Kansas City Wizards 2007 Review: Limits of Positive Thinking

Kansas City Wizards

Record (W-L-T): 11-12-7; 45 GF, 45 GA

Source Material: Schedule/match reports; roster

 

(NOTE: Sorry about the format – e.g. the automatic, uncorrectable double-spacing; I transferred this from Word – which, curiously enough, works on a Mac. CHRIST, I hate when these fucking machines make my formatting decisions for me. Fuck you Bill Gates! You don’t know what I want!)

Overview

New England Revolution fan that I am (even if I run hot-cold), it’s not too surprising that I gathered my impression of the Kansas City Wizards 2007 season through that team – specifically, a late May 4-3 run-‘n’-gun win and a pair of bustling, barging losses in August. The former confirmed reports of a new, attack-happy approach under new coach Kurt Onalfo; the latter, on the other hand, revealed its limitations against a team willing to play the heavies. The dates of both games are crucial as well: the forward-looking style had KC creeping toward “darling” status in the season’s early going – as in, thank God, a team that tries to win – while the August loss came during a time when it seemed like they’d again miss the post-season. They made it in the end, of course: they even won their first-round series against Chivas USA. But it wasn’t as the same team that started 2007.

 

Like a couple other Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs, KC was one of the hot start, cool finish sides – and there’s some truth to this narrative, though it’s more complicated than that. KC definitely started well – going 6-2-2 from the April opening to the first weeks of June – and the rot did sneak in immediately after in the form of a six-game winless streak. What followed, however, constitutes one of the weirder pattern of results I’ve ever seen….or, perhaps, noticed. Apart from a “blip” in July when they picked up two wins, the Wizards kind of staggered through the remainder of 2007 and into the playoffs on the back of just one win per month.

(My) MLS News Wire: Tu y Yo, Eloy, Eloy, Eloy

– The Kansas City Star reports that the Kansas City Wizards added to Major League Soccer’s (MLS) Argie contingent with the signing of Eloy Colombano.  WVHooligan has some thoughts.  My thoughts: I’m more worried about these guys’ defense; I mean, they’ve got Yura Movsisyan.  And what does this/could this mean for Carlos Marinelli?

– The Screaming Eagles Podcast breaks down the MLS standings in yet another way: by points-per-game.  Seems like a good measure to me, at least for clocking streaks.  FYI, sez there that Toronto FC ain’t gonna make it.

– The author of the FC Dallas Offside concludes his debate on the designated player rule with the argument “fer”; “agin,” in case you missed it, came out last week…and I think his heart was more in that one.