Postgame: KCWiz 1 – 0 RSL

By: Michael | July 16th, 2007

In Summary:
So even if it wasn’t the triumphant first team slaughtering of RSL every Kansas City fan was hoping for, a win is a win, and the three points before the All-Star break are a welcome break in the disappointment the month of July has been thus far. Eddie scored a goal in classic all-speed, no-efficiency style, taking a long pass from Jose Burciaga, tearing towards the goal, putting a shot off the post, running onto the ball again, and slotting the second shot into an open net. Remember the pass from Burciaga as we present…

The Quote of the Match

“It’s something Eddie and I have been working on… He knows I can play that diagonal ball. He put it down. He didn’t want to give me the assist. He wanted to play 1-2 with the post… It was a good win to have, something we haven’t had in over a month.” – Jose Burciaga, Jr. (from the Kansas City Star)

I know it’s purely a jest from Burciaga, but after that beautiful pass, it’s a shame Eddie didn’t slot his first attempt to win Jose an assist.

Maybe the Hamstring is Important After All
Awhile back, I started writing a post called “How a Hamstring became the Linchpin of our Season.” It was going to be about how Marinelli is the key to our attacking mentality and without his playmaking skills, we were going to be in trouble finding the goals we needed, as Eddie excells when he is set up for a face-on run and none of our other attackers are excelling at all. He had just reaggrivated the hamstring injury he sustained in Toronto, and my point was that his ability to recover from the injury and stay healthy was going to decide our position in the Eastern Conference. But then we started kicking the crap out of everyone and I didn’t have to worry about it. Or finish writing the post.

Saturday, at 57′, Marinelli went down with a hamstring injury. You can imagine my angst as I remembered my previous draft… there’s no telling how serious the injury is and we fortunately have only two games in 17 days, so there will be time to heal a minor injury, but if Carlos is out and we can’t put the ball into the net, let it be known that one KC fan will be bemoaning his apt prediction.

Update: More recent reports suggest Marinelli left due to “cramping” instead of another hamstring strain. I’ll post more information if it becomes available.

But for Now We’ll be Happy
The All-Star Break is here, and while Curt is not the manager of the team, we do have one extra addition, as Nichol included Kevin Hartman on the squad to join Eddie Johnson and Jimmy Conrad. Congratulations, Kevin! You’ve been a great addition to our squad, and just the solid, veteran presence in the back we’ve needed this year.

Prediction Time:
My prediction: KC 3 – 1 RSL
FIFA ‘03 prediction: KC 3 – 3 San Jose Earthquakes
So no trifecta for the Wizards, but we can all be happy that Landon Donovan didn’t score a hat trick on us in the first twenty minutes, as FIFA ‘03 had occuring. I wonder what the odds of that happening on Saturday were…

What’s Ahead for the Wiz…
The All-Star game and then back to home cooking, hosting the Colorado Rapids in what should be a good match.