MLS Sporting Kansas City

KC Wizards vs. FC Dallas Game Notes

Published on April 21, 2006 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release


First vs. First

Major League Soccer's only team with a perfect record after three weeks of play, the first-place Kansas City Wizards travel to Texas this weekend to face Western Conference-leading FC Dallas in a nationally televised match on Sunday, April 23rd. Off to their first 3-0-0 start in team history, the Wizards lead the Eastern Conference by two points over D.C. United (2-0-1) by virtue of their three-game maximum nine points. FC Dallas, also at 2-0-1, is the only other undefeated team remaining in MLS.

Although nine points are the most the Wizards have ever had three games into the season, they by no means can claim that they are off to their best start in team history...but they very well could be on their way. When Kansas City won the MLS Cup in 2000, it opened the season with a 12-game unbeaten streak, posting ten wins and two draws (32 points), however that first draw came in week three against the now defunct Miami Fusion.

In addition to Sunday's match in Dallas being a showdown between the first-place teams from the Eastern and Western Conferences, it will also mark the first time that Wizards' forward Eddie Johnson will face his former club. It was thought Johnson might play against his former club for the first time at the Saturn Challenge Cup in Moore, Oklahoma during the preseason, but U.S. National Team duty a couple of days prior limited his availability. Johnson broke into MLS at the age of 17 with Dallas in 2001 and played five seasons for the club before being acquired by the Wizards in a trade this past off-season.

Kansas City is 15-13-6 all-time against FC Dallas, formerly the Dallas Burn prior to 2005, and has had relative success against its fellow Hunt Sports Group-owned brethren over the past five years. Dating back to June 21, 2000, the Wizards have lost just three times over the course of the last 17 meetings with a combined record of 8-3-6. Last year's two meetings both ended in draws, 3-3 in Kansas City and 2-2 in Dallas, and Kansas City is undefeated in its last five contests against the team from big D.

Sunday's match will also be the Wizards' first nationally televised (non-satellite package) game of the season and will be broadcast live on ESPN2 at 4:00 p.m. CT. Immediately following the match, both teams' reserve squads will take to the field for a reserve division match (it will not be televised). It will be the first of twelve reserve division matches for Kansas City's reserves and Dallas' second, the Hoops reserves lost to Real Salt Lake 1-0 in Dallas in week two.

As It Should Be

As one might expect from the team with the best record in the league, the Wizards moved into the top spot of ESPN Soccernet's Major League Soccer power rankings. And it is for good reason. Sporting the maximum nine points after three games, Kansas City leads the league with a +1.33 scoring margin. Tied with them is fellow Eastern Conference foe D.C. United, also with a +1.33 mark. Breaking it down into the two stats that go into scoring margin, the Wizards are tied for third in MLS averaging 2.00 goals per game, and they have only given up an average of 0.67 goals per game, second best in the league.

Fully Loaded Gun

I am going to keep coming back to it until something changes, because the longer the streak continues to more impressive that it is. Now six goals into the season and with a perfect 3-0-0 record, Kansas City is still yet to have any single player in its roster register a second goal. Every single goal that has been scored by the Wizards this season has been netted by a different player. Six goals, six different goal scorers. The same holds true in the assist category as all six of the Wizards' assists are credited to different players. No other team in the league with more than one goal can claim that every single one of its goals and assists this season has been from someone different than each of the ones prior. In fact, no other team could even make that claim after week two. Kansas City's multi-pronged attack is evidenced not only by its multiple scorers, but also from where their goals have come from. Two of the Wizards' goals have been scored by forwards, Eddie Johnson and Davy Arnaud, two by midfielders, Jack Jewsbury and Sasha Victorine, and last two have been tallied by defenders, Jose Luis Burciaga Jr. and Jimmy Conrad.

High Potency

In addition to Kansas City's offense being both potent and multi-faceted, it has also proven to be very efficient. As mentioned before, the Wizards are tied for third in the league averaging 2.00 goals per game, despite the fact that they are only ninth in the league in total shots with 32, just three ahead of the league low. So what does that mean, when they shoot they make them count. Over half of Kansas City's shots this season have been on frame, 17 in all, giving them a 53.1% shots on goal percentage. And they aren't soft, easy-to-handle shots that they are taking, over one in every three shots on goal that the Wizards have taken this season have wound up in the net (35.3%). In terms of total shots, Kansas City is putting away about one of every five shots it takes (18.8%). So who leads the Wizards in shots and where does he stand amongst the league leaders? Davy Arnaud and Eddie Johnson, with six each, are both are tied for 14th in MLS, that's right 14th. Which points back to the fact that the Wizards' attack is spread all across the field. In total Kansas City has seven different players with at least two shots after three weeks of play. Arnaud, Johnson, and Jose Luis Burciaga Jr. lead the team with three shots on goal apiece.

Another Brick In The Wall

On the surface Jimmy Conrad's game-winning goal less than four minutes into his 2006 regular season debut is what most would people would deem to be biggest contribution to last week's win against New England Revolution. But after one quick glance of the box score it quickly becomes apparent that it was the 2005 MLS Defender of the Year's return to the Wizards backline that produced something more impressive. Conrad, along with Shavar Thomas, Nick Garcia, Matt Groenwald, and Kerry Zavagnin, limited the Revs to a season-low two shots on goal, one in each half. When tested, goalkeeper Bo Oshoniyi stopped both of the New England shots on goal and was spectacular in the air on a night that exemplified what it meant to play in treacherous wind conditions. Oshoniyi and the rest of the defense also turned away seven Revolution corner kicks on the night en route to their first shutout of the season, lowering the Wizards' goals against average to a league second-best 0.67. Oshoniyi's play has been key in producing the Wizards' sub-1.00 GAA as he has stopped 13 shots of 15 shots on goals, the third most saves in MLS, for a league third-best 81.3% save percentage.

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Major League Soccer Stories from April 21, 2006


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