Dynamo 3 Metros 1
Nashville –
The Nashville Metros dropped their first game of the season on Saturday night in a 3-1 defeat to the Carolina Dynamo, the defending Eastern Conference champions.
The Metros captured both of their games on the road last week in West Virginia before Saturday’s home opener at E.S. Rose Park.
Nashville (2-1) trailed 2-0 in the 64th minute when midfielder Paco Maciel received the ball with his left foot roughly 40 yards from the goal. Maciel juked a defender with a right-footed step-over and fired a knuckling shot from his left foot into the upper left corner of the goal. Maciel said afterward that it was the longest goal of his United Soccer Leagues’ Premier Development League career.
The Metros appeared to have earned a penalty kick in the 84th minute when forward Andrew Nkurunungi was tripped by Dynamo defender Boyd Okwuono towards the left side of the box. Referee Leeland Grant, however, ruled that the foul occurred just outside of the box. The ensuing direct kick from forward Iyassu Bekele landed well right of the goal and didn’t threaten Dynamo goalkeeper Peyton Ford.
A little more than three minutes later, the Dynamo padded their lead. Metros goalkeeper Jess Clark found himself out of position after a failed clearance. Clark’s pass was intercepted by Dynamo forward Hakan Ilhan who chipped the ball into the open net.
Carolina got on the board in the 25th minute when a shot from Shane Malcolm caromed off Clark and went directly to Tom McCready. The Dynamo midfielder placed the rebound into the lower left corner of the goal for a 1-0 halftime lead.
“They got a soft goal and it kills you,” coach Brent Goulet said. “At the back we weren’t aggressive like we were on the road. We weren’t getting in front of people once we had it down.”
The Dynamo increased the lead to 2-0 in the 60th minute on another goal by McCready. Ilhan received a pass from McCready through the center of the field and one-timed a pass back to McCready near the top of the box. McCready blasted it past Clark into the left corner of the goal.
The Metros were outshot 13-9 in the defeat. Nashville next plays on May 27 at home against Real Maryland Monarchs FC. ####
