MLS Game #6
Wednesday, May 5, 2010, 6 p.m. CT
English TV: ESPN2
Spanish TV: ESPN Deportes
RFK Stadium | Washington, D.C.
Weather: 80, clear
Attendance: 10,038
Score: 1 2 F
Kansas City Wizards (2-3-1, 7 pts) 0 1 1
D.C. United (1-5-0, 3 pts) 2 0 2
Kansas City Wizards: Jimmy Nielsen; Michael Harrington, Pablo Escobar, Jimmy Conrad, Roger Espinoza; Chance Myers (Teal Bunbury 51’), Stéphane Auvray © (Craig Rocastle 73’), Jack Jewsbury, Santiago Hirsig (Kei Kamara 46’), Ryan Smith; Josh Wolff
Subs not used: Eric Kronberg, Matt Besler, Jonathan Leathers, Birahim Diop
D.C. United: Bill Hamid; Jordan Graye, Carey Talley, Juan Manuel Peña (Devon McTavish 88’), Rodney Wallace; Boyzzz Khumalo (Santino Quaranta 79’), Clyde Simms, Kurt Morsink, Christian Castillo; Danny Allsopp, Adam Cristman (Jaime Moreno 71’)
Subs not used: Troy Perkins, Stephen King, Andy Najar, Luciano Emilio
Stats:
Kansas City D.C. United
Shots 14 9
Shots on Goal 6 4
Fouls 16 11
Corner Kicks 11 1
Offside 0 5
Misconduct Summary:
KCW – 50’ – Ryan Smith (Caution – reckless tackle)
DCU – 56’ – Danny Allsopp (Caution – reckless tackle)
DCU – 59’ - Christian Castillo (Caution – reckless tackle)
DCU – 72’ – Kurt Morsink (Caution – persistent infringement)
KCW – 88’ – Michael Harrington (Caution – reckless tackle)
DCU – 89’ – Santino Quaranta (Caution – reckless tackle)
Scoring Summary:
DCU – 12’ – Danny Allsopp 1 (Rodney Wallace 1)
DCU – 34’ – Danny Allsopp 2 (Adam Cristman 1)
KCW – 92’+ - Kei Kamara 3 (Josh Wolff 1)
(May 5, 2010) – The Kansas City Wizards suffered another disappointing road loss on Wednesday night, falling 2-1 to D.C. United thanks to two first-half goals by Danny Allsopp. Kei Kamara scored his third goal of the season to get the Wizards on the board in second half stoppage time, but the Wizards comeback attempt fell short.
Though Allsopp scored the goals, United goalkeeper Bill Hamid could very well have been D.C.’s man of the match. The 19-year-old shot stopper was making his first appearance in Major League Soccer and showed well, pulling off a several key saves to deny the Wizards’ scoring opportunities.
The first half started at a furious pace, with both sides looking to establish an attacking rhythm early on. As a result, there was much back-and-forth play in the opening 10 minutes, but United was the first to get on the board thanks to Australian forward Danny Allsopp’s first goal in MLS.
Allsopp’s goal came in the 12th minute thanks to a long ball played out of midfield. The striker controlled the ball, muscled his way past Pablo Escobar, and hit a powerful shot that deflected off Jimmy Conrad and into the upper corner past Wizards goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen to give D.C. United the lead.
Kansas City nearly responded in the 16th minute, as Roger Espinoza hit a skillful, sliding chip across the United penalty area to an onrushing Chance Myers at the far post. Myers managed to direct his effort on frame from a tough angle, but Hamid came up with a big diving stop from close range to deny Kansas City a goal.
Roger Espinoza gave the Wizards more hope in the 26th minute with a powerful strike from 40 yards out. The shot tested Hamid, but in the end the young goalkeeper was able to tip the ball out for a corner kick.
Despite the Wizards’ chances, United managed to double their advantage in the 34th minute. It was Allsopp who came through again, thanks to a timely interception by Adam Cristman in the Wizards’ defensive third. Cristman played the ball ahead for Allsopp, who took a touch past Escobar before coming through with a clinical finish past Nielsen to bring the score to 2-0.
Allsopp nearly grabbed a hat trick just before half time, when he latched on to a long ball from the United midfield, dribbled past Wizards midfielder Stéphane Auvray, and fired a shot at Nielsen that the big Dane did well to save with his feet.
The Wizards had a chance for a response when Jack Jewsbury was left wide open at the top of the six yard box for a header, but the ball sailed just inches over the head of the Wizards midfielder.
Jewsbury would get another golden opportunity to get the Wizards a goal in first half stoppage time. Josh Wolff found Jewsbury with a deft flick-on header in the United penalty area, but Hamid made another excellent save to stop Jewsbury’s well-placed shot from close range.
Wizards Manager Peter Vermes gave his team a decidedly more offensive flavor in the second half with the introduction of forward and leading scorer Kei Kamara for Santiago Hirsig at halftime. Kamara wasted little time making an impact on the game, taking control of the ball of the kickoff and rifling a shot at Hamid that the young goalkeeper could only palm out for a corner kick.
Kamara would test Hamid again not long after, running onto a good feed from Wolff on a breakaway. The Sierra Leone striker had time and space in the box, but his low rolling attempt hit side netting.
Kansas City controlled the flow of the next 15 minutes of the game, holding possession around the United penalty area but struggling to create meaningful scoring chances. Instead, it was United that had the best chances on goal despite seeing less of the ball. Allsopp saw his wide open shot in the 18 yard box saved by the fingertips of Jimmy Nielsen, while Clyde Simms’ effort from distance whizzed just wide of the goalpost.
United came close to making it 3-0 again in the 77th minute, when Christian Castillo’s rocket free kick from 40 yards out took a bounce off the ground before smacking against the left post and being cleared out of play.
After numerous chances, Kamara got Kansas City on the board with a consolation goal in second half stoppage time. Teal Bunbury and Josh Wolff were the architects of the move, with Bunbury turning in the center of the park and feeding Wolff on the left sideline. Under pressure from the United defense, Wolff hit a sliding service into the box that found its way past two D.C. United defenders and to Kamara at the far post. The big forward made no mistake with his finish, tapping the ball past Hamid to make the score 2-1. The goal is Kamara’s third of the season, while Wolff and Bunbury will share the assist. Bunbury’s assist is the rookie’s first in Major League Soccer.
The Wizards will return home next week as the Chicago Fire pay a visit to CommunityAmerica Ballpark on Saturday, May 15th at 7:30 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast live of Fox Soccer Channel, the last of three Wizards games in a row to garner national television coverage.
Fast Facts:
• With the loss, the Wizards fall to a 14-18-9 record against D.C. United in MLS regular season play (4-12-4 at RFK Stadium).
• Chance Myers earned his first start of the 2010 season, his first MLS start since September 7, 2008 against the Houston Dynamo.
• Kamara’s goal is his third so far this season, and the 18th of his MLS career.
• Wolff’s assist is his first of 2010, and the 39th of his MLS career.
• Bunbury’s assist is his first of his MLS career.
• With his goals tonight, Danny Allsopp became the second player in a row to score each of his first two MLS goals against Kansas City (Luis Angel Andin scored his second MLS goal against Kansas City in Saturday’s loss after scoring his first MLS goal against Kansas City last year).
• Allsopp and Landin are two of eight total players who have scored their first two MLS goals against the Wizards. Other players to have done so: Knox Cameron, Diego Gutierrez, Carlos Hermostillo, Mauricio Solis, Carey Talley, and Todd Yeagley.
