The Kansas City Wizards extended the gap over fifth-place New York to two points while maintaining contact with third-place New England, after the Wizards and Revolution played to a 1-1 draw at Gillette Stadium on Saturday night.
Clint Dempsey opened the scoring with a cracking header off the underside of the crossbar 17 minutes into the contest. After spurned chances from Taylor Twellman and Jay Heaps kept the deficit at one, the Wizards scored an equalizer against the run of play in the 58th minute as Scott Sealy finished past Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis to give the Wizards a share of the spoils.
After the goal, the Wizards looked dangerous in the latter stages but could not find the way past Reis to earn all three points.
Kansas City head coach Brian Bliss was without Kerry Zavagnin (shin) but was able to name Jimmy Conrad (broken jaw) and Eddie Johnson (hamstring) to his team, though both started on the substitutes' bench. Revolution manager Steve Nicol had the luxury of naming an unchanged side from Wednesday's 2-0 victory against New York, though the former Scottish international will miss the services of Shalrie Joseph for up to four weeks with a right hand injury.
It was the home side who enjoyed much of the play in the first half. But for a few timely interventions from the Kansas City defense and some profligate Revolution finishing, the margin could have been more than 1-0 at the halftime interval.
Nick Garcia picked up a yellow card for a tactical foul after 12 minutes, ruling him out of the Wizards' next match against Real Salt Lake.
Jack Jewsbury intervened crucially a minute later as Andy Dorman streaked in on goal unmarked a minute later. The midfielder got his foot in and stopped the threat as Dorman was preparing to test Oshoniyi from 10 yards.
After Dorman dragged another shot wide a minute later, he was involved in the buildup to the Revolution opener in the 17th minute. It was Dempsey who started and finished the play. His pass to Steve Ralston allowed the veteran midfielder to cross onto Dorman's boot. Oshoniyi saved well but put the rebound into Dempsey's path. The U.S. international made no mistake with his header, which thumped against the underside of the bar before falling over the goal line.
Shavar Thomas stopped the industrious Dorman on 19 minutes with a critical block after Ralston played Dorman through and Dorman attempted to strike on goal.
Sealy forced Reis to punch over three minutes after the resumption of play in the second half with a long-distance drive.
Twellman spurned a good chance to extend the lead after Joe Franchino's curving ball from the left found his head unmarked eight yards from goal. Twellman rose well but directed his header over the bar.
If Twellman could have extended the lead in the 49th minute, Revolution defender Heaps surely should have six minutes later as Heaps conspired to miss from three yards, sending his effort off the top of the crossbar with the goal gaping. It was a Dorman corner that sneaked through to the back post but the unmarked Heaps could not turn it into the net.
Against the run of play, the Wizards found an equalizer through Sealy in the 58th minute. Ryan Raybould, earning his first career assist, played the ball to the head of Sasha Victorine. Sealy anticipated Victorine's knockdown, stayed onside after Heaps placed the line too far towards his own goal, beat Avery John to the ball and finished past Reis to give Kansas City its equalizer.
Khano Smith missed just wide of the right hand post after beating Thomas on 80 minutes, but a cross might have found the open Revolution forwards at the back post. A minute later, Davy Arnaud blasted high after beating two Revolution defenders to create space.
Bliss sent on Conrad in the 85th minute for his first game action in six weeks as the Wizards defender attempts to recuperate from a broken jaw. But neither Conrad nor any of the other Wizards could find a way to pierce the Revolution backline again, forcing the team to settle for a draw on the evening.
Kyle McCarthy is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
