KANSAS CITY WIZARDS vs. NEW YORK RED BULLS
COMMUNITYAMERICA BALLPARK, Kansas City, Kan.
July 10, 2008 | 7 p.m. CT (MetroSports; MSG)
WEEK # 16 | GAME # 106
The Kansas City Wizards return home to take on a New York Red Bulls squad in a vital match for both clubs as they begin the second half of the campaign looking to make a move up the table. The Wizards are still at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, seconds away from a second consecutive win a week ago before being pulled back into a 1-1 draw at FC Dallas. The Red Bulls are coming another heavy defeat, this time a 4-0 reversal at the hands of the Colorado Rapids on the annual Fourth of July extravaganza. The teams are meeting for the second time this year, playing to a 1-1 draw in May when a 10-man Red Bulls scored a late leveler.
REFEREE: Jasen Anno. SAR (bench): C.J. Morgante; JAR (opposite): Kermit Quisenberry; 4th: Andrew Chapin MLS Career: 3 games; FC/gm: 32.3; Y/gm: 4.3; R: 1; pens: 1
INJURY REPORT: KANSAS CITY WIZARDS - DOUBTFUL: MF Kevin Souter (MCL sprain) ... NEW YORK RED BULLS - QUESTIONABLE: OUT: MF Claudio Reyna (herniated disc); QUESTIONABLE: FW Ricky Schramm (L foot laceration)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: NY: Kevin Goldthwaite
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: KC: Jack Jewsbury, Kerry Zavagnin ... NY: Seth Stammler; Sinisa Ubiparipovic
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (36 meetings): Red Bulls 14 wins (2 shootout), 48 goals ... Wizards 13 wins (2 shootout), 50 goals ... Ties 9
AT KANSAS CITY (19 meetings): Wizards 11 wins (2 shootout), 31 goals ... Red Bulls 6 wins (1 shootout), 21 goals ... Ties 2
• This is the second of two meetings between the clubs this season, the first-ever meeting in the series at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.
• A year ago, the teams split their season series, each winning once on their home ground, with a third meeting ending in a draw. Juan Pablo Angel scored in each game in the series, five of his 19 goals on the season coming against Kansas City.
• The Wizards haven't won on their last 12 visits to East Rutherford. The last Kansas City win at Giants Stadium came in a 2-1 triumph on April 19; the New York club has won five meetings since, with seven draws.
• Since changing their name, the New York Red Bulls have yet to win in Kansas City. The last New York win on the road in the series came Sept. 10, 2005 - when the then-MetroStars claimed a 1-0 victory. The teams played to draws in their two 2006 meetings - the first as the New York Red Bulls - before Kansas City won last year's series finale at Arrowhead Stadium.
• Coaches record: Curt Onalfo v CLB: P4 W1 L1 D2 ... Juan Carlos Osorio vs. KC: P3 W1 L1 D1
LAST MEETING (MLS):
5/17: NY 1, KC 1 (Borman 81 - Conrad 20)
• The Red Bulls got a late equalizer after going a man before the teams settled for a 1-1 draw May 17 at Giants Stadium.
• The visitors took the lead after 20 minutes. Carlos Marinelli swung in a corner kick from the left and Jimmy Conrad flashed forward before sending a glancing header from the near post back inside the far upright for his third goal on the season.
• The Wizards then looked to be home and dry 13 minutes from the end when Red Bulls midfielder Dave van den Bergh was sent off after throwing an elbow toward the head of Kansas City's Davy Arnaud as the two battled for the ball in midfield.
• But the Red Bulls hit for the equalizer four minutes later. Jozy Altidore found Juan Pablo Angel at the top of the area, and he turned and slipped the ball to Danleigh Borman, who raced in and stabbed home his second goal in as many matches.
• Here's Osorio's team (3-3-1-3): Jon Conway - Andrew Boyens, Jeff Parke, Kevin Goldthwaite - Hunter Freeman, Luke Sassano, Dave van den Bergh - Mike Magee (Danleigh Borman 46) - Dane Richards, Juan Pablo Angel, Jozy Altidore. Substitutes Not Used: Chris Leitch, Chris Megaloudis, Carlos Mendes, Zach Thornton, Sinisa Ubiparipovic, John Wolyniec
• Here's Onalfo's team (4-3-1-2): Kevin Hartman - Chance Myers, Jimmy Conrad, Tyson Wahl, Michael Harrington - Ryan Pore (Eloy Colombano 85), Jack Jewsbury, Sasha Victorine (Kurt Morsink 79) - Carlos Marinelli - Scott Sealy (Davy Arnaud 61), Claudio Lopez. Substitutes Not Used: Aaron Hohlbein, Eric Kronberg, Ivan Trujillo, Kerry Zavagnin
KANSAS CITY WIZARDS
The Kansas City Wizards were seconds away from a second consecutive victory before FC Dallas scored a dramatic goal in stoppage time to secure a 1-1 draw Friday night at Pizza Hut Park. The Wizards still sit in seventh place in the Eastern Conference with 17 points from 14 matches, three behind the New York Red Bulls in sixth place.
