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Kansas City Wizards Champions must replace top scorers to recapture magic
By Jeff Green, CNNSI.com If the Kansas City Wizards are to recapture the magic of their championship-winning 2000 season, they will have to do it without last year's three leading scorers. Out are winger Chris Henderson, forward Miklos Molnar and midfielder Preki. Taking Henderson's place on the wing is Mark Santel, while Roy Lassiter will try to fill the shoes of "Danish Dynamite" up front. In Preki's absence, young Francisco Gomez will play a greater role at attacking midfield. As noteworthy as last year's worst-to-first run was -- rising up from last in the Western Conference and second-to-last overall -- a first-to-first campaign poses its own challenges. "We do have the experience of last year to refer back to, which should give us a shot of confidence in terms of what is possible. But every season is different," said Gansler, who coached the United States at the 1990 World Cup. "I don't look in terms of defending anything. I look in terms of this unit going out to achieve something." Fitting endIt was fitting that the Wizards won MLS Cup 2000 at RFK Stadium with a standout performance from goalkeeper Tony Meola and an opportunistic goal from Molnar. Kansas City had stonewalled the league last year, posting an MLS-best 0.91 goals against average.
U.S. veteran Tony Meola became the first goalkeeper to win league MVP, playing behind a defense comprised of a former U.S. forward (MLS defender of the year Peter Vermes), a 20-year-old rookie (Nick Garcia) and an unsung second-year player (Brandon Prideaux). This year's addition of another national team veteran, Mike Burns, could pay off early with Vermes recovering from an abdominal strain. Just as important to the title run was the Wizards' pair of defensive midfielders, Matt McKeon and MetroStars castoff Kerry Zavagnin. The Wizards champagne-soaked championship celebration in the locker room at RFK last October was tempered by the retirement of three international forwards: Molnar, Canadian Alex Bunbury and Scottish veteran Mo Johnston. Johnston's retirement, however, didn't last long. Foregoing a chance to go out on top, the versatile, 37-year-old Scotsman decided in January to rejoin the team. He was welcomed with open arms. "He is the ultimate role model of a professional for young players," said Gansler, who won the 2000 title in his first full season in Kansas City, returning to the spotlight from the U.S. minor leagues. "He's a treasure." To replace hard-driving goal-poacher Molnar, leading scorer Henderson (9 goals, 9 assists) was shipped to the Miami Fusion for Lassiter, the all-time MLS leading scorer who was coming off an unsettled and unsuccessful season in Miami. In the place of Henderson on the left, Gansler brought in Burn veteran Mark Santel. However, Santel's offensive numbers (five goals in as many seasons), fall far short of his predecessor's (24 in five regular seasons). The right side belongs to Chris Klein, 25, who earned the attention of national team coach Bruce Arena with his play last year. Molnar's retirement left the Wizards with a player allocation, a slot that remained unfilled days before the season. Gansler is seeking the right partner for Lassiter, with Trinidadian Gary Glasgow, 24, set to see more time in an attacking role. With Johnston sure to see considerable time in the attack, Gansler will also look to Gomez to play a larger role in running the offense -- part of the reason he was willing to part with Preki. Irreconcilable differencesThe 1997 league MVP was traded away, joining Henderson with the Fusion, which gave up a third-round draft choice; the Wizards will also receive an allocation from the league when Preki retires. It was not an amicable separation. "He was not ready, maybe, to accept a less-than-starting role," said Gansler, who still gave Preki a degree of credit for the Wizards' success and wished him well. Preki, who got a surprise call-up to the national team in March, had a different story. "I took a huge pay cut," Preki told the Kansas City Star. "I was willing to come into a game and play as many minutes as they wanted me to play." Responded Gansler: "That came very late. Let's not even get into that. When you say for six months one thing and then at the stroke of midnight, then... well, enough said." Whatever the outcome this year, more people should be present to witness it after the team's success last year, when the Wizards drew just 9,112 per game to investor-operator Lamar Hunt's cavernous Arrowhead Stadium -- the second-worst total in the league. More than three weeks before opening day, the Wizards had already sold more season tickets than in any year since their first. "It feels very good, because these players are performers," Gansler said. "More people to cheer them on is just going to help them to raise their game."
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