Kansas City Wizards » New York Red Bull

Looking up the table

travis — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 04:24:09 +0000

Another win. And two goals scored? How about that. This was the first league match that KC scored two goals in since April 5. That is not good. Plain and simple. The fact the Jimmy Conrad now leads the Wizards in goals? Also not encouraging. But the three points tonight means that KC is now equal on points with New York for sixth place. Even better, is that looking up the table, only two points separate sixth from third place (DC). That’s what seven points from the last three games will do. Could have been nine as well.

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.

Red Bulls New York Preview

travis — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:21:35 +0000

Three points are there for the taking tonight. Not that New York is a team of pushovers, but they are reeling right now. The game at the CAB is an opportunity to pull ourselves out of last place – well, at least draw level with NY for sixth place. As Bill Murray’s character said in What About Bob, it’s all about “baby steps”. One little step at a time. To go from seventh to sixth would be positive. And for a team that has had its struggles, a positive vibe around the clubhouse can do wonders.

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.

New York 1-1 Kansas City

travis — Tue, 20 May 2008 05:05:58 +0000

A lot to say after this one. After watching it, I have mixed feelings over the Wizards blowing the shot at three points, having escaped with a draw, or unlucky to have missed out on a win after being a man up – and conceding then as well. All very similar yet still different reactions. It was an exciting game with action end to end. Each team had the better run of play for around half the game – the Wizards controlling things in the first half while the Red Bull playing much better in the second. The Wizards drew first blood, with a goal from Jimmy Conrad off a corner kick by Carlos Marinelli. Conrad is becomes the team’s leading scorer, which is a slight concern for a team looking to go far this season.

A series of great stops by Kevin Hartman in the second half kept things close in the second half. In fact, it looked like the Wizards were going to escape with three points, but unfortunately, things weren’t to be. The defense played well all game, but in the 81st minute, with a man advantage, Danleigh Borman was left open in the box to score the equalizer. That gave KC their fourth point from four games on this road trip, but it was a missed opportunity.

Other thoughts:

The Wizards are still learning to play with Claudio Lopez. He’s placed passes in parts of the park where no one makes a run. The longer they play with him, the sooner players will learn to be in right places.
The health of Carlos Marinelli remains a key to the Wizards’ season. His passing, vision, and touch on the ball are integral to offensive success. Not to mention his delivery on set pieces.
The offense still struggles to score from open play. Their last goal from anything but a set play came against Chicago. While they’ve still managed a decent record, it remains a cause for concern. They’ve only managed four goals in the last six games.

Quick weekend preview

travis — Sat, 17 May 2008 14:48:16 +0000

I’ve been away and there hasn’t much going on – aside of course from what is a huge game for the Wizards in New York. Things haven’t been going well at all as of late. Struggles in the offense and midfield have underlined the problems that they’ve had. The defense has been the lone bright spot, despite conceding four goals in the past two games. So what’s the problem? After winning their first two games, the optimism was flowing in KC. However, the time away from home has proved to be far from successful. Defensive lapses have really cost them, especially in the last game against the Crew. Limiting those errors will be important in building towards an away victory.

The week off brings good news, as everyone will be available save for Lance Watson (out with a broken foot) and Jonathan Leathers (off in France – updates on the team blog). The Red Bulls will have their attack duo of Jozy Altidore and Juan Pablo Angel ready to go, and perhaps Claudio Reyna in the middle – he remains questionable with a calf strain. And I think that the midfield will determine the outcome of the game. If the Wizards and do a better job of controlling the ball and setting up Claudio Lopez and whoever is his strike partner up front, they can come away with three points. Against Toronto they were sloppy, and while the last match against the Crew brought improvement, defensive blunders did them in.

History is not on their side either. In the past 11 games at East Rutherford the Wizards haven’t won; and I don’t think they can change that today. While they do have fresher legs, the Red Bull have the momentum, having last lost in over a month – I think they’ll take it 2-1.

With no one to play against…

travis — Sat, 10 May 2008 03:19:08 +0000

The Wizards played each other. Yesterday, KC lined up against each other, dividing themselves into two squads, the White and the Orange:

White – Hartman, Myers, Hohlbein, Wahl, Harrington, Colombano, Jewsbury, Marinelli, Victorine, Lopez (Arnaud 46), Sealy

Orange – Kronberg (Pardo 46), Leathers, McKenzie, McMahen, Kraus (Miles 62), Souter (Pizarro 46), Zavagnin, Morsink, Espinoza, Pore, Trujillo (Souter 82)

Final score was a 2-2 draw with goals from Marinelli and Sealy for the White team and Morsink and Pore each grabbing one for the Orange. Of note, Jimmy Conrad was held out of the scrimmage for most likely precautionary reasons. Full recap can be read here.

The week off also gives a few Wizards the chance to recover for next week’s game against the Red Bull up in New York. Davy Arnaud, Carlos Marinelli, and Sasha Victorine are all still nursing injuries. Sitting even on points with Toronto and New England at this point in the season is a definite success, but the team is looking to rebound from back to back losses.

In other news, the US Open match may take place at College Boulevard Activities Center on June 4. The match will be between the Wizards and the winner of the Los Angeles-RSL qualifier. That news is from the bottom of this article from the KC Star, courtesy of Kansas City Soccer Review.