It was a scoreless first half that had me nodding off watching Preki tactically beat Curt Onalfo, Chivas having the bulk of the scarce scoring chances and Kevin Hartman earning his Man of the Match title once again. And then things started to pick up. KC took the offensive in the second half, with Roger Espinoza pushing forward, delivering better passes to Claudio Lopez, and Jack Jewsbury starting to take control of the midfield. It was during one of these attacks that Espinoza was taken down with a karate-like kick from a Chivas player (who got no card, by the way), and the subsequent free kick was buried beautifully by Lopez in the top left corner, leaving Thorton with no chance.

Just 8 minutes later a free kick by Chivas that was not cleared by the KC defense ended at the feet of the now always opportunistic Eduardo Lillingston who outmuscled Lance Watson and slotted the ball on the left side of Hartman (it seems to me that Watson has been involved in most opponents goals this year by being outplayed or outmuscled; hint, hint Mr. Onalfo). So I’m thinking, wow, 2 goals in 8 minutes, the game was heating up! Nope, whatever heat it was picking up was quickly smothered by Mr. Ass and his band of myopic moron linesmen.

Four minutes after the Chivas goal, a nice through pass was sent towards Josh Wolff who may or may not have been clipped by Chivas defender, Eduardo Trujillo (personally, I think Wolff needs to man up and not go down that easy at times, a la Landycakes, but that’s just me). Wolff took exception to that and after pleasantries were exchanged between players, Wolff “headbutted” Trujillo slightly, and Trujillo pushed him back. Now look, I’m all for ejecting players for violent behavior, but considering that Trujillo, an excellent showman (a la Mr. Blanco in Chicago), would have fallen, rolled on the ground and needed CPR to be revived had that “headbutt” been at all hard, and considering the fact that he proceeded to shove Wolff back, this was nothing that serious. It should have been a “yellow for both, next time I see you not playing nice you are done for the game” type of situation. But NO! Mr. Ass, with his band of Merry Morons assistants, after talking things over for what seemed forever, decided a red for Wolff and a yellow for Trujillo and one more to a KC player for “dissent”. Well, there went any chance of this game getting any better.

Let me be clear, up to that point in the game, Mr. Ass had shown 2 yellow cards, to Atiba Harris and Santiago Hirsig for not playing nice during a corner kick; because in Mr. Ass’ world, during corners, players are not allowed to jostle for position, and must hold hands and hug until the ball is in the air. Well, the game continued and it suddenly turned into a game where the free flowing of the ball back and forth was cut by the constant whistles of Mr. Ass, who now decided to be the enforcer instead of letting the boys play. Around the 83rd minute a nifty move by Sasha Victorine led to a trip by Santiago Hirsig and his ejection for a second yellow. I feel it could have been worth a yellow, but having seen the fouls up to that point that had not gotten cards, I’d have to say Mr. Ass screwed this one up also, especially considering that no one got a card for nearly decapitating Espinoza.

Well, at that point in the game, the Wizards were down to 9 players and in a purely defensive mode and Chivas was trying to take advantage of their numbers with no luck. And the end came with Mr. Ass leaving the field as some of us were singing his praises as he walked into the tunnel.

Player Rankings: Hartman 7, Watson 4, Conrad 5, Hohlbein 5, Besler 5, Arnaud 4, Hirsig 4, Jewsbury 5, Espinoza 5, Wolff 2, Lopez 6.
Subs Gomez 4, Harrington N/A, Kraus N/A

More Commentary:

On the Wizards: They got outcoached and were lucky to end the 1st half with a tie. It was not surprising that the same lineup that beat RSL last week was going to do little damage to a far superior Chivas team. It was not Wolff’s day, he missed 2 chances in the first half and should have been out of the game before his ejection and the ejection play, although harsh, was STUPID on his part. Josh, never give Mr. Ass a chance to show us his merciless power to change the game (and show us how much he sucks). Will the Davy Arnaud that started the season please come back, where are you? Chance Myers needs to get healthy now; Lance Watson has the heart but lacks the physical strength to handle MLS attackers and he has been involved (negatively) in half of the goals the team has given up since he has been starting; Michael Harrington anyone? Also, after all these games I finally saw Hirsig play a one-touch ball, it was with his head, but one-touch is one touch, right?

On the Ref: I don’t care how much the MLS grows game-wise, if the quality of refs keeps being inconsistent, the game will not advance. If you are a “quality player” whose last name isn’t Donovan or can act out the part like Mr. Blanco, you will get pounded week in and week out with little protection or calls. Yet MLS refs will have issues with players pushing and shoving in the area while doing nothing about serious tackles. Also if by any chance that day they do take care of that part of the game it will not be consistent or their level of rigorousness will be on and off at different times in the game, leaving players not knowing what ref will do. In other words their “strike zone” will be all over the place.

