KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Six matches ago, the Kansas City Wizards coaching staff made significant changes to the team's lineup. New acquisitions Herculez Gomez and Abe Thompson took up at right midfield and forward respectively, and each has made significant contributions ever since.
But it was the related adjustment made by two longtime Wizards that has given the team a backbone that is both a strong foundation and a dangerous weapon.
Good friends Jack Jewsbury and Davy Arnaud joined forces in the center of midfield after previously spending time in various spots on the field. It has been such a good combination that many could be wondering why the move wasn't made before. But what's important is that they will be together on Saturday as the Wizards travel to New England to take on the Revolution in the regular season finale, having secured a playoff spot.
It was their individual qualities that inspired head coach Curt Onalfo to make the switch.
"Jack naturally has a lot of the instincts to be a very, very good holding midfielder just because he's extremely strong, he wins a lot of balls, and he's also a good passer of the ball and also has a good shot from distance," Onalfo said.
"Davy's a box-to-box player. He puts in the dirty work and has a really good understanding of Jack. He's able to do all the defensive work that he did when he played wide, but now he's in the middle of the field so he has more of an influence on the game."
Since the switch, the Wizards have earned four wins and a draw in those six games, with the duo combining for three goals and three assists.
"For us, the main thing is knowing that we're going to work hard for each other," said Jewsbury. " ... If we're tough to play against defensively, we're going to get our chances offensively and make the most of it."
That sharing of duties and their capabilities on both sides of the ball makes them an unpredictable pair.
"We share the workload defensively, maybe offensively I'm a little more advanced than he is, but we do a pretty decent job of sharing the role because Jack likes to get forward as well and he does that well at times too," said Arnaud.
The two are still learning how to best work together, though, as they head into a battle with Shalrie Joseph and, most likely, the Revolution's usual five-man midfield.
"If we stay organized and give an honest effort like we have been, it makes it a lot easier on everybody," said Arnaud.
"We know what [the Revolution] do, and it's just a matter of disrupting that a little bit and continuing to be hard to play against and continue to create the chances we've created," said Onalfo. "We have to execute the game plan properly and give ourselves a chance to win it."
Even though the Wizards gained a playoff spot as one of the wild cards with the New York Red Bulls 5-2 loss at Chicago Thursday night, the club's attitude towards Saturday's encounter will not change.
"You want to be on a good run when you are going into the playoffs. You don't want to be going into the playoffs on a not so good performance," said Arnaud. "We feel like we've built some good momentum in the past six games, and we want to keep that going."
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