While the final quarter of the 2005 season was disappointing for the Kansas City Wizards, no huge overhaul of the club was necessary to keep it a legitimate Major League Soccer playoff contender this year.
The Wizards were knocked out of the MLS Cup Playoffs on the final day of the season after failing to win any of their final eight games (four ties and four losses). Once in the playoffs, all of the Wizards' dreams could have come true, as happened for the Los Angeles Galaxy. L.A. won the MLS Cup coming out of the Western Conference after qualifying for the playoffs with the lowest point total among the eight playoff teams -- which, by the way, was the same number as the Wizards.
"Coming off an end of a season like that, I think everybody's raring to go for the first game and can't wait for it to get here," forward Davy Arnaud said.
So the Wizards' first season in the Eastern Conference was indeed a tough one.
To strengthen the squad, the Wizards traded for U.S. international forward Eddie Johnson and traded away two veteran players, defender/midfielder Diego Gutierrez and midfielder Chris Klein.
The moves give the Wizards a younger look. Gutierrez, 32, and Klein, 30, were two of the three oldest field players on the squad. Johnson, in addition to being just 21, is one of the top goal-scoring talents in MLS.
The biggest challenge Wizards coach Bob Gansler has faced in the preseason has been to build team cohesion on and the off the field in two months before the April 1 season opener against Columbus.
That task has not been easy. The Wizards did not acquire Johnson until Feb. 14. Johnson and three other Wizards have been away for most of the preseason with the U.S. national team as they prepare for this summer's FIFA World Cup.
The Wizards finally had the entire squad together for the first time in the preseason for a trip to Germany. The Wizards won two of the three exhibitions during their 12-day stay and drew with Bundesliga club 1. FC Nurnberg.
"I thought it was a good excursion to Germany. I think we got a lot of things done both on the field and on field," Gansler said. "As far as the all of us are concerned, I think we are ready to go tomorrow."
The entire squad will be on board for season opener. But the Wizards could be hit hard by national team call-ups for the World Cup. Defender Jimmy Conrad, midfielder Kerry Zavagnin and forwards Josh Wolff and Johnson could all be on the U.S. squad. And forward Scott Sealy could be called into the Trinidad & Tobago squad.
Most of the Wizards' 28-man roster could be called upon to keep the club successful during the season. Any player called for national team duty could miss as many as 10, perhaps 11, games.
One of the young players the Wizards are likely to press into service from the season opener is Matt Groenwald at right back. Groenwald, a third-round pick in this year's SuperDraft, has been in the starting 11 throughout the exhibition season.
The rest of the defense is set with Conrad and Nick Garcia in the middle and Jose Burciaga Jr. on the left. Conrad won Defender of the Year honors in MLS in 2005 and was a finalist for the award in 2004. Garcia is a rugged defender with speed while Burciaga played all but one game last season, shaking off injuries he suffered in 2002 and 2003. Veteran Shavar Thomas is ready to step in if Conrad is called into the U.S. team. Rookie Tyson Wahl has also done well in the preseason and can also step in as a central defender.
"Defensively, I think we've added a little more depth, which we have needed to do," Garcia said. "It's just a matter of going out there and scoring the goals, not allowing other teams to score on us and winning 1-0."
With Johnson making the Wizards even more of a threat to score, the Wizards might have to fend off fewer attacks with a defense that is already relatively solid.
"It makes the other team more aware of what we have offensively," Garcia said. "That, in turn, takes a little bit of pressure off us in the back because there is only so much we can do to hold the fort together."
Zavagnin holds down the Wizards defensive midfielder spot. Sasha Victorine and Jack Jewsbury will have mainly attacking roles in midfield. Versatile Alex Zotinca can fill in any of those spots and in defense when needed.
With the number of potential national team call-ups, the Wizards need all the forwards they can get. Johnson and Wolff will form possibly the most formidable strike tandem in MLS. Sealy and Arnaud are proven goal-scorers who can step in when needed. Arnaud scored five goals and assisted on four others last season, but that was about half his 2004 total of nine goals and eight assists.
With the number of forwards available, the Wizards might use three forwards this season instead of two.
"That's the idea. We have a lot of potential going forward," Arnaud said. "It's not a situation where teams can focus on one or two players. We have a number of players who can contribute going forward."
In spite of playing every minute of the 2005 regular season, goalkeeper Bo Oshoniyi is being pushed for his starting job by Will Hesmer, who spent his first year with the Wizards playing only in reserve division and U.S. Open Cup games. Only one goalkeeper in MLS faced more shots last season than Oshoniyi, who posted seven shutouts.
"Bo had a pretty good year last year," Gansler said. "We felt all year long that Will was ready to play and we still feel the same way. So if you are asking me who is going to start on April 1, please come and watch."
Because the entire squad did not train for much of the preseason, the Wizards might start slowly, but could be quite dangerous when they get it rolling. How the Wizards do will also depend on how well younger players perform in place of players called into national team duty.
"It's going to be very important for everybody to realize that they are going to have a role to play on this team," Victorine said. "Some days they might not play and some days they might play 90 minutes. That means that guys are going to have stay fit during the year and realize that when their number is called they have got to perform."
Robert Whitman is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
