To an unsuspecting Kansas City Wizards, Saturday night's encounter with the first-place New England Revolution was a chance to gain three points on the conference leaders by handing them their first loss of the season.
However, karma had other plans that erased the Wizards' own 15-game home undefeated streak in all competitions that dated back to August 2004 and left them frustrated after the seemingly unjust 2-0 loss.
If the Wizards had known what awaited them, they might have been sure not to help out the evil designs.
Fate struck midfielder Sasha Victorine in the eighth minute as a cross by Shalrie Joseph hit his chest as he was running to cover in the box and then rolled past goalkeeper Bo Oshoniyi.
Undaunted, the Wizards continued to attack but would fail in the critical skill of finishing off their chances, a habit that all in soccer know will eventually come back to haunt.
"We had enough chances on the other end, myself included," said striker Josh Wolff, who returned to spark a Wizards attack that had gone listless during his absence with the U.S. national team. "That's the difference on the night. We had enough [chances] to get it right, and we didn't."
Wolff tried to be the provider in the 27th minute as he fed a running Davy Arnaud in the Revolution's box to the right of in-form Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis.
"Josh played a good ball; I just couldn't get my hips around it enough to get it to the far post. But I've got to get it on target and make [Reis] make a save," said Arnaud.
Reis was magical enough on the night to make Conrad and Wolff wonder what had possessed him, especially after luck seemed to guide his deflection over the crossbar of an intimate, but powerful header by Wolff off a Chris Klein cross in the 42nd minute.
"The ball on that one was perfect. If maybe I put that one down on the ground a little lower it goes in, but Matt comes back and covers it," said Wolff. "He made a big play there that changes the game. It could have been 1-1 going into the half."
Said defender Jimmy Conrad: "Matt Reis, he's got another secret. I don't know what he's eating pregame, but it's got to be something nice. He had a couple big saves for them, and we didn't do our chances. That's part of the game."
The failures and tough twists increased for the persistent Wizards in the second half beginning with a bit of helpful naivety that aided New England in scoring the crucial second goal only four minutes in.
"There was a 50/50 ball that we lost in midfield. I stepped to Joseph, he played a one-time ball and when I turned around Nick and Shavar were marking the same guy," Conrad said. "[The defensive adjustment] just has to happen quicker. It's just a matter of reading the game and recognizing danger."
"Jimmy felt he had to step to Joseph. It was a domino effect. We had them sealed to our left sideline, and Joseph comes late," said Wizards boss Bob Gansler. "Now Jimmy's got Noonan and all that, he wasn't left alone, but now Jimmy's stuck. Joseph found [Noonan] with the pass right away."
Joseph's first touch found striker Pat Noonan with plenty of room and time to chip the ball over an onrushing Oshoniyi and enable the Revolution's defense to shut the door.
"Once they got that second goal, it made it tougher for us because they just kept sitting deeper and deeper. At that point you only have one option and that's pumping balls into the box. I still felt like we could have gotten back into the game if we had scored at any point in the second half," said Arnaud.
But the harsh evening would only continue as the Wizards struck goal, literally, twice within 10 minutes, the first only seven minutes after the Revs' second score. Arnaud hit a stinging turn-around volley that hit a post in the 56th minute and left back Jose Burciaga, Jr., rattled the crossbar in the 66th minute.
The Wizards doubled the Revolution with 12 shots in all on the night. However, the lack of focus - or luck - on the near-finishes was the dominant offensive theme of the night for the Wizards as only four of those shots were on frame.
"At home you've just got to get one of them right and it will put you back in the game," said Wolff.
When things don't go right, the defense must rise to the occasion as it and Oshoniyi did for most of the match.
"We didn't give up too many chances, but the ones we did were good ones. Bo made some good saves, but he can't make all of them," said Conrad. "We need to help him out there. It's just moving as a unit there.
"We just have to plug away. As long as you keep believing that things can happen, they will," he said.
Matt Reis, the Revolution, and fate tried to make believers of the Wizards on this night, and they fell for it.
Robert Rusert is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
