The one time that the Kansas City Wizards caught the Des Moines Menace out of their defensive shell Wednesday night, the MLS side made the fourth division team pay.
Scott Sealy scored in second-half stoppage time to lift the Wizards to a 2-1 victory in the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup against the Menace from the Premier Development League. The victory earned Kansas City a place in the fourth round, where they will play the Chicago Fire on Aug. 2 in Bridgeview, Ill.
The Wizards caught Des Moines with only three defenders back as three Wizards counter-attacked in the dying seconds of stoppage time.
Wizards midfielder Jack Jewsbury played the ball wide to Sealy as Jewsbury cleared the center circle. Sealy did the rest, cutting inside past a Menace defender and shooting from just outside the penalty area past Des Moines goalkeeper Jake Settle.
A year ago, meeting in the fourth round, the Wizards won 6-1. A round earlier this year, Wizards coach Bob Gansler chose mostly reserves for his starting 11.
Although the Wizards had most of the possession early in the game, Sealy's shot from the left side of the penalty area in the 20th minute was the most promising Wizards attempt to score. Sealy, though, blasted a right-footed shot high over the crossbar.
The Menace packed it in during the first 25 minutes, looking for opportunities to counterattack. The Menace's defenders showed how nervous they were in the 15th minute. Two Des Moines players could not decide which one would clear a ball in the Menace penalty area with no Wizards player within five yards. One of the defenders finally cleared the ball for a Wizards corner kick.
The Menace did get one good counterattack going in the 38th minute. Forward Armin Mujdzic and midfielder Joe Germanese worked a one-two with Mujdzic feeding Germanese a pass between two Wizards defenders. But Wizards defender Brian Roberts bumped Germanese off the ball near the top of the Wizards penalty area before he could shoot.
The Wizards came right down the field on the ensuing possession with a good scoring chance of their own. Ryan Pore hit a hard 15-yard shot from the right side of the penalty area, forcing Settle to make a quality save.
The Wizards made two substitutions to begin the second half while Des Moines made none. The Wizards brought on forward Sergei Raad for defender Matt Groenwald. The other substitution added more speed, forward Will John for forward Yura Movsisyan.
The Wizards generated a good scoring chance in the 48th minute but Pore's uncontested header from Ryan Raybould's cross went straight to Settle.
The Wizards fans among the 2,102 assembled thought they had a goal in the 53rd minute. Raad's right-footed shot bulged the net, but outside of the posts.
The Wizards continued to dominate possession, mainly because Des Moines sat back and defended with nine players. Still, they caused Wizards goalkeeper Will Hesmer to scramble to his right in the 58th minute after Germanese's hard, low shot from about 25 yards went less than a foot wide of the right post.
The Wizards finally broke through in the 63rd minute. Sealy fed Pore through the middle of the Des Moines defense, Pore beat a Menace defender and shot from just outside the area past an on-rushing Settle.
Although Kansas City now had a 1-0 lead, the Menace did not come out of their defensive shell immediately. But the visitors won a corner kick in the 72nd minute and capitalized with a goal by Brad Whitsitt. Substitute Edwin Disang hit a corner kick that glanced smartly of Whitsitt's head and into the goal.
Whitsitt had another chance to score in the 75th minute, running slowly into the penalty area with the ball. Whitsitt tried to chip Hesmer, but the attempt curled wide of the far post.
Jewsbury tried to restore the Wizards' lead in the 76th minute, but his blast from about 25 yards was saved by Settle.
The Menace tried to hang on to force another 30 minutes, but just seconds from the end, Sealy hit for the game-winner and saved the Wizards' blushes.
Robert Whitman is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
