OUT: DF Eric Ebert (R knee lateral meniscus tear); GK Zach Thornton (L hamstring tear); DF Lawson Vaughn (L ankle ligament insufficiency); MF Raphael Wicky (R ankle surgery); DOUBTFUL: FW Maykel Galindo (sports hernia surgery); QUESTIONABLE: DF Jonathan Bornstein (concussion); MF Paulo Nagamura (R knee sprain); DF Carey Talley (concussion); DF Alex Zotinca (R knee surgery) ... KANSAS CITY WIZARDS - DOUBTFUL: DF Chance Myers (illness)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
SUSPENDED: KC: Jack Jewsbury (caution accumulation; through Sept. 28)
WARNINGS:
SUSPENDED NEXT YELLOW CARD: CHV: Jesse Marsch, Daniel Paladini ... KC: Davy Arnaud, Carlos Marinelli
SUSPENDED AFTER TWO YELLOW CARDS: CHV: Jonathan Bornstein, Maykel Galindo, Sacha Kljestan, Ante Razov ... KC: Jimmy Conrad, Roger Espinoza, Michael Harrington, Claudio Lopez, Sasha Victorine, Kerry Zavagnin
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (7 meetings): Chivas USA 1 win, 9 goals ... Wizards 4 wins, 14 goals ... Ties 2
AT THE HOME DEPOT CENTER (3 meetings): Chivas USA 1 win, 4 goals ... Wizards 0 wins, 3 goals ... Ties 2
• This is the second of two meetings between the clubs this season, the only one set for The Home Depot Center.
• The teams split their season series a year ago, each winning on their home ground in league play. The Wizards have never lost to Chivas USA at home, in five meetings all-time in all competitions. Chivas USA have never lost to Kansas City at home, with one wins and three draws in all competitions.
• The Chivas USA win last Sept. 22 was their first ever against the Wizards. In the first two seasons of the club's existence, Kansas City won both meetings at Arrowhead Stadium, and came away with draws in both games on Victoria Street.
• The teams then met in the Western Conference Semifinals, and again the Wizards ruled victorious, winning the first leg at home thanks to a goal from Davy Arnaud (35), then playing to a scoreless draw at The Home Depot Center.
• Coaches record: Preki vs. KC: P3 W1 L2 D0 ... Curt Onalfo v CHV: P3 W2 L1 D0
LAST MEETING (MLS):
8/9: KC 3, CHV 2 (Victorine 22; Lopez 44; Arnaud 58 - Talley 73; Braun 82)
• The Wizards held a three-goal lead but were forced to hang on for a 3-2 victory in the first meeting this year at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.
• Shut out in their previous two games, the Wizards looked to get off on the right foot, and led 2-0 by halftime. In the 22nd minute, Claudio Lopez received a long pass on the right flank and hooked in a low cross that Sasha Victorine dove headlong to turn a header into the net for his first goal on the campaign.
• Then just before halftime, Davy Arnaud was sprung down the right flank, behind the Chivas defense, and raced to the area before sliding a square pass that Lopez easily tapped home for his fourth goal on the year and first since May 24.
• The Wizards then seemingly put the game on ice 13 minutes into the second half. A long ball was looped over the Chivas defense by Aaron Hohlbein, and Arnaud reached before Zach Thornton could claim after coming off his line. Arnaud popped it over the Chivas 'keeper then nodded it home with the slightest of touches, just ahead of a last-ditch clearing effort from Jim Curtin.
• But Chivas pulled a goal back in the 73rd minute, when Kevin Hartman took down Atiba Harris in the corner of the area, and Carey Talley converted the penalty with a thumping strike into the lower left corner. Then nine minutes later, Chivas made it 3-2. Talley whipped in a corner from the right and Justin Braun beat his marker to head home his third goal of the season.
• Chivas USA nearly got a late equalizer, but Kevin Hartman saves on Keith Savage and Braun in the dying minutes sealed the victory for the Wizards.
