After the Kansas City Wizards roared back for a 3-2 win in stoppage time against the Columbus Crew, head coach Curt Onalfo had a lot of positives to take from the night's events.
Sure, the Wizards had gained a measure of security in their bid to return to the MLS Cup Playoffs, but perhaps more importantly, all three Kansas City goals came from the striker pair of Eddie Johnson and Scott Sealy. Johnson's penalty kick put him at 15 goals on the season, tied for second in the league, and Sealy's two goals -- both sensational strikes -- earned him MLS Player of the Week honors and took him to four on the season.
"Scott Sealy had two goals and really helped us up top, which is great because it takes some pressure off of Eddie," said Onalfo.
Opposing teams have been able to focus on shutting down the electric-quick Johnson with somewhat limited fear of other Wizards this season. Sealy was also on the field only for 18 minutes of Johnson's back-to-back hat tricks earlier in the season; in fact, he has not been on the field with Johnson much at all due to his injury-plagued season. After starting the opening game of the season together, it's only been the last five games, starting with the Aug. 22 win against Chicago, that they've again been partnered together in the starting 11.
But it's also true that MLS teams know that the smooth Sealy is a force to dealt with, after scoring nine and 10 goals respectively in his first two seasons in the league. Furthermore, the relationship between the Trinidad native and the Floridian run much deeper than just taking pressure off of Johnson.
One need only recall the Wizards' season-opening 4-2 victory at D.C. United's RFK Stadium on April 14. That night Johnson scored one and provided two assists while Sealy punched in one and assisted on one. Saturday night's totals were reminiscent: one goal and one assist for Johnson and two goals for Sealy.
"It was just a matter of time for him to get back healthy. We know he's a big part of this team. We showed in the opener against D.C. what we can do when we play together," said Johnson. "We had great moments tonight playing off of each other, running off of each other, and combining with each other. It's just a matter of time before we start clicking."
In the past, Onalfo has mentioned how his ideal lineup involved the pairing early on in the preseason. Nothing has changed -- it has been only Sealy's ankle and groin that have gotten in the way.
"They have a really good relationship; they have a confidence in each other. When you have two forwards who work well together in terms of helping us defend and starting our pressure, that's good. ... If you look at our forward play all year long, we've never really found that balance," Onalfo said.
As the partnership develops further, it can only help the club achieve greater heights. However, on a personal level, it could also help Johnson reach his stated aim of 20 goals. At the moment, his 15 are behind only the league-leading 19 goals from D.C. United striker Luciano Emilio.
"Absolutely Emilio's performance motivates me. I think he's a great striker. He's clinical in front of goal and very consistent. Seeing his performance helps push me to score week in and week out," said Johnson. "My job is to score. Curt put a big responsibility on me this year. His expectations for me are high, and he's going to hold me accountable to them."
While some could look as his penalty kick conversion against the Crew on Saturday as an easy finish, it represented much more for Johnson -- especially as it pulled the Wizards level in stoppage time before Sealy's game-winner.
"It was a play to keep my confidence and to show this team that [they can] come and jump on my back," he said. "I'm going to do whatever I have to do to take this team to the playoffs."
With Sealy as a partner, Johnson and the Wizards could be on their way to even more. When asked if he feels Johnson and Sealy will gel further as a pair as they see increased time together, a gleam came into Onalfo's eye. "I think so," he said.