MLS Cup No. 9 is on the line

CARSON, Calif. -- Bob Gansler took the podium, looked around at the media assembled and spoke directly to every pundit who predicted that teams like the San Jose Earthquakes and Los Angeles Galaxy would win the Western Conference title this year.

"We're not supposed to be here," said the longtime Kansas City Wizards head coach in deadpan fashion about his team being in Sunday's MLS Cup against D.C. United.

"Some of you thought this was not going to be."

Following the "idiots" moniker used by the Boston Red Sox during their unlikely run to the World Series title last month, Gansler characterized his team in the same light.

"We're not that bright," said the former U.S. National Team manager during Friday afternoon's press conference at the Home Depot Center. "And we don't do a lot of reading."

Had this team done a lot of reading throughout the season, they would have read about how they simply "bunker" in and play negatively. They would have also seen many people discount a side that was playing without Preki, last year's MLS MVP and wide midfielder and national team performer Chris Klein. In addition, the Wizards have missed the services of World Cup veteran and team captain Tony Meola, who may or may not start on Sunday after an injured right Achilles tendon has sidelined him for the past two months.

Somehow, Gansler's side found its way through the playoffs, despite starting off with a 2-0 loss on the road to San Jose. The Wizards then went on to reach the Cup final in startling fashion after pulling off one of the great performances in league playoff history with a 3-0 victory over the Earthquakes in the second game of their first-round aggregate goals series, and topped it off with a 2-0 win in the Western Conference final against L.A.

"We had some extreme clinkers," admitted Gansler.

However, there were also several huge performances turned out by a side that prides itself on its collective defensive efforts.

The Wizards allowed only 30 goals in 30 games, while leading the league in shutouts with 12. What makes this total even more impressive is that it came during a season when the back four changed three-quarters of the way through the campaign.

Also, two goalkeeper's were utilized, with Meola playing in the first 21 (9-7-5, 7 shutouts) matches and Bo Oshoniyi (5-2-2, 5 shutouts) anchoring the defense in the final nine games of the regular season and all three games in the playoffs.

"Resilience," said Gansler, "is somewhere in our bag." Funny he should say that. The "R" word has been thrown around by Kansas City's opponent the last two days when describing the Wizards, almost as though it's part of a script the D.C. United players should be following when talking about the match.

That's not to say that anyone is doubting their collective mettle. The United players know that they're going to have their work cut out for them to have success against a side that hasn't allowed a goal in the last two matches, which followed a Wizards' run where they shut out their opponents in four of their last five regular season matches.

"They're a very, very compacted team," explained D.C. United midfielder Earnie Stewart. "They're very difficult to break down. They're a hard team that's so difficult to break down. Every game I've played against them over the two years I've been in the league has been extremely close. We know it's never going to be a 2-0 or a 3-0 game or anything like that."

Led by MLS Defender of the Year nominee Jimmy Conrad and centerback Nick Garcia, the club's back four keeps its shape well and covers for each other better than any team in the league.

"They're very organized - that's the one thing their whole team is," said D.C. United striker Alecko Eskandarian. "They play good, organized team defense. You never really see those guys (the back four) really running with the ball up front or going forward. They concentrate on defense."

But this game will not just be about defense. Not by a longshot.

Some might even say that D.C. United's offense is as impressive as Kansas City's defense, which makes this matchup all the more intriguing.

In the regular season, the two teams split their games, with the home side coming out on top each time in 1-0 victories. Yet since they haven't met since July 10, it's hard to read anything into the results.

Not only has Kansas City found its stride since then, as players such as striker Davy Arnaud and midfielders Khari Stephenson and Jack Jewsbury have emerged in that time, but also United's offense has become much more potent with the continued maturation of Eskandarian and the arrival of midfielder Christian Gomez in August.

United's strikeforce was red-hot down the stretch, as 19 of its 43 goals came during the final 11 games in the season. In the playoffs, Peter Nowak's side has exploded for seven more in three games.

At the center of this attack is Jaime Moreno, the wily 30-year-old striker who rekindled his old magic from the '90s when he led the league in assists with 14 and scored seven goals to earn an MVP nomination. His unpredictable moves and all-around skillful play has caught the attention of the Wizards.

"You need to account for the Morenos of the world in the same way you have to account for the Donovans," said Gansler, comparing the difficulty of covering the D.C. United striker to having to face U.S. National Team and San Jose Earthquakes star Landon Donovan.

To slow him down, Gansler said his back four will not man-mark Moreno, in the same way they don't against players such as Donovan and L.A. Galaxy striker Carlos Ruiz.

"We always do it in a collective fashion," he said. "We never mark players one-on-one."

The newly-crowned MLS Defender of the Year, Robin Fraser, said that Moreno is the most dangerous player in the match. Having played against both teams during the season with his Columbus Crew, he said that it was most difficult playing against the Bolivian striker.

"He's special, without a doubt, and the most unpredictable player in the league," said Fraser. "He has the savvy and the smarts to give Kansas City fits. And when you put him with a kid like Eskandarian, who has good speed and is a pit bull around the goal, it's very tough to contain him."

The Kansas City defenders have watched tape of Moreno, and realize that he will be all over the field, looking to attack from several vantage points throughout the match.

"He's not often in the middle of the field," said Conrad. "He likes to set up shop along the wing against one of the outside backs. That's why it won't be just up to me and Nick in the middle, but also Alex Zotinca and Jose (Burciaga) out wide."

To go with Moreno and Eskandarian, who has added two goals and an assist to go with the 10 strikes he totaled in the regular season, United will surely get a boost when 15-year-old Freddy Adu enters the match sometime in the second half. His speed, energy and penchant for running at the defense without hesitation has made him a dangerous commodity as of late.

"I'm going to come in and try and change the game," said Adu, who has continued to be a media darling during his rookie season in MLS. "It's something I've been able to do lately."

If United's offense and Kansas City's defense neutralize each other, it may very well come down to how the Wizards' strikers fare against a three-man backline that gets a boost with the return of Nelsen, who sat out the Eastern Conference final due to yellow card accumulation.

The duo of Arnaud and Josh Wolff combined for 19 goals and 15 assists this season. This twosome plays a bit more direct than the United strikers.

"They're not necessarily known for their flashy attacking type of game," said Stewart, who has been a teammate of Wolff's on the national team for the past four years. "But at the same time they have some tremendous attacking ability."

Fraser said the Wizards' front-runners are deceptive, which makes them even the more dangerous.

"Nothing really stands out when you watch them," he said. "There's not one quality about them is better than the other. Instead, they both are guys who are going to absolutely work their tails off and will be very dogged in the box."

While Fraser pointed out the raw talent of Arnaud, he said that Wolff is the one that United has to key on.

"Josh makes very direct runs," he said. "It's up to the defense to match his runs. If you match all of them and then take one off, that's when he'll score a goal on you and win the game."

Nelsen, who said that Wolff and Arnaud are similar players since they are both quick and good around the goal, knows that with Kansas City's determined defense giving up one goal might not be an option, unlike how it was during the wide-open match against the Revs last weekend.

"I know if they score one, they're going to be a tough team to break down for us," he said. "That's why it's going to be a real battle.

"It's going to be a chess match."

Marc Connolly covers American soccer for ESPN Soccernet.com. He can be reached at: marc@oakwoodsoccer.com