Wizards edge RSL in Oklahoma
By Robert Whitman
March 22, 2008
NORMAN, Okla. - Jimmy Conrad played with broken bone but managed break through for the game's only goal for the Wizards in a 1-0 win over Real Salt Lake in the squad's final exhibition game.
Conrad scored in the 64th minute when he nodded Carlos Marinelli's severely swerving free kick past RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando.
“I was in a nice spot,” Conrad said. “We work on having good, hard runs and if the ball squirts through, then you're in a good spot to make a difference and deflect it. And that's what I did.”
Jack Jewsbury earned the free kick for the Wizards near the right touch line when was fouled as Marinelli slipped a pass to him while double-teamed.
Conrad had his left arm bandaged below the elbow and after the game said he broke his fourth metacarpal in a gym accident.
“I don't get the normal soccer injuries,” said Conrad, who has had his jaw wired shut twice after injuries during his time with the Wizards.
The goal sparked the Wizards' attack for the next 10 minutes, but they eventually killed the game off.
“I thought that we started very slow and it took us a while to get adjusted to the game,” Wizards coach Curt Onalfo said. “I thought for good stretches of the first half, Real was a little bit more dangerous than we were and I thought we solved it and played a much better second half. And I liked how we closed out the game.”
Real Salt Lake had one particularly dangerous looking chance in the 82nd minute. But Kyle Beckerman's attempt to place a shot in the upper right corner out of the reach of Wizards goalie Kevin Hartman went about one foot wide.
Before Conrad's goal, RSL had four good chances to take the initial lead but did not come up with good enough finishing.
“There was definitely some positives we can build on for this game,” RSL midfielder Carey Talley said. “There were definitely some good points for us. I think we had Kansas City on their heels quite a few times. It's just a matter of finishing off chances and making sure that other areas are polished and ready for next week.”
Kansas City 1, Real Salt Lake 0
March 22, 2008
Exhibition at John Crain Field in Norman, Okla.
| 1 | 2 | F | ||
| Kansas City | 0 | 1 | - | 1 |
| Real Salt Lake | 0 | 0 | - | 0 |
Kansas City - Kevin Hartman, Jack Jewsbury, Jimmy Conrad (Aaron Hohlbein 82), Tyson Wahl, Chance Myers, Kerry Zavagnin, Carlos Marinelli (Kurt Morsink 74), Ryan Pore, Michael Harrington, Eloy Colombano (Scott Sealy 46), Ivan Trujillo
Real Salt Lake - Nick Rimando, Nat Borchers (Jamison Olave 46), Matias Mantilla, Ian Joy, Tony Beltran, Kyle Beckerman, Carey Talley, Javier Morales, Andy Williams (Dema Kovalenko 46), Yura Movsisyan, Fabian Espindola (Tino Nunez 75)
Scoring
KC - Conrad (Marinelli) 64
| KC | RSL | |
| Total shots | NA | NA |
| Shots on goal | NA | NA |
| Saves | NA | NA |
| Fouls | NA | NA |
| Offside | NA | NA |
| Corner kicks | NA | NA |
Cautions
KC - Conrad 43
Ejections
None
Referee: Michael Kennedy
Referee's assistants: Paul Scott, Kyle Borne
Fourth official: Jack Damrill
Attendance: 2,000 (est.)