When Chris Brown came to Real Salt Lake this season from the San Jose Earthquakes, he had already spent five years in Kansas City as a Wizard (1999-2003) and had won an MLS Cup in 2000 with the team before he headed to California.
Since April 16, the well-traveled Brown has started every regular season MLS game for Real Salt Lake (3-11-4) and has played whatever position RSL’s coaches asked of him. On Saturday, Brown got called to right midfield for the second game in a row, a spot that has been a point of contention on the expansion team.
Brown made the most of his chance just 10 minutes into Saturday’s match. He received a pass outside the penalty box, where he juked Kansas City defender Jose Burciaga and then carved through two Wizard defenders inside the 18-yard box to tally his first goal of the season.
Brown’s goal, and another by forward Jordan Cila on a flying header in minute 44, weren’t enough. However, RSL fell to the Kansas City Wizards in a score of 3-2.
“It was nice to get a goal, but at the same time it doesn’t really mean much if we don’t win. It would have been nice to get a good result tonight,” Brown said.
The loss also kept RSL in fourth place in the Western Conference with 13 points, five behind Colorado for the final playoff spot and four ahead of last-place CD Chivas USA.
Kansas City (7-4-7) started off the scoring in minute seven, thanks to Wizard defender Brian Roberts’ shot bouncing off the near post. Forward Scott Sealy followed up on the deflection and put the Wizards up 1-0.
In minute 10, RSL answered Brown’s goal, but eight minutes later Kansas City scored on a play that RSL members thought was questionable. Real’s D.J.
Countess leapt and tried to punch the ball away with his left hand while Wizard players jockeyed for position to score off their corner kick. The ball somehow hit Countess’ left hand and deflected back into the net, giving Kansas City a 2-1 lead.
Sealy got his second goal in the 27th minute when he one-timed it past Countess into the far netting, bringing the score to 3-1 in favor of Kansas City.
Just before halftime, however, Real Salt Lake put itself back into the contest on a corner kick of its own. Luke Kreamalmeyer, who had entered the match in minute 33 to replace an ineffective Brian Kamler, chipped a ball into the six-yard box. Cila then headed the ball into the top netting.
In the 73rd minute, defender Paul Broome came onto the field. The move pushed captain Jason Kreis and Watson to forward, ending RSL head coach John Ellinger’s somewhat successful 4-5-1 formation for the night and reverting to a 4-4-2.
RSL had two good chances to tie it near game’s end. In one, Kreis bent a free kick around the Kansas City wall, only to have goalkeeper Bo Oshoniyi scoop it up.
The other chance came again by way of Kreis, who collected the ball at the top of the penalty box and laid it off to Watson. Watson dummied the ball, instead leaving it for a streaking Kreamalmeyer, who touched it once to the left of the six-yard box and ripped a knuckler at the near post. Oshoniyi parried the blast to the endline, halting RSL threat in the last minute of stoppage time.
Though RSL head coach John Ellinger complained a little about the game conditions, he said he was pleased with the team’s effort at the end.
“It’s never pleasant to play in high humidity and heat,” Ellinger said. “But I thought as the game went on, the young legs we had on the field kept us in it. When you play Kansas City, they keep it tight and use their flanks pretty well. They are a counterteam that will explode on you and that’s a lot of running. When you’re down a goal and you are pushing, you find a little extra effort and that was a plus for us.”
Real Salt Lake now heads home for a match with FC Dallas on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
