The Kansas City Wizards have been more than frustrated lately, scoring just one goal in each of their last eight games coming into the game against the Columbus Crew. Saturday night at Crew Stadium, that's all they needed for a 1-0 victory.
Coming into the match, the Wizards were focused upon execution and finishing. It took 89 minutes, but always opportunistic Wizards defender Jose Burciaga Jr. popped up to score the game's only goal.
The last time the Wizards have scored more than one goal in a game was also against the Crew, in the second week of the season. The problem was, over the last five games, one goal wasn't sufficient, Kansas City winless in that stretch since another victory against the Crew, 1-0 on April 29.
"We found a way to win," said Wizards head coach Bob Gansler. "We've been close for the last four or five games. We played well enough to win. But scoring goals is difficult."
No one knows that better than ever-threatening Wizard striker Davy Arnaud. Arnaud's five shots on the evening brought his season-long shot total to 29. The problem is that those 29 opportunities have resulted in only one goal.
"Davy scares the heck out of you, but he's just not a clinical finisher," joked Gansler. "He's a very good young man who has got a heart as wide as his chest."
"It's frustrating," Arnaud said. "As a forward you're there to score goals, and it is something that we haven't been doing a lot of lately. You keep grinding and getting chances and eventually one is going to go in."
That is exactly what happened in the dying minutes of the match. After the Wizards' first 17 shots came and went without reward, the 18th shot fell in the 89th minute. Just moments before the final whistle, Burciaga capitalized on a cross from Matt Groenwald with a diving header that sent the ball into the far corner of the Crew goal.
"It was a diving header, I had to get to the spot to put it in," said Burciaga. "I was just trying to put it in a corner."
Although the streak of games in which Kansas City has scored only a single goal has continued, ending the winless streak was greatly appreciated.
"Winning is always important," said Gansler. "I'm not one of those individuals that says 'this is the biggest game of the season.' We are only one-third of the way through the marathon right now. ... But three points are three points."
Said Burciaga: "It was a great win for us, it was what we needed. We knew it wasn't going to be easy coming in here on the road. Columbus has been the better team as of lately. But we've battled and we've played well. It just hasn't always been coming out our way."
It also came on a night when Gansler gave MLS debuts to three players -- goalkeeper Will Hesmer, defender Tyson Wahl and midfielder Lance Watson.
"We have quite a few first- and second-year players who were given their first opportunities," Gansler said. "I'm probably more thrilled than they are with their performance."
The victory was the fifth of the season for the Wizards; three of those have come against Columbus. Kansas City will face the Chicago Fire at home next Saturday.
Ryan D. Kuhn is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This sotry was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