• Here's Onalfo's team: (4-4-2): Kevin Hartman - Jack Jewsbury, Jimmy Conrad, Aaron Hohlbein, Matt Marquess - Michael Harrington, Sasha Victorine (Kurt Morsink 88), Kerry Zavagnin, Claudio Lopez (Nelson Pizarro 78) - Josh Wolff (Roger Espinoza 61), Davy Arnaud. Substitutes Not Used: Eric Kronberg, Chance Myers, Ivan Trujillo, Tyson Wahl
• Here's Preki's team (3-4-3): Zach Thornton - Shavar Thomas, Jim Curtin, Bobby Burling - Carey Talley, Jesse Marsch (Kraig Chiles 66), Lawson Vaughn (Daniel Paladini 46), Francisco Mendoza - Atiba Harris, Roberto Nurse (Keith Savage 55), Justin Braun. Substitutes Not Used: Eric Ebert, Anthony Hamilton, Dan Kennedy, Gerson Mayen
CHIVAS USA
Chivas USA, became the first team to win in Utah in the last MLS game at Rice-Eccles Stadium, getting the only goal of the game for a victory Saturday evening against Real Salt Lake. Chivas USA now have 33 points from 25 matches and sit in second place in the Western Conference six points behind the Houston Dynamo, now with a two-point cushion over third place.
LAST MATCH
• Real were coming off a draw and a loss on a two-game road swing but had won three games in a row at home. Chivas USA saw their brief two-game winning streak come to an end 10 days previous in a 4-0 loss to New England.
• RSL piled up the early chances, but couldn't find the back of the net. Yura Movsisyan had an apparent first-half goal ruled out for offside, and Andy Williams hit the post with a shot in the second.
• Then in the 72nd minute, Chivas took advantage of a mistake for the winner. Chasing down a long ball headed for his own goal, RSL defender Nat Borchers collided with Nick Rimando as the 'keeper came out to collect, and Eskandarian raced in to take control and dribble the ball into the goal for the easiest of finishes and his third goal this season.
• Chivas USA head coach Preki made four changes to the team that lost 4-0 to the New England Revolution 10 days earlier. Claudio Suarez and Shavar Thomas came into the back four, for Bobby Burling and Jim Curtin. Sacha Kljestan, back from international duty, and Alecko Eskandarian also came back into the team, in place of Jorge Flores and Daniel Paladini.
• Here's Preki's team (4-4-2): Dan Kennedy - Carey Talley, Claudio Suarez, Shavar Thomas, Jonathan Bornstein (Sasha Victorine 46) - Atiba Harris, Sacha Kljestan, Paulo Nagamura, Francisco Mendoza - Alecko Eskandarian (Justin Braun 85), Ante Razov (Jesse Marsch 66). Substitutes Not Used: Bobby Burling, Jim Curtin, Jorge Flores, Lance Parker
TEAM NEWS
• For the first time perhaps all season, Preki had as close to a first-choice lineup available as ever. As a result, the win in Salt Lake moved Chivas to as a high a position as second place in the Western Conference for the first time since July 10, after the 1-1 draw with the LA Galaxy that was their final league game in nearly a month before kicking off play in SuperLiga.
• "We got a fortunate goal. Sometimes, in this game, you have to be lucky and get one of those things. This year luck hasn't been on our side too often, so tonight we'll take it. It's that time of year that we'll take the points, it doesn't matter how they come," Preki said.
• While he did not start, Jesse Marsch also returned to action after missing five games with a fractured jaw suffered in the 2-2 draw with the LA Galaxy on Aug. 14.
• "We always knew that we had a good team. It was just a matter of getting everybody healthy and getting everybody playing," Preki said. "I don't think we played our best tonight. It was our first time we put this group together in a long time."
• For Eskandarian, it was his third goal of the season. All three have come against the teams for which he played for last season - RSL (two) and Toronto FC.
• "I saw Nick Rimando coming off his line and Nat [Borchers] was chasing him down. I remembered two months ago those same two had a play, I think against New England, where the ball squared out, so I figured I might as well keep going maybe something will pop out, and sure enough it did," Eskandarian said.
• Slowly but surely, the Red-and-White are coming back to health. In addition to Marsch, defender Alex Zotinca made the trip to Salt Lake City and is now close to returning. The starting right back in preseason, Zotinca suffered a knee injury and has not played a minute of first-team action this season.
