It doesn’t get much clearer than this for the Kansas City Wizards.
Defeat New England and Kansas City’s season is extended by a few hours at least. Lose or tie and the Wizards have just one relatively meaningless game against the playoff-bound Earthquakes separating them from the finality of the offseason.
It may not be the position manager Peter Vermes’ team wants to be in, but at the very least, Kansas City are plenty familiar with black and white at this point in the season.
“The situation is what it is, and we’ve kind of been feeling this way for the last month, month-and-a-half,” striker Josh Wolff said in a phone interview from Boston. “For the most part, we’ve responded to it pretty well. We’ve had a couple tough ones at home, but I thought we came out and responded pretty well in Chicago.”
The Wizards took the all-important first step in their do-or-die playoff pursuit on Tuesday against the Fire, leaving Toyota Park with a 2-0 victory by virtue of goals from Davy Arnaud and Teal Bunbury.
Now, Kansas City desperately need another response – and, more importantly, three points – this weekend against New England at Gillette Stadium to shift the pressure to Colorado, who must also lose to Los Angeles later in the night to keep the Wizards in the running.
Tuesday’s result came after three straight disappointing defeats that briefly threatened the team’s resolve. A 2-2 draw between the Colorado Rapids and FC Dallas last Saturday offered one final scenario for the Wizards to sneak into the playoffs, even if the odds were long and the circumstances out of their control.
“I think everyone just realized that we we’re mathematically in it and still alive,” Bunbury said. “Everyone has just been tuned in at training. We’re focused. Beating Chicago was a big win for us, but now that game is over for us. We’ve got to get prepared to beat New England.”
They do so knowing that if they don’t defeat the Revolution, the side will be on the outside looking in for the second straight year.
That’s certainly hard to swallow for a group of players who feel as though they left plenty of points on the field this season, including during the past few unfruitful weeks.
“That is the real implication of the game,” Wolff said. “If we lose, we’re out. If we tie, we’re out. I think we just focus on each game and go out to get the three points. At this point, it’s paramount. There’s nothing beyond this. The season is over if we don’t get a win.”
