3:2 Kansas City New York Johnson 3 Angel Kovalenko 06.02.07 · League

Starting a stretch of six out of seven on the road, Metro did not get off the right foot, losing to Kansas City 3:2 in a game whose final score didn't match the disparity of the teams. An early goal from Juan Pablo Angel proved to be just one of three Metro shots of the match, as New York was throughly dominated for the entire second half by the Wizards, led by Eddie Johnson, who scored all three KC goals. A part of the disparity was due to the preposterous red card given to Clint Mathis late in the first half.

Claudio Reyna returned from injury to reclaim his place in midfield, which meant that Seth Stammler slid to the left back spot still vacated by the sidelined Todd Dunivant, and Dave van den Bergh went back to his original left wing role, as Jozy Altidore was sent to the bench.

Kansas City came out on fire, and an early huge save from Jon Conway kept the game scoreless. Then, in the 8th minute, the Wiz's Jose Burciaga turned the ball over, and Reyna sent a pass onto John Wolyniec, who flicked it with his head into the middle of the box, and the sliding Angel delivered his fourth goal in three games.

The Wiz kept pressing through Johnson, and in the 35th minute a breakaway was thwarted by Conway coming out, and Jeff Parke clearing the ball off the line. But a minute later, a ridiculous call sent Mathis off for early showers, as a routine tussle left former Metro and pathetic human being Kerry Zavagnin lying on the ground, clutching his neck as if it was just slashed by Jack the Ripper and not simply had his chin nudged in fair play. The referee, fooled by the theatrics, gave Mathis a straight red, and Metro was reduced to ten.

For the second straight game, Parke's hamstring led to him being replaced at the half by Taylor Graham, but unlike in last week's trashing of Chicago, there was no happy result for Metro in this one. Johnson exploded for three goals, the first coming barely seconds into the half, as he split Graham and Carlos Mendes and chipped Conway, who came out of the net.

The field seemed tilted for most of the half; the Wiz attacked and attacked, got odd-man rushes after odd-man rushes. Any time Metro would get the ball, they would immediately lose it. In the 59th minute, Johnston got his second of a cross from the left that sliced through the box, and in the 85th, he completed the hat-trick on a breakaway. Dema Kovalenko would get his first Metro goal three minutes later, as his shot trickled through the penalty box and what seemed like 15 players, but that attempt proved to be the only one Metro had for the entire second half.

Oh well. You can't win them all.

Lineup: Conway, Stammler, Mendes, Parke, Kovalenko, Reyna, Mathis, van den Bergh, Richards, Wolyniec, Angel. Subs: Graham, Ubiparipovic, Altidore.