For Your Reading Pleasure

A couple of fun feature stories came out today regarding our players. First, this one from Bob Luder of the KC Star about Kevin Hartman and his children's book Boots Saves the Day (purchase online at www.kcsoccerstore.com).

Also, the Des Moines Register checks in with a feature on our favorite (or second-favorite) open-tryout participant Kevin Souter. Read some good stuff from Dan McCool here.

Don't forget that the reserves play after the first teamers this weekend, and we're keeping the stadium (including a concession stand or two) open for that match. Stay after and watch our (mostly) younger boys battle for the MLS Reserve Division crown. We're 6-1-2 at the moment.

Espinoza Appearing in Topeka

Hey all, a quick last-minute word that Roger Espinoza is appearing in about two hours (6 p.m. CT) at a Best Buy location in Topeka, KS. If you're a reader from Topeka, Lawrence or the surrounding area, head on over there and say hi to Roger. You can even try your hand at video games against him. Tell your friends in the area to get over there if you can't make it. Details:

Who: M Roger Espinoza
When: Monday, September 29; 6:00-7:30pm
Where: Best Buy, 1600 S. Wanamaker, Topeka, KS
What: Roger will be signing autographs and playing soccer video games against youth fans at the Topeka Best Buy.

For you KC-area/OP residents, Hartman will appear at the Best Buy of Quivira on Thursday doing the same thing. Watch out kids, Hartman is pretty darn good with his thumbs.

Who: GK Kevin Hartman
When: Friday, September 3; 6:00-7:30pm
Where: Best Buy, 9301 Quivira, Overland Park, KS
What: Kevin will be signing autographs and playing soccer video games against youth fans at the Best Buy off Quivira in Overland Park.

Wolff up for Goal of the Week

Alright folks, for the third straight week we have a Wizards player nominated for the Sierra Mist Goal of the Week award. This time, it was Josh Wolff's second-half bicycle kick that got the nod. He's currently out in front in voting, ahead of that Toronto FC man Marvell Wynne. Let's keep him there! For those who didn't read the post-game post, it was Wolffie's first bicycle kick in a competitive match since he was 16. Boy was it pretty...too bad his assist later in the half for the equalizer was called back for a foul. Rough. GO VOTE.





Verrrrry Nice!

Wizards Reserves Face William Jewell Now***

The KCW Reserves play local NAIA school William Jewell College today at 10 a.m. at our Swope Park Training Center. Come on out to see our boys in blue take on the perennial contender for NAIA honors.

***Updated***
KCW Reserves win 3-0, very quality goals from Trujillo, Kraus, Pore. Back with more details later on this afternoon. WJC played quite well today...was one of the better performances we've seen from a college team against our Reserves.

Tough Loss, Good Effort

We looked good for long stretches but couldn't get that final goal (though the foul call certainly didn't help) to pull back level with Chivas USA. After big wins for Real Salt Lake and Colorado Rapids, the East isn't assured of five playoff teams anymore. Read the last sentence from the press release to see how things stack up now. And don't forget next Sunday's Reserve Division tilt following the MLS match. A few tickets are still available, get them soon.

Kansas City is now two points out of the final playoff spot as two Western Conference teams surpassed D.C. United, the 5th place team in the East, with wins Saturday. Kansas City, however, is only three points behind the New York Red Bulls for 4th place in the East and just one point behind D.C. for 5th with four matches remaining. Real Salt Lake and the Colorado Rapids sit on 34 points after wins Saturday, with D.C. and the Wizards just behind with 33 and 32, respectively. Kansas City has three of its final four matches at home, where they hold a strong 7-2-3 record this season. The Wizards are 5-0-2 in their last seven at home and face the Chicago Fire next Sunday at 2 p.m. CT at CommunityAmerica Ballpark. Sunday’s match will be a doubleheader, with the team’s reserve squads playing immediately after the MLs match at 4:30 p.m. CT.

And some tidbits:

· Following the match, Kansas City sits 8-10-8, 32 pts in 6th place in the Eastern Conference.
· Kansas City is two points out of the final playoff place behind Real Salt Lake and Colorado Rapids, who each won Saturday. The Wizards are also just three points behind the New York Red Bulls for 4th place in the East.
· Kansas City is now 4-2-2 all-time against Chivas USA.
· Three of Kansas City’s four remaining matches will be played in Kansas City.
· Striker Josh Wolff hit a highlight-reel bicycle kick goal in the 70th minute.
· It was his 3rd goal of the season since rejoining Kansas City from 1860 Munich at midseason.
· Wolff now has 30 career tallies in Kansas City colors, tied with teammate Davy Arnaud for 4th on the team’s all-time list.
· Goalkeeper Kevin Hartman and defender Jimmy Conrad are the only Wizards to play all 2340 minutes so far this season.
· Coming into the match, they were two of nine players in MLS to play every minute for their team thus far in 2008.
· Hartman made three saves and now has 1120 for his MLS career.
· He trails only former Wizards standout Tony Meola (1136) for the all-time MLS lead.
· Hartman has 107 saves on the year, good for 2nd in MLS behind Jon Busch of next week’s opponent the Chicago Fire.
· The Wizards had a scoreless streak of 229 minutes snapped.
· Kansas City has recorded three shutout streaks of over 200 minutes this season.
· Wizards midfielder Jack Jewsbury sat out due to yellow-card accumulation and will be available for next Sunday’s match against the Chicago Fire.
· Three former Wizards started for Chivas (Sasha Victorine, Shavar Thomas, Alex Zotinca).

Oh...and WHAT A GOAL by Wolffie. I think it's safe to say that'll be a Sierra Mist Goal of the Week nominee. In fact, check ESPN...it just might make top plays. Word from LA is that Wolff hasn't hit a bicycle kick since he was 16 years old. Even if you were out of practice, great shot Josh.

Dynamo TV Bit/Conrad Gets Love

After last weekend's game, Fox 4 did a nice piece on Dynamo the Dragon and the gameday experience at CommunityAmerica Ballpark. Go watch it here.

