The Kansas City Wizards greatly improved their playoff chances Saturday with a 1-0 victory over the New England Revolution. Defender Jimmy Conrad scored the game’s lone goal and helped anchor the defense that recorded its 10th shutout of the MLS regular season. Goalkeeper Kevin Hartman is now tied for 1st in MLS in shutouts on the season with Jon Busch of the Chicago Fire, who plays Sunday. Hartman also extended his all-time MLS records in wins (136) and shutouts (77) on the night after making two saves.

Hartman stopped a hard-hit ball off the foot of Mauricio Castro in the 10th minute to start the strong evening for the Wizards defense, as Kansas City limited New England to just two shots on goal for the match. Castro got free up the right wing after working a combination in midfield and fired a right-footed rocket from 12 yards out that Hartman parried wide left for a throw-in.

Five minutes later, Kansas City got a good look at goal through rookies Jonathan Leathers and Kevin Souter, a player who made the Wizards roster through a pre-season open tryout. Leathers worked up the wing from his right back position and played the ball ahead into space for Souter, cutting all the way inside from the left wing. Souter took a nifty first touch to his right around a defender and immediately fired on goal, but his hard-hit shot from the top of the 18-yard area went just over the bar.

Kansas City broke through in the 61st minute after a sliding close-range effort from Abe Thompson went just wide of goal two minutes earlier. The Wizards earned a corner kick from the right corner flag, and midfielder Jack Jewsbury served in a hard-hit ball toward the near post. Defender Jimmy Conrad eluded two defenders and nodded the ball off the back of a third Revs player and into the net for his 6th goal of the season. Conrad extended a career high with the tally and now leads the Wizards in goals this season. He also ranks 2nd all-time in goals by a center back, trailing only Lubos Kubik of Chicago, who scored seven in 1998.

After the match and a tie between FC Dallas and Toronto FC Saturday night, the Wizards will finish the weekend in one of the last two spots in the MLS Cup Playoffs regardless of Sunday’s results. Even if Colorado and D.C. United both win Sunday, the Wizards will occupy the 7th playoff spot by virtue of owning the group tie-breaker between Real Salt Lake, the New York Red Bulls and D.C. United. Kansas City’s final two matches of the season will determine the team’s playoff fate, as eight teams are in close competition for the final three places in the 2008 MLS Cup Playoffs.

Next Saturday, Kansas City hosts the San Jose Earthquakes at 7 p.m. CT at CommunityAmerica Ballpark in another important game for the playoff push. The game will serve as fan appreciation night, with fireworks and autographs from Wizards players after the match. The Wizards will also host a doubleheader, with Graceland University playing Missouri Valley College at 3:30 p.m. CT at CAB. Wizards midfielder Kevin Souter starred at Graceland, an NAIA Division I school, for three years before joining Kansas City through an open tryout before this season. Souter helped Graceland win the NAIA National Championship in 2006.

Scoring Summary:
KC – Jimmy Conrad 6 (Jack Jewsbury 6) 61’
 
Kansas City Wizards Line-Up: Kevin Hartman, Jonathan Leathers, Jimmy Conrad, Tyson Wahl, Michael Harrington, Herculez Gomez, Jack Jewsbury (Kurt Morsink 87), Davy Arnaud, Kevin Souter, Josh Wolff, Abe Thompson

Substitutes not used: Eric Kronberg (GK), Aaron Hohlbein, Roger Espinoza, Ivan Trujillo, Ryan Pore, Claudio Lopez

New England Revolution Line-Up: Matt Reis, Chris Albright, Michael Parkhurst, Jay Heaps, Jeff Larentowicz, Mauricio Castro (Wells Thompson 75), Shalrie Joseph, Steve Ralston (Gabriel Badilla 17), Khano Smith, Kheli Dube, Taylor Twellman

Substitutes not used: Brad Knighton (GK), Pat Phelan, Amaechi Igwe, Chris Tierney, Rob Valentino

Misconduct:
NE -- Gabriel Badilla (caution; Reckless Tackle) 69'
KC -- Abe Thompson (caution; Reckless Tackle) 72'

Referee: Alex Prus
Assistants: Nate Clement, Peter Manikowski
4th official: Jeff Gontarek

         courtesy of kcwizards.com