Just eight minutes into their biggest game of the season, the Kansas City Wizards found themselves behind at home to the New York Red Bulls. Juan Pablo Angel came sliding in at the back post to volley home a flick-on header, and just like that the Wizards were down.
And even though the Wizards continued to match the Red Bulls dangerous chance for dangerous chance, they had nothing to show for it in the first 45 minutes. Angel's finish, coupled with a bit of frustration from missing their own chances, had the home side on edge.
"It was bittersweet. We played well in the first half; they get one chance, and they take advantage of it," said forward Eddie Johnson. "They pay the guy $2 million, and that's what he gets paid to do. He takes his chances well."
But with Johnson on their side and the calming influence of head coach Curt Onalfo, Kansas City stayed the course and took advantage of a 35th-minute red card to the Red Bulls' Clint Mathis for an elbow to the throat of Kerry Zavagnin.
"We talked at halftime that a big key to the game is to be patient," said Onalfo. "To our guys' credit, we didn't get flustered and kept plugging away. We knew with the one-man advantage we didn't want to take the foot off the gas, and that's what we did."
Taking a cue from Angel's cool finish in the first half, Johnson finished off a ball played over New York's back line only a minute into the second half. Having leveled the match, Johnson and the Wizards took control.
"You have to take what the other team gives you. They are a team that plays a very high line and like to get numbers around the ball," Zavagnin said. "With the speed that we have, it's in our benefit to get our forwards running at the goal. It was great for us that they stepped up so high because we had multiple opportunities to get behind them."
Assisted by his teammates' vision and timely feeds, Johnson scored again in the 59th and 85th minutes to put his team ahead by a pair of goals. It was only a matter of time to Johnson.
"Even before they went a man down, I thought we were still creating chances. It was just that final pass," Johnson said. "We talked all week; we know we're a great team one through 28 and we're good going forward. I just don't think, as a whole, they had faced a team that is as good as us going forward, [a team with] the same amount of confidence."
Brimming with confidence is what Johnson has been all season. He also became the first player in MLS history ever to tally a hat trick in back-to-back matches.
Johnson will now leave the Wizards to join the U.S. national team as it endeavors to defend its CONCACAF Gold Cup title. But the joy he feels playing for the now-Eastern Conference leaders will make him long for his return.
"It [stinks] to leave and get away from all of this; this is fun," said the league's new leading scorer. "It's been so fun this year. I can't wait to get back to my team."
But the night was not all fun and games as the Wizards let the Red Bulls, who had not lost on the road this season, back into the game as Dema Kovalenko finished two minutes before time.
"We knew it was going to be a 90 minute-plus game," Johnson said. "They did a job getting back into the game. Five more minutes of that game, I probably would have fallen out."
Without Johnson, the Wizards will face the Red Bulls again in New York in two weeks' time. They know that the Red Bulls will want to take the opportunity for revenge.
"We need to keep things in perspective," said Wizards' goalkeeper Kevin Hartman. "They played the majority of the game tonight with 10 men. We have to make sure we're excited about the win and excited about the result, but at the same time we have to make sure that we understand they definitely didn't play the match at full strength."
Bob Rusert is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
