COLUMBUS CREW v KANSAS CITY WIZARDS
COLUMBUS CREW STADIUM, Columbus, Ohio
7:30 p.m. ET (HDNet)
April 29, 2006 (WEEK #5) / MLS Game #25
The two Hunt Sports Group rivals play for the second time in five weeks to open the season, after the Kansas City Wizards got their season off to a rolling start with a 3-1 win in the season opener against the Crew at Arrowhead Stadium. But the Crew come in after their first win on the campaign, a dramatic win at the Los Angeles Galaxy, while the Wizards saw their perfect start ended last Sunday in a loss to FC Dallas.
REFEREE: Andrew Chapin. SAR (bench): Rob Fereday; JAR (opposite): Adam Wienckowski; 4th: Jozef Batko
MLS Career: 8 games; FC/gm: 29.9; Y/gm: 5.1; R: 2; pens: 1
MLS 2006: first game
Games involving Crew: P3 W1 L2 T0; FC/gm: 31.7; Y/gm: 3.7; R: 0; pens: 0
Games involving Wizards: P2 W2 L0 T0; FC/gm: 23.5; Y/gm: 5.5; R: 1; pens: 1
INJURY REPORT: COLUMBUS CREW - OUT: MF Duncan Oughton (R knee), GK Jonny Walker (lower back pain), DF Jed Zayner (L knee); GK Bill Gaudette (R hand); Danny Szetela (L foot fracture); MF Jacob Thomas (R ankle sprain); DF Marcos Gonzalez (L hamstring) ... KANSAS CITY WIZARDS - OUT: DF Nick Garcia (R hand); PROBABLE: DF Jimmy Conrad (groin)
INTERNATIONAL ABSENCES: none
SUSPENDED: none
LEAGUE HEAD-TO-HEAD
ALL-TIME (27 meetings): Crew 13 wins (0 shootout), 51 goals ... Wizards 10 wins (2 shootout), 41 goals ... 4 draws
AT COLUMBUS: (15 meetings): Crew 8 wins (0 shootout), 27 goals ... Wizards 5 wins (1 shootout), 22 goals ... 2 draws
This is the second 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 Crew Stadium; their next meeting is also at the Ohio State Fairgrounds, on June 10. The season series finale is set for Aug. 12 in Kansas City.
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 teams have evenly split their last nine meetings, each winning three with three draws over that time, dating back to the final meeting of the 2003 season.
Coaches record: Sigi Schmid v KC: P23 W10 L9 D4 ... Bob Gansler vs. CLB: P18 W6 L8 D4LAST MEETING
4/1: KC 3, CLB 1 (Arnaud 21; Jewsbury 25; Johnson 61 - Kamara 33)
In the season opener at Arrowhead Stadium, the Wizards showed a glimpse of their promised lethal attack by jumping out to an early lead with goals just four minutes apart midway through the first half, spoiling the Crew's first match with Sigi Schmid at the helm.
First Davy Arnaud scored with a quick shot on the turn after Matt Groenwald found him with an early cross from the right (21), then Jack Jewsbury picked up the second when he banged home a rebound from near the goal line after Jon Busch parried an angled blast by Jose Burciaga Jr.
Rookie Kei Kamara pulled one of those goals for the Crew in the 33rd minute when he finished off a through ball from Gaven after the new Crew acquisition skipped through a pair of Crew players.
But Eddie Johnson restored the two-goal margin and hit for his first goal with the Wizards in the 61st minute, using every bit of his considerable speed to redirect Scott Sealy's cross from the right wing just inside the left post.
Here's Bob Gansler's team (4-3-3): Bo Oshoniyi - Matt Groenwald, Shavar Thomas, Nick Garcia, Jose Burciaga Jr. - Jack Jewsbury (Alex Zotinca 74), Kerry Zavagnin, Sasha Victorine - Davy Arnaud, Eddie Johnson, Scott Sealy (Ryan Pore 77) (Substitutes Not Used: Will Hesmer, Yura Movsisyan, Ryan Raybould, Tyson Wahl, Lance Watson)
Here's Schmid's team (4-1-3-2): Jon Busch - Chad Marshall, Marcos Gonzalez (Tim Ward 47), Rusty Pierce, Ritchie Kotschau - Brandon Moss - Danny Szetela, Sebastian Rozental (Jacob Thomas 72), Kyle Martino (Jason Garey 72) - Eddie Gaven, Kei Kamara. (Substitutes Not Used: Knox Cameron, Bill Gaudette, Joel Kitamarike, Jose Retiz)COLUMBUS CREW
The Columbus Crew won the first time in 2006 in dramatic fashion, getting a stoppage-time goal for a 1-0 victory at the Los Angeles Galaxy last Saturday. The Crew now have four points from their first four games, tied for third in the Eastern Conference with the New England Revolution, five behind second-place Kansas City and six behind pace-setting D.C. United.
