The 2018 season was magical for many reasons (not the way it ended, but this is not about that). For our money, the best moment did not come during the record-setting regular season, it came during the first playoff round.

Setting the state: in the two-legged series, Metro predictably lost the opener to lower-seeded Columbus, 1:0. The vultures were circling; could the best season ever end like all others before? (It did; just not in this round.) But the single-goal deficit was not insurmountable. Sure, this team could handle it?

It did, because of Daniel Royer, who turned in one of the greatest performances in team history, scoring two goals in a resounding 3:0 win. It wasn't just the goals; he played a huge role in the series equalizer, heading a Sean Davis free kick in the 17th minute to the feet of Aaron Long. It eventually went off Alex Muyl and in.

The series stayed tied until the 73rd minute. Bradley Wright-Phillips fed Muyl, who split three defenders with a pass to Tyler Adams, who found Royer for a one-timer that gave Metro the lead.

And then, just three minutes later, it's the one everyone remembers. Royer took the ball in midfield, centered it with a patented move, then sent a blast from the top of a semicircle that burned a hole in the Columbus net. Goal, game, series.

Royer is on the short list of greatest Metro players ever. He has scored 50 goals for the club, fourth-most in team history. None were more important than those two.

We will forever have the Daniel Royer Game.