Wizards Blank Burn 4-0, Advance to U.S. Open Cup Semifinals
August 4, 2004 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release
Overland Park, KS- The Kansas City Wizards blanked the Dallas Burn 4-0 at the Blue Valley District Activities Complex on Wednesday night and advanced to the Semifinals of the 2004 U.S. Open Cup. Lead by four second half goals, the Wizards put on quite a show for the raucous, standing room-only crowd of 2,143. The Wizards will now host the San Jose Earthquakes at BVDAC on Tuesday, August 24th with the winner advancing to face the winner of Charleston Battery-Chicago Fire in the final.
The match got off to a frantic pace for both sides, with each team taking turns with crisp passes and long periods of possession while the dueling fan clubs for Kansas City and Dallas exchanged drum beats and chants throughout the match. The Wizards created the first chance of the game in the 11th minute when Chris Klein slotted a pass through the Burn defense into the box for an on rushing Davy Arnaud. Arnaud took one touch to create space for himself and let go of a 14 yard blast from the right side towards the near post. But the ball crashed off the upper right post and back into play.
The Wizards had another great opportunity in the 28th minute when Jose Burciaga switched fields to Nick Garcia and Garcia went charging down the right flank. As Garcia drew two defenders, forward Justin Detter was rushing into open space in the middle, nearly 35 yards on goal. Garcia slipped a pass through to Detter, who had no defenders within a 10-yard radius, as he moved in on goal. But the side referee raised a very late flag signaling Detter offside.
The second half started in much the fashion as the first with both sides pressuring deep into the opposing end, but neither able to penetrate the last line of defense.
Kansas City finally broke the scoreless tie in the 52nd minute when Chris Klein dispossessed Dallas midfielder Oscar Pareja near midfield and raced in on goal, making a tremendous run from just inside the center circle. Klein weaved around one Dallas defender with one more in his back pocket. Klein found space just outside the top of the box and rifled a right-footed shot past Scott Garlick and inside the right post. The Wizards doubled the lead just five minutes later after Chris Klein sent a ball into the box from the right side. Justin Detter squeezed between two Dallas defenders inside the six-yard box and laid out for a diving header, but his attempt was slapped away by Garlick with a great reaction. The ball quivered towards the left of Garlick, catching him out of place as Davy Arnaud ran in to collect the loose ball and pounded home his shot to put the Wizards up 2-0.
Davy Arnaud created another Wizards opportunity in the 73rd minute making a solo run down the right flank and piercing through the right side of the Dallas defense. As two Burn defenders closed in, and a third approaching, Arnaud played a perfect ball into the middle of the box where Justin Detter was alone with no one within five yards. Detter one-times a shot inside the near post to extend Kansas City's lead.
Kansas City had a chance to add another goal in the 86th minute when Klein steamrolled through the Dallas defense and played a short ball to Matt Taylor breaking in from the left side. Taylor side-stepped a defender and put a shot on frame, but Garlick reached out with his right hand to deflect the ball down and managed to collect it.
Kansas City continued to pressure right up to the final whistle and it paid off as Alex Zotinca, who came on in the 85th minute, and scored on a rocket from the right side in the 88th minute after being set up by Matt Taylor. With the 4-0 win, Kansas City will now host the San Jose Earthquakes in the semifinals of the U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday, August 24th. The match will again be held at the Blue Valley District Activities Complex and will kickoff at 7:30 p.m. CT.
The Wizards will be off this weekend and return to MLS action on Saturday, August 14th when they host the Earthquakes at Arrowhead Stadium. The match will kickoff at 3:00 p.m. CT and will be broadcast live on ESPN2.
Major League Soccer Stories from August 4, 2004
- Wizards Blank Burn 4-0, Advance to U.S. Open Cup Semifinals - Sporting Kansas City
- MetroStars' Amado Guevara Earns July Honda MLS Player Of The Month Honors - New York Red Bulls
- MetroStars to Host 2004 Copa Budweiser Tournament - New York Red Bulls
- MetroStars' Amado Guevara Earns July Honda MLS Player of the Month Honors - MLS
- L.A. Galaxy forward Alejandro Moreno obtains green card - LA Galaxy
- United Drives to Collect Cell Phones and Accessories in August - D.C. United
- MLS and HDNet announce remainder of 2004 broadcast schedule - MLS
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