Jimmy Conrad, Davy Arnaud, and Sasha Victorine each contributed a goal in the second half and led the Kansas City Wizards to a 3-0 victory against Chivas USA on Saturday evening at Arrowhead Stadium. The victory was the Wizards first in the month of June.
The victory stopped a five-game winless run for the Wizards, while Chivas USA lost for the third consecutive match and saw their winless streak extended to 10 games. Chivas last won on May 7.
Both teams looked to reverse their recent fortunes from the start, and each had good early opportunities. Chivas USA won an early free kick that was swung into the area, but Douglas Sequeira's header sailed right into Bo Oshoniyi's gloves. Five minutes later Chris Klein was given acres of space to run on the right, but his shot sailed a sparse yard wide of the far post.
The passion and intensity of the match rose a notch in the following minutes and referee Brian Hall issued yellow card reprimands to Esteban Arias of Chivas USA and K.C.'s Shavar Thomas in the ninth and 17th minutes, respectively.
As the Wizards began to take control in the middle of the half, the pervading passion leaked over to the Chivas USA bench as head man Hans Westerhoff, reportedly unhappy with his backs not pushing up to his liking, found it necessary to replace defender Ryan Suarez with former Wizards midfielder Francisco Gomez in the 28th minute. After coming off the field coach and player had an animated discussion.
Each side's 'keeper was called upon late in the half. Kansas City threatened first as striker Josh Wolff played a quick ball for Klein running to threaten on the right flank again. He got off a well-struck right footer that Chivas 'keeper Brad Guzan was able to get a left hand on, deflecting the ball out for what became an innocuous corner.
Thiago Martins then replicated Klein's effort a minute later. Oshoniyi did the same as Guzan, and the worry passed for the home side.
The second half began in a possibly demoralizing way for Chivas USA as an seemingly offside Victorine assisted on the Wizards' go-ahead goal in the first minute after the break.
Kerry Zavagnin flighted a ball from a failed clearance of a free kick up to a completely alone Victorine who, given referee Hall's benefit of the doubt, didn't hesitate in nodding the ball back to Conrad. The Wizards' center back slotted a shot from his right foot between a dumbfounded Guzan and his near post.
After the 46th-minute goal, Conrad's first, the match opened up and Chivas nearly pulled even. Orlando Perez's high ball from a set piece deep into the far post area of the Kansas City box was headed back across by Arias to a tightly marked Ezra Hendrickson in the 48th minute, but his powerful header eked just over Oshoniyi's bar.
Feeling pressure from their guests' building momentum, the Wizards went through the ever-dangerous Klein nine minutes later, again free on the right. Victorine gently laid the ball off to Klein who pinged a low shot that Guzan blocked the shot with his foot and away from goal.
Finally in the 70th minute, the Wizards persistence paid off. Arnaud, fresh from coming off the bench a minute earlier for Wolff, put on a clinical display to score his third marker of the season.
Taking a Diego Gutierrez pass from the top of the Chivas box, Arnaud faked a right-footed shot to temporarily rid himself of defender Armando Begines. Moving the ball to his left, Arnaud precisely sent a curving ball to the far post that snuck between the diving Guzan and the post.
The final nail in the coffin was driven in by Victorine who rose completely unchallenged at the penalty spot for an in-swinging Klein free kick in the 85th minute, and his header just eluded Guzan's desperate sprawl.
MLSnet.com Man of the Match: Chris Klein (Kansas City Wizards)
Robert Rusert is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
CD Chivas USA (1-12-3) vs. Kansas City Wizards (5-3-6)
June 25, 2005 -- Arrowhead Stadium
Scoring Summary:
KC -- Jimmy Conrad 1 (Sasha Victorine 3, Kerry Zavagnin 2) 46
KC -- Davy Arnaud 3 (Diego Gutierrez 1) 70
KC -- Sasha Victorine 3 (Chris Klein 6) 85
CD Chivas USA -- Brad Guzan, Ezra Hendrickson, Ryan Suarez (Francisco Gomez 28), Armando Begines, Esteban Arias (Arturo Torres 79), Ramon Ramirez, Douglas Sequeira, Orlando Perez (Antonio Martinez 58), Hector Cuadros, Thiago Martins, Matt Taylor.
Substitutes Not Used: Javier Barragan, Francisco Mendoza.
TOTAL SHOTS: 10 (Ezra Hendrickson 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 2 (Ezra Hendrickson 1, Douglas Sequeira 1); FOULS: 13 (Douglas Sequeira 3); OFFSIDES: 0; CORNER KICKS: 3 (Orlando Perez 2); SAVES: 2 (Brad Guzan 2)
Kansas City Wizards -- Bo Oshoniyi, Nick Garcia, Jimmy Conrad, Shavar Thomas, Jose Burciaga Jr. (Jack Jewsbury 61), Chris Klein, Diego Gutierrez, Kerry Zavagnin, Sasha Victorine, Josh Wolff (Davy Arnaud 69), Scott Sealy (Brian Roberts 83).
Substitutes Not Used: Dustin Branan, Justin Detter, Will Hesmer, Preki, Khari Stephenson, Alex Zotinca.
TOTAL SHOTS: 18 (Chris Klein 5); SHOTS ON GOAL: 5 (Chris Klein 2); FOULS: 17 (Diego Gutierrez 4, Kerry Zavagnin 4); OFFSIDES: 2 (Chris Klein 2); CORNER KICKS: 6 (Jose Burciaga Jr. 4); SAVES: 2 (Bo Oshoniyi 2)
Misconduct Summary:
CHV -- Esteban Arias (caution; Persistent Infringement) 9
KC -- Shavar Thomas (caution; Pushing, Holding) 17
KC -- Kerry Zavagnin (caution; Reckless Foul) 69
CHV -- Antonio Martinez (caution; Reckless Foul) 85
Referee: Brian Hall
Referee's Assistants: -Nathan Clement; Steven Taylor
4th Official: Rizal Milliken
Attendance: 13,458
Time of Game: 1:48
Weather: Sunny-and-90-degrees
All statistics contained in this boxscore are unofficial.
