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van den Bergh, 2008
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History of Metro in MLS Cup semifinals
November 27, 2024
The bad news? Metro is 1-4 in MLS Cup semifinals, encompassing some of the most miserable moments in team history, often thanks to the referees. The good news? They are 1-0 in single game semifinals, with one of the most wonderful moments in team history to boot!
2000: Chicago, lose 3-6 on total points
This was not technically a conference championship, as MLS went to a three-division setup, with the playoffs being an affair of the top eight seeds. The series were three games, first to five points. (So, first to two wins, or a win and two ties.) Metro, ranked third, finally won a playoff series, sweeping Dallas, and faced Chicago in the semifinal. With starter Mike Ammann ailing from Mamadouchebag Diallo breaking his ribs, and backup Tim Howard away at the Sydney Olympics, Metro was forced to start minor league call-up Paul Grafer in goal. The one in long pants did not fare well in the opener, a game the Fire dominated in an easy 3:0 rout. Ammann, not fully healed, returned for the second leg, and got the shutout, 2:0, with Mark Chung and Adolfo Valencia scoring for Metro. (Remember, first to five points -- aggregate was irrelevant.) In the decider in Chicago, the hosts jumped to an early 2:0 lead, but Metro equalized through Valencia scoring both. Midway through the second, it looked that he gave Metro the lead... only for the goal to come back on a hideous offside call. Future Metro Ante Razov got one for the Fire late, on a play that might have been offside as well.
2008: Salt Lake, win 1:0
Like this year, it was so simple: just one game to get to MLS Cup. What wasn't simple is that MLS decided that after the top three in each conference qualify for the playoffs, the next two best records would go in as wild cards. That meant that Metro, as the last team to qualify, had to go to the West bracket, where they dispatched two-time defending champion Houston in the opening series. One game in Utah loomed, and Dave van den Bergh scored the most important goal in team history (at the time) on a feed from John Wolyniec. That goal stood as yet another unexpected goalkeeper, Danny Cepero, stood on his head, with much help from the goalpost. Metro went to their first (and so far, only) MLS Cup.
2014: New England, lose 3:4 on aggregate
We're still pissed off about this series. Metro came in on a high after finally winning a playoff game in Red Bull Arena, first dumping Kansas City and then finally exercising the ghosts of DC. Unfortunately, the Revs scored early, but Bradley Wright-Phillips equalized. Rev hack Jermaine Jones took over the game, first with a nasty, brutal, two-legged scissor tackle on Dax McCarty which somehow escaped punishment, then with a late goal that saw his team grab the series lead. BWP was suspended for game two, but Metro came out flying, scoring first through Tim Cahill to even on aggregate, but still lie behind on away goals. The Revs responded, but Peguy Luyindula tied it all... only for Charlie Davies to score the decider. It was the last game of Titi Henry's career. We're still pissed off.
2015: Columbus, lose 1:2 on aggregate
Once again, Metro came in after dumping DC. Before the dust could settle, Columbus scored half a minute after the opening whistle. Metro was greatly missing the injured Damien Perrinelle, and the Crew dropped a dagger in the second half to go up two. The Metro offense was ineffective in the home leg, with Anatole Abang scoring very very late to slice the margin... and then BWP hit the goalpost, and that was it.
2018: Atlanta, lose 1:3 on aggregate
Another devastating injury, this time to Kemar Lawrence, and a head-scratching strategy change by Chris Armas saw Metro look anything like their Shield-winning selves in the away leg. After Atlanta went up, BWP scored the equalizer... What followed was the most obscene VAR reversal in soccer history, with Alex Muyl somehow judged to be interfering with the goalkeeper's line of sight. Metro couldn't recover, as the home site piled on two more to make the hill that much steeper. Metro fought in the home leg, had another goal annulled, but by the time Time Parker scored, it was too little, too late. Because of the series-altering referee decision, the best team in club history came up short.
2024: Orlando, ?
Here's hoping.
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