The Kansas City Wizards conceded two goals and went a man down in the first half, yet saw a late comeback cut short as they fell 2-1 to the Columbus Crew on Saturday night at Crew Stadium.
Adam Moffat and Robbie Rogers scored goals for the Crew before Wizards rookie Roger Espinoza was sent off just before halftime. Claudio Lopez converted a penalty kick with 11 minutes to play, but Kansas City could get no closer as they lost for the second consecutive contest, the third in their six-game road trip.
It took the Crew just four minutes to open the scoring on their home turf on a set piece initiated by Guillermo Barros Schelotto. The ball was sent from the right across to the far left corner of the box, where it was headed back across the goal by defender Chad Marshall. Midfielder Adam Moffat crashed the net and jumped over Wizards 'keeper Kevin Hartman and midfielder Jack Jewsbury in the goalmouth scrum, heading the ball to the back of the net.
Columbus gave another quick scare to shot-stopper Hartman when Alejandro Moreno, the Crew's leading goal scorer, intercepted a back pass and lofted a bouncing ball over the 'keeper's head that struck the top half of the crossbar and caromed over the net.
Kansas City got their first crack in the 14th minute from a direct free kick after forward Ivan Trujillo was fouled right on the edge of the area. Midfielder Eloy Colombano took the kick but it was deflected and cleared by the Crew defense.
The Crew added to their lead in the 34th minute after a defensive lapse. From a throw-in, Frankie Hejduk intercepted the ball and knocked it forward. Moreno flicked an impressive bicycle pass to Rogers, and as Hartman came off his line to corral the ball, Rogers raced around a defender and squeaked the ball past the sliding goalkeeper with a quick flick to the right, sending the ball trickling into the net.
It got worse for the Wizards exactly two minutes later. Hejduk committed a foul on K.C. midfielder Roger Espinoza in a battle for the ball along the sideline. As the foul was called, Espinoza sent a forearm back toward Hejduk, which netted him an instantaneous red card from referee Mark Geiger.
The Wizards were on the offensive early after the break, creating good scoring opportunities but failing to put the ball in the net. Lopez, who leads the club in shots, found the ball at his feet on the left side of the box with only Crew 'keeper Will Hesmer standing between him and a goal.
Lopez wiggled in front of his defender and got off a low hard shot towards the goal. But Hesmer made an aggressive play on the ball, sliding into the feet of Lopez, taking the shot in the stomach and snagging the ball before any rebound got loose.
Columbus began to sit back on their lead and concentrate on maintain possession. The tactic was successful until the 79th minute when Crew defender Danny O'Rourke grabbed the jersey of K.C. forward Scott Sealy in the box, pulling him to the ground as the Trinidadian tried to turn toward goal, earning the Wizards a penalty kick. Lopez stepped up and drilled the penalty past Hesmer to bring the Wizards within 2-1 in the 79th minute.
After a Columbus corner kick, K.C. staged a counter attack which resulted in yellow card shown to Crew midfielder Brad Evans after a hard challenge on Lopez. The Wizards were awarded a direct free kick five yards outside the box, but the attempt was deflected by the wall and corralled by Hesmer.
That was the last real chance for the Wizards as they fell back to .500 on the season, while the Crew added to their advantage atop the Eastern Conference standings.
Ryan Bergeman is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