I like Don Garber, but to excuse HIS bad refs by saying that there are bad officiated games all over the world is STUPID. Let me tell you something Don, the “Blanco T-shirt Gate” that you have asked us to dismiss and forget would have probably cost an English or Spanish ref the rest of the season for the appearance of impropriety, but your “disciplinary” committee can’t do that because the ref involved sadly is near the top of a mediocre ref class; you bench him and we’ll be getting a lot more of Mr. Ass throughout the league; spreading joy and idiocy with his merry band of linesmen. I see how Laurie up in Seattle felt after the Tim Weyland debacle a few weeks back. Call me a bad loser (although we didn’t lose) but fans should get more from the refs; they are not part of the show, they should be there to help the show run smoother.

For the record I’d like to clarify that I know that Anno specifically describes a part of of the Ass. If you sound out the word itself you get the idea of what I’m talking about. Out of respect to the few who read this post I wanted to refrain from using the popular phrase but could not leave out my distaste for horrible officiating.

Here are the highlights:

Oh yeah, it’s just the fourth week of the season. Still, it’s a good thing to get a road trip off on the right foot even if your team didn’t play up to par. Jack Jewsbury got the winner in the fourth minute off a beautiful ball from Claudio Lopez. Jewsbury controlled the ball, was helped out by a dodgy move from the Fire’s goalie, and smashed it home nicely.

They did well to hang on for the rest of the game and come away with the win. Both sides had chances to win it. The Fire ended the game with 19 total shots. For the Wizards, Tyson Wahl came close, lashing a shot off the post while Chance Myers saw his chance (ha!) go over the bar. Hartman played well and would be my pick for man of the match – although I didn’t see the game. Thanks, Univision. Claudio actually got a brief respite, coming out for the last four minutes of the game. And Sasha Victorine made his midfield debut as well after battling injuries this off-season. The promising thing about this squad is that the MLS has yet to see them with everyone health.

Next Opponent:
Next stop on the tour is Toronto. Should be a tough crowd, but a winnable game on the road. Toronto has picked up their game thus far. It will be no walk in the park.

Part Two: Midfield

Kerry Zavagnin: One of the rocks of the midfield, has played his entire MLS career with the Wizards. Usually taking on the defensive midfield role, he is usually called upon to help shut down the opposing team’s best player. Also chips in a few goals here and there, as he had three last season.

Kurt Morsink: A second year player out of James Madison (my alma mater), Morsink played regularly last season after joining the squad. He even cracked the starting lineup 10 times. I remember watching him in college and recognizing that while he was the best player out there, I had no idea he was MLS material. Shows what I know, right?

Ryan Pore: Another one of those versatile players. Saw time in the preseason at attacking midfield and forward, the positions where he sees the most playing time. Looking to build on last season where he started four games and played in 17.

Michael Harrington: A potential starter on the left side who can also fill in at defense. Brings in a great deal experience from last season where he saw action in 29 games. One of three players to start every preseason game up to this point, so expect to see him a lot this season, most likely on the left side of midfield.

Carlos Marinelli: Attacking midfielder in his second year. Has failed to live up to the great hype he saw as a child, as he once was labeled the ‘next Maradona’. Bounced around different clubs, going from Boca Juniors, to Middlesborough, Torino, and Racing Club just to name a few. Hopefully he has found a home here in KC and will continue to lead the attack out of midfield.

Roger Espinoza: The second pick in the 2008 draft out of Ohio State, Espinoza was injured during preseason and missed the team’s trip down to Argentina. He broke a metatarsel in his foot and was diagnosed to miss 3-4 weeks. That was made a few weeks ago, so he should be back and in playing shape as the season starts.

Lance Watson: A developmental player trying to increase his role with the team. Injured his foot during preseason and will miss 6 weeks, maybe more with a broken foot.

Ryan McMahen: Holding midfielder still trying to break through with the team. Yet to feature for the first team and only saw limited action in the preseason. Will end up getting most of his time with the reserves.

Sasha Victorine: Established veteran that sticks in the midfield. Played in 29 games the previous season and looks to make an impact upon return. Has yet to play in a preseason match due to injury and the birth of his child. His future is kind of up in the air right now, but I’d expect him to come back soon.

Davy Arnaud: Attacking midfielder who also spends time at forward. Appeared in 28 games last season, netting four goals. Is currently injured and will miss the beginning of the 2008 season. A key player who will be missed during the beginning of the season, but the new signings will ease the pain of his early loss. Expect him back by the end of April.

Amir Lowery: 24 year-old from Washington, DC trying to carve out a career in pro soccer. Has bounced around a bit, but is listed on the roster, and has appeared 10 times during the preseason. Chalk him up to the reserve squad, I would have to say. Also can fall back into a defensive role.

Bottom Line: The midfield features a blend of youth and experience. The foundation for the forwards will be found right here, as the likes of Marinelli and Zavagnin will work to create space and play the right passes to open things up in the front of the pitch. This is one outfit that has been hit by injuries already, as Espinoza, Watson, and Arnaud already face time out with injury. But there is no question that the midfield is deep enough to handle these setbacks.