half, BWP received the ball in the penalty area, and, with multiple defenders on him, spun around, created space, and missed what looked to be an easy shot. Minutes later, he made up for it, shooting a low show in the 54th that caught the Honduran goalkeeper flat-footed.
Soon after, Robles failed to hold a short-range shot, dropping the ball on the goalmouth. Olimpia's Diego Reyes, with nothing but empty net in front of him, somehow missed.
That would have tied it on aggregate, but Metro padded its lead in the 64th. Another long shot, this time by Davis, deflected off a defender and past the helpless keeper.
Romero debuted soon after the last goal, and was active for the remainder of the match, getting in good positions and barely missing what would have been Metro's third. It was not needed, as Metro had no problems seeing out the rest of the game.
Tijuana awaits in the quarterfinals... but probably not for Felipe.
Lineup: Robles, Lawrence, Collin, Long, Murillo, Adams, Rzatkowski, Davis, Muyl, Royer, Wright-Phillips. Subs: Romero Gamarra, Etienne, Rivas.
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