MLS Game #9
Saturday, May 29, 2010, 8:00 p.m. CT
English TV: KCWE 29
Spanish TV: KCWE 29 (SAP)
Rio Tinto Stadium | Sandy, UT
Weather: 58 degrees, partly cloudy
Attendance: 15,588
Score: 1 2 F
Real Salt Lake (6-3-1, 19 pts) 2 2 4
Kansas City Wizards (2-5-2, 8 pts) 1 0 1
Kansas City Wizards: Jimmy Nielsen; Jonathan Leathers (Chance Myers 46, Birahim Diop 85), Jimmy Conrad, Matt Besler, Michael Harrington; Davy Arnaud ©, Jack Jewsbury, Josh Wolff (Graham Zusi 77); Teal Bunbury, Kei Kamara, Ryan Smith
Subs not used: Eric Kronberg, Aaron Hohlbein, Korede Aiyegbusi, Craig Rocastle
Real Salt Lake: Nick Rimando; Tony Beltran, Jamison Olave, Nat Borchers, Chris Wingert (Robbie Russell 46); Andy Williams) (Ned Grabavoy 46, Jean Alexandre, Javier Morales, Will Johnson; Alvaro Saborio, Fabian Espindola (Pablo Campos 88)
Subs not used: Kyle Reynish, Collen Warner, Chris Schuler, Rauwshan McKenzie
Stats: RSL KC
Shots 12 6
Shots on Goal 7 3
Saves 2 3
Fouls 11 14
Corner Kicks 2 4
Offside 5 1
Misconduct Summary:
KC -- Matt Besler (caution; Tactical Foul) 27
RSL -- Jamison Olave (caution; Tactical Foul) 29
KC -- Kei Kamara (caution; Tactical Foul) 32
KC -- Jimmy Conrad (caution; Tactical Foul) 73
KC -- Davy Arnaud (caution; Tactical Foul) 82
KC -- Davy Arnaud (ejection; Second Caution) 82
Scoring Summary:
RSL -- Fabian Espindola 3 (Andy Williams 3) 31
RSL -- Alvaro Saborio 5 (unassisted) 34
KC -- Josh Wolff 1 (Davy Arnaud 1) 42
RSL -- Robbie Russell 1 (unassisted) 84
RSL -- Ned Grabavoy 1 (unassisted) 92+
(May 29, 2010) – The Kansas City Wizards lost to Real Salt Lake 4-1 Saturday night as the defending MLS Cup champions scored twice in each half to win their 5th straight match. Kansas City striker Josh Wolff scored his first goal of 2010 and the 74th of his prolific MLS career. Wolff ranks 14th all-time in MLS and 7th among active players. The Wizards are now winless in seven games.
RSL went ahead 2-0 with quick strikes in the 31st and 34th minutes from Fabian Espindola and Alvaro Saborio, respectively. Midfielder Andy Williams collected a loose ball in the middle of the attacking third, feeding Espindola inside the penalty area on the left side. Espindola didn’t miss the opportunity, striking a shot low and inside the back post from 15 yards for his 3rd goal of the season.
Three minutes later, Javier Morales sprung a counterattack with a long ball between defenders to Espindola up the left wing. Espindola carried ahead and struck a cross toward the back post that eluded Wizards goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen and found its way to Alvaro Saborio at the back post. Saborio tapped home for his 5th goal of the season and an early 2-0 lead.
Kansas City fought back in the 42nd minute through hard work from captain Davy Arnaud and tidy finishing from Josh Wolff. Arnaud pressed high up the field, stealing the ball from RSL center back Nat Borchers just outside the penalty area. Arnaud quickly squared the ball for Wolff who had stepped back onside, and Wolff slid a shot along the ground under Nick Rimando to bring Kansas City back within a goal.
The Wizards tried getting back in the game after halftime, with Kamara shooting from the middle of the penalty area in the 48th minute. An RSL defender, however, blocked his shot over for a corner kick that Kansas City did not convert. In the 75th minute, left forward Ryan Smith cut in from the wing onto his right foot and fired toward goal, but his shot was over the bar without testing Rimando.
RSL put the game away in the 84th minute after a free kick from Javier Morales. Morales blasted a low shot through the wall from 20 yards out, but Wizards goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen came up with a huge kick save. Unfortunately for Nielsen, the ball deflected straight to Real defender Robbie Russell who banged home a shot from close range. Substitute midfielder Ned Grabavoy added a 4th for RSL in stoppage time, getting in behind the defense and slotting past Nielsen from the top of the penalty area.
Kansas City returns to MLS play next Saturday with a 3 p.m. CT kick off at Toronto FC, who defeated San Jose 3-1 Saturday night on the road. The game will again be shown live locally on KCWE 29 in HD in both English and Spanish (SAP).
Fast Facts:
· Kansas City dropped to 2-5-2 on the season and is currently 7th in the Eastern Conference.
· The Wizards are winless in their last seven matches after recording back-to-back wins to open the season.
· Kansas City is now 5-4-2 all-time against RSL, including a 2-3-1 record on the road.
· Striker Josh Wolff scored his 1st goal of the season and the 74th goal of his MLS career.
· Wolff is 14th on the all-time MLS goals list, trailing Steve Ralston by just two goals for 13th.
· Wolff is 7th on the active players list, trailing Brian McBride of Chicago by four goals for 6th.
· Midfielder Davy Arnaud played in his 199th match for Kansas City Sunday.
· With one more appearance, Arnaud will become the 5th player in team history to appear in 200 games.
· Arnaud received two yellow cards on the night and was ejected for the 2nd time this season. He has now received three red cards in his career.
· The Wizards have only been called offside eight times through eight games, by far the best mark in MLS.
· The next closest team, the Philadelphia Union, has been whistled for offside 19 times through seven matches.
· Kansas City was without defender Roger Espinoza (World Cup), midfielder Stéphane Auvray (knee) and defender Pablo Escobar (illness)
· Espinoza is currently with the Honduras National Team at a pre-World Cup training camp.
· Espinoza is the 20th player in Wizards history to be named to a World Cup roster, and the 7th player to make the World Cup while on Kansas City’s roster.
· Auvray missed his 3rd straight match after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery two weeks ago. Auvray is expected to miss 1-2 more matches.
