The Kansas City Wizards inability to find the back of the net -- or more accurately, their failure to produce more than one shot on goal -- in their scoreless tie with D.C. United at home on Saturday surely got tongues wagging across the soccer nation.
"Kansas City plays such a boring style of soccer ...", the familiar lament goes.
Through the first three matches of the season, that of course was certainly not the case, as the Wizards played some scintillating attacking soccer in producing seven goals, the high point likely a clinical display of combination play and finishing that created Chris Klein's goal at Giants Stadium on April 16 against the MetroStars.
But Saturday's result, with deserved credit to D.C. United's tactical execution, may signal an end to a recent change designed to jumpstart the potent attack.
For the second consecutive match, first-round SuperDraft pick Scott Sealy started on the forward line in tandem with Josh Wolff, and Wolff's usual counterpart, Davy Arnaud, started on the left of midfield.
The move is sound in principle, adding another talented threat while infusing Arnaud's dogged determination, speed, and attacking skill into wide midfield where he can take advantage of the open space given by teams that focus especially on clogging the middle.
To Arnaud, who was seventh in MLS scoring last season as a forward with nine goals and eight assists, the change has not been traumatic.
"It's something we practiced with the last couple weeks in training. You get into a certain flow of a game plan playing a certain position, a change makes it different," he said. "It's not something that's brand new to me."
Nor has it dulled his game.
"We're always trying to get better, make the team better. I've played in the midfield in the past, a couple games last year as well," said Arnaud. "I just think it's a different role, but I don't think it takes away from how I play."
But even Wizards head coach Gansler admitted after the match Saturday that the new lineup hadn't produced the desired result in the first half.
"There's a better understanding between Josh and Davy than there is between Josh and Sealy," he said. "Sealy struggled a little bit in the first half, and that's why we made that change (bringing in Jack Jewsbury for Sealy and placing Arnaud up front)."
The same halftime change was made in San Jose the previous week, even though Sealy did pounce on a ball in the Earthquakes area and tally his first goal as a professional in the opening 45 minutes.
Arnaud and Wolff have been such a prodigious pairing that one might wonder why the change was made in the first place. Even Saturday afternoon against D.C. United, Arnaud's return with Wolff up front invigorated the attack, if only for a limited time.
Wolff believes, though, that he and Sealy can make a good match.
"Linking up with Scott is going to take some time, but he's got all the skills he needs as a forward: he can hold it, he's got good pace, in front of goal, he's able to sniff out [goals]," said Wolff.
If Gansler decides to pull the plug on the experiment, perhaps he will look at others who may be able to get the offense up to where he desires it to be.
Khari Stephenson, Diego Walsh, Justin Detter, rookie Ryan Pore and Preki, the venerable two-time MLS MVP, are all surely awaiting the chance to prove that any one can turn an explosive offense into a consistently combustible one.
Robert Rusert is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
