The Kansas City Wizards earned a 1-0 victory over Real Salt Lake in the final preparation match prior to the opening of the 2008 regular season. Defender and captain Jimmy Conrad scored in the 64th minute off a Carlos Marinelli free kick, and Kansas City finished strong to earn a shutout against a talented Real Salt Lake attack.
Marinelli was dangerous all night, nearly unlocking a play for a goal in the 30th minute. He played midfielder Ryan Pore through behind the RSL defense, who then lifted a short pass over a defender's foot for forward Eloy Colombano at the back post. The Argentine forward's slight deflection went just wide of the back post, however.
Real Salt Lake's own Argentine playmaker proved dangerous in the 42nd minute, playing a curling restart from near the Kansas City end line toward the back post. Former Wizards forward Yura Movsisyan battled Tyson Wahl for position, but the ball floated out of bounds.
The Wizards scored the game's lone goal of a set piece in the 64th minute after Jack Jewsbury earned a free kick 30 yards off the end line on the right wing. Marinelli stood over the ball, whipping an in-swinging ball to the center of the penalty area. The ball skipped past RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando to Conrad who headed it into the open net for a 1-0 lead.
Real's best chance to equalize came in the 82nd minute through midfielder Kyle Beckerman. RSL played a long ball to Beckerman at the top of the penalty area. He brought the ball down neatly and immediately bent a right-footed effort toward the back post. The shot landed just over the bar on the roof of the goal, and Kansas City closed out a 1-0 victory over the next ten minutes.
The Wizards open the 2008 regular season next Saturday at 7 p.m. CT against D.C. United at CommunityAmerica Ballpark in Kansas City, Kan. Kansas City defeated United 4-2 in Washington, D.C. to open the 2007 regular season.
2008 Saturn Cup
Saturday, March 22, 2008 - 6 p.m. (CT)
John Crain Field - Norman, Oklahoma
Weather: 61 and clear
Attendance: 1,350
Score:
1 2 F
Kansas City Wizards
0 1 1
Real Salt Lake
0 0 0
Scoring Summary:
KC - Conrad (Marinelli) 65'
Kansas City Wizards: Hartman, Jewsbury, Conrad, Wahl, Myers, Zavagnin, Marinelli (Morsink 74), Pore, Harrington, Colombano (Sealy 46), Trujillo
Substitutes not used: Kronberg (GK), Leathers, Souter
Real Salt Lake: Rimando, Borchers (Olave 46), Mantilla, Joy, Beltran, Beckerman, Talley, Morales, Williams (Kovalenko 46), Movsisyan, Espindola (Nunez 75)
Misconduct:
KC - Conrad (caution; Dissent) 43'
Referee: Michael Kennedy
Referee's Assistants: Paul Scott, Kyle Borne
4th official: Jack Damrill
Notables:
• Kansas City finished the pre-season with a 7-3-4 record, including a 5-1-2 trip to Argentina.
• The Wizards earned their second-ever Saturn Cup, winning the inaugural event 1-0 against FC Dallas in 2006.
• Former Wizards midfielder Carey Talley and forward Yura Movsisyan started the match for RSL.
• Five Argentines were on the field to start the match. Kansas City started midfielder Carlos Marinelli and forward Eloy Colombano. RSL started defender Matias Mantilla, midfielder Javier Morales and forward Fabian Espindola.
• Both teams were back from recent pre-season training trips to Argentina.
• Kansas City opens the regular season next Saturday, March 29 against D.C. United at 7 p.m. CT at CommunityAmerica Ballpark in Kansas City, Kan.
• The Wizards opened the 2007 regular season with a 4-2 win against United in Washington, D.C.
Quotes:
WIZARDS HEAD COACH CURT ONALFO
On the game
I'm happy we got the 1-0 result. We finished the game strong and did what we needed to do to get a win. I was also pleased that we scored a set-piece goal, as we are focusing on that this year.
WIZARDS DEFENDER JIMMY CONRAD
On the game
I thought it was a good chance for us to iron-out and fine-tune some of the subtleties of our game before the regular season starts. It was good to get a shutout, but we gave up a few more chances than we would have liked. We were glad that we were able to get a shutout against an up-and-coming MLS team.
On his goal
Carlos (Marinelli) played a great ball into the space. I just tried to get into a good spot, hoping I could get on the end of it, and that's what happened. I just reacted, and it hit off my head and went in.
WIZARDS GOALKEEPER KEVIN HARTMAN
On the game
It was a good opportunity to play in front of some fans to get us ready for what we can expect in the regular season. It was good because I felt some apprehension before the game, and that tells me it's almost time for the season to start.
On next week's opponent, D.C. United
We are aware of what D.C. United brings to the table. We saw them beat Harbor View pretty badly in the CONCACAF Champions' Cup, so we know they have a very potent attack. But, we are confident that we can play good soccer. We played great competition in the preseason, and it was good to end with a 1-0 win over Real Salt Lake.