• "I've never been in a team with so many injuries. It has been frustrating for the guys, for the coaches. We can never play with the same guys," Zotinca said. "Hopefully we are going to make it to the playoffs and we are going to get some new guys and maybe we can make it farther than last year."
KANSAS CITY WIZARDS
The Kansas City Wizards stayed in the hunt for a place in the MLS Cup Playoffs, winning a 2-0 decision for the second consecutive weekend, dealing Toronto FC a serious blow in a victory Saturday evening at CommunityAmerica Ballpark. The Wizards now have 32 points from 25 matches and sit just a single point behind D.C. United in the Eastern Conference standings and in the wild card race for eighth spot overall.
LAST MATCH
• The Wizards put an end to their four-game winless run with a shutout of the Los Angeles Galaxy the week before, while Toronto FC were winless in their last five and had just one win since June 14.
• Toronto FC were held without a single shot on goal on the entire night. But the Wizards couldn't break through until the 63rd minute. TFC defender Tyrone Marshall, goalkeeper Greg Sutton and Kansas City striker Josh Wolff all came together in the area, and when Wolff went down, referee Baldomero Toledo awarded a penalty kick. Sutton guessed correctly, but Jack Jewsbury still put it past him for the opener.
• Then with 11 minutes to go, Wolff put in a cross from the right flank and Kevin Souter snuck in front of a defender to get a touch on the ball and loop it high over Sutton. For Souter, signed after being discovered in an open tryout, it was his first professional goal.
• After making four changes to his team the week before, Wizards coach Curt Onalfo kept his team intact to the team that defeated the Los Angeles Galaxy 2-0 the weekend before at Arrowhead Stadium.
• Here's Onalfo's team (4-4-2): Kevin Hartman - Jonathan Leathers, Jimmy Conrad, Tyson Wahl, Michael Harrington - Herculez Gomez, Davy Arnaud, Jack Jewsbury, Roger Espinoza - Josh Wolff (Claudio Lopez 82), Abe Thompson (Kevin Souter 76). Substitutes Not Used: Aaron Hohlbein, Eric Kronberg, Carlos Marinelli, Kurt Morsink, Kerry Zavagnin
TEAM NEWS
• It was the second time in club history the Wizards went an entire match without allowing a single shot on goal. The first came 393 games ago - the club's very first game, a 3-0 win against Colorado on April 13, 1996.
• "We had a very good defensive effort. I thought Jack Jewsbury was rock solid in the center of the midfield. Jimmy Conrad showed he is a warrior. He was in major pain, and his lip is all banged up. It was a hard-fought win, and these are points that we needed," Onalfo said.
• It was the second consecutive week that Onalfo ran out his new-look attack, with Davy Arnaud filling a central midfield spot, one newcomer in Abe Thompson partnering Josh Wolff in attack, and another in Herculez Gomez filling the right wing.
• "It was a good team effort. We started a little slow and played too direct in the first half. In the second half we took the game over. Those are good signs," Onalfo said. "We still need to play together more. This is a brand new team in many ways. We've got Abe [Thompson] and Herculez [Gomez] in there now and Davy [Arnaud] and Jack [Jewsbury] in the midfield, so it's going to take a little time for everyone to get used to one another."
• Souter's goal was another milestone in a remarkable rise that saw him spotted in an open tryout, signed to a developmental contract then make his full MLS debut the week before vs. Los Angeles, coming on as a late substitute.
• "It's a long road from an open tryout to becoming an established player. I came in here and worked hard. I try to get there early and stay late after practice," he said. "It's a quality squad here, and I'm always watching and learning from these guys. It's paid off so far."
• Said Onalfo: "He's a very motivated guy. We have a lot of confidence in him. We're using him in a role to preserve a lead, and it's nice when you put a guy in to preserve a lead and he scores a goal to help preserve it."
• After the trip to Chivas USA, the Wizards have three of their final four games at home. Three are against the top of the Eastern Conference - against Chicago and two vs. New England, along with an encounter with San Jose, currently riding the league's longest unbeaten streak.
• "These last two wins were very important. I think they've set the tone for our final five games. The last two were both shutout wins," said Jack Jewsbury. "To be honest we didn't give L.A. or Toronto very many opportunities, and they each definitely have some dangerous players. This was another good performance all around for the team, and now we're looking to just take this on the road."
