Thu Jul 17 22:37:02 2008

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Wolff's equalizer forces Columbus to share points with K.C.

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Columbus, OH (Sports Network) - In a back and forth battle between two Major League Soccer Eastern Conference rivals, the Columbus Crew and Kansas City Wizards ended in a 3-3 draw at Crew Stadium on Thursday night.

After the Wizards went up 2-0 inside 25 minutes, the Crew's Guillermo Barros Schelotto scored a goal and set up two others to give the home side the lead heading into the break.

That was how the score would stay until Josh Wolff, making his first appearance with the Wizards since 2006, tied the score at three by tapping in a Jack Jewsbury feed in the 75th minute.

Wolff, who had 27 goals and 20 assists in 80 games with the Wizards from 2003-06 before joining 1860 Munich in Germany's second division, signed a four-year contract to return to MLS at the end of June.

The Wizards (5-5-6), who came into the game on a four-game unbeaten streak, extended that run to five with the draw, but still have just two wins in their last 11 league fixtures.

With the draw, the Crew (8-5-4) are now five points back of Eastern leaders New England with the same amount of games played.

The teams started out slow before the five-goal explosion before the first-half break.

Kansas City got things going when Kurt Morsink chipped into the Crew penalty area to Sasha Victorine, who was double-teamed by Frankie Hejduk and Danny O'Rourke. Hejduk stepped in front of the Wizards' attacker and errantly headed the ball into his own net for the 1-0 K.C. lead in the 22nd minute.

The Wizards doubled their lead just two minutes later when a Morsink chip found Jewsbury, who played a ball into the Crew area to Roger Espinoza. The rookie made no mistake on the chance, finishing off his diagonal run by firing past Crew goalkeeper Will Hesmer for his first MLS goal.

Then Schelotto came to life.

After being fouled by Morsink from about 20-yards out at the top of the Wizards penalty area, Schelotto took a free-kick early while Wizards goalkeeper Kevin Hartman was setting up a wall. The Argentine legend bent the kick around wall and into the near post side netting to cut the Wizards lead in half just two minutes after Espinoza's goal.

Just seven minutes later the Crew were able to equalize when Schelotto got a ball behind the K.C. defense from winger Robbie Rogers before playing a pass across the penalty area to Alejandro Moreno. Moreno took a shot that trickled over the goal-line, just before Hartman could swipe it out, for his seventh goal of the season.

The Crew took their first lead of the game just five minutes later on another set-piece goal. This time it was a corner kick taken by Schelotto that was headed home by Chad Marshall.

Wizards coach Curt Onalfo brought Wolff in to start the second half and, after showing some early signs of rust, came through with the game tying goal with just 15 minutes to play.

Once again, Morsink spearheaded the attack with a long ball from the back to Jewsbury on the right side. Jewsbury created the chance by driving toward goal and playing a perfect pass across the six-yard box to Wolff, who tapped in to tie the game a three, which is how it ended.

Both teams have 10-day layoffs until their next league fixtures because of the MLS All-Star game on Thursday. The Wizards, who climbed out of the Eastern basement, one point ahead of New York with the draw, host Chicago on July 27 while the Crew travel to take on the Colorado Rapids later the same night in their next league fixture.