Wizards Tie High Scoring Exhibition

The Wizards and New York Red Bulls finished in a 4-4 deadlock in a high scoring preseason game. A mix of starters and bench players started the game for KC, who took the lead when Matt Besler played a long ball that Josh Wolff put through to Claudio Lopez who was in on goal. Lopez rounded the keeper and finished for the early lead. New York responded quickly though, as within 7 minutes, New York had tied the game and taken the lead, which they took into half time. Only 2 changes were made by the Wizards at the half, one being trialist Chris Brown getting his first shot in net.

KC tied the game in the 56th minute, when Graham Zusi got on the end of a through ball by Wolff and chipped it over the Red Bulls goalie. Four minutes later, KC retook the lead when Zusi fed the ball to Wolff, who again found Lopez, who dribbled around Jon Conway and put the ball into the empty net. After the goal, KC made multiple changes to the lineup replacing all but 2 players. New York tied the game in the 69th minute and then appeared to score the winner in the 84th. In the 89th minute though, a corner by Kevin Souter was flicked on by Michael Kraus to Rauwshan McKenzie who volleyed home from close range to tie the game again.

Most of the Wizards got into the game today, those missing were Roger Espinoza (who is still with the Honduran national team), Herculez Gomez (surgery), Eric Kronberg (surgery?), Michael Harrington (hamstring), Kevin Hartman (coach's decision), Jack Jewsbury (got in late last night from national team camp). Also trialist, Ferenc Béres, sat out this game with a hamstring. So the only questions on players right now, remains to be Kronberg as I haven't seen an official word on his surgery that I've heard he had, and Akeem Priestley, who is trying his luck abroad.

The Wizards are now 2-0-1 this preseason and have 1 more game in Florida this preseason against an opponent who hasn't been named before returning to KC.