but not the near post -- though Johnson coolly got to the rebound and side-footed home.
• Here's Onalfo's team (4-3-1-2): Kevin Hartman - Jack Jewsbury, Jimmy Conrad, Nick Garcia, Jose Burciaga Jr. - Sasha Victorine, Kerry Zavagnin, Michael Harrington - Carlos Marinelli (Yura Movsisyan 57) - Eddie Johnson, Davy Arnaud. Substitutes Not Used: Will John, Eric Kronberg, Kurt Morsink, Ryan Pore, Ryan Raybould, Tyson Wahl
• Here's Kreis's team (4-4-2): Nick Rimando - Jean-Martial Kipre, Eddie Pope, Daniel Torres, Ritchie Kotschau - Carey Talley, Atiba Harris, Chris Lancos, Chris Wingert (Jamie Watson 46) - Robbie Findley (Kenny Cutler 69), Kyle Brown (Andy Williams 46). Substitutes Not Used: Nikolas Besagno, Willis Forko, Kyle Reynish, Jack Stewart
REAL SALT LAKE
Real Salt Lake returns home for the last time until Sept. 19, after losing 2-0 to Chivas USA on Sunday evening in their first road game in six weeks. RSL still has 12 points from 19 matches, still rooted to the bottom of the Western Conference, and still two points behind the Los Angeles Galaxy (who have played one fewer game).
LAST MATCH
• Chivas USA were playing their first "home" game since July 14, winners of three of four on their swing of road games, while Real Salt Lake had followed their second win of the season with a loss the weekend before, falling to the Chicago Fire at home.
• The game's lone goal came in the 31st minute. A corner kick was just knocked back out wide, and Ante Razov latched onto it on the right. He drove in a low ball toward the near post where Jesse Marsch got in front of his marker and touched the ball past Nick Rimando for his second goal on the year.
• With the victory, Chivas USA remains the only team unbeaten at home this season, with a 7-0-1 mark in games at the Home Depot Center where they've been the home team. The RSL game began a stretch of four consecutive home games for the Red-and-White.
• RSL head coach Jason Kreis made two changes to the team that lost 2-0 to the Chicago Fire at Rice-Eccles the weekend before. With Nathan Sturgis out to injury, Atiba Harris came in on the left side of midfield. Alecko Eskandarian was suspended, so there was a place for Fabian Espindola to make his first MLS start.
• Here's Kreis's team (4-3-1-2): Nick Rimando - Jean-Martial Kipre, Eddie Pope, Ritchie Kotschau, Chris Wingert - Kyle Beckerman, Carey Talley, Atiba Harris - Andy Williams (Matias Mantilla 72) - Fabian Espindola (Chris Lancos 68), Robbie Findley (Chris Brown 56). Substitutes Not Used: Nikolas Besagno, Kyle Brown, Javier Morales, Chris Seitz
• "For us as a staff, we feel like our guys came into it with the right mentality, they had a lot of passion out there, they worked really hard and we've got nothing to hang our head about with that," Kreis said. "Obviously I think in the first half we didn't do well enough possessing the ball, in the second half we were much better, we created quite a few chances and we just scratched our heads looking for that last touch."
TEAM NEWS
• Real have scored just two goals over their past six games, and have now been shut out in back-to-back games.
• "I scored a lot of goals just by sheer will and throwing my body in places where most players wouldn't. I think that we're lacking that right now, somebody who will put fear on the line and just go for it," Kreis said. "We need players who will step forward and just say, 'I'm going to make a play.' We have the guys that are capable of doing it."
• In addition, Real are not getting off to quick starts, which is not helping the situation. Against Chivas, RSL did not have their first shot on goal until the 84th minute, though Robbie Findley had a gilt-edged chance early that he put wide. Real have trailed at halftime in eight games, coming away with only a draw (with seven losses). They have not overcome a deficit to win a game, conceding the first goal on 14 occasions (0-11-3).
• "We need to get the first goal," Rimando said. "We let one in and then we're chasing the game, which is hard for us to do, because I don't think we've won when we've given a goal up."
• It took RSL nearly three months to get their first win, then after defeating D.C. United, they lost four in a row before defeating Houston Dynamo. Now since that win, they've lost back-to-back games."I think the hardest thing for me is that we're losing these games 1-0 and somehow we win against Houston," said Rimando. "Why can't we keep it consistent? I think that's the big word here."
• In Real's two victories, they've scored three goals - all from Robbie Findley. But they are the only three goals he's scored with RSL; he came off after 56 minutes against Chivas, replaced by Chris Brown, who went close to goal with a header mere seconds after coming on.
• "Robbie is a young player. We see a lot of the typical things that young players do -- they'll have a good game and then one that is not so good," Kreis said. "He can be a difference maker at the end, but we also need him to hold the ball for us and not be losing as many as he did tonight."
