Really bad week ends with 3:1 loss to Salt Lake
July 15, 2023
When Metro last played at RSL, Chris Armas was the coach, Daniel Edelman was 16 years old, and the COVID lockdown was five days away. That result was a tie; tonight, they got outclassed in every area of the field, losing 3:1 to go into the Leagues Cup break with their first league losing streak of the year. It hasn't been a good week.
Salt Lake scored the opener before the game was even two minutes old, as Diego Luna sneaked behind the Metro defense and finished the cross. The home side did very well playing through Metro's press, having little problem moving the ball upfield. Edelman did cause the one key turnover of the first half, springing Cory Burke on a potential breakaway. Alas, the Salt Lake goalkeeper had enough time to come out of the net to cut off the angle, and Burke shot wide.
Troy Lesesne made wholesale changes at the break, putting in three substitutes, and one of them, Tom Barlow, had a perfect chance a few minutes in, but missed a wide-open net from close range. Some out there keep hoping that Barlow will somehow become... not Barlow. He will not. Moments after that miss, RSL went the other way, cut through he gut of the Metro defense, and made it 2:0.
Frankie Amaya cut the deficit in the 80th minute on a feed from Kyle Duncan, continuing his surprising scoring tear, but any ideas of a potential comeback were squashed a minute later. A thunderous long shot by Jefferson Savarino cut through the penalty area and beat an outstretched Carlos Coronel to the fat side. And that was that.
So now, the league goes on a month-long break for the pretentious Leagues Cup, as we are left scratching our heads. There are just 11 games left in the regular season. This team has deficiencies in every area of the field, starting with Coronel and ending with the incompetent attack. Is it still possible to turn it around? It seems more and more unlikely... But so was the COVID lockdown last time Metro played RSL?
Lineup: Coronel, Tolkin, Nealis, Reyes, Harper, Edelman, Stroud, Carmona, Fernandez, Burke, Vanzeir. Subs: Duncan, Luquinhas, Barlow, Amaya, Manoel.
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