At first glance, the Kansas City Wizards seem a large underdog heading into Saturday's Western Conference Championship against Houston Dynamo at Robertson Stadium.
"Houston is the defending champs. They have a lot of veteran experience, they have guys who have won championships," said Wizards leading scorer Eddie Johnson.
Dynamo's overtime win last week against FC Dallas in the second leg of their semifinal series and their dramatic come-from-behind win after extra time and penalty kicks against the New England Revolution in MLS Cup 2006 also means they have the steely nerves necessary for games like a conference final. They will also be cheered on by an orange-clad throng certain to be large.
"They're going to have a great crowd down there," said Wizards midfielder Davy Arnaud of the 30,000 expected. "I was down there for the conference final last year, and the atmosphere was great. I'm sure it's going to be the same thing [this year]."
Lastly, Houston simply has a lot of talent and terrific leadership.
"I have the utmost respect for Houston. I think their coach is outstanding; he's done an unbelievably great job not only this year but last year [too]. ... They have five excellent attacking players in [Brian] Ching, [Joseph] Ngwenya, [Brian] Mullan, [Dwayne] De Rosario, and [Brad] Davis, even [Nate] Jaqua as well," said Wizards head man Curt Onalfo.
But the Wizards have plenty of counterpunches for Houston's might.
"Having said all that, we have a very dangerous team as well with a lot of good attacking players with a commitment to pushing numbers forward and being dangerous putting teams on their heels," said Onalfo. "We move very well defensively as a team in how we press the ball."
The Wizards intestinal fortitude has been on display in the last three matches as well. They defeated FC Dallas in must-win situation to make the playoffs and then beat Chivas USA 1-0 in the home leg of their semifinal series, finishing off Chivas by holding on for a third consecutive shutout in the second leg.
And, as Onalfo mentioned, the Wizards have plenty of dangerous individual talent too -- forwards Eddie Johnson and Scott Sealy and midfielders Davy Arnaud and Sasha Victorine among others.
But perhaps the most significant element in the Wizards corner was brought to light by Victorine, a veteran of numerous conference finals.
"[Winning in a conference final] comes down a lot more to the style of play and how your team plays as a team rather than the individuals," he said.
Team play has been a focus all year for the Wizards, but how the group has come together as of late has galvanized the club.
"I'm proud of these guys, their commitment to get better each day, and the heart and determination they have shown over the last three games," said Onalfo.
Dynamo finished 12 points ahead of the Wizards in the regular season, and while Houston was in the chase for the Supporters' Shield until late in the season, the Wizards took until the final weekend to book their ticket for the postseason. But Kansas City easily embraces their underdog role.
"The pressure is all on them. ... The coaches are going to prepare us, and it's all just about putting it on the line again," said Johnson.
The Wizards are the latest in a series of teams that have risen in the face of difficult tasks, and they are not done, except in the eyes of many prognosticators who, with little debate, have tabbed Dynamo to go through to MLS Cup 2007.
"I have enormous confidence in this group of players and this team," said Onalfo. "I don't really care what anybody says; people can talk all they want. What matters is what happens during 90 minutes, and our guys are going to be very well prepared and are excited for the challenge."
Bob Rusert is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
