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KANSAS CITY WIZARDS v D.C. UNITED
ARROWHEAD STADIUM, Kansas City, Mo.
7:30 p.m. CT (CSN-DC)
May 27, 2006 (WEEK 9) / MLS Game #51
The top two clubs in the Eastern Conference meet for the second time in three weeks, this time facing off in the return match at Arrowhead Stadium, after D.C. United held on for a 2-1 victory at RFK Stadium against the Kansas City Wizards two weeks ago. Both teams come off disappointing road results from a weekend ago, though neither saw any ground recovered by their closest pursuers, the Wizards losing a late advantage in a 2-1 loss to Real Salt Lake, while United played to a 1-1 draw with the Columbus Crew.
REFEREE: Terry Vaughn. SAR (bench): Kermit Quisenberry; JAR (opposite): Adam Wienckowski; 4th: Roni Canales
MLS Career: 62 games; FC/gm: 31.0; Y/gm: 3.9; R: 19; pens: 19
MLS 2006: 2 games; FC/gm: 31.5 (avg: 31.2); Y/gm: 4.5 (avg: 3.80); R: 0 (MLS: 8); pens: 1 (MLS: 11)
Games involving Wizards: P12 W4 L8 T0; FC/gm: 30.7; Y/gm: 3.9; R: 3; pens: 2
Games involving United: P10 W4 L2 T4; FC/gm: 30.7; Y/gm: 3.9; R: 4; pens: 2
INJURY REPORT: KANSAS CITY WIZARDS - NONE REPORTED ... D.C. UNITED - OUT: MF Santino Quaranta (R hamstring strain); QUESTIONABLE: DF David Stokes (R quad strain); DF Brandon Prideaux (MCL sprain); FW Jamil Walker (hamstring strain)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: KC: Josh Wolff, Jimmy Conrad, Eddie Johnson (USA, 2006 World Cup) ... DC: Ben Olsen (2006 World Cup; USA)
SUSPENDED: none
WARNINGS: none
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (28 meetings): Wizards 11 wins (0 shootout), 47 goals ... United 11 wins (1 shootout), 41 goals ... 6 draws
AT ARROWHEAD STADIUM: (13 meetings): Wizards 8 wins (0 shootout), 29 goals ...United 3 wins (1 shootout), 16 goals ... 3 draws
This is the second of four meetings between the Eastern Conference rivals this year, the first of two in Missouri. After meeting twice in two weeks time to open the season series this year, they next meet twice in four days at the end of June, on the 24th in Washington, then the 28th at Kansas City.
A year ago, the teams split their season series, each winning once with both victories coming in Washington, with the other two matches ending in draws - both at Arrowhead Stadium. Of course, the teams also met once in the MLS Cup Playoffs - in the 2004 MLS Cup Final, when United won their fourth league title, 3-2 against Kansas City at The Home Depot Center.
Coaches record: Bob Gansler vs. DC: P21 W6 L8 D6 ... Peter Nowak v KC: P7 W3 L2 D2
LAST MEETING
5/13: DC 2, KC 1 (Eskandarian 12; Moreno 23 - Victorine 16)
D.C. United reclaimed the top spot in the Eastern Conference with the 2-1 victory at home. The teams combined for three goals in the opening quarter of the match, before United held on to move back in front of the Wizards.
A stunning goal from Alecko Eskandarian gave the home side the lead on 12 minutes. Jaime Moreno pulled the ball back to Christian Gomez in the restraining arc, and he floated a sublime chip to Eskandarian on the left side of the penalty area. Eskandarian hit the ball with a thundering volley that smashed off the inside the post and hit the back of the net with such force it flashed back out onto the field.
The teams then traded penalties seven minutes apart. Freddy Adu held back Ryan Pore as the young Wizards forward tried to round him near the byeline, and Sasha Victorine sent Troy Perkins the wrong way for the equalizer. But seven minutes later United once again nosed in front, Moreno converting from the spot after Eskandarian was bundled over by rookie fullback Matt Groenwald.