Also, our favorite radio host Jimmy Conrad was named by Bernardo Fallas of the Houston Chronicle as his MLS Defender of the Year. Check out Fallas' other picks.

Dancing with the Wizards

Last night on the Conrad Show, Hillcrest made his radio debut and at one point asked Jimmy which Wizards player would be the best on Dancing with the Stars. Jimmy said Kerry Zavagnin was the pick and even noted that Kerry had actually been approached by the show's producers about the possibility. Well, now you get to decide. Who on the current Wizards roster would make the best Dancing with the Stars contestant. If you don't like the choices provided, vote "other" and write a comment with your choice below.

A)Kerry Zavagnin
B) Jimmy Conrad
C) Claudio Lopez
D) Michael Harrington
E) Kevin Hartman
F) Other

Jimmy Conrad Show Tonight

Live from McFadden's in the uber-cool Power and Light District at 7 p.m. CT. Listen to it in KC on 810 WHB or online at www.kcwizards.com. Word on the street is that the author of Hillcrest Road might just make an appearance tonight during the Conrad show. No one has yet confirmed that rumor, however. See you guys there.

Some Fun Reading

Peter Vermes chatted with Martin Rogers of Yahoo! Sports last week, and the article came out late last night. Rogers used the chat as a platform for discussing some of the big-money investors to join the League in the last couple of years such as Neal Patterson, Cliff Illig and the rest of OnGoal. Rogers also calls PV the most wanted man in MLS and references job offers from LA and Seattle. It's a good read.

Another good one about a local standout is the ESPN.com story about University of Kansas women's soccer forward Emily Cressy. She currently leads Kansas with five goals on the year. Oh, and by the way, she's deaf. Another great read. Well done Emily...keep those 'Hawks rollin'.

Practice Fun

Hillcrest was able to get out to practice today and watch a pretty intense session. The guys started out with small-group passing drills, then progressed to larger full-field movement sessions before an 11-v-11 scrimmage. The temperature was perfect and led to some good up-and-down play.

I'm looking forward to watching us play Chivas USA and their bevy of former Wizards this weekend. Former Wizards currently in the Chivas squad include: Head Coach Preki, M Carey Talley, D Shavar Thomas, M Sasha Victorine and D Alex Zotinca. That's a lot of former blue-shirts.

Enjoy pictures from today's practice:

Reserve Matches

Ok all, I wanted to answer a question posed as a comment yesterday on the reserve recap from the Toronto match. Someone asked if fans will be able to stick around after the Chicago Fire match and watch as our reserves look to improve upon their 6-1-2 record. The answer is yes, please stay. We will be keeping at least a couple of concession stands open and would very much like for fans to stay and watch the reserve squad. They've done a great job this year and deserve the support.

As you already know, we're also holding the special autograph session with Conrad, Hartman, Wolff, Diego Gutierrez and Brian McBride that day, so some of you will already be sticking around. If you haven't yet seen the details of that session, click here and read more.

Reserves Pump TFC 6-0 Sunday

Sorry for the delayed post, here's the release about the match. On the Marinelli goal, I've seen elsewhere that Souter scored, but the refs said the initial fumble by Edwards went over the line and Souter pushed it in afterward. Enjoy the rest of the rundown.

KCW Reserves Defeat Toronto FC Reserves 6-0 Sunday

Kansas City Gets Hat Trick from Ivan Trujillo, Two Goals from Ryan Pore

MLS Reserve Division Match
Sunday, September 21, 2008 – 10:00 a.m. (CT)
Kansas City Wizards Swope Park Training Center – Kansas City, Missouri
Weather: 80 and clear

Scoring Summary:
KC – Ivan Trujillo 3 (Lance Watson 1, Kerry Zavagnin 1) 37
KC – Ryan Pore 6 (Claudio Lopez 1, Kurt Morsink 2) 47
KC – Ivan Trujillo 4 (Ryan Pore 3, Kerry Zavagnin 2) 54
KC – Ivan Trujillo 5 (Ryan Pore 4) 58
KC – Carlos Marinelli 1 (unassisted) 65
KC – Ryan Pore 7 (unassisted) 80

(September 21, 2008) – The KCW Reserves improved to 6-1-2 Sunday morning with a 6-0 victory over Toronto FC Reserves at Kansas City’s Swope Park Training Center. The Wizards exploded for five goals after halftime and goalkeeper Eric Kronberg recorded his second shutout of the Reserve Division season.

Kansas City opened the scoring before halftime in the 37th minute through Colombian forward Ivan Trujillo. Central midfielder Kerry Zavagnin put left back Lance Watson through behind the defense with a long pass from the middle of the park, and Watson played a low cross from the end line back to Trujillo at the back post. Trujillo tapped home from close range to put the Wizards ahead 1-0.

Kansas City then exploded for five goals after the break to climb within two points of 1st place in the MLS Reserve Division standings. Kansas City’s leading Reserve Division scorer Ryan Pore tapped home a low cross from Claudio Lopez in the 47th minute, then set up another Trujillo goal in the 54th minute.

Pore took a pass from Zavagnin near the half line, held off a defender and spun the ball forward to Trujillo behind the defense. Trujillo carried the ball to the top of the 18-yard area and bent the ball home with his left foot at the back post for a 3-0 Kansas City advantage.

Pore again found Trujillo four minutes later to complete the hat trick. Pore carried the ball up the middle of the park, eluding two defenders before lofting a pass diagonally over the defense to Trujillo at the back post. Trujillo took the chance on the half volley and rifled another left-footed effort underneath the crossbar for a 4-0 lead.

Argentine playmaker Carlos Marinelli added to the score line in the 65th minute when he bent a free kick on goal from the right flank that TFC goalkeeper Brian Edwards bobbled over the goal line. Pore then finished the scoring in the 80th minute by unleashing a 25-yard rocket into the lower-left corner of goal for his team-leading 7th tally of the Reserve Division season. He ranks third in the League in goals, behind former Wizards forward Yura Movsisyan of Real Salt Lake and Kyle Brown of Houston Dynamo.

