April 1, 2006 (WEEK 1) - MLS Game #2
In 2004, both the Kansas City Wizards and Columbus Crew finished with honors. Last year, in the Wizards first in the Eastern Conference, both finished out of the MLS Cup Playoffs. The Wizards were MLS Cup Finalists in '04, a late-season collapse seeing them finish out of the top four last year. Sigi Schmid takes over this season in Columbus, where the Crew finished in last place in the East last year after winning the Supporters' Shield with the best overall record in 2004.
REFEREE: Mark Geiger. SAR (bench): Fabio Tovar; JAR (opposite): Rob Fereday; 4th: Marcel Yonan
MLS Career: 14 games; FC/gm: 31.7; Y/gm: 3.4; R: 3; pens: 8
Games involving Wizards: P2 W1 L1 T0; FC/gm: 21.5; Y/gm: 2.5; R: 0; pens: 0
Games involving Crew: P5 W5 L0 T0; FC/gm: 29.6; Y/gm: 3.2; R: 0; pens: 1
INJURY REPORT: KANSAS CITY WIZARDS - OUT: DF Jimmy Conrad (athletic pubalgia); FW Josh Wolff (concussion) ... COLUMBUS CREW - OUT: MF Duncan Oughton (R knee rehab); GK Jonny Walker (lower back pain); GK Andy Gruenebaum (R ankle); DOUBTFUL: FW John Wolyniec (L groin strain); DF Frankie Hejduk (L hamstring strain); PROBABLE: DF Rusty Pierce (R groin strain); MF Kyle Martino (R foot tendonitis)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
SUSPENDED: none
HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (27 meetings): Wizards 10 wins (2 shootout), 41 goals ... Crew 13 wins (0 shootout), 51 goals ... 4 draws
IN KANSAS CITY: (12 meetings): Wizards 5 wins (1 shootout), 19 goals ... Crew 5 wins (0 shootout), 24 goals ... 2 draws
This is the first of four meetings between the Eastern Conference rivals this season, the only two East teams not to reach the MLS Cup Playoffs a season ago. It's the first of two at Arrowhead Stadium; they'll meet next in Missouri on Aug. 12 in the series season finale. First there are two meetings at Crew Stadium in between, on April 29 and June 10.
LAST YEAR (MLS):
5/14: CLB 0, KC 4 (Zotinca 17; Wolff 23,87; Arnaud 26)
6/29: KC 1, CLB 1 (Burciaga 76 - Rodriguez 69)
7/23: CLB 2, KC 0 (Cameron 45, 46)
8/26: KC 0, CLB 1 (Henderson 34)
A year ago, the Crew won the season series, winning two of the four meetings with one draw as the teams were paired in the Eastern Conference for the first time.
The Crew have won three of the last eight meetings between the teams, with three draws over that time, dating back to the final meeting of the 2003 season.
Coaches record: Bob Gansler vs. CLB: P17 W5 L8 D4 ... Sigi Schmid v KC: P22 W10 L8 D4KANSAS CITY WIZARDS
A year removed from a second trip to the MLS Cup Final, the Kansas City Wizards failed to reach the playoffs a season ago, as a stunning late-season collapse left them on the outside of the four Eastern Conference clubs. Still, the addition of Eddie Johnson to an already formidable attack could have the Wizards poised to ascend back to the top.
The Wizards concluded their preseason schedule with a 1-0 victory against FC Dallas in the Saturn Challenge Cup - Oklahoma City, the first match of the club's annual Mid-America Barnstorming Tour. The game's only goal came through Scott Sealy in the 32nd minute.
Here's Bob Gansler's team on the night: Bo Oshoniyi (Will Hesmer 63) - Matt Groenwald, Shavar Thomas (Tyson Wahl 45), Nick Garcia, Jose Luis Burciaga Jr. (Stephan Shirley 84); Sasha Victorine (Lance Watson 45), Jack Jewsbury, Alex Zotinca (Ryan Raybould 70); Scott Sealy (Jermaine Hue 87), Ryan Pore (Yura Movsisyan 81), Davy Arnaud
"Scott finally got out of the slump he needed to get out of before the season started," Wizards defender Jose Burciaga Jr. said.