LAST MATCH
• FC Dallas had won just once in six league games, though Schellas Hyndman had won for the first time as FCD head coach in a U.S. Open Cup match at midweek. The Wizards had put an end to their seven-game winless streak the week before thanks to a late own goal.
• Heading into the game, a Wizards player had not scored in 410 minutes. That number reached 448 minutes before Scott Sealy put the visitors ahead in the 39th minute, taking a pass from Claudio Lopez at the top of the area, then on the turn lashing a low shot inside the left-hand post past FCD 'keeper Dario Sala.
• Three times this season, FC Dallas had seen their opponents score dramatic late goals to secure a late draw. But a minute into stoppage time, the Hoops got one of their own. Rookie Eric Avila sent in a great cross from the left flank, over the massed Wizards back line, and Abe Thompson nodded it perfectly with his head into the right side of the net, the first goal allowed by the Wizards in 292 minutes of play.
• Wizards head coach Curt Onalfo made no changes to the team that ended the long winless run with a 1-0 win against Real Salt Lake the previous weekend.
• Here's Onalfo's team (4-4-2): Kevin Hartman - Jack Jewsbury, Jimmy Conrad, Aaron Hohlbein, Michael Harrington - Davy Arnaud, Kurt Morsink (Ryan Pore 59), Sasha Victorine, Claudio Lopez (Jonathan Leathers 82) - Scott Sealy, Ivan Trujillo (Roger Espinoza 59). Substitutes Not Used: Eric Kronberg, Chance Myers, Tyson Wahl, Kerry Zavagnin
TEAM NEWS
• The Wizards had a chance to put together back-to-back wins for the first time since the first two matches of the season, when wins against D.C. United (2-0) and Colorado (3-2) put a good feeling around their new home.
• "It's one of those games where you're frustrated because it's not the first time that we've blown a lead. We have to do a better job defending leads, killing off games and being more mature about our soccer. We all have to take responsibility for it. It's disappointing. It's frustrating to have three points in our hand and just give it away," goalkeeper Kevin Hartman said. "It's frustrating because I know the guys worked so hard to get in a position to get three points. But at the end of the day, you have to play for 94 or 95 minutes and not just 93. It would be nice to be able to celebrate a victory with the guys and reward them for the work they did. I thought what they did was a tremendous effort."
• In addition, the stoppage-time goal spoiled a bid for a third consecutive shutout, something the Wizards hadn't done since games 3,4 and 5 of last season.
• "Defensively, we were outstanding for 91 minutes," Onalfo said. "We've given up very few goals in MLS and were three minutes away from another shutout. But you can't put your defense under that kind of pressure for that many minutes. When you have a chance, you have to put them away. It's that simple."
• After three consecutive shutouts on the attacking end, the Wizards did score a goal for the second consecutive game. But they still have not scored more than one goal in any game since April 5, when they hit for three against Colorado.
• "It was a game where we had plenty of chances to put the game away," Onalfo said. "Our inability to do that cost us at the end. We've created a lot of chances over the last few games. Getting them isn't good enough. Now, we have to put them away."
• While the Wizards came out of their six-game road swing with just one victory (in the first game of the trip), they still have come away with draws from their last three games away from Kansas City.
• "We possessed the ball very well, were able to get a goal away from home and for a majority of the game, we did very well," Hartman said. "I thought that for the last 5-10 minutes, we weren't experienced or mature enough with the game."
• On Tuesday, the Wizards were bounced out of the U.S. Open Cup, losing to the USL-1 Seattle Sounders in a penalty shootout after a scoreless draw through 120 minutes at Qwest Field in Seattle. In the penalty shootout, each team missed once in the first five, sending it into extra kicks. After each saw a sixth kick converted, Tyson Wahl's effort was saved by Seattle 'keeper Chris Eylander, then Seattle's Zach Scott converted to send the Sounders into a semifinal date with the Charleston Battery as they knocked off two MLS opponents for the second consecutive year.
• Here's Onalfo's team: Eric Kronberg, Chance Myers, Rauwshan McKenzie (Jimmy Conrad 46), Tyson Wahl, Matt Marquess, Jonathan Leathers (Ryan McMahen 83), Kerry Zavagnin, Roger Espinoza, Lance Watson (Michael Harrington 63), Michael Kraus (Nelson Pizarro 57), Ryan Pore
• "Anytime you have an opportunity to play a game that really matters, you learn from it. We had five rookies on the field, we had a couple second-year players and a couple third-year players. We had a very, very young team on the field, and I think they did a good job," Onalfo said. " ... I think quite frankly it was an evenly played game. I think 0-0 was a fair result. And it comes down to PKs, and you know the luck went Seattle's way."