Kansas City’s next reserve match comes Sunday, October 5 versus the Chicago Fire at 4 p.m. CT Kansas City and Chicago will play a doubleheader that day at CommunityAmerica Ballpark. Toronto’s reserve squad is also in action October 5 against the New York Red Bulls.

Kansas City Wizards Line-Up: Eric Kronberg, Kevin Souter, Aaron Hohlbein, Rauwshan McKenzie, Lance Watson, Ryan Pore, Kurt Morsink, Kerry Zavagnin (Nelson Pizarro 61), Carlos Marinelli, Claudio Lopez (Michael Kraus 61), Ivan Trujillo

Substitutes not used: Boris Pardo, Matt Marquess

Toronto FC Reserves Line-Up: Brian Edwards, Derek Gaudet, Marco Velez, Kevin Harmse, Gabe Gala, Johann Smith, Joey Melo, Tyler Rosenlund, Jarrod Smith, Danny Dichio (Marco Terminesi 64), Abdus Ibrahim (David Monsalve 64)

Substitutes not used: None

Misconduct:
KC – Ryan Pore (Caution) 61
KC – Nelson Pizarro (Caution) 70

Souter up for Goal of the Week

From the Wizards open tryout back in February to the Sierra Mist Goal of the Week list. Since the game was on HDNet, we can't imbed the goal from QuickKicks, but take a look at it on this page and then vote for our favorite Scot, Kevin Souter. Great work buddy, we're proud of you.

Big Win!

For the second consecutive match, the Wizards came out and took care of business to earn a 2-0 win. Check out the notables below:

· Following the match, Kansas City sits 8-9-8, 32 pts in 6th place in the Eastern Conference.
· Kansas City is one point out of the final playoff place behind D.C. United, who plays later Saturday at Los Angeles. The Wizards are also just three points behind the New York Red Bulls for 4th place. New York lost Thursday night at Columbus.
· Kansas City is now 3-1-2 all-time against Toronto FC, including a 2-0-1 record at home.
· The Wizards are now 7-2-3 at home on the season, including a 5-0-2 record in their last seven home matches.
· Three of Kansas City’s five remaining matches will be played in Kansas City.
· Goalkeeper Kevin Hartman and defender Jimmy Conrad are the only Wizards to play all 2250 minutes so far this season.
· Coming into the match, they were two of eleven players in MLS to play every minute for their team thus far in 2008.
· Hartman extended his all-time marks in wins (135) and shutouts (76).
· Hartman and the Wizards defense recorded their 9th shutout of the season, good for 2nd in MLS.
· Hartman and the Wizards defense have not allowed a goal in their last 203 minutes.
· Midfielder Kevin Souter scored his first career goal in the 79th minute in just his second career appearance.
· Souter was signed in April after first impressing at an open tryout in February.
· The Wizards have had two players signed through the open tryout appear in an MLS match this season.
· Striker Josh Wolff and midfielder Roger Espinoza recorded assists on the play.
· Each player has two assists on the year.
· Wolff and Espinoza also set up the Wizards first goal, as Espinoza played the ball into Wolff who was fouled in the penalty area leading to a Jack Jewsbury penalty kick.
· Jewsbury’s PK was his 2nd such goal of the season and his 3rd goal overall.
· He now has two game-winning goals on the season, tied for the team lead with Davy Arnaud.
· The Kansas City defense didn’t allow a single shot on goal, just the second time in team history that occurred.
· Kansas City shutout the Colorado Rapids without allowing a shot on goal in Kansas City’s first-ever match on April 13, 1996.

Nothing But Nets Offer

Hey all, we've teamed up with the Chicago Fire, Nothing But Nets and a few players you've probably heard of for a cool ticket offer for the October 5 match. If you're not already a season ticket holder, this is a great way to become one. If you are, this isn't a bad way to renew. Check out the details below from the press release:

Kansas City Wizards Announce All-Star Autograph Experience for October 5 Match Against Chicago Fire

(September 19, 2008) – The Kansas City Wizards announced Friday an exciting post-game opportunity and ticket package for their October 5 match against the Chicago Fire. Fans who purchase a ticket package that includes two 2008 home matches, a 2009 ticket deposit and the opportunity to attend an autograph session that features Jimmy Conrad, Kevin Hartman, Josh Wolff, Brian McBride and Diego Gutierrez. Proceeds from purchase of the package go toward the purchase of malaria nets by Nothing but Nets.

Fans that purchase the 2008/2009 ticket package will receive:

· One (1) stadium reserved seat to the Chicago Fire match October 5
· One (1) stadium reserved seat to one other 2008 home game
· One (1) deposit on a 2009 ticket package
· The opportunity to attend the autograph session after the Wizards-Fire match featuring Wizards defender Jimmy Conrad, Wizards goalkeeper Kevin Hartman, Wizards forward Josh Wolff, Chicago Fire forward Brian McBride and Chicago Fire midfielder Diego Gutierrez

Current season ticket holders can gain access to the event by placing a deposit toward their 2009 season tickets. If you have already placed a deposit on tickets for next season, a donation can be made to the Kansas City Soccer Foundation. To purchase the package, contact the Wizards at (913) 387-3400.

About Nothing But Nets
Nothing But Nets is a grassroots campaign to save lives by preventing malaria, a leading killer of children in Africa. While the UN Foundation has been working with the UN to fight malaria for years, it was a column that Rick Reilly wrote about malaria in Sports Illustrated, challenging each of his readers to donate at least $10 for the purchase of an anti-malaria bed nets -- and the incredible response from thousands of Americans across the country -- that led to the creation the Nothing But Nets campaign.

Hartman Signs Books Tonight, Sunday/Reserves Play Sunday vs Toronto

For all you fans wanting some last-minute plans for this evening, head on out to the Borders Bookstore location in Lee's Summit where goalkeeper Kevin Hartman will do a reading of his children's book Boots Saves the Day and autograph copies of the book for fans. He'll appear from 7-8 p.m. at the store located at 1664 NW Chipman Rd in Lee's Summit.