LAST MATCH
Sigi Schmid returned to Southern California for the first time as coach of the Crew, still looking for their first victory on the year after two losses and a draw in their first three games. The Galaxy came into the match winless on the season in home matches - though their one victory did come in Carson, as the "away" team in the Chivas USA derby.
As has been the case for both teams all season, goals weren't seemingly coming. Just when it looked as if the game would drift to a scoreless draw, Eddie Gaven put a cross into the six-yard box that Kevin Hartman couldn't catch, and Kyle Martino latched onto the ball and drove it past a pair of Galaxy defenders on the line for the winner.
Schmid made one change to the team that drew 1-1 with the Chicago Fire the weekend before. With Danny Szetela out for up to two months with a broken foot, Jose Retiz came into central midfield in his place in his first start of 2006.
Here's Schmid's team (4-4-1-1): Jon Busch - Frankie Hejduk, Marcos Gonzalez (Ritchie Kotschau 55), Chad Marshall, Rusty Pierce - Jacob Thomas (Kyle Martino 41), Brandon Moss, Jose Retiz, Eddie Gaven - Sebastian Rozental - Kei Kamara (Jason Garey 85).[Substitutes Not Used: Knox Cameron, Andy Gruenebaum, Tim Ward, John Wolyniec
"It was good for us for a number of reasons. Obviously, it was good to win in L.A., but for our team it was a little bit of a coming of age," Schmid said. "I thought we showed a lot of heart and desire today. We had to overcome to substitutions with guys that got injured and we overcame everything and battled through and came out with a victory, which was very satisfying for us as a young teamTEAM NEWS
While much of the pre-match talk tried to downplay the return of Schmid to the place where he had coached for more than five years, the Crew boss was thrilled that his first win came against the club that released him during the '04 campaign.
"I told the guys and the staff that this was a special game for me, they knew that," said Schmid. "But the most important thing was to get three points and move out of last place in the East, but everyone knew it was a special game and I thank them for their effort."
"It was a much-needed three points," said Crew captain Frankie Hejduk to the Los Angeles Daily News. "I think it was really big for Sig. I think there's a little bitterness for him when he left here, and I'm sure whenever you leave a team not in the best circumstances, you always want to beat them."
Martino did not score a goal in 27 appearances last season, after hitting for nine goals in his first three professional seasons. "The greatest thing about it is that I killed two birds with one stone," Martino said to The Columbus Dispatch. "I haven't been able to get that monkey off my back, but to do in a game where it brings the team out of last place - I couldn't ask for anything more."
A week after losing Danny Szetela for the next couple of months with a broken bone in his foot, the Crew fell victim to two more serious injuries during the Galaxy match, both which forced Schmid into substitutions. Midfielder Jacob Thomas suffered a severe sprain of his right ankle while defender Marcos Gonzalez strained his left hamstring, and both will be unavailable this weekend against the Wizards.
Before Martino's late heroics, the match was seconds away from a scoreless draw - ironic as Schmid was let go and replaced by current Galaxy boss Steve Sampson with some criticism of the club's style of play.
"I didn't agree with that statement then and I don't agree with it now," Schmid said. "For us, the way we played tonight ... 0-0 would have been good for us today. To snag a victory makes it all the more satisfying."
During the week, the Crew acquired defender Ezra Hendrickson from Chivas USA for a conditional pick in the 2007 SuperDraft. To make room on the roster, the club waived young defender Joel Kitamirike.
