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US: MLS Preview- Kansas City Wizards v Columbus Crew [Thu Aug 25th, 2005]
Kansas City Wizards (11-5-8, 41 pts) v Columbus Crew (7-12-3, 24 pts)
When: 8:00 pm ET, Friday, August 26
Where: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
For the second consecutive Friday night the Kansas City Wizards host an MLS game, giving fans a chance to combine happy hour and tailgating.
They hope to repeat the result, a 3-0 win over Chicago, and win the season series against the Crew that stands at 1-1-1 going into their final match. The ‘Zards have dominated teams at home, losing only once in eleven matches, while Columbus have yet to win away from Crew Stadium this season.
Kansas City, while not winning their last four matches in league play since a loss in Columbus, had a disappointing mid-week loss in the US Open Cup, being knocked out by USL side Minnesota Thunder. In Friday’s match they’ll welcome back defenders Jimmy Conrad and Jose Burciaga Jr. from their trip to Madrid, as well as pairing Josh Wolff with the red-hot Scott Sealy up top.
Sealy has scored six times in Kansas City’s last seven matches, including two in their last three.
The Crew’s results in the month of August haven’t been nearly as impressive as KC’s, only winning one of three matches. The honeymoon for head coach Robert Warzycha seems to be over, as they have returned to the same type of results from early in the season.
A proven striker has yet to be found and only one player — Knox Cameron, who had a brace the last time these teams met — has more than one goal under Warzycha’s guide, though Cornell Glen may have gotten back on track with a strike last week against Dallas.
The defence, which gives up almost two goals per game on the road, will need to buckle down, though they will benefit from the fact that Chad Marshall does not need a passport to travel to Kansas City.
With a win the ‘Zards can move to the top of the table in MLS until Saturday night’s results roll in. Their recent run should continue against a Crew side that might just be happy to get through a full ninety minutes without a weather delay.
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