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First impression Fusion dominate Wizards in series opener
Updated: Sunday September 23, 2001 10:10 AM
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -- Alex Pineda Chacon and Diego Serna scored to lead the Miami Fusion past the defending MLS champion Kansas City Wizards 2-0 Saturday in the opening round of the MLS playoffs. The Fusion, the Eastern Division champions, dominated play in winning their first playoff game in their four-year history. Game 2 of the best-of-three series is Wednesday night in Kansas City. Chacon's goal eight minutes into the second half gave Miami a 2-0 lead. He stole the ball from Kerry Zavagnin near midfield and passed to Diego Serna down the left wing. Serna moved the ball near the goal area to Preki, who was traded away by the Wizards after the 2000 season. The former Wizards midfielder outmaneuvered Zavagnin and Peter Vermes before crossing a pass to Chacon, whose wide-open 12-yard shot beat Tony Meola. Kansas City's best scoring opportunity came at the 73rd minute when Onandi Lowe's free kick from 30 yards hit the left goal post. Serna gave Miami a 1-0 lead at the 28th minute. Ian Woan centered a pass to Serna, who beat Meola from just outside the 6-yard box. SummaryScoring: MIA--Serna (Woan, Rooney) 28
KANSAS CITY WIZARDS--Tony Meola, Mike Burns, Nick Garcia, Peter Vermes, Chris Klein, Kerry Zavagnin (Mo Johnston 69), Matt McKeon, Andrew Gregor (Francisco Gomez 79), Gary Glasgow, Onandi Lowe, Chris Brown (Roy Lassiter 46)
MIAMI FUSION--Nick Rimando, Ian Woan (Tyrone Marshall 73), Carlos Llamosa, Ivan McKinley, Pablo Mastroeni, Ian Bishop, Alex Pineda Chacon, Jim Rooney, Chris Henderson, Preki (Johnny Torres 82), Diego Serna
Referee: Kevin Terry; Assistant Referees: Robert Fereday, Steve Taylor
Post-game quotesFusion Head Coach Ray Hudson "We earned the right to win. We made chance after chance after chance and we were getting through them and getting behind them. I was really delighted with the overall performance and the amount of chances we created. Diego Serna showed up and showed the type of MVP season he is having, not just for this club but for the entire league. I commend Diego Serna today of all days when we needed him and he came through." "All over the field, marvelous performances and I think it was a genuine, fair result against a team that made it tough for us, and we knew it would be hard. They worked hard, they played hard and they played some pretty football. They showed why they were champions tonight, but they just didn't have enough." On his defense - "I think big medals go out to the guys at the back because [Carlos] Llamosa, [Pablo] Mastroeni and [Ivan] McKinley today showed what an outstanding unit of defenders we have in front of Nicky Rimando. And in front of that, that's what allows us to play our Fusion soccer. It's a pleasure and a joy to watch." Fusion midfielder and 2001 team MVP Preki "I think we started off a little bit lethargic, but once we started playing we played some good stuff. The goal changed a lot of things, and from then on we just had to work together as a team and luckily we scored that second goal in the second half." "I want to dedicate that team MVP to all my teammates, the coaching staff and to this great organization because without them I would not be here. I also want to commend Diego Serna, who had a great season. If I could I would give him that award myself, I think he deserves that." Fusion midfielder/forward Alex Pineda Chacon On his goal - "Preki was a magician with the ball, and all credit to him. I just have the job I always have which is the find the open space and find the ball and put it into the net." On the T-shirt he revealed following his goal featuring and American and Honduran flag with two hands embraced - "My friend Adolfo and I came up with the idea of making the T-shirt and I hope the message got across the whole nation of how I feel." Fusion midfielder and former Wizard Chris Henderson "We did what we had to do. There was a few when they were dropping off and we weren't getting much space and it was hard for us to get momentum in the first twenty to twenty-five minutes. We were patient and we did what we had to do to get our goal and once we got our first goal they had to come out and it helped us." Fusion goalkeeper Nick Rimando On getting the victory and a shutout - "It feels real good to get the first playoff win and to get a shutout is even better. It's the first shutout for us in a long time. It seemed like we came out a little bit flat in the first half, but we picked it up late in the first half and in the second half to get the win. It feels really good coming into the next game." Wizards Head Coach Bob Gansler "They have a quality team. It's not a matter of shutting-down one player. We have to apply ourselves for all 90 minutes in the next game. We had 25 great minutes to start the game, but they got that first goal and we lost our concentration a little. If we score the first goal, we are very difficult to beat. That will be our objective on Wednesday at Arrowhead." Wizards defender Peter Vermes "We played very well the first 20 minutes. We gave up a bad goal, and it hurt us mentally. Once we had to play catch-up, it opened things up for them and they were able to capitalize. We have to concentrate the whole game against this or any team in the playoffs." Wizards defender Mike Burns "We took a few more chances in the second half. We had to be on the attack, so I made a few more runs down the wing. We've got to go home and get three points. It's as simple as that."
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