October 20th, 2007 . 3:20 pm . By: Jason Benfield

In the first couple of weeks of the season, KC were the toast of the league.  They came out with a new attacking style of play, and absolutely pulverized DC in Washington on the second weekend.  Eddie Johnson was knocking in goals left and right, and the Wizards seemed like a team that would challenge for the MLS title.

Boy, how things have changed.  As defenses around the league tightened up, the KC attack has become less and less consistent.  EJ isn’t getting the chances he needs to be able to score goals.  A team that seemed a lock to compete for a championship now finds itself struggling just to qualify for the postseason.  Kansas City have won only a single game in their last eight and will probably need to win on Saturday in Dallas in order to make the playoffs.

Dallas will not make it easy for them.  Still struggling to find a good run of form, Dallas is expected to field it’s playoff lineup for the match.  Even though the game doesn’t mean anything in the standings, Dallas have got to start playing well.  This is their last opportunity to get things right.

THE GOALIES

Hartman was a very solid goalie during the early years of his career in LA, but he has slipped a bit in the last couple of years.  He always relied on his quickness to be a solid shot stopper, but now that the quickness is going, his weakness in positioning is getting exposed.  He can also be beaten high, as he isn’t able to cover the corners of the goal.  He is still adequate for MLS, but is not a top tier goalie.

Dallas have a decision to make.  Burse has two strong performances back to back; does Morrow go with youth heading into the playoffs, or does he fall back to the experienced Sala?  Whomever starts this game will get the nod for the first round in the playoffs, barring a disastrous performance.  Sala hasn’t been fully fit since midseason, so Burse is probably the choice here.

Advantage: Kansas City.  This is a big game for KC, and experience wins out in clutch situations.

THE DEFENSE

On paper, Kansas City should have one of the best defensive units in the league.  Conrad has become a starter at the international level, while Garcia has always been a pretty good MLS player and fringe national teamer.  Burciaga provides athleticism and speed on the left, while Jewsbury is a solid defender on the right.  However, similar to FCD, they have not quite put it together this season.  KC always finds a way to concede at least one goal, and only two teams in the league have given up more.  Garcia and Conrad haven’t been as strong as expected in the middle, Burciaga is often out of position, and Jewsbury just doesn’t have the athleticism to stay with the better wingers in the league.

The Dallas backline is a bit up in the air.  Wagenfuhr looks to have taken the starting position away from Gbandi for the rest of the year on the left.  Goodson, after missing the last game, will be back in the middle.  With Rhine suspended, Moor will take his familiar position on the right side.  The question becomes: will Serioux play as the other center back, or is Yi or Pitch inserted in his place?  With Ricchetti coming back into the picture, Serioux probably plays on the backline.

Advantage: Even.  Both teams have good players, but are not tight as a unit. 

THE MIDFIELD

The hub of the Kansas City midfield is Zavagnin.  The former US international is their calming influence, ball winner, and links the defense to the attack.  He has been underrated for years in MLS, but is a very good passer going forward.  His work allows the other central midfielder to concentrate on the attack.  Unfortunately for the Wizards, he is out for Saturday’s match.  His spot will be taken by Victorine, a solid and versatile player with a good work rate, but nothing special.  Arnaud plays on the right, where he has been solid all season and is a threat on free kicks as well as shots from distance.  Harrington is on the left; after a solid start to the year, he has struggled a bit at the close but has good pace and a really nice cross.  Two players are candidates for the attacking midfield slot.  Morsink is a rookie who has played from time to time.  Although he has put in some decent performances, he does not have a goal or assist to his name at this point.  Marinelli was brought in to really be the creative force in the midfield.  However, the Argentine has been out of shape, and for each brilliant touch, gives the ball away several times.  He can be extremely frustrating to watch as moments of incredible play are wasted when he doesn’t give the ball up quick enough.  He is extremely gifted with his left foot, however, and is always dangerous when on the ball.  He is a more effective version of Denilson.  He will probably be given the starting nod with the Wizards needing to come up with goals, and a win, on the road.

