Kansas City Wizards Bow Out of SuperLiga After 3-1 Loss
Published on June 28, 2009 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release
(June 28, 2009) - The Kansas City Wizards (0-1-2, 2 pts) fell Sunday to Santos Laguna of Mexico 3-1 at CommunityAmerica Ballpark. With the win, Santos advances to the SuperLiga semifinals Wednesday, July 15 against Tigres UANL at Gillette Stadium. Striker Claudio Lopez scored Kansas City's lone goal, bending home a free kick from 25 yards out in the 80th minute. The Wizards return to action Tuesday with an away match against the Minnesota Thunder (USL-1) in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
The match started furiously, with Kansas City nearly taking the lead in the 2nd minute through a Matt Besler cross to Josh Wolff. Wolff snapped a header on goal, but he was judged offside. In the 13th minute, Santos striker Matias Vuoso was free behind the Kansas City defense, but goalkeeper Kevin Hartman came quickly off his line to deny the breakaway attempt.
Kansas City then hit the cross bar in the 28th minute off a shot from winger Herculez Gomez. Defender Aaron Hohlbein put Gomez through with a long ball from the defensive third. Gomez was running diagonally away from goal, but saw that Santos goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez was off his line. Gomez hit a running volley from a difficult angle that dipped down over Sanchez but struck the cross bar before bouncing clear.
The Wizards had a pair of chances to open the second half with a goal, but goalkeeper Sanchez denied them both times. In the 49th minute, Lopez hit a side-volley cross from the left toward Herculez Gomez on the right side of the penalty area. Gomez directed a header toward the back post, but Sanchez covered the shot. In the 53rd minute, substitute midfielder Davy Arnaud took a free kick from the left sideline, finding forward Josh Wolff on a near-post run. Wolff slid to redirect the shot on goal, but Sanchez was well positioned to hold the effort.
Santos then took the lead in the 61st minute. Walter Jimenez slipped Agustin Herrera through between a pair of Wizards defenders, and Herrera buried a shot from 15 yards out into the back of the net for a 1-0 Santos advantage. Matias Vuoso added to the Santos lead in the 74th minute, nodding home a cross from Osmar Mares to push the Mexican club's lead to 2-0.
Kansas City answered back through Lopez in the 80th minute. Lopez stood over a free kick 25 yards from goal and blasted a curling shot up and down over the wall and into the right-side netting for his 1st SuperLiga goal and his 5th in all competitions. The shot pulled the Wizards within a goal, down 2-1. The Wizards continued to push until Santos added an insurance goal on the counter late in second-half stoppage time to seal victory.
Fernando Arce took a ball up the right wing on the counter attack, squaring a pass for Juan Pablo Rodriguez at the penalty spot. Rodriguez turned and buried a left-footed shot inside the back post for a 3-1 lead just before the final whistle.
Kansas City will play a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match this Tuesday, June 30 at the Minnesota Thunder at 7:35 p.m. CT. The Wizards then return to MLS League play next Saturday, July 4 against the red-hot Houston Dynamo at CommunityAmerica Ballpark at 8 p.m. CT. Fans are encouraged to stay for the largest fireworks spectacular in Kansas City after the game. The Wizards will host several family-friendly events to celebrate America's Independence Day including: a dunk tank, soccer inflatables, apple bobbing, sidewalk chalk and a halftime relay race.
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