KANSAS CITY WIZARDS v REAL SALT LAKE
ARROWHEAD STADIUM, Kansas City, Mo.
6 p.m. MT (MetroSports; KSL)
July 14, 2007 (WEEK 15) / MLS Game #101
When these two teams last met in Kansas City, a late goal from current Real Salt Lake coach Jason Kreis put a dagger into the Wizards' playoff hopes. Now the teams come together at Arrowhead Stadium, both trying to reverse recent slides. The Wizards haven't won since June 2 - when Eddie Johnson scored the second of his back-to-back hat tricks - and now for the first time since K.C. will have their U.S. international striker back in the fold. RSL won for the first time in the league season three weeks ago, but have dropped two games since.
REFEREE: Mark Geiger. SAR (bench): Adam Wienckowski; JAR (opposite): Peter Manikowski; 4th: Brad Clem
MLS Career: 26 games; FC/gm: 31.4; Y/gm: 4.2; R: 5; pens: 11
Games involving Wizards: P5 W3 L2 T0; FC/gm: 27.8; Y/gm: 4.0; R: 0; pens: 0
Games involving Real: P3 W0 L2 T1; FC/gm: 29.3; Y/gm: 2.0; R: 0; pens: 0
INJURY REPORT: KANSAS CITY WIZARDS - OUT: DF Matt Groenwald (blood clots); MF Ryan McMahen (torn ACL); QUESTIONABLE: FW Scott Sealy (hip flexor strain), MF Kurt Morsink (tibial contusion); PROBABLE: MF A.J. Godbolt (patella tendinitis), DF Aaron Hohlbein (hamstring strain), DF Jose Burciaga Jr. (hamstring strain) ... REAL SALT LAKE - QUESTIONABLE: FW Chris Brown (L hamstring strain); PROBABLE: DF Eddie Pope (R knee contusion)
SUSPENDED: RSL: Mehdi Ballouchy (five cautions; through July 15); Alecko Eskandarian (through July 15)
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: KC: Davy Arnaud; Jose Burciaga Jr., Nick Garcia, Kerry Zavagnin ... RSL: Alecko Eskandarian
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: RSL: Carey Talley, Atiba Harris, Jean-Martial Kipré
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: RSL: Chris Seitz, Freddy Adu, Nathan Sturgis (USA; FIFA Under-20 World Cup)
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (4 meetings): Wizards 2 wins, 11 goals ... Real 1 wins, 9 goals ... Draws 1
AT LOS ANGELES: (20 meetings): Wizards 1 win, 6 goals ... Real 0 wins, 5 goals ... Draws 1
• This is the first of two meetings between the clubs this season, the only one to be played at Arrowhead Stadium. Their lone meeting at Rice-Eccles Stadium is scheduled for Aug. 29.
LAST YEAR
5/20: RSL 2, KC 1 (Ballouchy 78; Cunningham 80 - Pore 27)
9/30: KC 3, RSL 3 (Wolff 6; Sealy 54; Burciaga 63 - Harris 35, 44; Kreis 81)
• A year ago, RSL won the season series, claiming a 2-1 victory at Rice-Eccles Stadium before the teams played to a wild 3-3 draw at Arrowhead Stadium that had serious implications on the Wizards' hope for a postseason berth as Jason Kreis scored the 81st-minute game-winner.
• In the first season of Real's existence, the Wizards won both matches in high-scoring affairs, taking a 3-2 victory in Kansas City and a 4-2 win on the Wasatch Front.
• Coaches record: Curt Onalfo v RSL: first game ... Jason Kreis vs. KC: first game
KANSAS CITY WIZARDS
The Kansas City Wizards saw their winless streak extended to six games, taking a two-goal lead before being pegged back and settling for a 2-2 draw with the Los Angeles Galaxy last Saturday at The Home Depot Center. The Wizards now have 22 points from 15 matches, tied for fourth place in the Eastern Conference with the Columbus Crew, a point behind the second-place between D.C. United and New England and two behind the New York Red Bulls.
LAST MATCH
• The Galaxy had won two of their last three after their 2-0 win on July 4 against Chicago, looking to put together back-to-back wins for the first time on the season. The Wizards were winless in their last five games, having scored just one goal in their last three after a 1-0 loss to D.C. United on the Fourth.
