Metro paints NY City red, 1:0
September 25, 2021
Well, we didn't see this coming. After rescuing a miraculous tie three days ago, a tie which they honestly didn't deserve, Metro crossed the river (we guess the Yankees allowed their tenants to host this weekend), and dispatched their own tenants 1:0 in a frantic, back-and-forth affair. Omir Fernandez had the lone goal of the match.
Gerhard Struber decided to go with a three central defenders, with usual outside backs Andrew Gutman and Tom Edwards flanking Sean Nealis. But early in the game it was the midfield that was the problem. The blue poseurs sliced through the matchbox-sized field time and again, with a goal seeming inevitable.
That goal never came; instead, Metro regained composure, started to act quickly, and started to create. Late in the first half, Omir Fernandez miffed a potential three-on-one attack with a bad pass. Minutes later, he took it deep into the box, only to waste a pass when a close-range shot looked obvious.
But it was Omir's time to shine tonight. In the 43rd, Kyle Duncan received the ball in the box and did incredibly well to give himself space, then sent a low pass through the defender's legs. Fernandez ran onto the ball and slammed it past the helpless, overrated Sean Johnson. Somehow, Metro had a 1:0 lead.
The second half saw the blue poseurs throw everything but the kitchen sink Metro's way. Carlos Coronel, who has been on fire after a shaky start to the season, did bail the team out on a number of occasions. A reaction save off a corner kick and denying a point-blank header were the best two moments of the Brazilian's night. Failing to score, the poseurs put on a diving clinic, but the referee would have none of it.
Unlike the recent debacle in Columbus, Struber did not sit on the 1:0 lead, as Metro pushed forward whenever possible. They couldn't get the second, but tonight, it wasn't needed.
If only they didn't waste all those leads earlier in the season!
Lineup: Coronel, Gutman, Nealis, Edwards, Duncan, Tolkin, Davis, Yearwood, Casseres, Fernandez, Klimala. Subs: Reyes, Barlow, Carmona, Royer.
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