Can't make it out tonight? He's appearing Sunday after the reserve match at the Borders in Olathe. The store is located at 15350 W 119th St, and he will be on hand from 1-2 p.m.

The reserves host Toronto FC Sunday morning at 10 a.m. Hopefully a win Saturday will be followed by another big win in the Reserve Division. We're currently second behind Houston Dynamo but still in the running for the $20,000 prize from MLS for winning the competition.

Olympian Muna Lee to Sign Autographs Saturday

Muna Lee

United States Olympic sprinter Muna Lee will be on hand at the match Saturday to sign autographs for fans inside CommunityAmerica Ballpark in the same place Brandi Chastain did back in June. Lee will join Claudio Lopez, Josh Wolff, Peter Vermes and Curt Onalfo as Olympians in the building. She'll start signing at 5:30 p.m., so get out there early for the signing session.

Welcome to Practice

Just wanted to throw up a few pictures of the group from Kansas School for the Deaf that came out to the scrimmage yesterday. The little ones were adorable and had a very good time, as our guys were gracious as always and signed many autographs. Hillcrest himself even spent a few minutes playing a fun game of keep away with the youngsters, whose mom's signed many a "thank-you" after it was over. Check out the fun pics below:

The Don Gets Some Love/Davy Wins GOTW

Those of you who read The Offside Rules daily have already seen this, but The Don, our great commissioner Mr. Don Garber, was recognized by Time Magazine as the 14th-best sporting executive of the last year. Number 1? KU Athletics Director Lew Perkins. Read about them here.

Also, Davy's rocket from last Saturday beat out some pretty good goals from Ronnie O'Brien, Kenny Cooper, Steve Ralston and Carl Robinson to win the Sierra Mist Goal of the Week award. Davy is the first winner from the Wizards this year, and will put up a strong push for the Sierra Mist Goal of the Year award at year's end. Make sure to keep checking MLSnet and kcwizards.com after the season and help get Davy another award!

KC Wizards beat Arkansas Wizards 13-0

As I noted yesterday, we played the Arkansas Wizards today in a scrimmage at our Swope Park Training Center. The club brought a U-23 team, and we used it as a tune-up with most players getting a half of game time. Check out the lineups and goal-scoring summary below:

1st half lineup:

------------Hartman (Kronberg 36)-----------

Leathers----Conrad---Wahl---Harrington---

Gomez---Arnaud (Marinelli 36)---Jewsbury--Espinoza

-------Wolff---------Thompson (Trujillo 36)---------


1st half goals:
5th minute- Davy works give-and-go with Thompson and slots inside the left post.
19th- Herculez played ball in along the ground from the left flank for easy tap home by Thompson.
26th- Thompson collected free ball at top of the 18, dribbled ahead and slotted home from 12 yards out.
27th- Herculez plays ball central in the air from the right to Wolff who touches wide right to Espinoza. Espinoza hits the ball on the first time, chipping the 'keeper who misplayed the chance.
44th- Conrad headed home an Espinoza cross from 6 yards out after a deflected restart.

2nd half lineup:

-----------Kronberg (Pardo 60)------------

Souter------McKenzie----Hohlbein---Watson

Lopez----Zavagnin---Morsink---Marinelli (Pizarro 67)

---------Pore-------Trujillo (Kraus 67)--------

2nd half goals:
50th- Lopez takes pass from Marinelli and strikes home from 12 yards out...nice through ball from Carlos.
52nd- Lopez plays a long ball out of midfield for overlapping Souter up the right. Souter brings it down then serves a hard, low cross into the area for a tap home by Trujillo. Best goal of the day.
61st- Trujillo wins the end line then cuts back to Pore for easy tap home.
63rd- Watson intercepted a pass at the half line and played ahead to Trujillo, who back-heeled a pass to Marinelli. Marinelli controlled the ball, cut a defender twice at the top of the 18 and then placed a ball inside the right post from the top of the area.
67th- Morsink pressured a defender into a turnover inside his own penalty area and Trujillo struck home on the first effort from 12 yards out.
69th- Morsink tapped home a goal from close range after it deflected around in the area for a bit.
72nd- Kraus took a short corner to Morsink, who curled in a cross to Hohlbein at the back post for a diving-header finish.
74th- Zavagnin took a long shot after a cleared CK, but his effort was deflected. The ball bounced straight to Claudio who hit a first-time volley inside the back post from 20 yards out.

After the game, players from the Arkansas Wizards got autographs from our boys, especially Claudio Lopez. It was a pretty cool sight. A group of children from Kansas School for the Deaf came out today as well and had a great time. We'll post some pictures from that later on.

Media Coverage This Week

Continuing with the new tradition started last week, we'll post the weekly press schedule here at Hillcrest Road. Check out all the places to hear your boys this week:

Tonight—8:00 p.m.— The Jimmy Conrad Show--Sports Radio 810

Wednesday—7:40 a.m.--Tyson Wahl phone interview--101.1 FM The Fox

Thursday--7:45 a.m.--Kerry Zavagnin in-studio interview--105.1 Jack FM

Thursday--8:00 a.m.--Jimmy Conrad in-studio interview--Mix 93.3 FM

Thursday--8:15 a.m.--Jimmy Conrad in-studio interview--Star 102.1 FM

Thursday--10:30 a.m.--Davy Arnaud phone interview--Sports Radio 810

Thursday--2:00-3:00 p.m.--Weekly Spanish TV Show/Radio Show live on TWC Channel 5 and Ke Buena 1480 AM--Guests--Curt Onalfo and Hercules Gomez

Thursday--9:30 p.m., Friday 6:30 p.m., Saturday 11:30 a.m.--Wizards Weekly TV show on Metro Sports--Guests--Curt Onalfo and Hercules Gomez

Friday--3:30 p.m.--Curt Onalfo weekly press conference on Metro Sports (this will be taped at 12:00 Friday at Swope Park) with player guest Josh Wolff

Two Programming Notes

First of all, the Jimmy Conrad Show takes place tonight at McFadden's instead of on Wednesday due to a conflict with the K-State-Louisville football game. The show will air tonight from 8-9 on kcwizards.com and 810 WHB. Head down to McFadden's in the loverly Power and Light District and listen in person. This week, Davy Arnaud will fill in for Jimmy. Enjoy Davy's wonderful insights and call in to ask him how it feels to score in three straight matches. My guess? Very nice!

