Showing they can perform at home as well as on the road, the Kansas City Wizards used a pair of goals from rookie sensation Scott Sealy and one from Jack Jewsbury to defeat the Chicago Fire 3-0 Friday and leap over them to grab second place in the Eastern Conference.
Sealy increased his already impressive scoring pace by contributing his eighth goal and ninth goals of the season on either side of halftime and second-half substitute Jewsbury drove the nail in Chicago's coffin with a 73rd-minute goal.
After a few tackles from each side set the tone, the first clear chance of the match was earned by an industrious Davy Arnaud, whose initial shot was blocked at the top of Chicago's penalty area. Arnaud touched the rebound to his right and launched a shot that Fire goalkeeper Matt Pickens had to extend fully to his right to push outside his post.
Three minutes later Arnaud was at the start and end of a three-pass exchange that saw him hit open space with only Pickens to beat, but his touch failed him and the 'keeper swallowed the chance.
The visiting Fire were able to hold possession for extended periods, but Kansas City's well-positioned defenders spoiled their steady diet of flank service. Justin Mapp beat Nick Garcia on the left of the Wizards area in the 26th minute, but his subsequent cross was easily grabbed by goalkeeper Bo Oshoniyi for the Fire's first threat.
On the very next foray down field the Wizards struck. Left back Jose Burciaga Jr. won possession at midfield and barreled down the left side of the Fire's penalty area. His low ball into the goalmouth was pushed out by Pickens and then was struck by defender Jim Curtin's foot.
The ball rolled towards the goal as the netminder remained prone on the pitch. Sealy was able to pounce and MLS's leading rookie goal scorer easily put in his eighth of the season from almost on the goal line.
The misplay from Pickens was due to an ankle injury suffered on the play and he was replaced by regular starter Zach Thornton before the game was a half-hour old.
To start the second half, Jewsbury replaced Josh Wolff, who had suffered a right rib contusion. The play on the field began much as the first, but two successive chances for the Wizards enlivened play in the 58th and 59th minutes.
First, Sealy received a pass just inside the Chicago half while surrounded by Fire defenders. The Trinidad & Tobago international played smartly out right to an overlapping Chris Klein. He glided away from net, but his heavy shot forced Thornton to one hand the ball away to his right.
Then Jewsbury moved around teammate Sealy at the penalty arc and unleashed a left-footed blinder that a fortunate Thornton could only watch strike the outside of his left post.
The chances were a statement that the match would shortly become theirs, and the Wizards doubled their lead in the 72nd minute. Kerry Zavagnin won a tackle near midfield and sent a long ball that found Sealy on the left wing. He latched onto in and dribbled in on Thornton, and with the Fire 'keeper sliding feet first, Sealy coolly spun the ball into the open net for his second of the night and his seventh in his last seven games.
The Wizards took an insurmountable three-goal lead a minute later as Klein played in a ball behind the Fire defense to a slicing Jewsbury. The Springfield, Mo., native rounded Thornton to the right of goal and put the ball high into the left side of the net to put the game out of reach with his fourth goal of the season.
With the win, the Wizards took over second place in the East, with D.C. United still to play on Saturday evening at home against the Los Angeles Galaxy. The Wizards now await their next MLS match in one week against the Columbus Crew, but first they will play host to USL First Division (second tier) side Minnesota Thunder on Wednesday in the quarterfinals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
MLSnet.com Man of the Match: Scott Sealy (Kansas City Wizards)
Chicago Fire (12-10-3) vs. Kansas City Wizards (11-5-8)
August 19, 2005 -- Arrowhead Stadium
Scoring Summary:
KC -- Scott Sealy 8 (unassisted) 26
KC -- Scott Sealy 9 (Kerry Zavagnin 3) 72
KC -- Jack Jewsbury 4 (Chris Klein 8 ) 73
Chicago Fire -- Matt Pickens (Zach Thornton 30), Logan Pause (Chad Barrett 71), Jim Curtin, Gonzalo Segares, C.J. Brown, John Thorrington, Chris Armas (Will Johnson 78), Jesse Marsch, Justin Mapp, Chris Rolfe, Thiago.
Substitutes Not Used: Samuel Caballero, Jack Stewart.
TOTAL SHOTS: 6 (Chris Rolfe 2); SHOTS ON GOAL: 2 (Justin Mapp 1, Chris Rolfe 1); FOULS: 7 (Chris Armas 2); OFFSIDES: 1 (Justin Mapp 1); CORNER KICKS: 2 (Chris Armas 1, Justin Mapp 1); SAVES: 6 (Matt Pickens 3, Zach Thornton 3)
Kansas City Wizards -- Bo Oshoniyi, Nick Garcia, Jimmy Conrad (Brian Roberts 81), Shavar Thomas, Jose Burciaga Jr. (Diego Gutierrez 76), Chris Klein, Sasha Victorine, Kerry Zavagnin, Davy Arnaud, Scott Sealy, Josh Wolff (Jack Jewsbury 46).
Substitutes Not Used: Dustin Branan, Will Hesmer, Ryan Pore, Preki, Khari Stephenson, Alex Zotinca.
TOTAL SHOTS: 14 (Scott Sealy 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 9 (Scott Sealy 3); FOULS: 11 (Kerry Zavagnin 3); OFFSIDES: 0; CORNER KICKS: 2 (Chris Klein 2); SAVES: 2 (Bo Oshoniyi 2)
Misconduct Summary:
KC -- Jose Burciaga Jr. (caution; Pushing, Holding) 40 KC -- Diego Gutierrez (caution; Reckless Foul) 90
Referee: Mark Geiger
Referee's Assistants: Robert Fereday; Chip Reed
4th Official: Brad Clem
Attendance: 7,724
Time of Game: 1:50
Weather: Cloudy-and-82-degrees