• Kreis had all three of his recent Argentinian signings available for the first time, and continues to ease them into the squad. In his first MLS start, Fabian Espindola went the distance in the match as a striker, while Matias Mantilla put in about 20 minutes for his league debut. Javier Morales was an unused substitute in his first game in the team.
• "I think there were some bright moments and again I keep throwing that word transition around. It'll be a transition period for (Espindola) and the other two players as well," Kreis said. "I thought there were some good moments but also some that is said to be cleaned up."
• Despite the difficulties of the season, RSL was relieved of one ignominious record this weekend as Toronto FC took over the league's longest run of consecutive minutes without a goal. "It's not ours, then," Kreis said. "We've got that going for us, which is nice."
KANSAS CITY WIZARDS
The Kansas City Wizards came away with a split in their home-and-home series against the Chicago Fire last week, falling 2-0 at Toyota Park in the back end on Saturday evening. The Wizards finished the week with 32 points from 22 matches, still in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, a point behind the New York Red Bulls and now seven points out of second place and the automatic playoff spots.
LAST MATCH
• The Fire and Wizards were meeting just three days after Kansas City exploded for three second-half goals before holding on for a 3-2 win at Arrowhead Stadium.
• Unlike that open affair, both teams started the return match a lot tighter, but the Fire took advantage of the one dangerous opportunity they needed just before halftime. Ivan Guerrero was taken down just outside the top of the area, and Cuauhtemoc Blanco curled the resulting free kick around the wall and inside the left-hand post for his second league goal with Chicago.
• The Fire sealed the match in the 86th minute. From a short corner, Blanco swung in a good cross to the penalty spot where Calen Carr came storming in and headed home through the legs of K.C. goalkeeper Kevin Hartman.
• Once again, Blanco was at the heart of everything for the Fire -- he has been involved in some way in each of the last six goals the Fire have scored, and in seven of the 10 goals Chicago has scored since he joined the club (including a friendly against Celtic FC, when he scored in his first game with the club).
• Wizards head coach Curt Onalfo made one change to the team that lost 3-2 to the Fire three nights earlier. With Jose Burciaga Jr. suspended to yellow card accumulation, Michael Harrington came into his place at left back.
• Here's Onalfo's team (4-4-2): Kevin Hartman - Ryan Raybould (Eloy Colombano 76), Jimmy Conrad, Nick Garcia, Michael Harrington - Davy Arnaud, Kurt Morsink (Carlos Marinelli 67), Kerry Zavagnin, Sasha Victorine (Ryan Pore 88) - Eddie Johnson, Scott Sealy. Substitutes Not Used: Jack Jewsbury, Eric Kronberg, Yura Movsisyan, Tyson Wahl
• "Tonight we were excellent in the first half, we created lots of chances, we had the majority of the possession," Onalfo said. "We gave up a goal at the end of the first half, and all of a sudden that changes the nature of the game."
TEAM NEWS
• Once again, Cuauhtémoc Blanco had all of his skills on show for the Fire against the Wizards. In the Wednesday game, his terrific through ball sprung Chad Barrett for the first goal, then he served in a corner that wasn't cleared for Dasan Robinson to knock home for the second. He put the Fire into the lead with a free kick over the wall just before the end of the first half.
• "When you're at the 18-yard line you put a ton of guys at the wall, it's coming through traffic, it's going to be difficult," Wizards goalkeeper Kevin Hartman said. "I thought it was pretty well taken, but I don't necessarily feel it's a good spot to give up a foul."
• Carlos Marinelli was kept on the bench to start the match, coming in for the final quarter of the contest. Eloy Colombano came in for Ryan Raybould as the Wizards chased the equalizer, but instead, the Fire scored shortly after from a corner kick.
• "At the end we tried to take a little bit of a risk and we took out a defender and put in a forward to switch to a 3-4-3 to see if that could help," Onalfo said. "Sometimes it does and other times it doesn't."
• In four key games against Eastern Conference opposition, the Wizards came away with just three points, shut out in back-to-back losses to the New England Revolution, then gaining a split with the Chicago Fire as they were shut out in the second match.
• "We're not going to score three goals every time we play," Davy Arnaud said." I thought we moved the ball well. I think we were the better team. We still needed to come out in the second half and find a way to get a goal and we didn't."
• While the Wizards still hold on to a place in the MLS Cup Playoffs, they currently have the seventh-best overall record in the league, with the Colorado Rapids and Columbus Crew now just five points behind, tied for eighth overall (and playing this weekend). All three teams have eight games remaining.
• "We worry about ourselves, we don't worry about the other teams," Onalfo said. "We worry about getting better and getting things right with this team. If you do that, you'll be there at the end and that's what our focus is."
