D.C. UNITED v KANSAS CITY WIZARDS
RFK MEMORIAL STADIUM, Washington, D.C.
7:30 p.m. ET (CSN-DC)
May 13, 2006 (WEEK #7) / MLS Game #38
D.C. United return back home for their fifth match already this season at RFK Memorial Stadium when they take on the Kansas City Wizards in a clash of the top two teams in the Eastern Conference and a rematch of the MLS Cup Final of two years ago. United lost for the first time on the campaign a weekend ago at Colorado, and are now two points behind the Wizards in the division, Kansas City having also lost just once on the season.
REFEREE: Gus St. Silva. SAR (bench): Chris Strickland; JAR (opposite): Jose Corro; 4th: Andrew Chapin
MLS Career: 35 games; FC/gm: 33.6; Y/gm: 3.8; R: 7; pens: 7
MLS 2006: 1 game; FC/gm: 36.0 (avg: 31.5); Y/gm: 3.0 (avg: 3.85); R: 0 (MLS: 7); pens: 0 (MLS: 7)
Games involving United: P6 W4 L0 T2; FC/gm: 37.7; Y/gm: 4.7; R: 2; pens: 1
Games involving Wizards: P8 W1 L5 T2; FC/gm: 28.3; Y/gm: 3.4; R: 1; pens: 2
INJURY REPORT: D.C. UNITED - OUT: DF David Stokes (R quad strain); MF Santino Quaranta (R hamstring strain); QUESTIONABLE: GK Nick Rimando (mid-foot sprain); MF Clyde Simms (hamstring strain) ... KANSAS CITY WIZARDS - NONE REPORTED
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: DC: Ben Olsen (2006 World Cup; USA) ... KC: Josh Wolff, Jimmy Conrad, Eddie Johnson (USA, 2006 World Cup)
SUSPENDED: none
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (27 meetings): United 10 wins (1 shootout), 39 goals ... Wizards 11 wins (0 shootout), 46 goals ... 6 draws
AT RFK STADIUM: (14 meetings): United 7 wins (0 shootout), 23 goals ... Wizards 3 wins (0 shootout), 17 goals ... 4 draws
This is the first of four meetings between the Eastern Conference rivals this year, the first of two on East Capitol Street. Their next meeting comes in two weeks time, the first of two meetings at Arrowhead Stadium. They then meet again twice in four days at the end of June, on the 24th in Washington, then the 28th in Missouri.
LAST YEAR (MLS)
4/30: KC 0, DC 0
5/21: DC 3, KC 2 (Moreno 29; Gomez 69, 80 - og 62; Sealy 88)
7/9: DC 0, KC 1 (Victorine 77)
7/20: KC 1, DC 1 (Sealy 59 - Gros 44)
A year ago, the teams split their season series, each winning once with both victories coming in Washington, with the other two matches ending in draws - both at Arrowhead Stadium.
Of course, the teams also met once in the MLS Cup Playoffs - in the 2004 MLS Cup Final, when United won their fourth league title, 3-2 against Kansas City at The Home Depot Center.
Coaches record: Peter Nowak v KC: P6 W2 L2 D2 ... Bob Gansler vs. DC: P20 W6 L7 D6
D.C. UNITED
D.C. United lost for the first time on the 2006 campaign, losing a second-half lead in a 2-1 loss to the Colorado Rapids last Saturday evening in Denver. United remained in second place in the Eastern Conference despite the result, their 11 points from six matches two behind the pace-setting Kansas City Wizards, who hold the league's best record.
LAST MATCH
United came into the match undefeated on the season, while the Rapids had gotten off to an indifferent beginning.
The match was opened up after a tame first half just after the restart, United scoring from a neat passing movement which Christian Gomez finished off by sliding in to redirect a centering pass from Josh Gros, wrong-footing Joe Cannon in the Rapids goal.
But just five minutes later Colorado drew level, Jovan Kirovski converting from the penalty spot after he was brought by Facundo Erpen deep in the area while trying to chase down a through ball.
Then six minutes from time the home side secured the victory. Terry Cooke steamed out of midfield and sent in a majestic early cross that Nicolas Hernandez brought down, skipped around United 'keeper Troy Perkins and fired home from a tight angle for his first MLS goal.
United head coach Peter Nowak made one change to the team that played to a 1-1 draw with FC Dallas at RFK Stadium the weekend before. Freddy Adu returned to the substitutes' bench while Jamil Walker came into the starting lineup for the first time this season as a spearhead in attack.
Here's Nowak's team (4-2-3-1): Troy Perkins - Brandon Prideaux (John Wilson 75), Bobby Boswell, Facundo Erpen, Joshua Gros - Bryan Namoff, Brian Carroll - Jaime Moreno, Christian Gomez (Lucio Filomeno 88), Alecko Eskandarian - Jamil Walker (Freddy Adu 44). [Substitutes Not Used: Ryan McIntosh, Devon McTavish, Domenic Mediate, Ben Olsen]
"I think Joe (Cannon) made good saves but the chances we made, we have the experience and firepower to score those goals. They were good saves but we need to do better," Nowak said. "In some cases the final pass didn't come our way. We didn't focus on the last pass but we scored a pretty good goal and I think the penalty kick gave Colorado a little bit more life.
