Forsberg's two torment Toronto, 2:1
March 22, 2025
Emil Forsberg scored both Metro goals and AJ Marcucci finally, finally played in a game, as Metro beat Toronto 2:1. The final score did not convey the disparity between the two teams. Metro dominated from the opening kickoff, but needed a late response after a Toronto equalizer that came completely against the run of play.
Marcucci got the start -- four years after being drafted and almost four years after signing a first-team contract -- due to Carlos Coronel's international absence. Thankfully, the only other international absence that had an effect on the starting lineup was that of Dennis Gjengaar, so Wiki Carmona played in his stead.
Almost the entirety of the game was played in the Toronto side of the field, but Metro's inability to convert chances into goals once again raised its ugly head. The breakthrough came just like last week, through VAR assistance. This time, it was Raheem Edwards who was clipped in the box. Forsberg perfectly placed the penalty to the bottom right corner in the 44th minute.
The second half was much of the same, with Metro's best chance coming on an Alexander Hack redirect in the 67th. Alas, three minutes later, Toronto finally got a rush the other way, and a cross from old favorite Derrick Etienne found the head of Deandre Kerr, who beat Hack to the ball and ended Marcucci's shutout bid.
Metro recovered quite quickly, getting the lead back in the 79th. Daniel Edelman did well to find Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting at the top of the semicircle. The Cameroonian laid it off to Felipe Carballo, whose immediate pass sprung Forsberg into the box. The captain calmly slotted to his right for his third two-goal game in Metro colors.
Toronto, with their two pricey Designated Players ineptly floundering around the field, could do little to break through. Even when Carballo got a stupid second yellow in injury time (for arguing about the one he received seconds earlier), Metro's reduction to ten didn't result in a single shot. At the end, a deserved victory and good response after the equalizer... but at some point, this team will need to stop relying on VAR from getting its offense started.
Lineup: Marcucci, Edwards, Hack, Nealis, Eile, Nealis, Edelman, Stroud, Carmona, Forsberg, Choupo-Moting. Subs: Carballo, Ngoma, Donkor, Parker.
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