D.C. UNITED v KANSAS CITY WIZARDS
RFK MEMORIAL STADIUM, Washington, D.C.
7:30 p.m. ET (CSN-DC)
June 24, 2006 (WEEK 13) MLS Game #76
The top two teams in the Eastern Conference face each other for the third time - and for the first leg of a home-and-home set over the next four days - with D.C. United's nine-point bulge over the Kansas City Wizards helped in no small part by their two wins in the first two meetings. United are riding an eight-game unbeaten run and have yet to lose at home this season after Wednesday's 1-0 win against the Chicago Fire, while the Wizards have won their last two games after a five-game winless run, finally scoring more than one goal in a 3-2 win against the Fire last time out.
REFEREE: Baldomero Toledo. SAR (bench): C.J. Morgante; JAR (opposite): Sean Hurd; 4th: Andrew Chapin
MLS Career: 23 games; FC/gm: 28.4; Y/gm: 3.8; R: 5; pens: 4
MLS 2006: 4 games; FC/gm: 29.0 (avg: 29.6); Y/gm: 4.0 (avg: 3.73); R: 0 (MLS: 9); pens: 0 (MLS: 17)
Games involving United: P5 W1 L1 T3; FC/gm: 25.0; Y/gm: 4.2; R: 1; pens: 1
Games involving Wizards: P4 W1 L2 T1; FC/gm: 23.8; Y/gm: 2.8; R: 1; pens: 0
INJURY REPORT: D.C. UNITED - OUT: DF Brandon Prideaux (MCL sprain); MF Domenic Mediate (concussion); QUESTIONABLE: FW Alecko Eskandarian (MCL sprain); PROBABLE: FW Jaime Moreno (leg contusion); MF Santino Quaranta (hamstring strain); DF David Stokes (quadriceps strain) ... KANSAS CITY WIZARDS - PROBABLE: DF Nick Garcia (L adductor strain)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: DC: Ben Olsen (2006 World Cup; USA) ... KC: Josh Wolff, Jimmy Conrad, Eddie Johnson (USA, 2006 World Cup)
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS: KC: Kerry Zavagnin (suspended next yellow card)
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (29 meetings): United 12 wins (1 shootout), 44 goals ... Wizards 11 wins (0 shootout), 48 goals ... 6 draws
AT RFK STADIUM: (15 meetings): United 8 wins (0 shootout), 25 goals ... Wizards 3 wins (0 shootout), 18 goals ... 4 draws
This is the third of four meetings between the Eastern Conference rivals this year, the second of two in the nation's capital. After meeting twice in two weeks time to open the season series this year, they are now meeting twice in four days to close out the season series, the final encounter on June 28 at Kansas City.
A year ago, the teams split their season series, each winning once with both victories coming in Washington, with the other two matches ending in draws - both at Arrowhead Stadium. Of course, the teams also met once in the MLS Cup Playoffs - in the 2004 MLS Cup Final, when United won their fourth league title, 3-2 against Kansas City at The Home Depot Center.
Coaches record: Peter Nowak v KC: P8 W4 L2 D2 ... Bob Gansler vs. DC: P22 W6 L9 D6
2006 (MLS)
5/13: DC 2, KC 1 (Eskandarian 12; Moreno 23 - Victorine 16)
5/27: KC 1, DC 3 (Sealy 26 - Moreno 2, 18; Boswell 45)
United have won both previous meetings this season, claiming a 2-1 victory at home on May 13, then winning 3-1 in Missouri two weeks later.
In the first meeting, United reclaimed the top spot in the Eastern Conference with the home victory at home. The teams combined for three goals in the opening quarter of the match, before United held on to move back in front of the Wizards in the division. A stunning volley from Alecko Eskandarian gave the home side the lead on 12 minutes, then the teams traded penalties seven minutes apart.
In the last encounter at Arrowhead Stadium, Jaime Moreno scored the 98th and 99th goals of his MLS career as United defeated the Kansas City Wizards for the second time in three weeks.
Both goals from the 11-year MLS veteran came in the opening 18 minutes - and both with a hint of controversy. After just two minutes, after Moreno was fouled just outside the area, Christian Gomez whipped a bending free kick into the area where Moreno had snuck in behind the Wizards defense. He nodded the ball home to give United the early lead, despite vociferous appeals for offside.
Then in the 18th minute, Moreno converted from the penalty spot after Clyde Simms was adjudged to have been bundled over in the area by referee Terry Vaughn, although replays seemed to indicate there was little contact.
The Wizards pulled a goal back in the 26th minute through a little good fortune. Sasha Victorine's free header from a corner kick was blocked on the line by Freddy Adu, but Scott Sealy poked home the rebound for the first goal of his season.
