Editing Sporting Kansas City (section)

===More success (2003–2004)===
The Wizards returned to the top half of the West in [[2003 Major League Soccer season|2003]] with a record of 11–10–9. In the first round of the playoffs, the Wizards defeated the Colorado Rapids in the aggregate goal series, 3–1. That set up a one-game showdown with the [[San Jose Earthquakes]] the winner would advance to the [[2003 MLS Cup]]. The Wizards took the lead, but the Earthquakes battled back and forced golden goal in overtime by [[Landon Donovan]] in the 117th minute, which sent his team to the [[2003 MLS Cup]] and the Wizards home.

The Wizards started [[2004 Major League Soccer season|2004]] mediocre, and improved mid-year. The Wizards finished the season on a six-game unbeaten streak to finish 14–9–9 for the Western Conference regular season championship. Goalkeeper [[Tony Meola]] went down with injury and backup [[Bo Oshoniyi]] filled as a replacement.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Carlisle|first1=Jeff|title=Major League Soccer – ESPN FC|url=http://espnfc.com/columns/story?id=327641&root=mls&cc=5901|publisher=ESPN FC|date=September 26, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926031811/http://espnfc.com/columns/story?id=327641&root=mls&cc=5901|archive-date=September 26, 2013}}</ref>

[[File:JimmyConrad 2006 MLS Cup.jpg|right|thumb|upright=.8|[[Jimmy Conrad]] played with Kansas City from 2003 to 2010.]]
In the first round of the 2004 playoffs, the Wizards lost the first game to [[San Jose Earthquakes]], 2–0. In the second game, however, the Wizards scored 2 goals before [[Jack Jewsbury]] scored in stoppage time to move KC onto the conference final. In the conference final, the Wizards held off the Los Angeles Galaxy to reach their second [[2004 MLS Cup|MLS Cup]].  In the 2004 MLS Cup final, the Wizards went up against [[D.C. United]] at the [[Home Depot Center]] in [[Carson, California|Carson]], California. The Wizards [[Jose Burciaga]] scored in the sixth minute, but D.C. United replied with three goals in the first half. KC was given a lifeline in the 58th minute as [[Josh Wolff]] scored the first penalty kick in MLS Cup history,<ref>{{cite web|title=MLS Cup 2004 {{!}} MLSsoccer.com|url=http://m.mlssoccer.com/history/mlscup/2004|date=September 27, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927060924/http://m.mlssoccer.com/history/mlscup/2004|archive-date=September 27, 2013}}</ref> but KC lost the 2004 MLS Cup final 3–2.