Despite missing three starters to World Cup duty with the U.S. national team, the Wizards had their share of opportunities to again pull level - none moreso than the empty net that greeted Scott Sealy in the 37th minute - the visitors could not find the leveller.
Here's Peter Nowak's team (3-1-4-2): Troy Perkins - Facundo Erpen, Bobby Boswell, Bryan Namoff - Brian Carroll - Domenic Mediate, Freddy Adu, Christian Gomez, Joshua Gros - Alecko Eskandarian (Jamil Walker 88), Jaime Moreno [Substitutes Not Used: Rod Dyachenko, Lucio Filomeno, Jeff Carroll, Ryan McIntosh, Brandon Prideaux, John Wilson]
Here's Bob Gansler's team (4-3-3): Bo Oshoniyi - Matt Groenwald (Jermaine Hue 84), Nick Garcia, Shavar Thomas, Jose Burciaga Jr. - Jack Jewsbury (Alex Zotinca 70), Kerry Zavagnin, Sasha Victorine - Ryan Pore (Yura Movsisyan 64), Scott Sealy, Davy Arnaud [Substitutes Not Used: Will Hesmer, Ryan Raybould, Tyson Wahl, Lance Watson]
KANSAS CITY WIZARDS
The Kansas City Wizards lost for the second successive week on the road, this time losing a lead late as Real Salt Lake came back to claim a 2-1 victory at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Saturday night. The Wizards are still in second place in the Eastern Conference with 13 points from eight matches, two behind first-place D.C. United and two ahead of the Columbus Crew.
LAST MATCH
Real were trying to put together back-to-back wins for the first time in nine months after winning on the road for the first time ever, with each team hit by absences due to World Cup duty.
The Wizards struck first on 27 minutes, second-year forward Ryan Pore running onto a looping ball from right flank and poking it under RSL 'keeper Scott Garlick as he raced into the goal area.
But Real came storming back after a couple of late attacking substitutions. Mehdi Ballouchy scored his first professional goal, splitting the Wizards defense to run onto a cross from Chris Klein from the right flank and sidefooting home from the heart of the area in the 78th minute.
Then just two minutes later, Jeff Cunningham took a pass at the right corner of the area, juked his way to near the endline and from almost an impossible angle drove the ball past Bo Oshoniyi inside the far post to give Real their back-to-back wins since last Aug. 6.
Wizards boss Bob Gansler made no changes to the team that lost 2-1 to D.C. United at RFK Stadium the previous weekend.
Here's Gansler's team (4-3-3): Bo Oshoniyi - Matt Groenwald (Alex Zotinca 83), Nick Garcia, Shavar Thomas, Jose Burciaga Jr. - Jack Jewsbury, Kerry Zavagnin, Sasha Victorine -Ryan Pore (Lance Watson 70), Scott Sealy (Yura Movsisyan 63), Davy Arnaud. [Substitutes Not Used: Will Hesmer, Will John, Ryan Raybould, Tyson Wahl]
"We are in a result kind of business, and we know what that is. We have to look beyond that. We have to look at the quality of the performance," Gansler said. "I thought the first half our quality was fine. In the second half, as I told them, we came out in a sloppy little manner. We set a lesser tone for ourselves. And then it evolved from there. Congratulations to Real. They played well."
TEAM NEWS
After feeling good despite a 2-1 loss to D.C. United in Washington the weekend before, it was a bigger disappointment to fall 2-1 to Real after failing to hold a first-half lead.
"In the second half we didn't bring the energy and the intelligence," said Sasha Victorine. "It was probably the worst half we played all year. I think it was a lack of attitude - desire."
Added center back Nick Garcia: "We lost the game. It wasn't one individual or two individuals; we had the game well within our grasp and we let it slip."
Ryan Pore scored his first goal of the season, starting in attack for the second match in a row with first-choice strikers Eddie Johnson and Josh Wolff away with the USA in World Cup preparations.
"I don't think we created as many chances as we needed to, especially in the second half," said Pore. "We put the pressure on them in the first half, and in the second half we kind of let them off. I think that was the turning point in the game."
