0:4 Miami New York Klimala Fernandez Fabio 2 09.17.21 · League

Writing this game summary is very frustrating. No, not because we just dragged ourselves through another blown lead, another loss; quite the opposite. This was Metro at its best, a team we haven't seen all year. Crisp on offense, not giving away anything on defense, complete domination in every area of the field. The final score was Metro 4, Miami 0, which was clearly indicative of the disparity between the two sides.

When we saw the starting lineup, we scratched our heads, as Gerhard Struber started the completely ineffective midfield duo of Wikelman Carmona and Omir Fernandez. After throwing feces at the wall three days ago, this looked to be more of the same. And yet, it somehow worked. Metro was crisp from the opening kickoff, and it paid off 18 minutes into the match, when Carmona's excellent through ball split the defense and found Patryk Klimala. The Pole took a touch into the box and then beat the keeper to the short side. It was Carmona's first career assist, not exactly ideal for a starting central midfielder, but hopefully a sign of things to come.

It was Fernandez's turn in the 31st. A long Tom Edwards throw-in from the right side bounced in the box, with six Miami defenders unable to get to it. Fernandez flew into the area, and headed in his first of the year. Seven minutes later, an idiotic off-the-ball found in the middle of the field earned Miami's Nicolas Figal a second yellow, and the game was effectively over.

Of course, with all these blown leads, it wasn't exactly over, but this was a different Metro team tonight. Unlike midweek, they did not take their foot off the pedal, frustrating Miami for the rest of the game. The hosts didn't test Carlos Coronel once; they had two shots total, and just a harmless one on goal. Metro had 27, nine on goal! Where was this team?

Metro's last two goals came off Fabio's headers. He made it 3:0 in the 65th off a John Tolkin corner kick. Then, a minute from time, Kyle Duncan setup the Brazilian for the exclamation point.

So why is this frustrating? This team just showed exactly what it's capable of. But how can it escape the massive hole it has dug over the last two months? What is the best case scenario, that they keep it up for a late-season playoff push? We'll believe it when we see it...

Lineup: Coronel, Tolkin, Nealis, Reyes, Edwards, Davis, Yearwood, Fernandez, Carmona, Fabio, Klimala. Subs: Gutman, Duncan, Casseres, Barlow, Harper.