When one-time perennial All-Star and two-time MLS MVP Preki deftly slid the ball past Chicago Fire goalkeeper Zach Thornton in the 80th minute to give the Kansas City Wizards the tying goal and eventually their first point ever in Chicago on Saturday, the reaction of many observers was likely similar that of ESPN2 commentator Rob Stone: "That's why he's on the field."
Count his coach, and Preki himself, among those observers.
"That situation he had, it was the ultimate penetrative pass. It's called pass the ball to the back of the net," said Wizards boss Bob Gansler. "He'll probably be blessed with that [ability] until the day he goes into the grave."
"Every time you go into a game, you're put on the field to score goals," said the MLS original. "For one reason or another, I'm able to get in good spots, and I pick my corner where I want to put the ball and do it."
The goal itself was a study in finishing. With the ball on his renowned left foot, Preki held Thornton and defender Ivan Guerrero in suspense as they had to be prepared for his patented cut-back. Then in a subtle but decisive maneuver, the man who will celebrate his 42nd birthday Friday simply opened his hips, split the two Fire men, and hit the far corner of the net.
"All my career I've been pretty cool in front of goal, and I have been able to finish. The more relaxed you are, the more level your head is and you can think what you want to do. You panic, most likely you're going to miss the chance," he said.
The quality finish is only one of the reasons Gansler hopes his players take advantage of Preki performing in training and in matches.
"If you're a young player and you're not learning from him on a daily basis, you are a fool. Just watch it. You don't have to watch the film of him, just watch it out here whether it's in a goal-scoring situation or whether it's a defensive situation where you are trying to take away the penetrative pass. If you are playing with him you should be able to learn; if you are playing against him you should be able to learn," Gansler said.
"He's not the kind of guy who says, 'Hey, come here. Professor Prek's class is now in session.' But it is in session every time he touches the ball. Take a peek, and you'll be the better for it."
Rookie forward Scott Sealy, who played the pass to Chris Klein before he found Preki, has been an astute student and believes the crafty playmaker lends the team an intangible.
"I look at the simple things -- how he's always composed on the ball, the type of passes he makes. As a forward, I know he's going to find me eventually. I think he's phenomenal at finding players when they're not even looking," Sealy said. "I think when he's on the field it's a sort of confidence that is almost injected into everyone. When he came on we started to calm down a little bit and we were able to get some energy and continue to move forward."
For his part, Preki is just trying to do his job.
"You go in and you make your case and you play as hard as you can every day. Hopefully people see that, and I hope they can learn from that because you're only as good as your next day and next game," he said.
Even after 21 years as a professional soccer player, the next game is what drives the Yugoslavian native. And his coach has not ruled out Preki being a starter for the Wizards.
"[Preki starting] is always a possibility, but I think the way he can serve this team the best is for him to give us an offensive spark when we need it. Quite often that is toward the end of the game, it could be at the half," said Gansler. "There's no way in our -- the coaches' -- estimation that he's a 90-minute guy, so now how do you use his still impressive batch of talent best? It's in an offensive, it's in an attacking situation, you're not going to surprise anybody with it, but you've got to defend it.
"I look at our young players here everyday, and they get upset with themselves because he cuts inside of them every time. And I say, 'Well, you got to work on that. But join the rest of the league. There are still a lot of other folks who it's still a mystery to them also,'" Gansler continued. "We put him in there to give us what he does best with the ball at his feet to assess the situation and get the ball not only to the right guy but in the right way so he can do something with it. He's technically immense and tactically just totally aware."
Although he is surely proud to spark the younger players and his team, Preki, who entered Saturday's contest in the 76th minute, believes he can help his team sustain an attack that sometimes suffers from predictability.
"Coach found a style that was working for us last year, and we won. I also believe just because it works one year, it doesn't always work the next. Teams adjust to the way you play, so you have to change that some time," he said.
With Preki on their side, attacking variety will be a useful weapon for the Wizards as they prepare for two important home matches Saturday and Wednesday against the two conference bottom-dwellers in Chivas USA and Columbus.
The lingering question is how much of an impact the cunning No. 11 will make.
Robert Rusert is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