Also, tomorrow's practice will consist of a scrimmage against the Arkansas Wizards, a U-23 team based in Springdale, Arkansas. The scrimmage starts at 10 a.m. at our Swope Park Training Center. If you don't work or don't have to work tomorrow, stop on by.

Davy for GOTW

We all knew it would be, and now it is. Davy Arnaud's lazer beam right-footer is up for Sierra Mist Goal of the Week over at MLSnet.com. Only problem is that a Toronto FC player is nominated too, and we all know how well TFC supporters can stuff the ballot box. Come on KC Wiz fans, show TFC who's boss this week, then our boys will show them on Saturday. GO VOTE!

BIG WIN!

How about that golazo from Davy Arnaud?? Talk about a long-ronge bomb. The win puts us back into the mix for the final playoff spot, just four points behind D.C. United (who tied FC Dallas 2-2). Check out some notables from the match and the post-game quote sheet.

· Following the match, Kansas City sits 7-9-8, 29 pts in sole possession of 6th place in the Eastern Conference.
· Kansas City is now four points out of the final playoff place.
· Four of Kansas City’s six remaining matches will be played in Kansas City.
· The Wizards played their only game of the 2008 season at Arrowhead Stadium and drew 26,113 in David Beckham’s first-ever appearance in Kansas City.
· It marked the 5th highest home attendance in club history.
· Kansas City is now 16-21-7 all-time against Los Angeles, including a 12-8-2 record at home.
· Forward Josh Wolff recorded the game-winning goal in the 67th minute for his second goal since rejoining the Wizards earlier this season.
· The goal was assisted by Herculez Gomez and Davy Arnaud.
· Arnaud then scored two minutes later on a blast from 33 yards out.
· It was Arnaud’s third consecutive match with a tally.
· He is now tied for the team lead with five goals.
· Arnaud is now in 4th place on the club’s all-time goals list with 30 career tallies in Wizards colors.
· Arnaud now has four career goals against Galaxy.
· Arnaud trails Mo Johnston, manager of next week’s opponent Toronto FC, by just one goal.
· Arnaud now has 28 career assists, good for a 3rd place tie with Johnston.
· Wolff is alone in 5th place after breaking a tie with Scott Sealy and Vitalis Takawira.
· Goalkeeper Kevin Hartman and defender Jimmy Conrad are the only Wizards to play all 2160 minutes so far this season.
· Hartman recorded two saves against his former club to reach 1117-career stops.
· Hartman now has 104 stops on the year, good for a first-place tie with Jon Busch.
· Bush and the Chicago Fire play Sunday.
· Hartman is on pace to reach Tony Meola’s all-time club record of 129 saves.
· Hartman must average 4.17 saves/game over the remaining six games to set the club record.
· He has averaged 4.33 saves/game so far in 2008.
· He now trails Meola by 19 saves for the all-time MLS record.
· Hartman extended his all-time marks in wins (134) and shutouts (75) to record his first-ever shutout against the Galaxy.
· The Wizards last shutout the Galaxy 10/16/04 in regular-season play.
· Hartman has eight shutouts on the season, good for a second-place tie in MLS.
· Newly acquired Wizards forwards Abe Thompson and Herculez Gomez made their first Wizards starts.
· Gomez recorded his first assist in a Wizards uniform, setting up Josh Wolff’s game-winning goal.
· Midfielder Kevin Souter made his first career MLS appearance.
· Souter was signed in April after first impressing at an open tryout in February.
· The Wizards have had two players signed through the open tryout appear in an MLS match this season.

KANSAS CITY WIZARDS HEAD COACH CURT ONALFO
On the game
“For one, I thought it was an extremely hard fought game. Bruce (Arena) has L.A. playing extremely well and they’re an unbelievably talented team. With all the (lineup) changes we made, it took us a little time to adjust to each other. Once we did that I thought we were pretty darn good and put on a great show for the full house of fans.”

On the large crowd
“It’s always great to play in front of a big crowd like that, and the guys really responded well. The crowd was a big plus for us and made things difficult on Los Angeles. Hopefully people seeing a Wizards match for the first time enjoyed themselves and will continue to come out during the stretch run. We want the whole city behind us as we push for the playoffs.”

On a two-goal second half
“The guys came out extremely well in the second half at a crucial time of the game. I liked how we managed the rest of the game as well after we got the 2-0 lead. I thought we possessed it better towards the end of the game and I thought we showed some good composure.”

On shutting out the best offensive team in MLS
“The fact that we shut out the best attack in Major League Soccer is a huge boost of confidence as we go into our last six games of the season.”

KANSAS CITY WIZARDS FORWARD JOSH WOLFF
On his goal
“Hercules did a good job putting it in there. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to put it in front of me so I was just looking to get a little piece of it and swing it to the back post, and fortunately that happened. I was glad to see it go in. It was good to score in front of so many cheering fans.”

KANSAS CITY WIZARDS MIDFIELDER DAVY ARNAUD
On his goal
“I think that’s probably one of the best goals I’ve ever scored. I don’t remember ever hitting one better than that. It’s one of those where you just try to hit it hard, get it on target and make the keeper make a save. It was something we put an emphasis on. We wanted to get some shots from distance and test the keeper.”

KANSAS CITY WIZARDS MIDFIELDER KEVIN SOUTER
On making his MLS debut
"It's a dream come true, to be completely honest. It's something I've dreamt about the last couple of years, especially since David Beckham came into the League. During college I had the ambition to play for the Kansas City Wizards and to eventually be on the same field as Beckham and the other high-caliber players in MLS. Tonight it happened. I had a lot of family and friends in town, and most importantly, we got the win. It was a perfect first appearance."

