The Kansas City Wizards navigated the good, the bad, and the ugly Wednesday night. But in the end, their heart came through in their penalty shootout win against the visiting Colorado Rapids in a U.S. Open Cup play-in match.
After jumping in front in the 20th minute on the strength of a Ryan Pore goal, the Wizards fell behind on two "soft" goals, and then lost a player to ejection after Ivan Trujillo brought them back even with a late goal.
"Unacceptable," was head coach Curt Onalfo's assessment of his team's up-and-down night. "The first goal [conceded] was extremely disappointing because it took us a while to get adjusted to the surface. Once we did, we started playing really well. We started getting a rhythm and scored the goal, and then we give up [the equalizer]. It can't happen. The second half, we started well again and gave up another soft goal. But the encouraging thing is the guys found a way to overcome it."
With four minutes of regulation time remaining, Trujillo matched Jacob Peterson's 58th-minute goal for Colorado, scoring off a deflected Claudio Lopez cross to give the Wizards a chance to fully redeem themselves.
Although Trujillo had the equalizer, Lopez was the biggest factor for the Wizards, especially after the Rapids jumped in front. His vocal encouragement and his non-stop attacking on the left wing kept the Rapids wary.
"[Claudio] gets paid a lot of money, and he wears his heart on his sleeve," said Onalfo. "I was extremely disappointed at halftime, and I let [the team] know it. I told them that we play with heart; that's what my teams are all about.
"[Claudio] stepped up and exemplified [heart]. He's an extension of the coaching staff just as some of the other guys on the team. I was pleased with his effort and his performance to help us get back in the game."
"Sometimes things aren't going as well as you like. ... I decided [being vocal] was the best way to go about encouraging my teammates," Lopez said.
The encouragement was needed as the Wizards then took another hit as midfielder Davy Arnaud drew his second yellow card of the night to leave the Wizards a man short.
Two 15-minute overtimes saw the two sides have equal opportunities, but no finishes. So a cruel ending awaited one of the two hard battling teams.
Kurt Morsink, a 65th-minute substitution for Kerry Zavagnin, made sure it was the Wizards' night. Following conversions by teammates Jack Jewsbury, Lopez, Trujillo and team captain Jimmy Conrad, Morsink stepped up after Facundo Erpen had hit the crossbar on Colorado's fourth attempt.
The second-year player was ready for the pressure of the moment and the expectations of his teammates.
"Curt came up to me and asked if I wanted [a shootout chance]. I said, 'Yeah.' He looked me in the eye and asked me if I was sure, and I said, 'Yeah.' Anytime somebody believes in you, you can't let him down," said Morsink.
Morsink's shot was touched by Rapids goalkeeper Preston Burpo, but it had enough to bound past him into the net for a Kansas City victory.
"It feels good because of the team. You don't want to let the team down. Once the coaching staff gives you the trust and your teammates are relying on, you just have to drill it for the sake of the team and the coaching staff because we came fought hard the 90 minutes plus, we were a man down, and we came from behind. It's a good gut-check for the team," Morsink said.
The win had been gained, but the night will require reflection.
"As a coaching staff, we have to assess the good things that happened tonight ... that we can build on. But there were some things that were a little bit discouraging that we have to assess and see if we have to make a change or two in our lineup," said Onalfo.
The Wizards next challenge awaits on Saturday as they head back on the road to Real Salt Lake for their sixth consecutive road game in MLS play.
Robert Rusert is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