NEW YORK RED BULLS
The Colorado Rapids put on the most impressive showing of the holiday weekend, continuing their Fourth of July success with a 4-0 rout of the New York Red Bulls at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. The Red Bulls now sit in sixth place in the Eastern Conference with 20 points from 15 matches, one point behind Toronto FC and the Chicago Fire and two behind D.C. United.
LAST MATCH
• The Rapids were returning home riding a four-game winless streak after losing for the fifth consecutive match away from Commerce City, while the Red Bulls hadn't lost in three league games, with two road draws wrapped around a home win.
• In front of a record crowd on hand for the annual Fourth of July fireworks extravaganza, the Rapids scored two goals in each half. In the 24th minute, Facundo Erpen set Colin Clark free down the left, and his clipped cross into the goal area was turned home by Tom McManus. Then 12 minutes later, a sweeping move from left to right saw Terry Cooke drive a low cross into the box that Mehdi Ballouchy stabbed home first-time.
• The Rapids made it 3-0 four minutes after the break. Clark took a long ball on the left flank, and after winning possession, rounded Dane Richards to race into the box nearly unmolested before hammering a rasping drive from an angle that sailed high inside the far post.
• In the 68th minute, Colorado rounded off the victory, as Omar Cummings took a through ball, skipped between a pair of defenders at the top of the area and slotted home past Red Bulls 'keeper Jon Conway. With the win, the Rapids improved their record on July 4 to 11-1-1.
• Red Bulls head coach Juan Carlos Osorio made one change to the team that settled for a 1-1 draw at Chivas USA the previous weekend. Oscar Echeverry came back into the team, starting up top for John Wolyniec.
• Here's Osorio's team (4-2-3-1): Jon Conway - Hunter Freeman (Mike Magee 46), Jeff Parke, Andrew Boyens, Kevin Goldthwaite - Carlos Mendes, Seth Stammler (Juan Pablo Angel 46) - Dane Richards (Luke Sassano 66), Sinisa Ubiparipovic, Dave van den Bergh - Oscar Echeverry. Substitutes Not Used: Danleigh Borman, Chris Leitch, Zach Thornton, John Wolyniec
• "We were not at the races. I think that we did not compete today and in the end we got what we deserved," Osorio said.
TEAM NEWS
• While Osorio made just one change to his side, along with it came the requisite change in formations, as Dave van den Bergh moved to a forward role, wide on the left, after playing as a left back and central midfielder for almost the entirety of the year.
• "We just wanted to match them up and play the same system that we have been playing," said Osorio. "That's down to the players and I do not think that anyone can look in my eyes and tell me that they really played today."
• While it was the first time since May 31 the Red Bulls were shut out, they have not scored more than one goals in any of their last nine games, since a 2-1 win vs. the LA Galaxy on May 10.
• "In the first half we had numbers wide and they only had one true guy outside so there was a lot of space there," said Hunter Freeman. "We whipped some good balls in but we never really got on the end of them. We kept the ball but we didn't do anything with it; in the final third we didn't have any answers and we lacked some creativity. Give Colorado credit - they did something with their chances."
• After being ruled out of four consecutive games, Juan Pablo Angel with a hamstring strain, Juan Pablo Angel joined the team in Colorado and came on as a halftime sub.
• "It's good to be back. I felt well physically. Obviously, this is the first game I've played in over three weeks and I need to build up on it," Angel said. "But I'm obviously disappointed about the performance for the team - I would prefer to have had a different result."
• The effort left Osorio very frustrated - and with an eye on the opening of the transfer market come July 15.
• "I can't wait for the 15th of July, when we can sign some players and make a very competitive team," said Osorio. "Because at the moment, I think all of our players have had the chance to shine and stake a claim and a lot of them refuse to do that."
• The Kansas City match will round out a very taxing period for the Red Bulls. After the 1-0 home win against FC Dallas, they went on the road for matches against Chivas de Guadalajara in Phoenix (W 1-0) and vs. Chivas USA at The Home Depot Center (T 1-1). They then flew back across the country for their third-round Open Cup match vs. Crystal Palace Baltimore (L 0-2), before going back to the Mountain time zone for the Colorado match. After the game in Kansas City, the Red Bulls will next play on Sat., July 19, at home against the LA Galaxy.
• "Obviously we have had a busy schedule in the last two weeks. I think it has been something like five games in 14 days. But that is no excuse for what happened here (in Colorado)," said Freeman.
