A Herculez Gomez goal with literally the final kick of the game, three minutes deep into stoppage time, gave the Kansas City Wizards a 3-2 win against the San Jose Earthquakes at CommunityAmerica Ballpark on Saturday night and kept them in lead position to reach the MLS Cup Playoffs.
Claudio Lopez played his designated-player role to a "T", scoring the Wizards' opening goal in the 18th minute, then after Scott Sealy equalized for San Jose two minutes later, Lopez set up Davy Arnaud to put Kansas City ahead at halftime. But substitute Shea Salinas scored in the 71st minute that set the stage for the wild finish, where a Lopez corner was knocked home by Gomez.
The victory gives the Wizards 39 points on the season, and after the New York Red Bulls' 3-1 win against Columbus earlier, leaves the two teams tied for the two wild card spots with one game remaining. The Wizards hold the tiebreaker in the event the teams remain tied.
With the loss, the Earthquakes were eliminated from playoff contention in their expansion season after a two-year hiatus from the league.
The Wizards lineup, consistent lately, was slightly adjusted by coach Curt Onalfo as forward Josh Wolff was unable to go because of a nagging calf issue. Lopez partnered with Abe Thompson in Wolff's absence.
While not a death knell, a Wizards loss would have left them outside the playoff chase and was not to be thought of -- even if it came in the final home game of the season.
The Wizards got an early break in the fourth minute as Quakes fullback Jason Hernandez misplayed a Jonathan Leathers ball over the top for Lopez. Lopez broke past the flat-footed Hernandez and barreled in on goalkeeper Joe Cannon, who stood up to Lopez's shot for a relatively easy save.
After another half-chance for Lopez in the seventh minute, the two sides exchange a litter of fouls as they fought to find their rhythm in the high-stakes match.
But the Wizards broke through in the 18th minute. Lopez played wide to Thompson outside the left of the San Jose box and continued running, receiving a return pass back from Thompson at the edge of the 6-yard box. Lopez extended his left boot and toed a volley past Cannon into the left corner for the lead. Lopez and the Wizards have lost only once all season when gaining the upper hand, and they celebrated Lopez's fifth goal of the season accordingly.
But the Quakes equalized in the 20th minute. After Kansas City goalkeeper Kevin Hartman had to extend to palm a shot away, San Jose's Arturo Alvarez played into the box from the right side. The ball reached former Wizards forward Scott Sealy just in front of the six, and the Trinidad and Tobago native headed the ball past a diving Hartman and just inside the far post for the leveler and his second on the season with his new side.
Lopez would raise the ante once again, though, in the 27th minute with a classy assist. Starting his first match since Sept. 7, Lopez diverted a diagonal pass from Jack Jewsbury with a left-footed flick through two defenders to a slashing Arnaud, who deposited the ball into the left corner for a 2-1 Wizards lead. The goal was Arnaud's sixth of the season, tying him with Jimmy Conrad. who had last week's match-winner over New England.
Lopez continued to make runs and his teammates continued to find him. His 31st-minute chance was a clear one as he came in on the left wing with two defenders cutting the angle. The 34-year-old struck a weak ball though, with the outside of his right boot, and the chance went wanting.
The Wizards added to their shot count -- 10 total and six on goal -- in first-half stoppage time after Gomez was loosed behind San Jose defender Nick Garcia. Thompson sprang Gomez to goal, but his shot for the lower left corner could not beat Cannon's right hand. Kansas City had pushed the attack and had the momentum after having only one shot on goal recorded in their 1-0 win last Saturday.
The second half began with Columbian Ivan Trujillo coming in for Thompson up front as the Wizards forward had suffered a hamstring injury in the first stanza. Yet the Wizards' attack wasn't slowed. Gomez streaked down the right wing in the 54th minute and crossed low for Lopez at the near post. Met by Cannon, Lopez's shot was stuffed by the two-time MLS goalkeeper of the year.
This time outracing his mark to the left corner, Lopez played square to Trujillo in the box. The 26-year-old faked from 12 yards out then shot, forcing Cannon low to his left for the save.
The Quakes were still in the match and they began to carve out chances in the 66th minute. Sealy split the defense with a nifty pass from the top middle of the Wizards' box to find fellow striker Ryan Johnson. Hartman made a kick save on the shot to keep his side in front.
Then in a 71st-minute penalty area scrum, the Quakes drew level. Davide Somma, a 63rd-minute substitute for Ryan Cochrane, crossed into the box where Hartman was unable to collect. Knocking the ball forward near the top of the box, Hartman pursued but still couldn't get a handle. After Conrad attempted to clear, rookie midfielder Salinas drilled the ball high into the vacated net to give his side another life, the first goal of his MLS career.
The topsy-turvy match was still building suspense in the 85th minute as Arnaud was fouled 30 yards out and to the left of San Jose's goal. Gomez took the direct shot but put his bullet right into the sure hands of Cannon. In the 90th minute, Lopez ran onto a ball on the left wing and fired to the left of Cannon for a likely game-winner, but Cannon stuck out his left glove to knock the ball away. Trujillo crashed the box but was unable to latch onto the chance.
Stoppage time saw another chance go wanting by Jewsbury before the match was decided in thrilling fashion. Lopez took a last-gasp corner with the three minutes of stoppage time nearly gone. His dipping cross was met by a running Gomez who bulged the net with a left-footed touch past Cannon to set off mayhem in the stands, and with the final whistle blown with the ensuing kickoff, a jubilant Wizards side could finally relax.
The Wizards, still likely needing a win to secure a place in the MLS Cup Playoffs, will head to New England for the regular season closer next Saturday to take on the club they defeated 1-0 at home a week ago. San Jose will wrap up their season playing host to Toronto FC -- who with the results in Kansas City and New York, were also eliminated from playoff contention Saturday.
Bob Rusert is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