LOS ANGELES GALAXY HEAD COACH BRUCE ARENA
On the game
“The difference in the game was a 15-minute segment in the second half. I thought Kansas City brought more energy to the game in the second half than we did. We were suspicious going into the game that we were going to have some issues with fatigue and that showed, but give Kansas City credit. They deserved to win the game.”

LOS ANGELES GALAXY MIDFIELDER DAVID BECKHAM
On the game
“It was a tough game for us again. No one likes losing, and we’ve gone a long time without winning a game. Today’s another tough one to take. In the second half they just had a little bit more in them than we did.”

On the Galaxy’s playoff chances
“I think we realize it’s going to be very tough, but it’s possible. I think once we get that first win mentally it will be better. Even today, you could see we were a little bit down. I’m not sure we had the belief that we could win this game. That’s obviously part of the mental side of it. Once we get over that, once we get our first win I think it’ll be all right.”

LOS ANGELES GALAXY MIDFIELDER CHRIS KLEIN
On the game
“For the most part, it was pretty even. They made two really good plays in the second half. The first one was a good touch and that second was just a great goal by Davy (Arnaud). I think we were a little sluggish and we just didn’t have enough.”

Things to Remember for Tomorrow

0) The game is at Arrowhead.

1) Parking lots open at 1 p.m. CT...be there early for the tailgate.

2) Former KC and STL-based indoor soccer players are squaring off at KC Soccerdome tomorrow at noon CT. You must show a ticket to tomorrow's MLS game to get in. Enjoy.

3) Stadium gates open at 2 p.m. CT...teams start warming up around 3:15 if you want to catch that.

4) Soccer celebration will be in parking lot D instead of on the street immediately outside the stadium.

5) Construction is everywhere, so things will take a little longer:
-Parking lot entrances 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 will be available for entrance.
-Stadium gates B, C, and D will be available to get inside the stadium, so lines could get a little long.
-Only seven ticket windows will be in operation, and with a large walk-up expected, it could cause a pretty long wait. If you don't yet have your tickets, buy them online at kcwizards.com or call (913) 387-3400 and save $5 off the walk-up price.

6) M&I Bank is sponsoring the game, and the first 10,000 through the gates get a water bottle from them and us.

7) M&I is also partnering with us and Harvesters on a food drive. If you are one of the first 700 people to bring three or more items, you'll get a free T-shirt.

Conrad Has a Posse

You guys already knew that, but now you can support the cause! Check out http://www.cafepress.com/conradsposse and buy your favorite Jimmy Conrad Has a Posse gear. Proceeds go to Conrad's favorite charities. Nice!

Quotes Prior to Saturday's Match

I won't trouble you guys will all the details in the front of the release we just sent, since you already know that we're fighting for our playoff lives, as are the Galaxy. I also won't try to tell you who David Beckham is or that he played Wednesday as England crushed Croatia 4-1 on the road. Here, though are quotes from him and Jimmy about the game Saturday. Enjoy:

KANSAS CITY WIZARDS DEFENDER JIMMY CONRAD
“It’s obviously exciting to play against the Los Angeles Galaxy for a number of reasons. One being David Beckham, another former Wizard Chris Klein, the star of the U.S. National Team Landon Donovan and one of the best coaches in U.S. history Bruce Arena.”

“We know that this is the first game of many at home during this stretch run, and this first time out is vital to our playoff hopes.”

LOS ANGELES GALAXY MIDFIELDER DAVID BECKHAM
"I'm looking forward to the game against Kansas City on Saturday. With only seven games left in the season it's important for us to come in and try to get a positive result."

"This is my first visit to Kansas City and I'm looking forward to what's sure to be a great atmosphere at the Stadium."

"The team is starting to play better, I could see it on the training pitch before I left to play for England. The guys are getting a better feel for each other and it's just a matter of time before we turn the corner."

How I'm Feeling.....

So one of the hardest aspects of all this is determining what's "politically correct" to say about your team when they're in a slump. Obviously, it's not like we're oblivious to the fact that we haven't been very good lately. I've tried to do my best to read the blogs, boards, etc. and try to get a sense for what people are thinking.....and largely it's pretty tough to disagree with the sentiment.

I guess at this point the only plea I can try to offer is the fact that we WANT to win badly. Right now that's not translating all that well....obviously. What may seem to be a haphazard approach is anything but. Our mentality is win now, win later....at the present time "win now" isn't going as planned.

What I want to make sure we don't do is BS our fans. We need to make sure our narrative is matching what you're seeing on the field. Our mantra of attack, attack, attack isn't what we've delivered and we're aware of it. Our veterans are incredibly committed to this team and this town and we're spending the time and effort to fix this.

You don't have any reason to, but I'm going to try to ask you to believe in the program....sleep hasn't been much of an option lately, and i've shot my mouth off that this town is dying for a winner. it is.....we're going to get this program positioned to deliver a first class product.....please feel free to put me in the crosshairs up until the point u feel necessary to pull the trigger.... rh

Promo for Kids Saturday

FYI-Saturday during pre-game at various locations around the stadium as well as from the mascots, we will be giving out wrist bands with the Toshiba logo to the first 5,000 kids K-16 in the stadium. From those kids, we will select two winners at random to serve as honorary coaches of the mascot game. The coach of the winning team will win a 32" flat screen Toshiba TV, courtesy of Toshiba Business Solutions. The "coach" of the losing team will receive four Fieldside Reserve seats at a future game.

Thanks Toshiba! Who knew so much was riding on the mascot game? Make sure your kids get a band as you're entering the park.

On-Air Media This Week

We'll try to post these more often from now on, but here's a list of shows that will host Wizards players this week. Tune in and enjoy!