Lack of goal scoring production is something that Gansler has been concerned with for several games now. "The last six games in a row we've scored only one goal, regardless of Ryan Pore or a national team player," he said.
D.C. UNITED
D.C. United drew for the third time on the season, matching goals with the Columbus Crew in a 1-1 draw last Saturday night at Crew Stadium. United still lead the Eastern Conference with 15 points from eight matches, two ahead of second-place Kansas City Wizards, three behind FC Dallas in the league's overall table.
LAST MATCH
Eastern Conference-leading United were coming to a place where they had won just once since the 2000 season, facing a Crew side that had allowed just one goal in their last four matches, winning three.
The teams combined for both goals in a six-minute span midway through the first half. The Crew drew first blood in the 23rd minute, Ezra Hendrickson haring down the right flank before sliding the ball to Joseph Ngwenya on the right edge of the penalty area, and as United 'keeper Troy Perkins came racing off his line, the recent Columbus arrival chipped the ball first-time into the empty net.
But United leveled terms shortly thereafter. Freddy Adu hit a powerful from the right corner of the area that Crew 'keeper Jon Busch failed to hold, Christian Gomez slipping in to prod home the rebound.
The Crew withstood a bit of a storm to secure their share of the points. Twice they cleared balls off their own line and then survived the final 10 minutes after Busch went down with an injury, fourth-string rookie Andy Gruenebaum making his professional debut as he came in to hold United at bay.
United boss Peter Nowak made one change to the team that defeated the Wizards 2-1 at RFK Stadium the previous weekend. Lucio Filomeno returned to the lineup - this time in an attacking midfield role - as Nowak's side once again went through a tactical re-fit.
Here's Nowak's team (3-3-2-2): Troy Perkins - Bryan Namoff, Bobby Boswell, Facundo Erpen - Freddy Adu, Brian Carroll, Joshua Gros - Lucio Filomeno (Clyde Simms 75), Christian Gomez - Jaime Moreno, Alecko Eskandarian. [Substitutes Not Used: Jeff Carroll, Devon McTavish, Domenic Mediate, Matt Nickell, Nick Rimando, John Wilson]
"The boys are disappointed they didn't get the second goal, but the way we play against a Columbus team with all their guys behind the ball, it's very difficult to break them down," said Nowak. "We played very good soccer. We deserved to win, but we'll see them again at our home in two weeks, so I hope then we are going to finish our chances."
TEAM NEWS
United outshot the Crew 18-3, and 9-2 with shots on goal. But with the two balls cleared off the line, the one hitting the woodwork and the failure to put substitute rookie goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum under any real pressure, the feeling was it was two points lost rather that one point won.
"We played so well, but it's just a shame we didn't punish them with that second goal," forward Alecko Eskandarian said to The Washington Post. "We had our chances, we played really well, we created it, but every shot we hit they nicked or blocked or something else happened."
Added defender Bryan Namoff: "Sometimes you get a tie on the road and you're relieved. Tonight we're leaving a little frustrated."
Nowak once again threw a change into his tactical scheme, putting Filomeno with Gomez in forward midfield roles, with Brian Carroll again the lone holding midfielder and Freddy Adu and Josh Gros again in wide roles.
"We wanted to control the tempo of the game and I think we did just that," Gros said. "Late in the game, even though they were at home, I think we still took it to them. We had a couple chances we could have put away. But we controlled the tempo the whole second half."
Goalkeeper Troy Perkins was bothered by the goal he allowed, feeling he took an unnecessary chance. "About halfway through the run I was like 'I shouldn't have gone.' You make a decision to go, you have to go," Perkins said. "To be fair, he did hit it pretty well over me. But I should have made a better decision. Looking back, Josh (Gros) would have had it. You just learn from it and go on."
Said goalkeeper coach Mark Simpson to the Post: "I told him not to be too adventurous, to let his defenders do their job. He knows he made a mistake, but he'll learn from it."
