The Kansas City Wizards took care of the business they had to on Saturday night, rolling to a 4-1 victory against the Colorado Rapids at Arrowhead Stadium and opening up a gap in their bid for a place in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
Scott Sealy and Kyle Beckerman traded goals in the opening 11 minutes, then after the break, Dave van Bergh and Davy Arnaud scored goals two minutes apart before Arnaud added a second to put the game away. The win gave the Wizards 33 points on the season, now four ahead of fifth-place New York (who lost Saturday evening against New England), though the Red Bulls still have played two fewer games.
The Wizards wasted no time in getting the upper hand from the opening kickoff. With just more than 30 seconds played, Wizards defender Alex Zotinca lined up a shot in the right side of the penalty area about 12 yards from goal. Rapids goalkeeper Joe Cannon slowed the ball, but it squirted under him and kept rolling toward the goal.
Sealy came in and tapped the ball home to put the Wizards ahead and score the second-fastest goal in Wizards history. Davy Arnaud has the fastest goal in Kansas City club history, scored against the Rapids in 2003.
The Rapids almost tied the game in the second minute when Jovan Kirovski ran at Wizards goalkeeper Bo Oshoniyi in the right side of the penalty area. Oshoniyi saved Kirovski's shot at the near post.
Sealy had two more chances to increase the Wizards' lead before 10 minutes had passed. In the sixth minute, Wizards midfielder Van den Bergh fed Sealy from the left wing as Sealy ran toward the left post. Sealy hit the cross first time, but both high and wide of the goal. In the 10th minute, Sealy appeared offside as Van den Bergh played the ball forward along the left touchline. Sealy could not control the ball Cannon came off his line to smother it.
The Wizards could have used a goal from either of those chances because Beckerman tied the game in the 11th minute. The Rapids were making good progress penetrating the Wizards' penalty area, but Jacob Peterson could not get a good shot in the area, so he played the ball back to an unmarked Beckerman. The midfielder then ripped a right-footed blast into the upper right corner of the goal from about 25 yards for his sixth goal of the season.
The Wizards had two good chances to take back the lead in the next five minutes. Van den Bergh's cross in the 12th minute behaved more like a shot and almost went under the crossbar. In the 16th minute, Josh Wolff played a ball through the middle of the Rapids defense as Sasha Victorine sprinted forward, but Mastroeni blocked Victorine's shot from near the penalty spot.
The second half began with much the same attacking frenzy as the first half. The Rapids got two shots from a corner kick in the 49th minute. Kirovski's shot was saved by Oshoniyi, who did not hold the ball. Forward Nicolas Hernandez followed with a shot that was saved off the line by Wizards defender Ryan Raybould.
The Wizards almost edged ahead in the 50th minute when Sealy deflected a cross by Jose Burciaga Jr. off the underside of the crossbar. Cannon then saved Victorine's left-footed blast in the 51st minute.
The Wizards' persistent attack paid off in the 53rd minute when Van den Bergh scored his first MLS goal. Van den Bergh, like Sealy in the first minute, had only to tap in the rebound of a shot from point-blank range. Cannon had saved Jack Jewsbury's blast from about 30 yards, but the ball trickled into Van den Bergh's path.
The Wizards increased their lead to 3-1 in the 56th minute with a goal from Arnaud. Burciaga took a corner kick from the right corner that Arnaud volleyed into the goal at the left post.
The Wizards kept trying to add to their lead. In the 73rd minute, Burciaga drifted into the penalty area and Sealy found him with a pass. Although he was fairly well marked, Burciaga put a decent shot on goal with his left foot that was saved by Cannon.
The Wizards did add to their lead in the 77th minute when Arnaud scored his second goal of the game. Burciaga was again on the delivering end, crossing the ball from about 45 yards away from goal on the left touchline into the path of Arnaud, who deflected it into the net in spite of Rapids substitute Alain Nkong being draped all over him.
Four goals were apparently not enough for the Wizards as Burciaga and substitute Ryan Pore missed shots in the area in the final 10 minutes. They now take a week off, when they will see if the three points are enough to maintain the hold on the last playoff spot in the East.
Robert Whitman is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