Tonight—7:00 a.m.—Jimmy Conrad in-studio TV interview—38 the Sports Spot

Wednesday—6:45 a.m.—Bruce Arena phone interview—Sports Radio 810

Wednesday—8:15 a.m.—Kevin Hartman in-studio interview—106.5 The Wolf

Wednesday—1:00 p.m.—Kim Roentved phone interview (promoting the indoor reunion game)—Sports Radio 810

Wednesday—3:00 p.m.—Chris Klein phone interview—610 Sports

Wednesday--7:00 p.m.--The Jimmy Conrad Show--Sports Radio 810

Thursday--7:45 a.m.--Kerry Zavagnin in-studio interview--105.1 Jack FM

Thursday--2:00-3:00 p.m.--Weekly Spanish TV Show/Radio Show live on TWC Channel 5 and Ke Buena 1480 AM--Guests--Curt Onalfo and Wizards player T.B.D.

Thursday--3:30 p.m.--Curt Onalfo weekly press conference on Metro Sports (this will be taped at 12:00 Thursday at Swope Park) with player guest Abe Thompson

Thursday 4:00 p.m.--Sean Wheelock interview—Sports Radio 810

Thursday--9:30 p.m., Friday 6:30 p.m., Saturday 11:30 a.m.--Wizards Weekly TV show on Metro Sports--Guests--Curt Onalfo and Abe Thompson

Friday—8:15 a.m.—Davy Arnaud in-studio interview—94.1 KFKF

Friday--8:15 a.m.--Jimmy Conrad in-studio interview--Star 102.1 FM

Friday--8:45 a.m.--Jimmy Conrad in-studio interview--Mix 93.3 FM

Saturday—8:40 a.m.—Peter Vermes in-studio TV interview—Channel 41


Spanish radio station 1250 AM La Super X will also be at practice Thursday conducting interviews to play back before the game.

Food Drive as Part of Saturday's Fun

Hey guys, check out the press release just sent out and bring three or more non-perishable items to gain access into a special pre-game party hosted by M&I Bank. Help us help others!

Kansas City Wizards Partner with M&I Bank, Harvesters for Food Drive Prior to Saturday’s Match Against Los Angeles Galaxy

(September 9, 2008) – The Kansas City Wizards, M&I Bank and Harvesters Community Food Network have come together for a food drive prior to this Saturday’s Wizards game against the Los Angeles Galaxy. The Los Angeles roster features international superstar David Beckham, United States international Landon Donovan and former Wizards standout Chris Klein. Saturday’s food drive is part of Hunger Action Month, a Harvesters initiative that runs through the end of September. The game starts Saturday at 4 p.m. CT at Arrowhead Stadium. Parking lots open at 1 p.m. CT.

M&I Bank has joined the fight against hunger and will be hosting a pre-game tailgate from 2-4 p.m. near Gate D to collect non-perishable food items for Harvesters Community Food Network. All donors who bring a minimum of three non-perishable food items will receive entrance into the M&I Bank tailgate and the first 700 in the tent will receive a special edition Wizards t-shirt. All donors who attend the M&I Bank tailgate can enter to win a seat upgrade, compliments of M&I Bank.

Eleven area high schools are currently participating in a Student Food Drive through Harvesters and have the opportunity to purchase tickets at the preferred customer rate of $25 for this weekend’s match. A portion of the proceeds from tickets purchased through this special offer will be donated toward the school’s effort in the drive.

At halftime of the game, a student from one of the participating schools will take part in a soccer kick competition on the field to win 250, 500 or 1,000 additional cans for his or her school’s donation total. M&I Bank will donate the additional cans. Wizards midfielder Sasha Victorine will emcee a kickoff event for the Student Food Drive Wednesday at the Harvesters headquarters at 3801 Topping Avenue in KCMO.

Participating schools:

· Blue Springs High School
· Blue Springs South High School
· Blue Valley High School
· Blue Valley Northwest High School
· Center High School
· Cristo Rey High School
· Grandview High School
· Lee's Summit West High School
· Olathe Northwest High School
· Park Hill South High School
· Pembroke Hill School

Details of Wednesday’s kick-off event:
Date: Wednesday, September 10
Time: 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Location: 3801 Topping Avenue, Kansas City, MO
Role: Sasha Victorine will be emceeing the Harvesters Student Food Drive Kick-Off. Sasha will welcome the groups and talk about the upcoming food drive at Arrowhead on September 13 when the Wizards host the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Don't Forget: Jersey Auction

Hey guys, hopefully no one has forgotten about the jersey auction currently ongoing over at kcwizards.com to benefit a spoonful of charities. Go bid on your favorite player' s jersey here. If you don't remember who we're helping out, read about it:

Jerseys start at $150 or $200, and the auction runs through September 15. Autographed jerseys are available from the following players: Claudio Lopez, Kevin Hartman, Jimmy Conrad, Josh Wolff, Kerry Zavagnin, Sasha Victorine, Davy Arnaud, Kurt Morsink, Jack Jewsbury, Roger Espinoza, Michael Harrington, Chance Myers, Tyson Wahl, Matt Marquess, Aaron Hohlbein, Ivan Trujillo, Nelson Pizarro and Eric Kronberg.

Proceeds will go to the five charities that participated in Community Night on August 9: Autism Speaks, Charlie's Safe Haven, Child Protection Center, Gilda's Club, and Spofford.

Gentleman (and ladies), start your bidding!

Saturday's Start Time/Reserves Tomorrow Cancelled

Hello all, after a comment in a post below, I wanted to come on and remind everyone that Saturday's game will be played at 4 p.m. CT at Arrowhead Stadium. The match was originally scheduled for 7 p.m. CT at CommunityAmerica Ballpark, but it was moved in mid-July. Tell all your friends and family who may be planning to attend to make sure they know of the change. Thanks all! Tickets still available to see Beckham's first KC appearance.

Also, the reserve match against DCU which was rescheduled from the first game of the season to tomorrow morning has been postponed again. No reschedule date has been set. We'll let you know if that changes.

Harrington Featured at Soccer365

Greg Seltzer of Soccer365 and his own blog No Short Corners checked in with Wizards left back/right back/left mid/right mid Michael Harrington last week for a feature story published today. Listen to Mikey's answers about the difference between playing on the left and right, the dog days of summer in MLS and one European fullback he admires. It's a good one.

