BY NIGEL SIMON
Trinidad Guardian
Forward Mark Lisi and his New York/New Jersey MetroStars teammates capitalised on the sending off of three CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh players to record a come-from-behind 3-2 win.
The match, the second of a double-header at the Hasely Crawford Stadium, Mucurapo, was supposed to be a friendly, but from early on it was evident that international referee Ramesh Ramdan would be in for a torrid time and by the end of the 90 minutes Ramdan had dished out eight yellow and three red cards.
Unluckily for Jabloteh, three of their players were the ones who saw red—defender Charles Pollard, midfielder Trent Noel and second-half substitute Michael Celestine.
Despite the fast-paced start to the match, the teams were each limited to one real attempt at goal—Jabloteh through Otis Seaton on the 15-minute mark, and the MetroStars seven minutes later through striker John Wolyniec.
Jabloteh eventually went ahead 1-0 in the 26th minute through an alert Kerry Baptiste, who was one of their best players that night, together with Seaton.
Baptiste fired home a low shot past Wells, after defender Tim Ward failed to clear a Nigel Pierre centre from the left side.
Wolyniec answered with the equaliser just three minutes later, hammering a Gilberto Flores rebound past goalie Daurance Williams. Flores was sent through down the right side by Amado Guevara before Williams denied him.
Sergio Galvin Rey had a chance to give MetroStars the lead on the half-hour mark but his volley from a Wolyniec left-sided centre, was kept out by the feet of Williams.
Two minutes into the second-half, Jabloteh regained the lead when a Pierre flick-on from a right side throw-in just over the half-line, put the ball into the path of Nicholas Addlery, the home team’ speedy Jamaican forward.
Addlery held of the challenge of two retreating defenders and slipped the ball into the far corner of the net for a 2-1 lead.
Jabloteh coach Michael Grayson then made a number of substitutions which seemed to upset the chemistry of his team while the MetroStars coach Bob Bradley also introduced fresh-legs into the match.
Josh Johnson, one of Jabloteh’s substitutes, got the ball into the net in the 57th minute, but the play was ruled off-side.
Wolyniec then almost tied the score for the second time, but his left-footed shot from an acute angle was bravely put around the post for a corner kick by a diving Keyeno Thomas, who needed treatment afterwards for taking the ball on his stomach.
The burly Wolyniec made no mistake with his next chance at goal, as he skilfully glanced an angled pass from Galvan Rey over the outstretched Williams, into the top left of the goal in the 61st minute.
The match then turned extremely physical, with Pollard and Guevara being cautioned in the 73rd minute after a minor scrimmage.
Pollard soon got marching orders for a second offence—a brutal sliding tackle on MetroStars defender Ademir Dos Santos—and he was joined by teammate Trent Noel, who drew the wrath of Ramdan for verbal dissent.
The visitors capitalised on their two-man advantage minutes later as Mark Lisi, a 64th-minute replacement for Michael Bradley, blasted home the match winner from 25 yards, leaving Williams with no chance.
Soon after, a frustrated Celestine picked up his second yellow card, which left Jabloteh to finish the match with eight players.
In the night’s opener, Jabloteh’s Under-16s crushed the national women’s team 9-0.
MetroStars will end their two-match friendly series in Trinidad with a match against VIBE CT 105 W Connection at the Manny Ramjohn Stadium in Marabella tomorrow from 7 pm.
Teams
MetroStars: Zach Wells, Tim Ward (Chris Corcoran 59th), Carlos Mendes, Jeff Parke, Chris Leitch (Ademir Dos Santos 69th), Amado Guevara capt. (Pierre Bazie 76th), Michael Bradley (Mark Lisi 64th), Gilberto (Tim Regan 45th), Mahktar N'Diaye (Osni Neto 59th), John Wolyniec, Sergio Galvan Rey.
Subs not used: Jason Hernandez, Seth Stammler, Ramon Bailey, TJ Tomasson,
San Juan Jabloteh: Daurance Williams, Charles Pollard, Trent Noel, Keyeno Thomas, Angus Eve (Travis Mulraine 64th), Kerry Baptiste (Michael Celestine 59th), Nicholas Addlery (Josh Johnson 59th), Nigel Daniel (Devin Mitchell 59th), Ansil Elcock, Nigel Pierre, Aurtis Whitley (Nigel Codrington 78th, Marcelle Francois 86th).
Subs not used: Brian James, Vernon Bailey, Dexter Franklyn
