Wizards Visit Columbus

KC looks to stifle hot-handed Crew

The spring months of Major League Soccer always bring hope to soccer fans as teams that suffered debilitating defeat the year before break out to an early lead in the standings. Nowhere is that truer than in the Eastern Conference where, as old powerhouses struggle to find their groove, various upstart clubs battle one another for the vacated space atop the table. Two of these upstart clubs will face off on Saturday as the Kansas City Wizards travel to Columbus to take on the Conference leading Crew.

Kansas City enters the match on uneven footing, having suffered a 2-0 loss to Toronto FC last weekend and with a middling 1-1-1 record over their last three games. The Wizards had only just secured the top of the league table from Chicago the previous week before surrendering it to the Crew, who come to Saturday’s match with a three game winning streak. That streak includes victories over DC United and Houston Dynamo, last year’s supporters shield winners and MLS cup winners, respectively.

Time will tell if Columbus can maintain their winning ways deep into the season and if they are truly ready to dominate such prestigious competition on a regular basis. The Crew have not made the playoffs since 2004. For now, however, Head Coach Sigi Schmid is fielding the scrappiest, gutsiest team in MLS. Twice in their last three games, the Crew took an early lead only to squander it and then roar back for a game winning goal.

The catalyst for the Crew’s resurgence, at least early on, appears to be Alejandro Moreno, who leads the team with four goals including game winners in the last two matches. Moreno came to Columbus from Houston last season and his work ethic fits the Crew’s personality perfectly. Twice against DC and again against Houston, Moreno battled his way deep into the opponent’s six yard box to win a header or bury a cross past the goalkeeper. That tenacity could be the maker for the Crew against Kansas City and as the season wears on.

Pulling the offensive strings alongside Moreno is Guillermo Barros Schelloto. Schelloto also came to Columbus last year from Argentina and, like Moreno, a year’s worth of familiarity has only made him more dangerous. More accurately, Schelloto makes his fellow teammates more dangerous. His three assists lead the team and his field vision unleashes players deep into enemy territory, like Frankie Hejduk against DC United and Robbie Rogers against Chivas USA.

Containing Schelloto’s attacking energy will fall to Kansas City’s formidable defensive presence; Jimmy Conrad in center defense and holding midfielder Kerry Zavagnin, along with third year defender Tyson Wahl. KC’s defense have tallied three shutouts in six games, including two out of the last three. Of more concern to Wizards head coach Curt Onalfo might be the surprising lack of scoring, only two goals over the last four games.

One possible explanation for the sputtering attack is the variety of players going forward and their relative lack of MLS experience. Outside back Chance Meyers, midfielder Roger Espinoza and Forwards Claudio Lopez and Ivan Trujillo are all new additions to the club as well as the league and it likely will take time for the varied and constant attack Onalfo throws at opponents to come together. The pieces appear to be there, however, and as savvy newcomers like Lopez and Espinoza mesh with team stalwarts like Scott Sealy and Davy Arnaud, Kansas City should become more dangerous going forward.

Major League Soccer’s regular season is a fickle institution that rarely rewards hot starts with postseason glamour. Strong teams may stumble early but, through consistent play and impossibly deep rosters, they tend to overtake the upstarts in the hot summer months and down the home stretch. For the first time in nearly five years, however, a slew of teams in Chicago, Kansas City, Columbus and even Toronto might challenge just who the strong teams actually are. Two of those teams take the field Saturday against each other. How the Wizards fair against the Crew (and vice versa) could determine who leads the pack come November and who gets left behind.