Metro returns to Miami with a resounding 4:1 win
September 23, 2020
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Agudelo
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Egbo
White
Mines
Royer
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When we write these games summaries, sometimes we look for a hook to lead in with. And with the season mired in scoreless ineptitude, a hook is sorely needed. So how about this one, we thought: Last time Metro played in Miami, Mathias Jorgensen was 11 months old. Oh, if he scores tonight!...
No, Jorgensen did not score tonight. (We don't know what we were thinking!) But four other Metros did, romping to a 4:1 win over old pal Luis Robles and the expansion Fusion Inter.
It was another formation change for Bradley Carnell, with a traditional 4-4-2 which saw Kyle Duncan, Cristian Casseres, Kaku, and Daniel Royer rested. The extra defender, Sean Nealis, also made way as Mandela Egbo, Florian Valot, Jared Stroud, Omir Fernandez, and Jorgensen started.
And if you had Egbo as the first ever scorer against the expansion side... well, you're lying. And if you had Egbo taking a penalty... well, he did just that. 14 minutes into the game, Blaise Matuidi (World Cup winner) took down Stroud (4th round pick out of Colgate) in the box. With Royer and Kaku on the bench, Egbo surprisingly stood up and took a soft kick to the right that looked to be easily saved. Sadly for him, Robles dove to the left, and his old team had the lead.
That lead only lasted until the 39th, when another ex-Metro figuring in the scoring. A failed clearance led to Juan Agudelo miss-hitting a shot from close range that fooled David Jensen, and a game was tied.
Four minutes into the second half, the tie was no more. Stroud forced former Hartford defender Ben Sweat into a turnover deep into the Miami end, and quick passes from Fernandez and Valot led to Brian White slotting his first of the year. It was the first goal for a Metro forward since... well, we lost count.
Metro withstood a Miami barrage for most of the half, but as space opened up, made the hosts pay. First, in the 85th, Barlow has his shot saved, and Ben Mines knocked in the rebound. Then, just as injury time started, Casseres laid it off for Royer, who got his third of the year to seal the victory. The four-goal outburst matched Metro's total for nine(!) preceding games.
Oh, and Mines was barely a year old last time Metro played in Miami. Why did we put our faith in Jorgensen?...
Lineup: Jensen, Pendant, Long, Parker, Egbo, Yearwood, Valot, Stroud, Fernandez, White, Jorgensen. Subs: Casseres, Mines, Barlow, Royer, Duncan.
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