6B SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY BABY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2007
>> COMMENTARY
Wizards need win, tie in last five games to clinch berth
When the Major League Soccer regular season ends on Oct. 21, eight teams will remain in contention to become the twelfth MLS Cup champion in the league's young history.
After missing the playoffs by a total of three points the last two seasons, the Kansas City Wizards and their fans hope 2007 is the year the bad luck ends. On Saturday the Wizards made their inclusion much more likely, coming back to win 3-2 with two stoppage-time goals against a stunned Columbus Crew.
BY ANDREW WIEBEE
KANSAN SPORTS COLUMNIST
AWIEBE@KANSAN.COM
The win kept them six points ahead of the fourth place Chicago Fire and put them one point behind the New York Red Bulls for third in MLS's Eastern Conference with five matches to play.
Kansas City Wizards forward Eddie Johnson gains control of the ball over Columbus Crew defender Tim Ward on Saturday in Kansas City. Johnson is second in MLS with 15 goals and is a key player to Kansas City's playoff hopes.
Despite the dramatic win, the Wizards must still perform down the stretch in order to assure their first playoff berth since their trip to the MLS Cup final in 2004. The schedule is not a kind one.
The remaining five teams on the Wizards' schedule — Chivas USA, the Los Angeles Galaxy, D.C. United, the New York Red Bulls and FC Dallas — have a combined record of 55-44-21, and that's including the Galaxy's MLS-worst 4-13-5 mark. They will also face seven of the MLS's top-10 scorers in that span. Three of the five matches are on the road. At least a win and a draw in the remaining five matches would seem to lock in a spot, but that could be a difficult proposition. Here are my predictions for the matches that will make or break the Wizards' season.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Chivas USA is 9-0-2 this season at the Home Depot Center, and there is no reason to believe the Wizards will blemish that record. Chivas USA is one of the hottest teams in MLS, losing only once in its last 10 matches, and boasts three of the MLS's most explosive offensive forces in Maykel Galindo, Ante Razov and Sasha Klestan.
CHIVAS USA (AWAY),
SEPT. 22
Chivas is dominant in its own end as well. United States National team regulars, goalkeeper Brad Guzan and left back Jonathan Bornstein, lead a defense that has allowed 22 goals, second only to the Houston Dynamo's 21.
Though the Wizards managed a 3-2 home victory in its only other meeting this year, Chivas' untarnished record at home coupled with the Goats' momentum means the Wizards will be looking elsewhere for the points it needs.
PREDICTION: Chivas USA 3, Wizards 1
LOS ANGELES GALAXY (HOME), SEPT.27
able to match anything Donovan contributes. Anything but a win will be a massive disappointment.
PREDICTION: Wizards 2, Galaxy 0
This is a must-win for the Wizards. The Galaxy is the worst team in MLS and losing to it could spell doom for the Wizards' playoff hopes. The Wizards has lost only four of its 12 matches at Arrowhead Stadium, but the Galaxy will attempt to be a spoiler with nothing but pride left to play for.
Although the absence of David Beckham will disappoint ticket holders, the Wizards should be able to take advantage of a defense that seems to be finding ways to allow goals rather than prevent them. Kansas City should be able to use its forward tandem of Eddie Johnson and Scott Sealy to get behind the Galaxy's shaky back line and create plenty of chances, but the two must beat goalkeeper Joe Cannon.
Defensively speaking, Landon Donovan is LA's only offensive threat and the Wizards should be
DC UNITED (HOME),
OCT.5
Despite playing at home, the Wizards will be pushed to earn a point against what is obviously MLS's best team.
United boasts the best attack in the league and has scored 20 more goals than its opponents. As for home-field advantage, only 7,872 fans showed up at Arrowhead to see Brazilian forward Luciano Emilio score the lone goal in a 1-0 loss by the Wizards on July 4. That's right, only seven thousand fans showed up to see what is probably the most talent-laden roster in the league.
Unless the attendance figures take a sudden jump, home-field advantage will not be enough to significantly affect the match. The Wizards did show some promise in the teams' last meeting as they out shot United 21-to-11 while missing leading scorer Johnson, who was on Copa America duty with the national team.
Kansas City will have to put the ball in the back of the net multiple times to challenge a United squad that has been dominant over the past month. Fortunately for the Wizards, DC has already qualified for the playoffs and may choose to rest its stars, but it will still take a sharp performance to get any kind of result.
PREDICTION: DC United 3,
Wizards 1
NEW YORK RED BULLS (AWAY),OCT.13
After denying the Wizards a playoff spot on the final day of the season last October, the Red Bulls want to once again knock their Eastern Conference rivals out of the chase for the MLS Cup.
The teams have already met on two occasions in 2007 resulting in
two highly entertaining matches, a win and a draw for Kansas City.
The Wizards claimed an exciting 3-2 victory via a Johnson hat-trick in the first meeting in Kansas City but settled for a 3-3 draw 14 days later in New York. This may be the Wizards' best chance to get points on the road.
Odds are the teams will not deviate from the high-scoring formula they have exhibited in their past two meetings. Accordingly, the Wizards will have to score and, more importantly, limit the amount of touches Red Bulls forward Juan Pablo Angel receives in dangerous areas.
If Kansas City can put up two goals, a draw or even a victory is a likely possibility, but the defense will have to perform better than it has in the prior two meetings to earn the full three points.
**PREDICTION:** Wizards 2, Red Bulls 2
FC DALLAS (AWAY),
OCT.20
would go a long way to ease tension within the Wizards' locker room and fan base.
If all goes as planned, Kansas City should have its four playoff points by now. Of course a win
Dallas is a solid home team, 7-31 at Pizza Hut Park this season, but suffered through an inconsistent season that makes a loss at home a distinct possibility. New Brazilian signing Denilson has yet to become comfortable with his teammates or show much of the skill that convinced the Hoops to make him the fifth designated player in MLS, but that may change during the next month.
Either way, Dallas has the ability to make this a difficult match for the Wizards. Midfield destroyer Juan Toja is back from injury and former Manchester United forward Kenny Cooper should be too. Cooper had four goals and two assists before breaking his leg early in the year.
Both Toja and Cooper scored in a 2-1 win in Kansas City on May 12 and their inclusion back in the lineup should be a major boost for FC Dallas. Johnson did not play in that game so the Wizards have reason to
be optimistic as its attacking options are solidified by his inclusion. Even a draw should cement its place in the postseason.
PREDICTION: Wizards 2, FC Dallas 1
Assuming these predictions hold true, that would leave the Wizards with 43 points. That should be enough to guarantee a spot in the MLS Cup playoffs assuming none of the teams currently on the bubble turn its season around in one mouth.
The result will be somewhere between the sixth and eighth seed, but Wizards fans can still hold out hope for a miraculous run. The key will be the play of Johnson and the resurgent Sealy in attack.
The Wizards must score goals in bunches and with those two in form it has an opportunity to make some noise. Anything can happen once single elimination begins; the key is to be part of the action.
Edited by Luke Morris