A long time ago, in a city far, far away &#8230;</p><p>The Wizards won a road game.</p><p>On April 20, the Wizards played their first away game of the season and beat Chicago 1-0. Since then, they have gone 0-7-5 and are tied with Real Salt Lake and New York for the fewest road victories in the league.</p><p>The Wizards will go for win number two away from Kansas City tonight when they take on Chivas USA at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. Kickoff is at 9:30 as the Wizards try ending a 12-game road winless streak.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve been really, really close all season long,&#8221; said goalkeeper Kevin Hartman. &#8220;We opened with a win on the road at Chicago, and then we got a bunch of ties, which is what a lot of teams are willing to accept on the road.&#8221;</p><p>But at least three of those ties have been particularly vexing.</p><p>The Wizards blew a 2-0 lead to Columbus and ended up having to rally for a 3-3 tie on July 17. On Independence Day in Dallas, the Wizards conceded a goal in stoppage time in a 1-1 draw. They also gave up a second-half equalizer at New York on May 17.</p><p>For a team that is one point out of the playoff picture, those lost points could prove costly.</p><p>&#8220;There are definitely a lot of what-ifs,&#8221; said Wizards captain Jimmy Conrad. The Wizards are in danger of setting team records for fewest road wins and road points since Major League Soccer dumped the shootout before the 2000 season. The 2002 team had just two wins away from home, while the 2001 team had only 11 points on the road.</p><p>But the Wizards have reason for hope. Coach Curt Onalfo retooled the lineup, adding forwards Herculez Gomez and Abe Thompson through trades. And they are coming off consecutive victories over the Galaxy and Toronto FC, though both came at home. In both instances, the Wizards entered the half in a scoreless tie and ended up with 2-0 wins.</p><p>&#8220;On the road, maybe it&#8217;s going to be a little different this weekend, maybe we approach it slightly different,&#8221; acknowledged midfielder Davy Arnaud. &#8220;But we&#8217;re still looking to get three points.&#8221;</p><p>The Wizards have three of their final four games at home, and Onalfo believes it&#8217;ll take just nine points to secure a playoff spot. Nine points could be picked up with three home wins.</p><p>&#8220;Odd as it may sound, I&#8217;m not concerned about the past,&#8221; Onalfo said. &#8220;The reason is we&#8217;re a different team.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re not exactly where we want to be, but we&#8217;re one point out (of the playoffs).&#8221;</p><p><hr class="infobox-hr-separator" /> <div class="infobox"> <strong><span class="infobox-head">WIZARDS (8-9-8) at CHIVAS USA (9-10-6) </span></strong><br /> &#8226;<strong>WHEN/WHERE: </strong>9:30 tonight in Carson, Calif.</p><p>&#8226;<strong>TV/RADIO:</strong> Fox Soccer Channel; No Radio</p><p>&#8226;<strong>ABOUT THE WIZARDS: </strong>Midfielder Jack Jewsbury will miss the game because of yellow-card accumulation. Kurt Morsink will take his place in the starting lineup. &#8230; Midfielder Carlos Marinelli tweaked his hamstring in practice on Thursday and is doubtful for tonight. &#8230; The Wizards believe the bigger field at the Home Depot Center will benefit them. &#8220;We&#8217;re a fast team,&#8221; coach Curt Onalfo said.</p><p>&#8226;<strong>ABOUT CHIVAS USA:</strong> Chivas acquired midfielder Sasha Victorine from the Wizards in a trade on Sept. 15. &#8230; Chivas USA is 3-1-1 in its last five games and that has vaulted the team to second in the ultracompetitive yet underperforming Western Conference. The last three of those games were on the road.</p><p>&#8226;<strong>OUTLOOK: </strong>The Wizards are 0-1-2 all-time against Chivas at the Home Depot Center, but they have a lot of confidence and should expose a suspect Chivas defense. <strong>Edge: </strong>Wizards</p><p></div>