6:2 Miami New York Rojas 2 Messi Suarez 3 Vanzeir Forsberg 05.04.24 · League

And here we had hope. A very even first half, Metro playing with no fear, a 1:0 lead on a vaunted Miami side... this game was there for the taking.

And then it wasn't. Goal, goal, goal, goal (it became irrelevant at that point), goal, goal. One team had some of the best players in the world (yes, even at an advanced age). The other team had mistake-prone Wiki Carmona and Andres Reyes. It is what it is.

And we can pinpoint that two Miami goals were clearly offside, and we can complain about the obvious red card on a scissor tackle that Miami escaped with a yellow -- the game was still undecided then! -- it doesn't matter. In a league where parity is supposed to reign supreme, one team can somehow collect a pu pu platter of superstars, while the rest have to linger behind. (Of course, if Red Bull was allowed to spend as freely as Miami is, they would just buy some more teenagers from Scandinavia.)

We're not complaining. Metro whipped this same Miami team earlier this year (sure, they were missing a rather important player, but we were missing a bunch as well), so anything is possible. Hell, it's only the second loss all year. Hell, we can look at the first half and the goal -- Emil Forsberg breaking through, sending a perfect ball to Carmona, who hit the woodwork only for Dante Vanzeir to punch it in -- and the tenacious defensive play for the first 45 minutes, and think, this team is capable of more than competence.

But then you look at the second half, when Miami adjusted -- and Sandro Schwarz didn't. Whatever Metro could did to keep Miami at bay for the first 45 evaporated almost immediately, as the hosts made it 2:1 just five minutes in before pouring it on. Some goals were just a result of amateurish mistakes, a result of players just not being on the same level as their opponents... No, we're not complaining. It is what it is.

Forsberg scored the most irrelevant penalty in team history seven minutes into injury time to make it 6:2.

Lineup: Coronel, Tolkin, Nealis, Reyes, Duncan, Edelman, Amaya, Carmona, Forsberg, Morgan, Vanzeir. Subs: Manoel, Gjengaar, Donkor.