One of the big questions for the offseason has been how Gansler will get all of his attacking weapons on the field at the same time, and much of the preseason he has played with three strikers. That continued in the final preseason contest, as Sealy, Ryan Pore and Davy Arnaud filled the trident in attack. Likely first-choice strikers Eddie Johnson and Josh Wolff did not see action after playing with the U.S. national team in its loss to Germany in Dortmund at midweek.
"Jack (Jewsbury) and Sasha (Victorine) were brilliant in terms of making the right pass to the right place," Wizards coach Bob Gansler said. "The guys up front are supposed to rotate and not stay in one place. Davy just eats up the miles. He is a ball of energy. He didn't get one (a goal) but if you are a betting man, you'll say that he will sometime in the near future."
Yet while the preseason has seen a number of absences of players to U.S. national team camp - in addition to Johnson and Wolff, midfielder Kerry Zavagnin and Jimmy Conrad have been called in - Gansler said the buildup to the season has shown one thing.
"I like our depth this season," Gansler said. "There are some guys who didn't even get off the bench (against FC Dallas) who I could see challenging for a starting spot in June. We got a half-dozen quality guys out of the draft."
Josh Wolff will be lost to the Wizards for the season opener, however, after suffering what was reported to be a slight concussion in the USA's loss to Germany. He was not able to participate in full training this week. "I don't know," Wolff said to the Kansas City Star regarding his status for Saturday's game.
Jimmy Conrad will also be out for the opener, ruled out late in the week with athletic pubalgia.COLUMBUS CREW
In 2004, the Columbus Crew won the Supporters' Shield with the league's best record in the regular season, but it all went south a season ago, the Crew finishing in last place in the Eastern Conference. Now it's all change in Columbus, with Sigi Schmid at the helm of the Black-and-Gold and a host of new faces filling the roster.
The Crew concluded their preseason match schedule on March 24 with a 3-0 victory against the University of San Diego. Edson Buddle, John Wolyniec and Kei Kamara scored for the Crew. Still, Schmid wasn't thrilled.
"We should have scored more," Schmid said. "Their 'keeper came up big a couple of times, but we had a few chances that we needed to finish on."
On Tuesday, the Crew continued the makeover of the club, sending Buddle to the New York Red Bulls for playmaker Eddie Gaven. As part of the deal, the Crew also acquired the rights to defender Chris Leitch from New York.
"Sigi is a guy that lets you know what he wants from you," Gaven said to The Columbus Dispatch. "I'm psyched to be playing for him. I'm excited about the change and I'm looking forward to getting a fresh start with a new team."
Schmid said that Gaven will fill the forward spot vacated by Buddle in their season opener in Kansas City. "Sometimes you've got to go with what your gut tells you, and my gut said this is a move we needed to make," Schmid said to The Columbus Dispatch. " ... One thing Eddie gives us is versatility."
Gaven will likely partner Kei Kamara in attack, as another rookie, Jason Garey, recovers from a hamstring strain. "Unless I totally missed the boat, I'm convinced that both of those guys are going to be outstanding players in this league for many years," he said to the Dispatch. "But you don't want to put all your eggs into the baskets of rookies."
Jon Busch has recovered from a knee injury to reclaim the inside track on the starting goalkeeper's job, while the back four of Frankie Hejduk, Chad Marshall, Marcos Gonzalez and Ritchie Kotschau is also set.
"I think our defense is going to keep us in the early games until we get on track offensively," Schmid said to the Dispatch. "But I think we're going to be a handful. Gaven is a tough player, Martino can take you off the run and Rozental can pull off a bit of magic. It makes us multidimensional and tough to figure out."
Another rookie, Brandon Moss, has claimed the starting role as a holding midfield. Kyle Martino and Sebastian Rozental will fill creative roles in midfield, Martino coming from a wide position.
"For us, we needed to make sure we have enough workers on the field. Kyle (Martino) comes in and out. Sebastian (Rozental) comes in and out. The addition of Eddie gives you one thing every game: his work rate."
On Friday, the Crew announced the signing of midfielder Jacob Thomas. A Jonestown, Texas native, Thomas has played portions of the past eight seasons in Germany, most recently with VfB Lubeck in the German third Division. Prior to his two-year stint with Lubeck, he spent parts of six seasons with Eintracht Braunschweig in the German second and third divisions.