The Dallas midfield is in as much flux as the defense.  Toja, Alvarez, and Ricchetti are locks, but the fourth position is up in the air.  Denilson got the nod in the last match, but it may have been the last chance to put in an effective performance.  If he doesn’t start on the left, either Dax will be brought into the fold, or we could see Serioux and Ricchetti pair at defensive midfield with Toja at left mid.  Denilson is expected to play, but don’t be surprised if he is forced to come off the bench, especially with Ruiz back in the lineup.

Advantage: FCD.

THE ATTACK

EJ and Sealy are the first choice tandem at the top for Kansas City.  Johnson got off to a fast start to the campaign, but continues to be a poor finisher.  In the first few games, he had so many chances that he was eventually able to collect and score a goal (or goals).  As the season has progressed, and defenses have become more organized, his chances have decreased while his finishing rate has remained the same, hence resulting in much fewer goals as the season has gone on.  Sealy is okay, but nothing special.  He is a better finisher than EJ, but lacks the speed and athleticism to create as many opportunities.  He is a solid second forward in the league.  Columbiano comes off the bench as a late game sub to provide energy, but his finishing has been poor.

Dallas gets Ruiz back, and he is a lock as a starter.  His partner will probably be Cooper, whom Morrow is desperately trying to get fit for the postseason.  The two generally do not partner well as they have the same detriments in their game: poor first touch, poor passes, and limited speed.  Oduro is an option off the bench with speed, while Abe is a sub as a target player.

Advantage: KC.  EJ has had a bigger impact than Ruiz this season, while Sealy is in better form than Cooper.

POSSIBLE LINEUPS

FC Dallas

Kansas City Wizards

WHEN DALLAS ATTACKS

KC are strong in the middle, and should be able to handle the Dallas forwards okay.  Conrad and Garcia are both extremely physical players, and can deal with Ruiz, while Conrad has the size to be able to neutralize Cooper.  The key to the Dallas attack will be attacking the wings, particularly on the left side of the attack.  Arnaud doesn’t track back much, and Denilson has a significant athletic and skill advantage over Jewsbury.  Conrad and Garcia can suffer communication lapses if there is enough movement at the top; unfortunately, when Cooper and Ruiz pair together, movement is lacking in the Dallas attack.  If the Dallas defense can play well, KC will be forced to push numbers into the attack; this will allow Dallas to bring in Oduro off the bench against a defense that is stretched out and can be exposed for speed.

WHEN KANSAS CITY ATTACKS

Kansas City is very active at the top and will attempt to expose the Dallas team defense through movement and speed.  In the beginning of the season, KC were very effective on the counter with EJ, but teams don’t press numbers forward very frequently anymore.  Instead, they try to force the Wizards to build an attack through possession, thus negating the impact of Johnson on the game.  Last week, Dallas really worked on keeping their defensive shape against Chivas; strong organization will be required here as well in order to keep a clean sheet.  Other than the counter, KC relies on free kicks to score.  This has been a weakness of Dallas, both in the number of fouls committed around the box this season, as well as the ability to mark on set pieces.  Kc have several players who can do well in the air, and Burciaga, Arnaud, and Marinelli can absolutely hammer free kicks.  Also, keep your eye on Arnaud on the KC right midfield; he could pose a lot of problems for Wagenfuhr.

FINAL ANALYSIS

Kansas City needs to win this game, but Dallas have a lot to gain by playing well and entering the playoffs on a high note.  This should be a pretty entertaining affair, especially with KC needing to score some goals.  While KC may have a better forward pairing, the loss of Zavagnin in this game is huge.  Dallas have a much better midfield, and should be able to control the pace of the game, forcing KC to press forward and expose the back.  Dallas score twice before KC are able to pull one back before the death.

FCD 2, KC 1

Categories: Match Preview.

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