• The Wizards had been creating loads of chances without scoring, but they were the grateful recipients of a couple of misplays to score twice in the opening six minutes of the second half. In the 47th minute, Jack Jewsbury swung in a cross from the right and it slipped past clearance attempts from a couple of defenders. Substitute Yura Movsisyan trapped the ball, cut back and fired home a low shot.
• Then four minutes later, a cross came in from the left, and left Ante Jazic tried to head the ball to 'keeper Joe Cannon. But Cannon could only parry the back pass into the air, and Davy Arnaud snuck it to head home the rebound into the empty net to double the Kansas City lead.
• But the Galaxy started their fightback in the 61st minute. Carlos Pavon, making his first Galaxy start, fired a low shot from the left that caromed off the inside of the post and back out. But Cobi Jones came in to side-foot home the rebound.
• Then a quarter-hour later Jones hit for his second. Landon Donovan claimed a cleared corner on the right and drove a low cross to the near post where Jones was racing in to tuck it into the corner and pull the home side level. It was the first multiple-goal game for the MLS original since Aug. 10, 2002.
• Kansas City head coach Curt Onalfo made two changes to the team that lost 1-0 to D.C. United the previous Wednesday. Jimmy Conrad returned from Copa America and slotted into central defense in place of Tyson Wahl, while Carlos Marinelli returned to the lineup, in place of Kurt Morsink.
• Here's Onalfo's team (4-3-1-2): Kevin Hartman - Jack Jewsbury, Jimmy Conrad, Nick Garcia, Michael Harrington - Sasha Victorine, Kerry Zavagnin, Davy Arnaud - Carlos Marinelli - Ryan Pore (Kurt Morsink 81), Scott Sealy (Yura Movsisyan 46). Substitutes Not Used: Jose Burciaga Jr., Will John, Eric Kronberg, Ryan Raybould, Tyson Wahl
• "As long as we're honest with ourselves, then it's OK to be positive in light of a loss or tie," goalkeeper Kevin Hartman said. "It's a long season and you're going to go through your ups and your downs and unfortunately for us, this is one of our downs. That being said we're not that far out of first in the East."
TEAM NEWS
• While the Wizards did score two goals - after having scored two total over their previous four matches, the feeling behind even with another draw on the road was familiar.
• "It's just a little bit frustrating considering the fact that we've had so many similar results of late," Hartman said. "We just have to continue to plug away at it. We're anticipating the return of Eddie [Johnson]. He adds an entirely different facet to our game with his speed and ability to get behind defenses ... Talk about the most dangerous attacking player in soccer, scored two hat tricks before he left and we haven't had him for a month, so that certainly hurts."
• One reason for the quick burst after the break was a tactical change Onalfo made. "We pushed Sasha (Victorine) into the middle and Marinelli wide," Onalfo said. "We felt like he was going to get the ball more and help us create and that's exactly what happened. He was part of both of the goals. In fact, we thought that throughout the entire second half he was very dangerous throughout that position."
• The other was the addition of Movsisyan, who had been increasingly dangerous coming off the bench in his last two games but without a goal to show for it. This time, returning to the locale where he went to college (Pasadena City College), he scored two minutes after the restart.
• "It definitely feels good to come home and play in front of friends and family, but it feels twice as good to come into the game and help out your team in any way possible, especially with the goal. I'm very happy with that."
• After dominating the previous two matches, with 46 total attempts at goal over the games, the Wizards were outshot 14-8 by the Galaxy.
• "Our mistakes led to good things happening for them. We could have easily controlled it and we could have kept them out of the game," Garcia said. "The momentum definitely shifted. We kind of allowed them to come forward and take the game to us like we were taking it to them."
• Another player coming home was Hartman, who returned to the place where he spent his first 10 professional seasons.
• "It's somewhere where I played soccer for 10 years. I have a lot of respect for the Los Angeles soccer fans. I had a great time while I was here," he said. "Now I have an opportunity to be in Kansas City, which I'm really excited about. I have new great soccer fans to deal with there. It's something that it was nice to visit and see my family. It was a great opportunity, but I wish we could have gotten out of here with three points."