But United restored the two-goal margin just before the halftime break, Bobby Boswell getting in to meet an Adu free kick sent in from the right flank and sending a glancing header inside the back post.
Here's Bob Gansler's team (4-2-3-1): Bo Oshoniyi - Matt Groenwald (Jack Jewsbury 58), Nick Garcia, Shavar Thomas, Jose Burciaga Jr. -Kerry Zavagnin, Alex Zotinca (Lance Watson 69),- Ryan Pore (Yura Movsisyan 72), Sasha Victorine, Davy Arnaud - Scott Sealy. [Substitutes Not Used: Will Hesmer, Will John, Ryan Raybould, Tyson Wahl]
Here's Peter Nowak's team (3-4-1-2): Troy Perkins - Facundo Erpen, Bobby Boswell, Bryan Namoff - Freddy Adu, Brian Carroll, Clyde Simms, Joshua Gros - Christian Gomez (Matt Nickell 87) - Jaime Moreno (Lucio Filomeno 80), Alecko Eskandarian (Domenic Mediate 68). [Substitutes Not Used: Jeff Carroll, Justin Moose, Nick Rimando, John Wilson]
D.C. UNITED
D.C. United extended their unbeaten streak to eight games and lengthened their lead atop not only the Eastern Conference but also the MLS overall table, with a 1-0 victory against the Chicago Fire on Wednesday at RFK Stadium. United now have 29 points from 14 matches, nine ahead of the Kansas City Wizards in the division and five better than Western Conference leader FC Dallas.
LAST MATCH
D.C. United had failed to hold onto late one-goal leads in their two previous matches, while the Fire had lost three of their last four games, a 3-3 draw in the first-ever game at Toyota Park when they blew a two-goal lead in stoppage time the only result they'd had in that stretch.
It was a stunning long-range strike from Clyde Simms that provided the game's only goal. Taking a square pass from Christian Gomez nearly 30 yards from goal, he ripped a low drive that flashed past Zach Thornton inside his left-hand post for the first goal in the midfielder's MLS career.
Unlike their last two matches away from RFK Stadium, United weathered the Fire reaction and remained undefeated at home on the campaign, with six wins and two draws, while also extending their unbeaten streak to eight games overall, dating back to May 6.
United boss Peter Nowak made one change to the team that played to a 1-1 draw with the New England Revolution the previous Saturday in Foxborough, while also giving his formation a tweak. Domenic Mediate came into wide on the right as Freddy Adu moved more centrally, he and Christian Gomez playing off Jaime Moreno as the attacking spearhead. Lucio Filomeno was dropped.
Here's Nowak's team (3-4-2-1): Troy Perkins - Bryan Namoff, Bobby Boswell, Facundo Erpen - Domenic Mediate (Devon McTavish 44), Brian Carroll, Clyde Simms, Joshua Gros - Christian Gomez (John Wilson 72), Freddy Adu - Jaime Moreno (Jamil Walker 77). [Substitutes Not Used: Rod Dyachenko, Jeff Carroll, Matt Nickell, Nick Rimando]
"In the middle of the season, it's always difficult to find your legs, especially with these kind of weather conditions. After a couple of games right now, we didn't play our best soccer that's for sure, but we survived," Nowak said. "I think after the last two games, we had a game in New England and the game before against L.A., a lesson was learned."
TEAM NEWS
The combination of the building summer heat and the injuries - especially to attacking players - forced Nowak to change his team. The result was a tough victory after losing leads late the last two weeks.
"It's forced us to make changes and change the whole system. It wasn't pretty, but, actually, as I said in this point of the season, you have to survive and we did today with the good defensive shape and the great goalkeeping," Nowak said.
Still, there were more injury concerns. Domenic Mediate - given his second start of the season - was forced off with what was later diagnosed as a concussion, and Jaime Moreno was taken off in the 77th minute with a contusion to his lower left leg. Alecko Eskandarian is still questionable with a knee sprain that has kept him out of two games, while Santino Quaranta has finally been upgraded to probable.
For Clyde Simms, his first-ever MLS goal was a just reward for his recent work alongside Brian Carroll in a holding role in central midfield. Simms has started the last six matches.
"Clyde was outstanding in the last couple of games," said Nowak. "He and Brian understand each other very well, so they put together tremendous work. They cover all the spaces and I'm really proud of them, how they figure it out. They read the game very well, both of them. And Clyde is not only a defensive midfielder, he's trying to go forward. We need to create advantages on the field as much as we can, considering that we don't have options up top, so I'm glad they did today."
Simms struck from long range, which he said helped the United attack in other ways. "There's a logic in that," he said. "When you're hitting good shots from the outside, those defenders now have to step up. They can't bunker in and clog all those holes up, so that creates a lot of space in behind them. So after you hit a couple good shots and the defenders step up, you can play around them and play through them a little bit easier."
