On May 26 against the Revolution, the Kansas City Wizards were missing three-fourths of their back line -- Jimmy Conrad, Jose Burciaga, Jr. and Nick Garcia -- as well as a fully fit Carlos Marinelli. Then they went down by two goals in the first 23 minutes before roaring back for a 4-3 win, mostly thanks to Eddie Johnson's first hat trick of the season.
So with that performance, and the health of their entire back four plus a now-fit playmaker, the Wizards are understandably confident in their return to Gillette Stadium.
"New England and us always play tough games whether it's home or away, so it's going to be a tough game and we know that," said midfielder Sasha Victorine. "We also feel like we can play up there. We can get results up there because we've done it before."
Indeed, the Wizards haven't lost to New England in two-plus years, and the Revolution's last win at home in the series came in 1999. But not all battles have been for first place in the Eastern Conference.
"It's a battle for first place, but at this point of the season, the key is to get points. So we need to go there to get points and play well," said Victorine, who added that the Wizards have not played their best in the last few games.
But they will have to play well in New England if they want to leapfrog over the Revolution, who are one point in front and have lost only three games this season.
"[It's a] huge game. New England is, if not the best team, one of the best teams in the league," said Wizards head man Curt Onalfo.
Strong at nearly every position and bolstered by arguably the best players in their positions in the league in forward Taylor Twellman, holding midfielder Shalrie Joseph and goalkeeper Matt Reis, the Revolution certainly have the Wizards' respect.
"It's tough to pick out weaknesses in their lineup," said K.C. midfielder Kerry Zavagnin.
The Wizards' most glaring weakness at the moment is their team defense. Although the two teams' attacks are 1-2 in the league, their defenses are strikingly different statistically. While New England is third in least amount of goals allowed per game, the Wizards are ninth.
"We're lacking on the defensive end right now. In order to become a championship team, we need to shore up that end," said Zavagnin. "The league is becoming better and better, and the way you recognize that is that teams punish you for just the smallest mistakes. We need to continue to pay attention to the details and continue to understand our roles and our responsibilities within our organization on the field. We have good enough players to get it done. There's not an excuse for us letting the amount of goals we have."
The Wizards will also have to contend with the Revolution's five-man midfield.
"It's different than the normal ways in which we play, but we've done a fairly good job so far this year with it, and I think we just have to continue with what we've done before, getting pressure up there and not letting them get a rhythm," said Victorine. "New England is one of those teams that when they start getting a rhythm and serving balls into their forwards, they're very tough."
If the Wizards are to come away with the result they are looking for, they will likely have to pressure them all over the field, and with their attacking speed and skill, the Wizards can forcibly break down teams like few others in the league can.
"We feel like we have a very good team as well, and we always match up well against them in their 3-5-2," Onalfo said. "We're rolling up our sleeves and are ready to go. We're playing for first place."
Said Zavagnin: "We're not going up to New England for a tie -- we're going up there for a win."
Bob Rusert is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
