With an extra week between games to rest and recharge, the Kansas City Wizards resume the stretch run of the regular season on Saturday against the New England Revolution in Foxborough, Mass.
The Revolution are just above Kansas City in the Eastern Conference standings, third with 38 points to the Wizards' 33 points. New England widened the gap on Wednesday with a 2-0 victory against the New York Red Bulls, who are chasing the Wizards for fourth place and the final playoff spot.
While the Wizards must stay ahead of New York to make the playoffs, interim coach Brian Bliss is not checking the rearview mirror. He wants to at least catch New England.
"We want to keep New York down below us," Bliss said. "Realistically, if we get on a good run we could end up third. New England is certainly not out of reach to bypass."
Defeating New England will not be easy, Bliss said, because of the array of talent the Revolution has on it roster.
"The thing you've got to pay attention to is (forward Taylor) Twellman's ability to score at any time, (Andy) Dorman out of the midfield and (Clint) Dempsey, whether he in the midfield or playing up to next to Twellman," Bliss said. "If you do that, you have a chance to win against them."
In order to defeat the Revolution on the road, the Wizards may have to come up with a performance away from home that is at least close to the level they showed in their 2-1 loss at Los Angeles on Sept. 2.
"That was a good performance by us on the road," Bliss said. "We didn't get the result, but it was one of our better performances this season, home or away."
The Wizards almost took a point at the death on Davy Arnaud's shot in the 90th minute. Arnaud picked out a ball on the volley and blasted it with his right foot off the crossbar from about 30 yards, stunning Galaxy goalkeeper Kevin Hartman in the process.
"If that would have went in, that would have been Goal of the Year," Bliss said.
Arnaud has been the most durable and, recently, one of the most effective attackers for the Wizards. He had two goals on Sept. 9 in a 4-1 victory against Colorado.
In a season where national team duty and key injuries have narrowed the number of players available from time to time, Arnaud has been reliable. He has played in all 28 games, has the most minutes played (2,425) and the most shots on goal (22). Arnaud has done all of this while suffering the most fouls (59).
"If you look at the history of his career, once he got in the lineup, it's a credit to his fitness level and durability," Bliss said. "He has played up top, wide in the midfield and internally in the midfield for us. He has probably played more minutes than anyone on this team in the last three years. He's a guy we rely on for a lot different things."
Arnaud has, indeed, played more minutes (7,578) than any other Wizards player has since the start of the 2004 season.
So playing these final four games in the stretch run could be a piece of cake for Arnaud and his teammates. The two-week interval between games has given players a chance to take a breather and has given injured players a chance to heal.
Defender Jimmy Conrad may get medical clearance to play Saturday. He has been training with the squad in spite of his broken jaw, suffered at New England on Aug. 9 when he was on the end of a Dempsey elbow. Bliss said, though, that Conrad might not be ready to step on the field quite yet even with medical clearance.
But forward Eddie Johnson and defender Nick Garcia will be available. Defender Alex Zotinca, who has to leave the Galaxy game in the first half, and midfielder Kerry Zavagnin need more time to heal.
The extra week off has helped, but it's time to play under game conditions again.
"I think the guys are highly motivated," Bliss said. "The week was good but at the same time you want to keep rhythm about things. The guys are certainly regenerated, re-energized and certainly looking forward to getting back in there and testing themselves again."
Robert Whitman is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