TEAM NEWS
After conceding the penalty, United seemed to retreat deeper and deeper into their own half, finally cracking when Cooke and Hernandez combined for the match-winner, Cooke with acres of space on the right to pick out Hernandez behind the United back line.
"I don't know about the second goal, I'll have to see it, for what really happened," Nowak said. "We are playing an away game and got the goal (scored on us) by the counterattack. That should not happen to this team."
"I think we dropped back a little too much. We got too defensive after our goal and they were able to come at us a little bit more than they had been, but that is soccer," said Josh Gros.
Freddy Adu came on as a substitute for Jamil Walker, who sprained his right hamstring near the end of the first half. Walker was mainly playing as the lone central forward for United and had a great volley that forced Cannon to make a fine save to keep the score at 0-0, but Adu felt United lost momentum after the penalty.
"The momentum definitely shifted a lot. It's one of those things where we are up 1-0, controlling the game and all of the sudden they get a break and score on a PK," Adu said.
On Tuesday, United defeated the USL Second Division Harrisburg City Islanders in a friendly in the Pennsylvania state capitol. Lucio Filomeno and Rod Dyachenko scored for United, Dyachenko's goal answering the 23rd-minute equalizer from Harrisburg's Teofore Bennett.
KANSAS CITY WIZARDS
The Kansas City Wizards played to a draw for the first time in 2006, coming back from an early goal to claim a 1-1 tie with the Chicago Fire on Saturday evening at Arrowhead Stadium. The Wizards still have the best record in MLS despite the result, with 13 points from six matches, two points ahead of D.C. United in the Eastern Conference, and one ahead of West leader Houston Dynamo for the league's best record.
LAST MATCH
The Wizards came back to claim a draw in the meeting of the Midwestern rivals - where both sides missed penalty kicks.
Chad Barrett put the Fire ahead after 18 minutes on a goal the Wizards felt had a hint of offside, racing in behind the Kansas City back four to latch onto a through ball from Chris Rolfe before knocking it home after going in alone on Bo Oshoniyi.
The Wizards missed a glorious chance to pull level in the first half, but Eddie Johnson saw his penalty saved by the Fire's Zach Thornton after Davy Arnaud was tripped up in the Chicago penalty area.
But Johnson made amends just after the start of the second half, swooping in to score on the rebound after Thornton was unable to hold an Arnaud shot following a nice one-two in the box.
Yet the Fire themselves wasted a terrific opportunity, when Justin Mapp was hauled down from behind in the box by Jack Jewsbury. But Oshoniyi saved Ivan Guerrero's try from the spot.
Wizards boss Bob Gansler made one change to the team that defeated the Columbus Crew 1-0 at Crew Stadium the weekend before. Jack Jewsbury returned to the starting lineup, coming back into the midfield for Jermaine Hue.
Here's Gansler's team (4-3-3): Bo Oshoniyi - Nick Garcia, Jimmy Conrad, Shavar Thomas, Jose Burciaga Jr. (Matt Groenwald 87) - Jack Jewsbury (Alex Zotinca 80), Kerry Zavagnin, Sasha Victorine - Davy Arnaud, Eddie Johnson, Josh Wolff. [Substitutes Not Used: Will Hesmer, Jermaine Hue, Ryan Pore, Scott Sealy, Tyson Wahl]
"This game can be cruel because of the better team doesn't always win," Wizards coach Bob Gansler said. "They know we were the better side, we know we were the better side. But you have to give them credit. They battled and they found a way to get that one goal, offside or not."
TEAM NEWS
It was the fourth consecutive game the Wizards had hit for just one goal, after scoring five in their first two games on the season.
"Sometimes you don't quite have that little bit of good fortune. Zach Thornton played a great game. We created enough chances but you have to put them away. And we didn't do that," Gansler said. "I can't be upset with our guys. They worked hard. They worked intelligently."
Gansler did point out one change at halftime, but to no avail. "We attacked almost exclusively on their right side (in the first half) and found a lot of joy there," Gansler said. "But we said (at halftime), 'The other side is there also.' In the second half I think we were a little more balanced and worked out a whole slew of opportunities once again."
But one point was all the Wizards could gain from the 90 minutes. "It's kind of frustrating really because I think it's the best we've played all year," Oshoniyi said. "Guys were moving for each other, fighting for each other. I think just the finishing part let us down a little bit."
The goal was Johnson's second of the season and he became the first Wizards player to score two goals this season. Seven other Wizards have scored one goal.
"We got points but you always want to get three points at home, especially the way we played tonight," Arnaud said. "In my opinion, I think that was our best performance of the year, with the chances we created and how we limited them and were putting pressure on them all over the field."
On the bright side, the Wizards added to their lead in the Eastern Conference. They are now two points ahead of D.C. United, which lost at Colorado on Saturday. "We got a point. We're two points ahead in the table," Johnson said. "We can't look at it as a disappointment."
