5:1 Orlando New York Araujo 2 Pereyra Torres Michel Morgan 07.27.22 · Open Cup

Years from now, when we look back at this game, we might look at the score and say, 5:1, boy Metro got destroyed! But that wouldn't be the whole story...

Metro dominated the first half, suffocating Orlando time and again, but just couldn't break through. They were so close many times. An amazing Patryk Klimala bicycle kick rung off the crossbar, with a close-range Luquinhas header that followed saved in the last second. Klimala rang it off the post again, Luquinhas blew a breakaway... And then, in injury time, it call came together. A long ball from Cristian Casseres found Klimala on the right side, and the much-malign Pole held it and then crossed it through the penalty area. An onrushing Lewis Morgan slammed it home, and just like that, just like that, excitement, jubilation, and only 45 minutes left! Obviously, that wasn't the whole story...

Because it wasn't 45 minutes left, there was still time in the opening half, and Orlando won a corner kick, hit the goalpost, and then knocked in the rebound, and it was 1:1. And then, less than two minutes into the second, Dylan Nealis was beat on the right side, and the ball was centered to the box, with no Metro close by, and it became 2:1... and that might have been as well the whole story, because Metro wasn't scoring another one today.

That was it. They were spent, they were done, and Orlando poured it on, off another corner kick, off a reversed offside call, off... well, it doesn't matter. 5:1. 5:1 in a semifinal. But that's not the whole story!

The whole story is how good this team has been under Gerhard Struber, despite the result tonight. The whole story is how this Open Cup run showed the potential of what Metro could become. The whole story is that despite of all of that, there are major major holes -- ESPECIALLY ONE AT STRIKER! -- which Red Bull has not filled despite having the lowest payroll in the league. The whole story is that this team will not accomplishing anything this year -- this was its chance, they were just two games away, they had a lead late in the first half -- and they blew it, blew it, blew it.

There is a third of a season left. Some will delude themselves by saying that in the playoffs, anything is possible. Just look at (insert team here)! If they can do it, why not Metro?

Yes, anything is possible, in theory. But unless Red Bull gets off its posterior and starts investing in this team, we all know how this will end...

Might as well call this season's story finished.

Lineup: Coronel, Tolkin, Long, Nealis, Nealis, Morgan, Amaya, Casseres, Luquinhas, Fernandez, Klimala. Subs: Clark, Barlow, Harper, Yearwood.