MetroStars 1 Crew 0
Maybe this is a different MetroStars team after all. Following a major overhaul in the offseason and under the direction of coach Bora Milutinovic for the first full season, the MetroStars might have learned how to win.
The MetroStars (2-0, 4 points) grabbed a regulation victory over the Columbus Crew (0-1) when it seemed a shootout was inevitable. Mike Petke’s goal in the 80th minute gave the MetroStars’ a 1-0 win yesterday at Giants Stadium – where the announced crowd of 20,307 was possible only if every person at the game brought an invisible friend.
“It’s important to have confidence and this win gives us confidence,” Milutinovic said. “It’s better to be like this than to be behind.”
Milutinovic was referring to his squad’s fast start, which is in stark contrast to the 0-3 starts it has endured during its first three seasons.
Although the MetroStars controlled most of the game, they had difficulty creating scoring chances. But after a Jason Farrell foul late in the second half, midfielder Miles Joseph took a free kick from 24 yards out.
“We worked on our free kicks all week,” Joseph said. “So it was good to see something that we worked on win a game for us.”
Joseph lofted the ball to Petke, who stationed himself about five yards away from the goal. Joseph couldn’t have placed the ball any better as Petke leaped and headed the ball into the upper left part of the goal.
“Miles played the best ball I’ve ever seen,” said Petke, who notched his first goal of the year and just the second of his career. “It was too perfect to miss.”
But it nearly didn’t happen. Petke, a defender, almost left the goal area to go back on defense.
“I was all ready to go, when Miles told me to go to the back post,” Petke said. “We didn’t have any eye contact, he just told me what he was going to do.”
Joseph was filling in for Tab Ramos, who missed the game because of soreness in a tendon in his right leg.
The late goal overshadowed a sloppy offensive effort by the MetroStars, who seemed incapable of doing anything from 25 yards or closer. But they did play solid defense against Columbus, which was without last year’s scoring leader John Stern.
Stern played for the Trinidad national team last night. The MetroStars allowed just one good shot by the Crew, a bullet from Farrell that drilled the top crossbar after keeper Mike Ammann got a hand on it.
Ammann, who the MetroStars acquired in the trade that sent Tony Meola and Alexi Lalas to Kansas City, picked up his 11th career shutout in his home debut.
Despite the mistakes, Joseph was thrilled to finally be winning.
“It’s a totally different experience and hopefully we can keep it going,” Joseph said. “The organization is much better now.” *In addition to Ramos, who is expected back for next Saturday’s game against D.C. United, the MetroStars played without midfielder Roy Myers (Costa Rican national team) and defender Arley Palacios (one-game suspension due to a red card in last week’s win at Miami).