"He's not that much different than Frankie in how he plays right back," said Schmid to the Dispatch, who previously coached Hendrickson with the Galaxy. "He's a strong personality in the locker room and he's extremely motivated. He's a guy that the younger guys will be able to turn to and talk to." KANSAS CITY WIZARDS
The Kansas City Wizards saw their perfect record for 2006 come to an end in remarkable fashion, trading goals with FC Dallas in second-half stoppage time before falling 2-1 on Sunday afternoon at Pizza Hut Park. The Wizards fell to second place in the Eastern Conference with nine points from four matches, one behind pace-setting D.C. United.
LAST MATCH
The Wizards came into the game leading the Eastern Conference with a perfect nine points from their opening three matches. But FC Dallas were also undefeated on the season, leading the West after two wins and a draw to start the campaign.
The Hoops got off to a dream start, hometown boy Kenny Cooper scoring his third goal of the season, diving to head home from close range in just the fourth minute after the Wizards just couldn't clear a cross that continued to bound around the packed goalmouth.
But even though FC Dallas were forced to play the final quarter of the match down a man after Chris Gbandi was sent off for hauling back Davy Arnaud, it looked as it the home side might survive - until two minutes deep into stoppage time. A corner was swung in from the right, took a pair of deflections on its way through the area before rolling out to Alex Zotinca beyond the far post, and he hammered a first-time drive back through the pack for the equalizer.
Yet the Hoops had one more answer. Aaron Pitchkolan refused to give up on a ball, twice knocking it away from Wizards players before collecting just inside the Kansas City penalty area and letting fly with a fierce drive that beat Wizards goalkeeper Bo Oshoniyi inside the near post to give the Hoops the full three points.
Wizards boss Bob Gansler made one change to the team that defeated the New England Revolution 1-0 at Arrowhead Stadium the previous weekend. Jose Burciaga Jr. returned from suspension, coming back in on the left side of the back four, with Shavar Thomas returning to the substitutes' bench.
Here's Gansler's team (4-3-3): Bo Oshoniyi - Matt Groenwald (Alex Zotinca 69), Nick Garcia, Jimmy Conrad, Jose Burciaga Jr. - Jack Jewsbury (Scott Sealy 72), Kerry Zavagnin, Sasha Victorine - Josh Wolff, Eddie Johnson, Davy Arnaud. [Substitutes Not Used: Will Hesmer, Jermaine Hue, Ryan Pore, Shavar Thomas, Lance Watson]
"Today wasn't a matter of hanging in there. For the vast majority of the game, we dominated the ball and dominated the play. We all know that games aren't just won on artistry and on ball possession. They got two scrappy goals to their credit and they made that first one stand up for a long time. When we finally answered, they got another one," Gansler said. "You congratulate them for their effort and grit. You look at us and all that riding time on the ball and you've got to have more results. I thought we had more opportunities today than they did. That's a positive. Games aren't always won by tactical and technical things, they are sometimes won by hard work. They got the better of us in that way."TEAM NEWS
A major talking point before the match was the return of Eddie Johnson to Dallas, where he had spent the first five years of his professional career. But Johnson had only two shots in the match, neither on target.
"Eddie did OK. One of the things we do in this league is that we put too much focus on many of our young players. He is immensely talented and he's going to make his way. We don't have to constantly put the headlights on him," Gansler said. "He did better in the second half than he did in the first half. He'll be the first one to tell you that he wants more from himself. In the first half, he had one shot and got three opportunities for himself in the second half. He's a good technical player but the thing that sets him apart is his athleticism. Eddie is doing fine and will do even better."
In addition, Josh Wolff said the Wizards are still trying to adapt to the new tactical scheme they are using this year. "We're still trying to get on the same page as far as playing the 4-3-3. I don't think we're quite set on how we attack," he said. "We got some decent chances but in the end, we didn't do enough to get one early enough to make it hold up."
Even though the Wizards allowed two goals in a game for the first time this season, and allowed the late winner for their first loss of the season, Gansler was generally pleased with the performance of his back four.
"You give [FC Dallas] credit for being opportunistic. It's not like our defense faltered, fell apart, down, or was nowhere to be seen. It was the same for the rest of the [first] half. They had one more opportunity. In the second half, they didn't have that many opportunities. The one that they did have, we needed to clear," Gansler said. "We didn't expect to win every game this year. We felt this was a game we could've won and certainly could have tied."
