Archimedes said, “Give me a place to stand on, and I will move the Earth.” He was, of course, talking about leverage, and the lever — one of the three original simple machines. What a machine gives you is mechanical advantage, force amplification. And that’s precisely what Romain Metanire has provided Minnesota United every time he’s set foot on the field this season. Give the Malagasy defender a place to run on the right flank and he’ll move the Earth.
With the likes of Osvaldo Alonso and Ike Opara joining the team in the offseason — two players with championship cred who could each lay claim to the title of best defender in MLS at various points in their careers — it was a bit surprising to find that in the early part of the season, Metanire was perhaps the most essential addition.