The calendar might say it's only the first week of June, but the Kansas City Wizards are approaching their Saturday tilt with the Eastern Conference-leading New York Red Bulls as having playoff-like importance.
"Three points will be huge considering the fact that we have a lot of injuries within the team and me being called up to the Gold Cup," said Kansas City forward and leading scorer Eddie Johnson. "We have team goals, and we split our season up into three 10-game segments that we wanted to get 16 points out of each. Right now we've reached our goal, but it'd be good if we could get 19 points."
After the match, the in-form Johnson will leave for CONCACAF Gold Cup duty with the U.S. national team, leaving the Wizards with questions up front. So the second-place Wizards are looking to gain the full three points, take over the top spot in the East and set themselves up better for the MLS Cup Playoffs before they lose their most dependable scorer. Kansas City sits only one point back of the Red Bulls heading into the weekend.
Johnson's hat trick at New England last Saturday earned him player of the week honors for the second time this season. But the Red Bulls come loaded with the May player of the month in 31-year-old Columbian forward Juan Pablo Angel. In striking for three goals and adding two assists in his first three league games, Angel has shown his pedigree and lifted the Red Bulls to legitimate contenders for MLS Cup 2007.
But the Wizards, though wary, are confident they can handle the former Aston Villa hit-man.
"I don't see him being any different than a [Carlos] Ruiz or [former L.A. Galaxy and Mexico forward] Luis Hernandez. He's crafty with the ball, and he's great off the ball," said Wizards center back Nick Garcia.
Even though Garcia might not play due to his continuing recovery from a rectal-abdominal strain, he knows what needs to be done to neutralize the danger Angel presents.
"A lot of teams have given him more space and comfort than he should probably have," said Garcia.
Whether Garcia or fellow center back Jimmy Conrad will figure in the starting back line for the Wizards is still unclear, as is the status of the Wizards other injured starters, forward Scott Sealy and left back Jose Burciaga, Jr. All four sat out the 4-3 come-from-behind triumph at the Revolution's Gillette Stadium last week.
Wizards' assistant coach Kris Kelderman would only hint at what the Red Bulls might encounter at kickoff in this clash of the early season titans.
"It's a big opportunity for us because we are playing against the first-place team in the league. It's a home game. So we feel confident with the way we've been playing at home, and home games are games we need to get three points," said Kelderman. "We've had some injuries but things have turned the corner for a lot of those guys this week."
The lack of clarity in the lineup could be a part of some gamesmanship as head coach Curt Onalfo prepares to face his former boss, long-time U.S. national team and current New York head coach Bruce Arena. As Arena's assistant, Onalfo is very familiar with Arena's tactics and vice versa. Yet it will be the players who will ultimately decide things on the field.
"They know each other to a great extent. But I don't think the coaches are going to outsmart us," Garcia said. "It's us players getting out there and taking care of business. But I'm sure there is a personal pride there to get out and be the one who can win this game."
Pride is often a motivator and no more so than when the Wizards face their foes from New York. Johnson and Garcia see the match as another way to gain further respect.
"I still think our team doesn't get enough credit," Johnson said. "There is still talk about us not being that good of a team and that we're just having a run of good luck right now."
Said Garcia, ""Nobody wants to see K.C. do well; everybody wants to see New York do well. Three points at home is what we are shooting for. Let's make no mistake about it: we want to be first and we want to be on the top of the heap. This is the game that we can do it."
Still, the Wizards hold much respect for the Red Bulls.
"They're a very good team. It's a group of experienced players who don't make too many mistakes. They are very disciplined in the way they are coached and the way they play, so every opportunity we get -- and there probably won't be a whole lot of them -- we have to take advantage," said Kelderman. "Whether it's one chance, two chances, or three chances, we have to jump on them."
The Wizards have not defeated New York in their last six meetings. But the Wizards are already pointing to the game as one where records don't matter.
"This is the kind of game we live for. It's the games that mean something, and this is definitely one of those situations," Garcia said. "For us being at home it's going to be a treat for not only the players but the fans, and we expect good things out of our team."
Bob Rusert is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
