Colossal Coronel calamity costs Metro, 2:1
April 9, 2022
There are mistakes, and there are MISTAKES. Today, we had one of the latter, as the usually stellar Carlos Coronel committed a blunder for the ages, gifting Montreal a 2:1 win at Red Bull Arena. Metro is now winless in its three home games.
Gerhard Struber reverted to 4-4-2, with Cristian Casseres stepping in for suspended Frankie Amaya and Luquinhas getting his first start at the expense of "Big, Strong, Fast" Tom Barlow. Don't worry, we got to see Barlow later in the game.
Metro's lone goal came in the 14th minute, as a long Omir Fernandez hoper got deflected into the box an landed into the net. If anyone is counting, Metro scored three goals in its last three games, and all of them could have been counted as an own goal. This one was credited to Fernandez.
Metro had a good chance to score off a set piece later in the half, but the ball was cleared off the line. And then... nothing. The offense stalled, with Patryk Klimala turning into his usual sinkhole. The good attacking vibes of the season's first two games seemed to have been long forgotten.
It shouldn't have mattered, of course, as this team has shown it can hold 1:0 leads. Last year, at least; this year, not so much. In the 71st minute, Aaron Long left Rudy Camacho for a wide-open header, and the game was tied.
After the goal, Struber made a change, bringing on Barlow and Dylan Nealis for Klimala and Luquinhas in a head-scratching move. It might have made sense if the team was still up, but with the game tied? (Of course, taking off Klimala can be seen as addition by subtraction. But then, putting on Barlow can be seen as subtraction by addition.)
It all went to hell in the 81st. With the entire Metro team up the field on a set piece, Montreal won the ball and sent it forward. Tom Edwards had it covered, but Coronel inexplicably wandered into the midfield and tried to get the ball. He miss-hit it straight at a Montreal player, with nothing but empty green in front of him. Romell Quioto took a few touches and slid it into the vacated net.
The problem is not that Metro lost the lead and lost the game; the problem is the complete incompetence of the team's attack. Luquinhas has shown some flashes and can only get better, but there is little cohesion in the offensive third. Klimala has proven time and again that he simply cannot be a leading striker, and the lack of other options is disheartening. At this point, the best Metro can hope for is hit a ball and hope it goes off a defender...
Hell, it worked for the last three goals.
Lineup: Coronel, Tolkin, Long, Nealis, Edwards, Yearwood, Casseres, Morgan, Fernandez, Luquinhas, Klimala. Subs: Nealis, Barlow, Fletcher.
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