both from Brian McBride. First, on 12 minutes, after a collision between the Wizards' Jimmy Conrad and goalkeeper Kevin Hartman in the area, the ball fell to Wilman Conde, who slid to McBride to stroke home inside the right post from outside the area.
• Then in the 20th minute, Cuauhtemoc Blanco -- making his first start of the season -- swung in a freekick from the right flank. McBride rose up to powerfully head home inside the right-hand post for his third goal on the year.
• Hartman made amends with a series of spectacular saves in the second half, and the Wizards were able to draw even through a U.S. international of their own in Josh Wolff. First, in the 78th minute, Claudio Lopez broke away from a group a players and whipped a cross to the far post where Wolff snuck in to tap it home.
• Then in the 89th minute, Michael Harrington put in a cross from the right touchline toward the near post where Wolff slipped in front of his marker and sent a glancing header to the back of the net to give K.C. points for just the fourth time in 17 all-time trips to Chicago.
• Wizards head coach Curt Onalfo kept his team the same for the third consecutive match, making no changes to the team that defeated Seattle Sounders FC 1-0 the weekend before.
• Here's Onalfo's team (4-1-3-2): Kevin Hartman - Lance Watson (Michael Kraus 73), Jimmy Conrad, Aaron Hohlbein, Matt Besler - Jack Jewsbury - Herculez Gomez (Kurt Morsink 83), Santiago Hirsig (Michael Harrington 46), Josh Wolff - Davy Arnaud, Claudio Lopez. Substitutes Not Used: Roger Espinoza, Rauwshan McKenzie, Boris Pardo, Abe Thompson
• "At halftime I was really disappointed, we weren't playing well at all tonight but we found a way to get a point," Onalfo said. "That's a sign we have fighters in our locker room. It's a credit to Josh (Wolff) with two great goals that kept us in the game when we needed them most."
TEAM NEWS
• For the third consecutive match, Josh Wolff began the game on the left of midfield in an attacking role. But as Onalfo moved his pieces around with substitutions after halftime, Wolff moved back to the striker role where he has been most associated with over his career, and he added his fourth and fifth goals since his return to MLS.
• For Wolff, it was his first two-goal game in MLS since Aug. 10, 2005. He was named the league's player of the week for Week 5.
• "For me personally it was a bad first half and having played the way we did first half and having played the way we have the last couple games and come out the way we did this time was disappointing but we got a point and hopefully learned not to take anything for granted," Wolff said.
• Of the Wizards' eight goals on the season, seven have been scored in the second half, and five of those have been scored in the final 15 minutes of the match, including the game-winning and game-tying goals in the last two matches.
• "We always have an unwavering belief we can do things. I've told my team a million times you can be losing in the 88th minute, tie it in the 90th and win it in extra time," Onalfo said.
• Until the final 10 minutes, it looked as if the Wizards might be shut out, ending their lengthy streak of scoring goals in games. But the two goals extended their active streak to 17 league games with at least one goal, one more than the Columbus Crew, who have an active streak of 16 games.
• "We always talk about playing for 90 minutes," Onalfo said. "The game is not 45 minutes, it is 90 minutes. You can play a terrible 80 minutes of soccer and find yourself a rhythm for 10 minutes and get yourself a couple of goals and get yourself back in the game. That is kind of what happened."
• The Wizards now face a busy week after trying back-to-back road trips to Seattle and Chicago. Following the home game Thursday, the Wizards will head north to take on Toronto FC on Sunday afternoon.
• "I thought we were just not sharp, a step slow, looked a little tired," Onalfo said of the Chicago match. "It was a whole bunch of different things."
NEW YORK RED BULLS
The New York Red Bulls won for the first time on the season, claiming a 2-0 victory against Real Salt Lake on Saturday evening at Giants Stadium. The Red Bulls now have five points from five matches on the season, tied for fifth place in the Eastern Conference, just four points behind the division-leading Chicago Fire and just a win out of second.
