Victory! Huzzah!
By: Michael | February 26th, 2007I guess the Wizards finally decided to relax my worries about the team’s early inability to finish by scoring three against the Fire in their first pre-season win. If I was given the opportunity to write out the script, I might have picked the exact same goal scorers: Yura Movsisyan, Eddie Johnson, and Scott Sealy. This picture from MLSnet may or may not be from yesterday’s game, though I think the big red “NY” in the background would lead me to think the answer’s a big fat “NO”:
Scott Sealy
Why it’s Good the Scorers Scored:
1) Movsisyan is most likely our best chance at having a quality scoring threat up front to rotate into our 4-4-2 structure this year. Johnson and/or Sealy will see some time on the bench this year due to injury or fatigue (it happens), and if the highest-drafted community college player in the history of the MLS is ready to step up and score some goals, I’m all for it.
2) Johnson was brought to the Wizards to be an explosive scorer and a household name up front, something Kansas City hasn’t really had for the entire duration of its history. (Has anyone really heard of Josh Wolff, despite two 10-goal seasons with the Wiz? I didn’t think so.) After a great goal to open the season, the honeymoon was quickly over. Johnson only scored one other goal for the entire duration of 2006, and an injury-riddled 2005 season made Johnson (age 22) two seasons removed from his 12-goal performance of 2004. To make things worse, he was a huge disciplinary problem with last year’s coach, Brian Bliss, to the point of being suspended at the end of the season (including the must-tie game KC lost to RBNY to miss the playoffs). If he can get something going in 2007, Johnson has the talent to live up to the silly “team’s greatest acquisition” albatross tossed around his neck by the Wizard’s front office in 2006. This early goal - unassisted off an intercepted pass - will hopefully spark something.
3) Sealy is clutch. Kansas’ favorite Trinidadian, he comes into 2007 boasting 19 goals from his first two seasons with KC, and on a team that excels in defense, such consistent scoring from a young forward is a beautiful thing. To see that he notched a goal in our first victory is not only no surprise, it’s confirmation that he’s ready to produce again this year.
Other Notes:
- I’m happy to see Hartman and rookie goalie Eric Kronberg combining to shut out the Fire. According to MLSnet, more of the Fire’s chances came in the second (read: rookie) half against Kronberg, so it also means our veteran defenders are shutting things down early for the Wiz.
- I’m also happy to see how Coach Onalfo has handled the team thus far. He put an emphasis (as I so kindly suggested in this very blog - Curt, are you reading this?) on tightening up KC’s finishing ahead of the Fire game and viola, a 3-0 win. He’s also getting in on team pranks, winning soccer tennis against his players, and most importantly, pushing them to reach their potential. His quote from Saturday’s training session could apply to the entire pre-season: “We’re becoming a team, one small step at a time.”
Quote of the Day: Kevin Hartman
“Jimmy Conrad’s entire apartment never comes out, and we think it’s because they’re always playing that board game ‘Settlers of Catan.’ We tried to socialize with them the other night and went over to watch American Idol. But no one has seen them anywhere except on the soccer field. I mean I don’t want to make ludicrous claims like I’m cooler, but when I want to play a game I don’t necessarily do it on the board - I play games on the computer. But if we’re comparing the nerd factor of board games versus computer games, I guess it’s a toss up.“
Category: Team News
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