It was do or die on that sad dreary Labor Day. It was either prolong your season or have it end painfully, and for the Atlanta Silverbacks and their fans, it was all of the latter Monday Night.
The Silverbacks came into the game ready to play. The players looked confident and anxious to get back on form after losing 5 of their last 6 and you could see how badly they wanted the playoffs. A nice turnout arrived on hand to watch the Silverbacks do battle against the Toronto Lynx. Toronto was already in the playoffs and had little to play for. Atlanta had everything to play for. The Silverbacks demoted Midfielders Junuz Coralic, Ze Rodrigues and Forward Iggy Moleka to the bench for the big game. The game got off to a quick start for the Silverbacks as Patrick Beech missed two breakaway chances in the first half. The crowd and the players were becoming restless and you could see the frustration on the players' faces as they approached the locker room at halftime. At the half, Coach Nuno Pitiera (who very well might have been fighting for his job), put Moleka into the match in place of Midfielder Matt Elliot. Still, the Silverbacks could simply not convert their chances.
The Toronto goalkeeper Theo Zagar looked great as well, making saves left and right. Atlanta continued to push forward, and finally it hurt them. Substitute Defender Ray Tomlin pulled down a Lynx player just outside of the box in the 63rd minute. Nikola Vignjevic curled the free kick into the upper netting just out of the reach of keeper David Winner.
The Silverbacks continued to push forward, as shot after shot was pushed away by Zagar. The Silverbacks just couldn't score. Then, with ten minutes to go, just as backup goalkeeper Mark Pasquarello yelled for the crowd to get louder, Brian Piesner streaked down the left wing and dribbled into the box, and nailed a shot into the net. The crowd erupted and the Silverbacks celebrated as if they had already won. But they hadn't, they had to win this match to make the playoffs, not tie it. Then in the 78th, the Lynx got another free kick outside of the box, once again they made the most of it. The Silverbacks' 4 man wall blocked the free kick and they all collapsed on the ball. The Lynx Midfielder Parker crossed a ball into the 6 where substitute Aaron Benjamin tapped the ball into the corner just before David Winner could get his hands on it. The Silverbacks continued to push forward, but they could not put the ball in the net. The referee blew the final whistle and the Silverbacks had lost the game. They had gone down in 6 of their final 7 matches, and for the second straight year, missed the playoffs on the final day of the year.
Forward Josh Henderson sunk to the ground and banged the grass after the loss while the other Silverbacks players could only watch in shock as the Toronto players celebrated, thinking about what could have been. This had been 40 year old Midfielder Jacenir Silva's final match in his soccer career, and it had ended painfully with a season ending loss.
As I left the field looking for positives, I struggled to find any. But then I realized what a great season it had been. These Silverbacks, were one of the most talented teams in the league. This team was poised for greatness. Still, they missed the playoffs again and another season of professional soccer ended painfully in the city Atlanta.
