Wizards get chances but fail to beat Fire

From Sunday night’s opening whistle, the Kansas City Wizards took the fight to the Chicago Fire, spreading the ball around and attacking from all sides in the kind of offensive display Curt Onalfo favors as their head coach. Unfortunately for Onalfo and the Wizards, the effort didn’t pay off the way they would have liked. A solid Chicago backline and a few key saves by Keeper John Busch kept the match scoreless to the final whistle and the Wizards left their home field with a 0-0 draw.

“It’s unfortunate,” said Onalfo after the game. “In a league where there’s enormous parity, it comes down to little tiny plays. We created enough chances to win the game. We certainly had a good enough second half. We just lack that finishing touch.”

“We weren’t sharp enough in the final third, which is important,” said Davy Arnaud despondently “especially when you’re at home and you need to get points. I thought we were pretty organized defensively. When we had a chance it wasn’t a great chance. It could have been but, we just weren’t sharp in the final third. We thought we kept possession well at times but when you keep the ball you’re not creating chances. It’s all for nothing.”

The match certainly didn’t feel like ending in a draw, given the way the Wizards exploded out of the gate in the first half. A quick combination of passes from midfield into the attack gave Kansas City their first shot on goal a single minute in when midfielder Roger Espinoza drove a header directly at keeper John Busch for his first of eight saves on the night. Another passing sequence in the 8th minute found Claudio Lopez with space beyond the penalty box to attempt a long range volley, but Busch again proved equal to the task.

Chicago absorbed what pressure the Wizards gave them through the first fifteen minutes, opting to move the ball through their playmaker, Cuauhtémoc Blanco, and take such opportunities that came to them. Forward Chris Rolfe nabbed the Fire’s first serious attempt in the 14th minute, intercepting a soft pass in KC territory and charging in on goal. His long range shot tested keeper Kevin Hartman who dove to make the save.

Rarely did Blanco manage an open look of his own Sunday night but his skill on the ball often advanced the Fire deep into the attacking third. Once such charge to the Wizards’ end line in the 22nd minute resulted in an open long range shot for midfielder Justin Mapp from beyond the box, which Hartman easily scooped up. Mapp received a similar setup from Blanco in the 37th minute but again Hartman stifled the shot.

The Wizards engineered their best shot of the half in the 34th minute when Midfielder Davy Arnaud burst down the right touchline with the ball before looping a pass over his defender to Forward Josh Wolff, charging into the box. Wolff unleashed a close range shot but Busch was well positioned and made the save.

Much as they had in the first half, the Wizards came out shooting after the intermission, four shot attempts in the first ten minutes of the second half. Espinoza again benefited from a steady build up in the 48th minute but, being closely guarded, put his volley over the crossbar. Young midfielder Kurt Morsink created his own chance three minutes later with a heady shot from long range that Busch again gobbled up. Espinoza and Morsink, first and second year players respectively, showed poise and panache throughout the game, creating chances and taking shots of their own.

“I thought [Espinoza and Morsink] both played very well,” said Onalfo. “[Morsink] is a good passer of the ball in the middle of the field. The ball seems to go where it’s supposed to with him, so I’m pleased with that.”

“I just need to get a little more confident on the field,” said Espinoza of his night’s performance. “[Chicago] definitely played well but there a lot of chances in the second half. Even in the first half we had a lot of chances but we need to finish those opportunities.”

Veteran KC midfielders got in on the attack as well. Sasha Victorine directed a header towards goal from a corner kick in the 52nd minute but his attempt flew wide right. Arnaud, steadily reasserting himself in right midfield, one touched a volley from beyond the box in the 54th minute. Once again, however, Busch smothered the shot. In the 68th minute, Morsink crossed to Arnaud in space down the right side. Arnaud volleyed again but the shot flew wide right.

Between Busch’s saves, and Chicago’s tenacious back line, the Fire weathered the Wizard’s onslaught and slowly turned the tide through the games final minutes. In the 76th minute, second half substitute Patrick Nyarko dribbled into the box and unleashed a shot that Hartman deflected. John Thorrington attempted a long range blast in the 81st minute that flew high above goal and out of danger.

Chicago’s best opportunity came late, in the 86th minute, when Nyarko charged with the ball to the Wizards endline before crossing back to forward Stephen King atop the penalty box. King let loose the possible game winner but instead sent the ball wide left of goal. Despite the changing fortunes, however, the Wizards held on through the game’s final moments to secure an ultimately disappointing draw.

“We’re a team that should be better then we are right now,” said Arnaud after the game. “I think if we can, like a say, get a little sharper there’s no reason we can’t be winning more games.”

Fire fans, vote on your team’s page.

match facts

Chicago Fire (7-5-5, 26 pts.) at Kansas City Wizards (5-5-7, 22 pts.)
July 27, 2008, Community America Ballpark, Kansas City, Kan.
Attendance: 10,385

Scoring Summary
None

Misconduct Summary
CHI – John Thorrington (caution, pushing) 21’
CHI – Diego Gutierrez (caution, professional foul) 55’
CHI – Cuauhtémoc Blanco (caution, dissent) 57’
KC – Roger Espinoza (caution, tackle from behind) 59’

Lineups:
Fire (4-4-2): GK-Jon Busch, D-John Thorrington, D-Wilman Conde, D-Bakary Soumare, D-Gonzalo Segares (Daniel Woolard 89), M-Diego Gutierrez, M-Cuauhtémoc Blanco (captain), M-Logan Pause, M–Justin Mapp, F-Chris Rolfe (Stephen King 77), F-Tomasz Frankowski (Patrick Nyarko 63).

Wizards (4-4-2): GK-Kevin Hartman, D-Jack Jewsbury, D-Jimmy Conrad (captain), D-Aaron Hohlbein, D-Michael Harrington, M-Roger Espinoza (Nelson Pizarro 80), M–Kurt Morsink, M-Sasha Victorine, M-Davy Arnaud, F-Josh Wolff (Ryan Pore 84), F-Claudio Lopez (Ivan Trujillo 84).