Struber, Metro earn first win of the year, 2:0 over Fire
May 1, 2021
Well, this one seemed a long time coming. Gerhard Struber, hired in the middle of last season, finally coached the team to his first victory. After an incredibly boring first half, Metro used goals from Cristian Casseres and Caden Clark to run out easy 2:0 winners over visiting Chicago.
The failure of the 3-5-2 meant the reversion to the basic 4-4-2, with Kyle Duncan regaining his usual spot at the expense of Amro Tarek. Frankie Amaya earned his first start for Florian Valot, and the Tom Barlow experience made the return, as Brian White went to the bench.
The first half was absolutely putrid to watch, as both teams seemed to be content with losing possession at midfield. Metro finally got two chances late in the periods, with Fabio hitting the far post on the first and Barlow missing the net completely (what else!) on the second.
Two minutes after the break, Metro got the break they needed. Fabio held the ball on the right endline, and sent it back to the middle of the box, where there was no one to meet it. Thankfully, Casseres flew into the area and smacked it home for his second in as many games.
Metro doubled the lead in the 64th. First, Duncan caused a turnover deep in the Fire end and got the ball to Sean Davis. A floater in the box was headed back by the gigantic Fabio and was sent back to Clark. The youngster hit in mid-air, piercing the net for his second of the season.
And that was that. From that point on, Metro did not revert into a defensive shell reminiscent of the Chris Armas era. They controlled the ball, daring the Fire to come at them. Chicago simply couldn't, failing miserably to create any opportunities.
So the monkey is finally off Struber's back. Next week, Metro will try to even its season record... wait, is that Armas?
Lineup: Coronel, Gutman, Long, Nealis, Duncan, Davis, Casseres, Amaya, Clark, Barlow, Fabio. Subs: Yearwood, Royer, White, Fernandez.
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