Clark rocket ties Hartford Toronto, 1:1
October 14, 2020
We're a cynical bunch here at MetroFanatic. It comes with the territory. And yet, sometimes you can't help but gasp in awe. Oh, those times have been far and between the past two seasons, but we got one such moment tonight. It happened when Caden Clark sent a blast that tied Hartford Toronto, 1:1. Yes, we're at awe about a tie. Go figure.
Bradley Carnell made four changes from the weekend, inserting Dru Yearwood, Jared Stroud, Florian Valot, and Brian White for Sean Davis, Clark, Daniel Royer, and Samuel Tetteh. And 23 minutes into the game, Yearwood played goat when he handled the ball in the box on a corner kick. (That Hartford Toronto handled seconds prior was missed by the ref.) The "home" team converted from the spot and had the lead.
It looked like Yearwood made amends minutes later, on a play eerily similar to last weekend's maiden Clark goal. Again, a corner kick, again, a failed clearance, again, a Metro pouncing outside the box -- this time Yearwood -- and sending it into the net. Alas, again there were cries of interference, and this time the referee decided that Tom Barlow did (and this time, the ref was more or less correct), so the goal was wiped out.
Speaking of Barlow, his ineptitude continued. Midway through the second half, a bad bounce of a head of a Hartford Toronto defender left him one-on-one with the keeper, but his week shot went straight into the netminder's legs. Of course, Barlow's ineptitude is no match for Tetteh, who again was invisible, unless you count awful back passes that led to Hartford's Toronto's chances.
But enough negativity! Let's talk about Clark. He entered the game as a sub, and then, in the 77, took a Marc Rzatkowski pass outside the box, spun around, took two steps, and blasted a shot into the opposite upper corner that left everyone at awe. It was that amazing. Clark became only the third player in team history (Alex Comas, Mamadou Diallo (barf!) to score in his first two games.
Alas, with rumbles from the "sister" club in Leipzig, it looks like we won't be holding on to Clark much longer. Such is the life in the Red Bull "family"...
Back to being a cynical bunch, we guess.
Lineup: Meara, Pendant, Tarek, Parker, Duncan, Yearwood, Rzatkowski, Stroud, Valot, White, Barlow. Subs: Royer, Clark, Tetteh, Davis.
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