One I Missed

I came across this the other day but forgot to post it. Newly minted left back Matt Marquess gets some props from Jeff Carlisle at ESPNSoccernet.com for his play late in the year for our boys in blue. Carlisle says if he keeps it up, his name just might be in the mix for rookie of the year at season's end. Good work Matt...keep getting noticed and playing solidly.

New Forward Wonderkids

With the trade today for former FCD striker Abe Thompson, we added our second attacking player in the last two days. Add the trade for Herculez Gomez into the mix, and we've acquired two 26-year-old forwards who are very different but exciting players. Combined, they have 36 goals and 19 assists in just over six total seasons. Gomez is the scrapper--a feisty player who gets under opponents' skin and finishes well. Thompson is a physical presence--a tall, strong striker capable of holding the ball up or running at goal. He is great with both feet and with his head in the air. Check out some of their highlights.

Thompson completes a long run out of midfield with a deft cut around two defenders and calm finish:


Here, my favorite Thompson goal, he cuts to his right and bends a perfectly placed right-footer into the right-side netting from 19. Goal of the Week winner:




And see it as part of the Sierra Mist Goal of the Week candidate highlight reel...he had the winning goal:


You've of course seen this header from Thompson in stoppage time:


Gomez completes a similar run as Thompson's first pictured above and strikes inside the far post. The announcers really get excited about this one:


Here Herculez (Herculez Herculez) tallies against Thompson's FCD side just into the highlight package. Well-placed finish after getting in behind the D:



Herculez taps home against LA in June (at the very end of the package):


I like what I see. Don't you guys?

I Love the 80's Strikes Back

So my friend SF over at The Offside Rules loved our videos so much that he plopped them into Vimeo for improved viewing pleasure. Thanks again to Liquid 9 for their creativity and great editing abilities. Watch them again if you dare:


Kansas City Wizards: Say Anything from Shawn Francis on Vimeo.


Kansas City Wizards: Sixteen Candles from Shawn Francis on Vimeo.


Kansas City Wizards: Top Gun from Shawn Francis on Vimeo.

Line of the week? "If Maverick were as good in the air as Jimmy Conrad, Goose would still be alive." Priceless.

New Boy Gomez Looks Famous

Not only does newly acquired forward Herculez Gomez have some pretty good soccer credentials, his looks give him a little street cred. Check out these two pics below and tell me that's not the same guy. Well, it's actually not. First up is Hollywood star John Leguzamo. Next is our newest attacker, Herculez. Herculez will arrive in KC tonight, be at training tomorrow morning and feature in our weekly press conference tomorrow at noon at Swope. Read the release on his arrival here at kcwizards.com.

You've Lost That Loving Feeling

Think that Beckham fella knows a thing or two about show-business? He's not the only soccer player around who has starred in a hit movie. While none of these flicks are named after someone on our roster, the guys got a little nostalgic recently and went back in time to reenact their favorite scenes from 80s movies. Check out the results below as Jimmy and Sasha star in Top Gun, Kerry stars in Say Anything and Kevin is featured in 16 Candles. Eat your heart out, and pass this link along to anyone who loves these movies, loves soccer or both. Then tell them to click here and come out to see our movie stars take on that other pop culture icon from our League Sept. 13 at Arrowhead Stadium. Thanks to Liquid 9 for their mad-fine work on these videos.

USASA COED Cup

Ladies and gentlemen, looking for a tournament out there where you can all play together? Well, in a press release from U.S. Soccer, I just came across the 2008 Coed Cup put on by United States Adult Soccer Association. The tournament, scheduled for October 24-26 in Dallas, features Open, Over-30 and Over-40 age brackets. Your Wizards are in Foxborough that weekend for the final regular-season match against New England, so sign up a team and a mlslive.tv account and play a little footie around watching our boys round out the regular season and, hopefully, look toward the playoffs. For more info on the tournament, click here.

St. Louis Gets Jazzed About Reunion Game

As part of the festivities of the September 13 match against the Galaxy and that Beckham guy, we are hosting an indoor-soccer reunion game at the KC Soccerdome prior to the 4 p.m. kickoff. Well, folks, St. Louis is getting amped up about the game. St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz featured a blurb about the event in his column this Saturday. Check it out.

If you don't remember the details, check out this page at kcwizards.com.

Happy Tuesday

Wow, what a crazy holiday Monday in the world of international soccer. Man City gets a new owner and promptly outspends Roman Abromavich and Chelsea for Brazilian star Robinho. Man United goes ahead with the purchase of Dimitar Berbatov from Tottenham, allowing them to finalize two other signings and take a ManU player in on loan. American starlet Michael Bradley goes from Herenveen to the Bundesliga. What a nutzo Monday it was while Hillcrest vacationed. Former Wizards striker Eddie Johnson also made his newest debut, appearing late for Cardiff City in the English League Championship. Check out the notables from Saturday's match at San Jose below. We'll be back later with more.

· Following the match, Kansas City sits 6-8-8, 26 pts tied for 6th place in the Eastern Conference with Toronto FC who lost to Chivas USA 2-1 Saturday.
· Kansas City is 15-18-6 all-time against San Jose.
· Forward Davy Arnaud registered his 3rd goal of the season.
· Arnaud is now tied with teammate Josh Wolff and two other players for 4th place on the club’s all-time goals list with 28 career tallies in Wizards colors.
· Midfielder Michael Harrington recorded his 2nd assist of the season on the play.
· Harrington now has six career assists.
· Goalkeeper Kevin Hartman and defender Jimmy Conrad are the only Wizards to play all 1980 minutes so far this season.
· Hartman recorded four saves on the night to reach 1108-career stops.
· He now trails Tony Meola by 28 saves for the all-time MLS record.
· Hartman already holds all-time marks in wins (133) and shutouts (74).
· Saturday’s opponent Joe Cannon current ranks second behind Hartman with 64 career shutouts.
· Starting left back Matt Marquess, a Santa Clara graduate, played on his college home field Saturday.
· Midfielder Kevin Souter appeared in the 18-man roster for the first time of his career.
· The Wizards signed Souter after he first impressed at a February open tryout.