the assist leader in MLS a season ago -- swung in a service from the right, and Herculez Gomez got up in front of his marker to nod the ball past United goalkeeper Troy Perkins for the opening goal after 19 minutes.
• Then in the 35th minute, the Rapids doubled their lead. Kyle Beckerman was sent through in the left side of the penalty area, and he sent a ball through the goal area that sailed untouched to beyond the far post. But Cooke was there to collect it, and it laid back a pass for Roberto Brown at the penalty spot. The Panamanian international coolly took a touch before slotting it home inside the left-hand post.
• United pulled a goal back in the 80th minute. Brian Carroll sent substitute Kasali Yinka Casal free on the left, and he hooked a cross into the area where Luciano Emilio opened up his MLS scoring account, heading home past Rapids 'keeper Bouna Coundoul. But the Rapids withstood a final flurry from United to ensure a win to inaugurate their new home.
• For his MLS head coaching debut, Tom Soehn didn't have wing midfielder Josh Gros available after he suffered a concussion in United's midweek loss at CD Guadalajara in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup. Stephen deRoux took his place on one flank, while Justin Moose was given the start on the other side, after making just one appearance in his rookie season last year, as a substitute, lasting just one minute.
• Here's Soehn's team (3-4-1-2): Troy Perkins - Facundo Erpen, Bobby Boswell, Bryan Namoff - Stephen deRoux (Kasali Yinka Casal 58), Brian Carroll, Ben Olsen, Justin Moose (Fred 54) - Christian Gomez - Luciano Emilio, Jaime Moreno. Substitutes Not Used: Devon McTavish, Jay Nolly, Clyde Simms, Jamil Walker, John Wilson
• "Today we just weren't good enough," said United coach Tom Soehn. "We all expect more from ourselves and it wasn't good enough."
TEAM NEWS
• United struggled in coming back from the midweek match in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup, a 2-1 loss to CD Guadalajara in Mexico four days before the season opener.
• "It was one extreme to another, going from 85 [degrees] to 35 in the blink of an eye," said Namoff. "It was a factor today but we're professionals and we know how to deal with things like that. It's definitely not an excuse for our loss because they had to play in the same weather."
• Soehn said United didn't keep hold of the ball enough, especially difficult after scoring nine goals in four Champions' Cup matches. "We pride ourselves on possession, and you still have to do a lot of work when you possess the ball," said Soehn. "Whether we were tired or something else, we didn't work hard enough today."
• Said goalkeeper Troy Perkins: "We were not able to get possession and get our rhythm going and they did well because they came right out and took it to us and we didn't do it back. We would get possession and lose it and they would go right back at us."
• In addition, flank play was a major factor in the match - even on a field now the largest in MLS at 80 yards in width. United didn't get enough service from the wings, while the Rapids had some real joy out wide.
• "We didn't have enough service [from the wings]," said Soehn. "We had one service and one goal. That's something that we need to work on. When you're not good with the ball, you can play on a small field and you're not going to do well."" Said Perkins: "They exposed [us on the wings] pretty well. We were late in recognizing it and getting guys out there and in the first half that killed us."
• The Black-and-Red are looking forward to returning home, where they've already played two competitive matches this year, a 4-2 victory against CD Olimpia in the Champions' Cup quarterfinals, and a 1-1 draw with Chivas in the semifinals.
• "Our guys have been through an emotional rollercoaster," said Soehn. "They've had a season within spring training, winning, losing, and playing in tough environments. It's going to be refreshing to get home and recharge our batteries."
• Gros is expected to be available for the Wizards match. He resumed to full training during the week, and said he should be ready to play.
KANSAS CITY WIZARDS
The Kansas City Wizards open their 2007 season a week after the remainder of the league made their debut on the campaign. The Wizards are aiming to make a return to the MLS Cup Playoffs for first time since 2004 - when they won the Supporters' Shield and reached the MLS Cup Final, only to lose 3-2 to D.C. United. It's a season of new beginnings for the Wizards, now operated by OnGoal, LLC with Curt Onalfo in charge in his first season as a head coach in MLS.
• The Wizards concluded their preseason schedule last weekend with a split-squad doubleheader in Kansas City. In the feature match at the Blue Valley Athletic Complex, the Wizards first team defeated the Seattle Sounders of the USL First Division 3-2.
• Davy Arnaud played provider on both goals to give the Wizards a 2-0 lead after 36 minutes. First, his defense-splitting pass sent Eddie Johnson in alone on goal, and the U.S. international slotted the ball past the goalkeeper (18). Then Arnaud's restart found Jimmy Conrad unmarked at the penalty spot, and the center back headed home to double the count.
• Johnson sent Scott Sealy in alone in the 44th minute, and the Trinidad & Tobago international dribbled around the goalkeeper before easily finishing to give the Wizards a three-goal lead.
• The Wizards should have had a fourth in the 72nd minute, but Seattle goalkeeper Chris Eylander saved Sealy's penalty. The Sounders then got goals four minutes apart from Jake Besagno and Leighton O'Brien, but the Wizards rode out the final minutes for the victory.
• Here's the lineup against Seattle: Kevin Hartman, Jack Jewsbury, Aaron Hohlbein (Will John 30), Jimmy Conrad, Jose Burciaga Jr.(Amir Lowery 46), Davy Arnaud, Kerry Zavagnin, Sasha Victorine (Kurt Morsink 70), Michael Harrington, Eddie Johnson, Scott Sealy
• "I think we did a lot of good things offensively. For the most part, we played solid soccer and I was pleased with the scoring opportunities we created. We focused on keeping the ball and moving it and I think we were solid in that area throughout portions of the game," Onalfo said. "Overall, it was a great opportunity for us to prepare for the season and the most important thing was we walked away with a win and confidence heading into our opener."
• In addition, the lethal pairing of his strike partnership gave Onaldo some optimism for the beginning of the season. "Certainly, Scott and Eddie are two very good forwards. They have a good understanding of each other," he said. "What we expect of them is to continue to get better and have good combination play so not only are they dangerous individually, but collectively and in tandem."
• In the second game of the doubleheader, the Wizards reserves scored two unanswered goals to come back for a 2-2 tie with the University of Evansville. Midfielder Ryan Raybould, assisted by Ryan Pore, and forward Willy Guadarrama scored for the Wizards.
• Five regulars were nursing injuries, but all came through the exhibition in fine shape. Sasha Victorine and Davy Arnaud underwent offseason knee surgeries, along with Jose Burciaga, who was also suffering from a strained groin. Also slowed were Scott Sealy (bruised foot) and Kevin Hartman (bruised elbow).
• The game against United is the first of three away games in the opening four contests of the season for the Wizards.
• "We understand in this season the chips may be stacked against us from a scheduling standpoint. I don't think this is a team that many people are expecting to do well," Kerry Zavagnin said. "As we progress through the first 10 games of the season, it's important for us to have success. We have good players, a good team. We have a good staff. And that should give us confidence going into this stretch that begins pretty rough for us."
• On Thursday, the Wizards announced the signing of Argentinean playmaking midfielder Carlos Marinelli. The 25-year-old began his career as a teenager at Boca Juniors, the powerhouse club in Buenos Aires where Diego Maradona was also groomed. Marinelli joined Middlesbrough of the English Premier League and made his debut at the age of 17. He remained under contract with Boro through the 2003-'04 season, though he spent a short spell on loan with Torino in Italy's top flight. Marinelli then returned to Boca Juniors and Racing in Argentina before a second spell with Torino in 2004-05. Most recently, Marinelli was a member of Sporting Braga in the Portuguese first division.
