It certainly was an awful lot of work for just one point, and that point didn’t even clinch a playoff spot.
The Fire rallied from two goals down to beat the Kansas City Wizards 3-2 in a shootout Saturday night. The Fire (16-10) won the shootout on Ante Razov’s goal in the 12th round, but needed a victory in regulation time–and the three points that go with it–to clinch a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Josh Wolff, an 80th-minute substitute, saved the ball from going over the Kansas City goal line with a diving toe poke to Jerzy Podbrozny, who slotted the ball past Wizards goalkeeper Chris Snitko with just 20 seconds left to force the shootout.
“We should have won in regulation,” Wolff said. “We had enough chances.”
“We haven’t done as well coming from behind as we have playing with a lead,” Fire coach Bob Bradley said. “To come from two goals down on the road and get a win says a lot about the character on this team.”
Kansas City took a 2-0 lead in the first 14 minutes on goals by Mark Chung and Mo Johnston. The Fire pulled within a goal in the 53rd minute when Razov scored his first Major League Soccer goal since June 24.
The shootout became surreal when each team failed to score round after round. It got to the point where each goalkeeper was forced to shoot on each other.
Both missed.
“Hopefully, I’ll never take another (shot) in my career,” Fire keeper Zach Thornton said of his shootout experience.
His first touch sent the ball far ahead of him and his shot was easily stuffed by Snitko.
“I was pretty juiced up,” Thonrton said.
When it was Snitko’s time to shoot, Thornton easily saved his chip attempt.
