The Kansas City Wizards continued their preseason training with an exhibition against D.C. United on Sunday that ended in a 0-0 draw. Although the Florida weather was sunny, the temperature on the field was around 50 degrees and strong winds affected the ball in the air.
Unlike the last two preseason matches, this exhibition consisted of three 30-minute segments as opposed to two 45-minute halves. In the first segment, the Wizards started a lineup similar to the one used against Columbus on Feb. 16. D.C. United put their veteran line up on the field and the teams began the match looking sharp and creating opportunities on both sides.
The Wizards put the pressure on immediately and played aggressively. Defender Jose Burciaga, Jr., took two corner kicks and both teams created a fast-paced flow throughout the first segment of play.
In the second segment, the Wizards made a few lineup changes, putting Chris Konopka in the goal and midfielder Will John and forward Yura Movsisyan out on the field. Meanwhile, D.C. United replaced their starting lineup of veterans with rookie players. The pace of the match slowed down, and Konopka made two saves off of a cross and a header.
The Wizards also had a few scoring opportunities, the most notable when Movsisyan brought the ball up the right side of the field and passed it to Burciaga on the left, who then crossed it to forward Eddie Johnson. Johnson headed the ball toward the goal, but it was saved by the D.C. United goalkeeper.
The third segment allowed the rookies on both sides to showcase their abilities on the field. Although the Wizards played good soccer, they were not able to get any shots off. In addition, forward Ryan Pore left the game with an injury and was replaced by midfielder Cody Anderson. Midfielder Zourab Tsiskaridze moved to left midfield, and midfielder Michael Kraus replaced midfielder Edson Elcock on the field.
The Kansas City Wizards will continue their preseason exhibition schedule on Wednesday when they take on the Chicago Fire at 9 a.m. CT.
1 2 3 F
Kansas City Wizards 0 0 0 0
D.C. United 0 0 0 0
Unofficial Stats
KC DC
Shots 10 15
Corner Kicks 7 10
Saves 4 4
Date: February 18, 2007
Weather: 50 degrees, sunny and windy
Place: IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida
Kansas City Wizards
Line up for first segment - Hartman, Jewsbury, Garcia, Conrad, Burciaga, Jr., Watson, McMahen, Morsink, Victorine, Johnson, Sealy
Line up for second segment - Konopka, Jewsbury, Garcia, Conrad, Burciaga, Jr., John, McMahen, Morsink, Victorine, Johnson, Movsisyan
Line up for third segment - Kronberg, Godbolt, Wahl, Hohlbein, Tsiskaridze, Elcock, Raybould, Raad, Pore, Movsisyan, Guadarrama
OUT: Arnuad (Ankle), Thomas (Travel), Harrington (U-23)
QUOTES:
"We were very pleased today and it was definitely our best performance thus far in the preseason. We are extremely happy with the progress our players are making and we are exactly where we want to be two weeks into the preseason, knowing that we have eight more weeks to go. We are looking forward to sharpening the guys up a bit, and we will now focus on approaching the goal and finishing the goal."
-Kansas City Wizards head coach Curt Onalfo
