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Wizards-Earthquakes Preview

Aug 21, 2009 - 6:18 PM By BRETT HUSTON STATS Writer

Kansas City (5-8-6) at San Jose (4-11-5), 10:30 p.m. EDT

The Kansas City Wizards fired coach Curt Onalfo earlier this month after a dreadful four-game stretch in which they'd scored one goal.

Their first game under interim coach Peter Vermes didn't go much better.

The punchless Wizards will try to end a five-match winless skid and give Vermes his first victory Saturday when they visit the last-place San Jose Earthquakes, who will try to bounce back from another shutout loss.

Kansas City (5-8-6) was in the midst of the Eastern Conference playoff race with a 5-5-4 record after a 3-1 victory over New England on June 13, but it hasn't won since.

Following a 6-0 loss at FC Dallas on Aug. 1, the Wizards dropped to 0-2-2 in league games since July 1, mustering one goal in that stretch. Hoping to ignite a spark, Kansas City fired Onalfo and replaced him Aug. 3 with Vermes, the team's technical director and a member of the franchise's only MLS Cup-winning team in 2000.

The Wizards had nearly two weeks to work out some kinks before Vermes' debut, but the result was no different as Kansas City fell 2-0 to Chicago on Sunday.

"We didn't come in with too many high expectations, into this first game," Vermes said. "Look, we've got a lot to work on. It's not all going to happen in 10 days. Going forward, I believe we're going to have to make incremental improvements."

The Wizards, though, were without their two leading scorers in their latest loss. Claudio Lopez and Davy Arnaud, tied for second on the team with five goals, served one-game suspensions for yellow-card accumulation and will return against San Jose (4-11-5).

Aside from having Lopez and Arnaud back, Kansas City could use some offensive contributions from Josh Wolff. The team's leader with six goals, Wolff hasn't found the back of the net since scoring twice in a win at Real Salt Lake on May 16.

Lopez and Aaron Hohlbein scored in the Wizards' 2-0 home win over the Earthquakes on April 5.

That loss began an eight-match winless streak for San Jose, which is currently in the midst of an unusual four-game homestand.

The Earthquakes are 1-1-1 thus far, though their last game wasn't at Buck Shaw Stadium. San Jose hosted Columbus on Aug. 8 in the first-ever MLS game at San Francisco's Candlestick Park, and conceded three goals after the 68th minute in a 3-0 loss.

"I really can't explain the reason for putting together a solid first half, and then the lack of concentration and the lack of our ability to make plays in the second half," defender Jason Hernandez said.

In the Earthquakes' last game in Santa Clara, Calif. - their regular home - they routed Seattle 4-0 on Aug. 2.

Kansas City is 0-6-4 in its last 10 road games against San Jose since Aug. 16, 2000.