LAST MATCH
• The Red Bulls had alternated losses and draws to begin the season, scoring just a single goal (that through an own goal), while Real Salt Lake were back on the road after winning back-to-back matches at their new home.
• It took the Red Bulls just two minutes to open their account with the first goal scored by one of their own players. Dane Richards won the ball on the right side and sent in a rolling cross. RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando was able to parry it, but only as far as Macoumba Kandji, who side-footed home the easiest of finishes into the empty goal.
• The Red Bulls doubled the lead just before the hour with a wonderful movement. Juan Pablo Angel and Kandji played a one-two at midfield that sent Kandji racing toward the RSL goal. Angel continued his run and in the box, Kandji laid the ball off to his right and Angel slotted it home inside the far post for his first goal on the season.
• Red Bulls head coach Juan Carlos Osorio made five changes to the team that played to a scoreless draw with the Houston Dynamo the week before. Jon Conway came in between the posts for his first start, while three changes were on the backline - Jeremy Hall, Carlos Mendes and Alfredo Pacheco coming in for Andrew Boyens, Danleigh Borman and the suspended Carlos Johnson. Macoumba Kandji also returned to the lineup, with Juan Pietravallo dropped.
• Here's Osorio's team (4-3-1-2): Jon Conway - Jeremy Hall, Carlos Mendes, Kevin Goldthwaite, Alfredo Pacheco - Dane Richards (John Wolyniec 86), Seth Stammler, Khano Smith (Danleigh Borman 76) - Jorge Rojas - Juan Pablo Angel (Luke Sassano 61), Macoumba Kandji. Substitutes Not Used: Danny Cepero, Dominic Oduro, Mike Petke, Sinisa Ubiparipovic
TEAM NEWS
• After missing the opening four matches while serving the remainder of his suspension for using a banned performance-enhancing substance, Jon Conway stepped in between the posts and made four saves in recording the clean sheet. "I think it was great, his reaction after the game told me everything -- he was very emotional," said Osorio. "I told him before the game that he didn't have to prove anything to anyone."
• Said Conway: "I didn't really have much to do on the first half; I thought we controlled the game quite well, we were pretty successful coming out of the back. Second half, you know it's going to happen, you know they are going to catch the flow of play. I thought all in all, defensively, we were great."
• Alfredo Pacheco was finally able to make his Red Bulls debut, playing the full 90 minutes at left back. The El Salvadoran international traveled with the Red Bulls to Houston, but was unable to play against Dynamo because the ITC had not arrived.
• "I think that, I don't want to speak too soon, but this has been a long process trying to get Alfredo here, as some of you have known this has been four or five months," Osorio said. "Finally, we got him here and he showed today why I was so adamant to get him. And hopefully, he will contribute to a very good campaign."
• The Red Bulls have now recorded back-to-back shutouts and not allowed a goal in 237 minutes. "It's good to get these two shutouts during this long stretch of games we have right now," said defender Kevin Goldthwaite. "It was tough that first game in Seattle when we got a bit shocked, but the last couple games, we defended well and hopefully, we continue playing like that for the next couple weeks."
• Kandji returned from a sprained ankle and sparked the Red Bulls' attack with a goal and an assist.
• "I found out on Thursday I was going to play. I trained with the team on Wednesday, but they didn't let me do any contact. On Thursday, coach (Osorio) called me into his office and I told him I'm good to go," Kandji said. "I was in a little pain but I just want to play. Pain is all in your head so I just wrapped it up, took same painkillers, and I was good to go."
• After bemoaning the various attacking combinations he has used this season, Osorio was again able to pair Angel and Kandji up top. "You saw today, and the more the games they play together, the more difficult it will be for me not to pair them up. They played very well today," Osorio said.
• For Angel, his first goal of the season came in the fifth game; a year ago, his first came in the sixth. While battling injuries over the first half of last year, Angel scored just two goals, but finished with 14 goals, 12 after July 10.
• "It was great to see Juan Pablo get one, which for me ... as soon as he gets that first one, he's bound to start lighting it up, so I'm pretty excited about that," said Conway.