Still, United was able to generate just a single goal for a fourth consecutive game, after scoring eight in two games May 27-31. "It's a complex of things. It's difficult when you play in these kind of weather conditions, you don't expect anybody to create a lot of chances," Nowak said. "I'm not worried about that we didn't create too many chances. The injuries forced us to make different substitutions. We modify or change the system to play in a good defensive posture. I think that's why we didn't create so many chances. It's good to survive in these kinds of games and we'll see what we have next."
KANSAS CITY WIZARDS
The Kansas City Wizards scored more than one goal for the first time in more than two months and won for the second consecutive week, grabbing a late 3-2 victory against the Chicago Fire at Arrowhead Stadium on June 17. The Wizards have 20 points from 12 matches, second place in the Eastern Conference, nine points behind D.C. United but five ahead of third-place Columbus Crew.
LAST MATCH
The Wizards hadn't scored more than one goal in a game since April 8, while the Fire were back on the road riding a three-game winless run, after seeing two late goals leave them with a draw in the first game at their new stadium.
Andy Herron put the Fire into the lead after just four minutes, racing through the heart of the Kansas City defense to run onto a through ball and sending a low shot inside the far post past Bo Oshoniyi. But Scott Sealy scored the first of his two goals to pull the Wizards level in the 27th minute, running onto a Sasha Victorine through ball on the overlap and slotting home past Zach Thornton.
The Fire retook the lead just three minutes later, Ivan Guerrero whipping in a cross that Nate Jaqua headed home for his third goal in two games. But before the half was out, Sealy completed his double, Burciaga driving in a low cross that Sealy ran onto to neatly redirect home (39).
After the first-half fireworks, the second half was much quieter, until the Wizards won a corner in the 89th minute. The effort was blocked but fell back to Burciaga near the corner flag, and he drove a sharp effort at the near post where Thornton scrambled to get back, but deflected the ball over the line in his try to keep it out.
The Wizards did respond one more time and seemingly had put the ball into the goal, but it was ruled the ball entered the goal through a hole in the outside side netting.
Wizards head coach Bob Gansler made two changes to the team that defeated the Columbus Crew 1-0 at Crew Stadium the previous weekend. Bo Oshoniyi returned between the posts in place of Will Hesmer, while Scott Sealy came back in to partner Davy Arnaud in attack in place of Ryan Pore.
Here's Gansler's team (3-5-2): Bo Oshoniyi - Tyson Wahl, Shavar Thomas, Nick Garcia - Lance Watson (Matt Groenwald 74), Sasha Victorine, Kerry Zavagnin, Alex Zotinca (Jack Jewsbury 70), Jose Burciaga Jr. - Scott Sealy, Davy Arnaud (Ryan Pore 85). [Substitutes Not Used: Will Hesmer, Will John, Yura Movsisyan, Stephen Shirley]
"Overall, when you add it all up, I felt that we were a little bit better. We deserved to win. It was not to say that it was error free or exquisite in any regards, but I need to congratulate my guys for coming back twice in the first half when they could have felt sorry for themselves," Gansler said. "They expended a lot of energy and I think that is why halfway into the second half we hit a little bit of a wall and we couldn't possess the ball."
TEAM NEWS
Gansler once again ran out his youngsters, giving a second consecutive start to Tyson Wahl and Lance Watson - the first two for both in their professional careers. Rookie Matt Groenwald replaced Watson, while second-year striker Ryan Pore finished out the game in place of Davy Arnaud. While a goal finally came, the young group did leave it late.
"It is exciting for the fans. From a coach's perspective, you say, why do we have to make it more difficult for ourselves? But it is a young squad out there and that is what kids do," Gansler said.
Burciaga has now scored goals in each of the last three games. "We still got our opportunities because Jose [Luis Burciaga Jr.] can still fire the ball. I would say that he is on a roll. He is the bandit right now and can't do anything wrong," Gansler said.
For the second game running, Burciaga played an advanced role on the left in Gansler's 3-5-2 scheme. "I think [Gansler] knows my ability to go forward and he gives me the confidence to do that. It is good for the forwards because it takes a lot of pressure off of them and I try to do combinations with them. We talked about that all week that Davy Arnaud, Scott Sealy and I need to stay closer, and do combinations and I think we did that.
It was the second time in three games that Sealy and Arnaud have played as the first-choice strike partnership, since Gansler had changed from his three-pronged attack.
"Davy and I played a little bit together last year and when Josh Wolff left for the World Cup," Sealy said. "We click during the week at practice and create opportunities and it is only a matter of time until we implement it in the game and tonight we were able to do that."
