MLS Major League Soccer

Wizards Outlast Galaxy in OT, 2-1

Published on October 11, 2003 under Major League Soccer (MLS) News Release


KANSAS CITY, MO - The Kansas City Wizards guaranteed themselves either the second or third seed in the Western Conference following a controversial 2-1 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Galaxy Saturday night at Arrowhead Stadium.

The golden goal came in the closing moments of the first overtime period, as the Wizards took a restart from near the penalty arc. Midfielder Chris Klein made a dummy run over the ball, maneuvering into position to pick the up Preki's pass. Klein lashed a low, hard shot through traffic, cleanly beating goalkeeper Kevin Hartman, only to see his shot ring off the base of the far post and carom back out into play.

Klein collected his own rebound and, left unattended behind the Galaxy defenders, played a square ball across the mouth of the goal for Igor Simutenkov, who easily tapped it into the gaping net.

The play was ruled initially ruled offside, since both Klein and Simutenkov were well behind the last Galaxy defenders. However, a consultation with the Assistant Referees, referee Kevin Stott overturned the call and awarded the golden goal to the Wizards.

It was determined that since Klein had played the ball laterally and since Simutenkov was behind the ball when the pass was made, that there was no offside infraction.

The game-winning goal guarantees the Wizards the second or third position in the Western Conference when they advance into the MLS Cup Playoffs. Los Angeles can finish no higher than fourth, setting up a Los Angeles-San Jose pairing for the opening round of the postseason.

The Wizards notched the only goal of the first half, as Kerry Zavagnin's defensive pressure resulted in a valuable turnover on the edge of the Galaxy penalty area in the 13th minute. Goalkeeper Kevin Hartman rolled the ball out to midfielder Pete Vagenas as the Galaxy started to build out of the back, but Zavagnin swooped in and robbed him of possession. Alone with the ball on the edge of the box, Zavagnin took one more touch and unleashed a shot on net. The ball took a minor deflection off of the legs of Galaxy defender Alexi Lalas, who had tracked back in an attempt to break up the play. The deflection nudged the ball out of the reach of Hartman, and Zavagnin's shot found the netting inside the far post for the 1-0 lead.

Wolde Harris forced a tough save out of Hartman in the 24th minute, taking a dangerous touch on a ball that bounced through the penalty area and across the mouth of the goal. Hartman was able to quickly change directions, however, and leap back towards the far post to touch the attempt away.

The Galaxy equalized on the strength of a Carlos Ruiz penalty kick in the 67th minute. Midfielder Guillermo "Memo" Gonzalez, making his first MLS start in place of Mauricio Cienfuegos, slipped a ball into the top of the penalty area for Ruiz. The Guatemalan striker turned defender Diego Gutierrez with an artful touch of the ball, only to be brought down from behind as Gutierrez attempted to recover. On the ensuing penalty kick, Ruiz forced goalkeeper Tony Meola to commit with a slow, leisurely approach to the ball before slotting it to the lower left corner.

The goal, Ruiz's 15th, ties him with New England's Taylor Twellman for the League lead in goals scored this year. With Twellman out for the season with a stress fracture in his foot, Ruiz is in position to become the only player in MLS history to lead the League outright in goals scored in two consecutive seasons.

Despite the loss, Hartman posted an impressive performance in net, being called upon several times to turn away dangerous chances by the Wizards. In the 71st minute of play, Hartman needed his full extension to make a diving save on a Klein attempt, and he was forced to concede a corner four minutes later by pushing a rising Eric Quill shot over the crossbar.

The Galaxy (8-12-8, 32 points) have lost three matches in a row, and have only one win in their last six outings. The result guarantees a first-round pairing with the League-leading San Jose Earthquakes in the MLS Cup Quarterfinals. The `Quakes and Galaxy finish their 2003 regular seasons with a pair of home-and-home matches. The first match is at The Home Depot Center on October 18th at 10:00 pm ET.

The Wizards (10-10-8, 38 points) extend their current winning streak to three consecutive matches. The win guarantees a first-round pairing with the Colorado Rapids, but it is still undecided which team will enjoy the home-field advantage. The Wizards hose the Dallas Burn next Saturday, October 18th, at Arrowhead Stadium.

MLSnet Man of the Match - Kevin Hartman (Los Angeles Galaxy)

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Major League Soccer Stories from October 11, 2003


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