After weeks on the road in hostile conditions, United had been looking forward to Saturday night’s MLS home opener for quite some time. The boisterous 22,358 in attendance were determined to make United’s homecoming a pleasant one. The driving rain and potent Kansas City Wizards offense were not. The Wizards took advantage of United’s defensive lapses with polished finishing to claim a 4-2 victory.

It took only 3 minutes for the Wizards to deliver the first blow. It seemed that Mayor Adrian Fenty (decked out in 1930s gangster attire) had just finished his keynote introduction when rookie Michael Harrington used his speed and an Eddie Johnson service to beat a stumbling Facundo Erpen. Harrington’s cut into the box and adroitly placed finish belied his age and put the Wizards on the board.

Though United was stung by the goal, it was clear that the game would not be a low scoring affair. Due to the inclement conditions, the teams’ defenses would be hard pressed to keep up with a well-timed run. Perhaps buoyed by this expectation, United’s offense renewed their attack with vigor. This was to no avail, as their defense again let them down in the 8th minute, and again K.C. converted their scoring chance. Josh Gros’ slip allowed Scott Sealy to streak in and run onto the ball. Sealy found Johnson at the top of the box. As United’s defense closed on him, he laid the ball to the unmarked Sasha Victorine, who tallied another goal for the Wizards.

Photos by Kyle Gustafson. For the match photogallery, click here.