I’m going to be unable to blog for the next few weeks. The next few weeks being close to a month. Any KC loyalists out there with a passion for writing who would like to fill the void I will be leaving is welcome. Please contact me within the next few days at travismclavy@gmail.com. Otherwise, this will be a vacant space on the Offside for a bit. And we don’t want that to happen right?

Oh and the 3-3 tie was quite nice. Way to go Wolffman.

On to the game. This is the third meeting between the two sides, with Columbus winning both, 2-1 at Crew Stadium and then 3-0 at the CAB a few weeks ago. I can’t see a good reason why the Wizards would be able to get something out of this game, although I’d like to be a bit more optimistic than that. They have the defense to hold back the Schelotto-led attack, but it comes down to who is going to score? Someone like Davy Arnaud or perhaps even Kurt Morsink, who connected on Davy’s game winner last week needs to step up and score. Conrad as the leading scorer reflects poorly on the attack.

Who would start up front? I expect to see Wolff and Trujillo up front, with Lopez keeping his spot on the left side of the midfield. Or perhaps the return of the Lopez-Trujillo combination. Whatever the combination, goals are needed. I don’t think I can emphasize that any more than I already have. I’m boring myself by saying it so much. Regardless, it’ll hopefully be an entertaining match and the first time the Wizards appear on ESPN2 (I think).

Other previews:
+Down the Byline
+Official MLS
+KC Soccer Review
+Yahoo! Sports
+ESPN Soccernet

The big question of the week will be whether or not Josh Wolff will make an appearance this week. With Tuesday being the 15th of July, he’ll be eligible to play against Columbus. That doesn’t mean he’ll play, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him come in off the bench.

Something I’ve been meaning to write about but haven’t gotten around to was Jimmy Conrad being named to the All-Star team. Blame it on apathy, or my strong dislike of exhibitions like this one, or maybe even the opponent, it nonetheless deserves plenty of attention. Conrad has been his usual rock solid self, and I for one think that he deserves more of a look than he usually gets for the USMNT. The Gooch and Bocanegra aren’t bad, but Conrad doesn’t lack in experience or skill. I’m optimistic he could get a couple of call ups come World Cup qualifying this fall. He is one of the more deserving players, especially in the MLS.

And here’s a look at Kraus’ game winning goal:

Tonight’s hero is undoubtedly Kevin Hartman. I knew that he’d come up huge, as he has been one of the most consistent players all season. Shame that he couldn’t get another shutout, but I guess I should be thankful enough that he played so well near that end of the game to keep it at 2-1. As always, there is room for improvement, but next week’s game against the Crew is another big test. Then there is also tomorrow’s friendly against Atlas AC tomorrow. I’m not really going to bother with a preview, but Andrew Wiebe has a hypothetical starting lineup along with some of his post game thoughts from tonight.

The midweek loss to Seattle was disappointing, but losing in PKs isn’t the end of the world. Coach Onalfo made some smart decisions by giving the majority of his regulars a chance to rest, a sign that he is getting with the program. I don’t think it’s fair to blame just him for the offensive woes this team has gone through, but the longer these struggles continue, the more I think he’ll be blamed. We’ll see what he can cook up tonight.

A couple of players to watch out for. Can Claudio Lopez score again? Was Scott Sealy’s goal last week an aberration, or is he ready to contribute more? I’m convinced that this team has the talent to grab a playoff spot. Problem is, they got to score to do it. And is Josh Wolff really the answer? We shall see. Tonight’s game is definitely a winnable match, seeing as how bad the Red Bulls have been playing recently. Wizards to win.

Again, can’t say much about the actual match - who played well, who sucked - because of that whole couldn’t watch it issue. For anyone super curious on how things went, Andrew Wiebe over at KC Futbol kept a play-by-play. So go there to check that out. He’s got a good thing going over there as well, so add it to your blogroll.

I have a meh feeling about the loss. If that makes any sense. A bummer to lose any game, but with the form in the league, full focus on the remaining half of the season can take precedent. Which is a good thing, because if this squad has any hope of making it to the playoffs, they’ll need no distractions. A clear indicator of this was the lack of starters from the weekend who made it into the starting lineup against Seattle - Jimmy made an appearance in the second half, making him essentially the only regular starter in the game. Good that Onalfo gave his starters a rest, especially with a real good chance for three points on Thursday.

Fun tidbit number one: Check out the write up by the KC Star. No one seems to care about the US Open Cup. Fer reelz.

Fun tidbit number two: a quick “did you know?” Fact: according to Wikipedia, seven cities in the world have the nickname of Emerald City. They include Seattle, Green Zone in Baghdad, Sydney, Australia, Eugene, OR, and Muntinlupa in the Philippines. There’s a couple more, so just click on the link.

The busy week continues on Wednesday as the squad will travel back to KC. Josh Wolff will be unveiled on Thursday, and then later that night it’s a night game at the CAB against New York. Finally, the action comes to a halt on Friday, with a friendly against Atlas AC, the Wizards Mexican partner club. That came out funny for some reason.