During the latter stages of the first half in the Kansas City Wizards' match against the New York Red Bulls on June 2, midfielder Davy Arnaud and forward Eddie Johnson exchanged words and incredulous looks of disappointment after failing to connect on an attacking run.
To the eye, the somewhat heated reactions, coming in the midst of a top-of-the-table clash where the host Wizards had gone down by a goal and had failed to cash in on any of their 11 shots in the first half, smacked of dissension in the ranks.
Yet within the incident lies a key ingredient to the Wizards' success this season: a thriving competitive spirit that exists in matches and on the training ground.
"That's kind of how our team is," said head coach Curt Onalfo. "We try to create a very competitive environment, and that kind of stuff happens on a daily basis in training. We don't mind it; it's just a matter of managing it."
Not only managing it, but fostering it as well. Every team needs to be pushed.
"We demand a lot out of our players, and we also say it's not always going to be a pat on the back, great job. These are men out there fighting for points and fighting for money," Onalfo said.
Onalfo and his staff do what they can to instill an aggressive attitude throughout the team, but both the makeup of the Wizards roster and the effect on the players have sustained it.
"We have a good group of young guys who have come in and guys who have been around for years, and that makes for competitive training sessions," said Arnaud. "It's competitive to get in the starting 11; it's competitive to get in the 18. It's all beneficial, especially when you have guys missing."
When second-team players like defenders Aaron Hohlbein and Tyson Wahl and attackers like Yura Movsisyan and Will John feel they have chances to prove themselves, they force players above them to prove they deserve their starting spots.
"It's only going to help us to be a better team, to compete, and to hold me accountable," starting left back Jose Burciaga, Jr., said. "If some guys are making a push, that's only going to require me to get results and perform well not only in games but in practices."
The results of Kansas City's competitive atmosphere show that the internal push is manifested on game day. Six wins and 19 points in their first nine games is easily the highest success rate in Major League Soccer despite key players like stalwart center back Jimmy Conrad, and last season's leading scorer Scott Sealy, missing significant time.
"There is no secret as to why we are doing well. Every training session is competitive, and once we've trained, we're looking forward to coming to practice the next day," Eddie Johnson said. "When everyone is happy, that makes everyone's job easier."
Although tempers might flare and heated exchanges might occur, they are washed away by the realization of their importance and a professional perspective.
"We leave everything on the field," said Onalfo, "and what happens on the field stays on the field. And we move on."
To Arnaud, the behavior only shows that the Wizards want to win.
"It's not a bad thing to have a group of winners playing together," he said. "We get competitive in training, and we expect a lot out of each other. It's us knowing what each other is capable of. We expect everybody on this team to do big things -- that's why we're winning games. We have a talented team and a fighting spirit, which has helped us win a few games."
The Wizards hope to sustain their ambition when they travel to New York this weekend for a rematch. There Kansas City will continue their assault on the Eastern Conference lead, taken away from them by the Red Bulls while the Wizards were idle this past week.
"I think we're hungry," Burciaga said. "We've set a couple of goals, and one of them is to get a championship. We've underachieved with the quality of players we've had the last two years. This is the third year, and there is no reason this team shouldn't be competing for an MLS championship."
Bob Rusert is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
