KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- On a night the Kansas City Wizards could have achieved their goal for their opening four-game homestand and set themselves up very well for their coming six-game road trip, they didn't take their chances. The result was an ultimately unsatisfying scoreless draw against the two-time defending MLS champion Houston Dynamo.
Their initial plan scuttled of making their new home at CommunityAmerica Ballpark a "fortress" where they would lose no games, Kansas City hoped to rebound with a win. But the draw gave them seven points from their first four matches and a tie with the Chicago Fire for first place atop the Eastern Conference, one point ahead of the New England Revolution.
"We're confident in ourselves as a team. Three points would have been nice tonight going on the road for six games, but we think we have a team that can do well and can win games both at home and on the road," said midfielder Davy Arnaud, who saw action for the first time in 2008 following offseason knee surgery.
The Wizards played well against a Dynamo side that, personnel-wise, was at full strength, save for regular starting goalkeeper Pat Onstad.
But Houston's Brad Davis nearly put the Wizards deep into misery in the 51st minute as he took a Dwayne De Rosario pass at K.C. goalkeeper Kevin Hartman's right post and fired low.
"Forwards are often taught to hit it back across the goalkeeper. I was late getting across to the near post, just making the assumption he was going to play back across," said Hartman. "But, unfortunately, he hit it to the near post. ... I was able to get a hand to it. I didn't really think I had gotten enough to keep it out of the net."
"Overall, it was an evenly-played game and a fair result," said Wizards head coach Curt Onalfo, even though he knows his side is capable of more. "There are a lot of positives to take from it, and we have now some weeks where we can continue to improve as a group."
The meshing of the Wizards is a work in progress as various elements have been beset by injuries in the early going. Rookies Chance Myers and Roger Espinoza have recovered and showed well in their first starts against the talented Dynamo.
"We have an extremely good young crew. We've drafted well over the last two years, and we have to continue developing them," Onalfo said. "Often, in games like that with young players you can get burned. The fact that they found a way to stay in it and didn't have any letdowns is a real positive."
With veterans like Hartman stepping up and Arnaud now back on the field, the Wizards can continue to round into the team Onalfo envisions.
"We need weeks of training. We have not had our full group of players together very long. This past week we couldn't do any training to try and improve on the things that I want to improve on," he said. "I'm looking forward to getting down and dirty and helping this team progress and get a little bit better ... because we have a very good team that is only going to get better."
And even though playmaker Carlos Marinelli came up lame with a right hamstring issue in the 26th minute and had to leave the match, Onalfo and the Wizards have something to shoot for as they begin their two-month odyssey on the road in Chicago next Sunday.
"The fact that Claudio Lopez was able to play three games in a week [was good for his fitness]. I think you'll see some great stuff out of him coming next week and the following week because he'll be in form," Onalfo said.
Said Arnaud: "[The road trip is] going to show our character. You have to roll up your sleeves and fight and go get some points."