REAL SALT LAKE
Real Salt Lake lost for the second consecutive match after their first victory on the league season, and for the fourth time in their last five, dropping a 2-0 decision to the Columbus Crew at Crew Stadium last Saturday. Real now sit in sixth place in the Western Conference with nine points from 14 matches, four behind the Los Angeles Galaxy and eight behind the Colorado Rapids.
LAST MATCH
• The Crew saw their three-game winning streak come to an end in a scoreless draw at Colorado on July 4, while Real Salt Lake were unable to build on their lone win on the campaign, falling 2-1 at home to Toronto FC on Independence Day.
• The Crew finally turned complete control of the match into goals in the 75th minute. Andy Herron tried to round Ritchie Kotschau on the right, but when the two tangled and Herron went to ground, referee Alex Prus whistled for the penalty kick. Guillermo Barros Schelotto converted from the spot for his second goal with Columbus.
• The teams went 165 minutes against each other this year before seeing a goal scored, but they had to wait just five for a second. Alejandro Moreno was able to put in a cross from the left and Eddie Gaven reached behind him to pick Moreno's cross out of the air with his left foot, sending a one-hop shot just inside the left post.
• Real head coach Jason Kreis made one change to the team that lost 2-1 to Toronto FC at midweek. Daniel Torres came back into central defense, in place of Jack Stewart.
• Here's Kreis's team (4-1-3-2): Nick Rimando - Jean-Martial Kipre (Jamie Watson 82), Eddie Pope, Daniel Torres, Ritchie Kotschau - Atiba Harris - Carey Talley, Andy Williams (Chris Lancos 87), Mehdi Ballouchy - Alecko Eskandarian, Robbie Findley (Chris Brown 64). Substitutes Not Used: Nikolas Besagno, Kyle Brown, Kyle Reynish, Jack Stewart
• "Obviously, being away to a team like Columbus that's in a good run of games is going to be a difficult setup for us, but I thought for 70 minutes we were doing all right, and really in the early parts of the second half I thought we were getting a fair amount of the play," Kreis said. "A quick restart catches us out and from where I'm sitting, a very questionable penalty kick call ... I really felt the whole game was turned on that moment."
TEAM NEWS
• The Crew outshot RSL 10-2 in the first half, with Real unable to get a single shot on goal. RSL started to put more of an attack together over the first 20 minutes after the break, but the Crew once again started to pin Real into their own end before Herron won the decisive penalty call.
• "They were in our half [of the field] most of the first half and in the second it seemed like they never got out of it," said Rimando of the flow of the game. "They kept on pressing us and it was only a matter of time until they got a break or something happened."
• Said Kreis: "Nick [Rimando] is playing extremely well and I feel badly for him that we are not getting better results. He had a good game for us tonight, and he's had a lot of good games for us this year."
• Real had season-lows in shots (five), shots on goal (one) and fouls suffered (seven) in the match against the Crew, while committing a season-high 23 fouls.
• "It's not the goalkeeper's job to win the game, it's a team job. It's not just me being mad, the whole team's mad right now. We're losing games - we lost it, I don't think they won the game. They had more opportunities than us, but we didn't come out and fight," Rimando said. "We didn't come out and play. We didn't connect passes. We weren't dangerous going forward and when that happens, you get two goals scored on you. Again, we lost three points and we're getting deeper and deeper in the hole and it's going to get harder and harder to get out of it."
• Since Kreis took over as head coach, Real have scored 10 goals in 10 games - three of those coming in his first match in charge, the 3-3 draw with the New York Red Bulls. The loss to Columbus was the fourth shutout in their last seven games.
• "I feel that this team probably needs a preseason, to be honest. With some new players, who are playing in a different system, I would love to have some time to work with those two forwards; an extended period of time to work with those two forwards and explain to them exactly what I'm wanting from them and I think it's still going to take some time," Kreis said.
• Kreis and Real will be without Alecko Eskandarian for the Wizards match, sent off at the end of the Columbus game for a hard foul on Guillermo Barros Schelotto.
• "He's a fighter, and he's quite frankly fed up with all this, so I know that is going to happen," said Kreis. " ... I would be lying if I said that it wasn't anything but extremely difficult. I want things to go right in the worst way. This is a process and the transition is going to take time."
