Finishing School

By: travis | July 1st, 2008

I said it before and I’ll say it again. A win is a win. That’s three points, and if I’m not mistaken, at least remaining within a shouting distance of sixth place. Not an ideal position on the table when you are nearing the midway point of the season, but with only 11 goals to their name, it could be worse. Like way further off the pace.

Anyway, back to the Real game. It was a better display from KC than I’ve seen in previous weeks; the midfield did a solid job of holding possession, and there was some slick one-two passing taking place between Davy Arnaud and Claudio Lopez. However, there was little to no finishing prowess up front – I’m not even talking about getting quality shots on goal, I’m talking about hitting the target. Things were wild, with Jack Jewsbury and Arnaud blasting a variety of shots that weren’t even close to testing Nick Rimando. I know I’ve already brought out the statistic, but 21 total shots, and just three on goal? Who is counting the blocked shots or the one traveling wayyy over? I for one dislike the shot versus the shot on goal debate. But that’s not important. Neither is focusing on the negatives. Because this game can be a platform, a confidence builder to hopefully start getting things rolling in a positive direction. Kevin Hartman and Jimmy Conrad have helped keep things solid at the back; any success up front and this team can definitely make some noise. It’s just a question of whether or not Lopez, Ivan Trujillo, and Scott Sealy can start looking a bit more dangerous. Because right now, the Wizards are as toothless as a Brontosaurus. And they ate vegetables for crying out loud.

It’s easy to be negative when referring to the recent stretch of the season. But the Kansas City Star’s Bob Luder suggest things will get even more difficult with the US Open Cup potentially creating a lot of travel time. The question facing Curt Onalfo is with the struggles his team is having in the league, why focus on the Cup? I don’t think he’ll be too sensitive to this, but look for a slightly weaker lineup against the Carolina Railhawks tonight. I can’t really learn much about the game to sufficiently preview it, so check out Down the Byline for a blogger’s perspective, and the US Open Cup site to watch the game.

Last but not least, the big news from the front office is the return of striker Josh Wolff. He has agreed to terms with KC, marking a return after a few years abroad at 1860 Munich. I’m not convinced that this is the solution to the scoring problems, as Wolff has looked a bit out of sorts as late; his play in the European friendlies was nothing to get excited about. However, he has MLS experience that could prove valuable, and even if he’s lost a step that may not impact him as much as some may think. He won’t join the team officially to July 15, but it’s good to see the Wizards take action on the front. The only place they can go now is up (hopefully).