Best 22 of 2008 on Hillcrest Road

In the time of the Best XI and year-end recap, we decided to look back at the first year of existence for Hillcrest Road. I tried putting together a Best XI, but frankly, there were too many favorites, so I decided to do a Best 22. I know no one really does this, but it's like two teams starting against one another. Here are the 22 players from Hillcrest Road that start the end-of-year recap with a little blurb about each.

1. The first-ever post. Enough said.

2. The streaker post. Enough said. Not really, this was the first real in-depth interview done here that didn't focus on a Wizards player. We beat Ives Galarcep to the story. Now it's enough said.

3. Wizards beat RSL 1-0 in Saturday Cup. This was the first-ever live commentary here at Hillcrest. Not a bad way to start, with Jimmy Conrad scoring a goal. Who knew we'd see that so many times this year? Not us.

4. Wizards defeat D.C. United 1-0. The first-ever regular-season game and first-ever regular-season win blogged about here. Glad it came against DCU.

5. Former Wizards Leading Teams. This post turned into an article in the KC Star by Bob Luder a couple of months later. That's called breaking a story.

6. Crashing the Cauldron is named. Nothing like starting a term.

7. KCSoccerStore.com opens. It's not so much for our post here as it is about the online presence of a Wizards store. That's a great move for our organization.

8. Conrad language commercial. The first time my Spanish was ever corrected by someone publicly. Now the significant other does it regularly.

9. QnA with Lauren Fowlkes. She went on to win the U-20 World Cup with the USA team. Nice pre-emptive interviewing here.

10. The Will Daniel Story. One of my favorites. This kid really loves soccer, and our players are really great to him. Please read this one.

11. Help us Help Others. Another of my favorites. QnA with a young kid who is really making a difference. Read it.

12. Robb Heineman's emotions. Good read. Love seeing an owner who cares so much, so publicly.

13. 80's commercials. Hilarious.

14. Buy your kid a Wizards monkey. This illustration by the young fan is GREAT.

15. Interview with Mike of Down the Byline. This came after he won his award from the Pitch. Congrats again.

16. Cauldron video. Watch it, imbed it, show your friends. We want the Cauldron to keep on growing!

17. Coldplay photos. I kind of feel like TMZ for this one. Wish I saw Coldplay up close like the players did.

18. Blogger fight. We get into it with Red Bull Reader from RBNY. I love blogger fights. This was our first.

19. The Cauldron Crashes Columbus. It was incredible seeing and hearing the Cauldron all the way in Columbus. That was sweet. Good seeing Robb Heineman and Cliff Illig greet them as well.

20. Owners wives in Columbus. The wives of our owners were also on hand for the game and posed with the Cauldron. Fun stuff.

21. Wizards Wonderland wrap-up. First effort with Picasa. Glad the event was so busy and went so well.

22. Holiday shopping list. We give our best gifts for the Wizards fans in your lives. Still very relevant. Read and shop.

Wizards 3-2 Win Over San Jose Chosen MLSnet Best XI

We all knew it was, but the great deciders over at MLSnet.com chose our dramatic, last-gasp 3-2 victory over San Jose as one of the Best XI matches of the season. As you recall, we scored brilliant goals off the feet of Claudio Lopez, Davy Arnaud and Herculez Gomez (his coming deep into stoppage time) to help cement our place in the playoff picture. Head over to MLSnet.com to see the other ten best games of the year, read the recap from our exciting match and see some video highlights as well.

Jewsbury Called to U.S. Camp

Jack takes a rip in the first home New England game last year.

Congrats Jack! Our favorite attacking midfielder/right winger/right back/holding midfielder Jack Jewsbury is getting a look from Bob Bradley and the U.S. National Team. In all seriousness, Mr. Jewsbury had a great year for our boys in blue. After he moved to the central holding midfield role, we went 5-1-1 to close the regular season. 

In all likelyhood, Jack will be battling with Ricardo Clark and Brian Carroll for holding midfield duties in the Sweden game. If he can put in a good showing, Jack could potentially become a more regular candidate for the National Team. Hopeful Mr. Bob Bradley likes what he sees! We Wizards faithful know Jack is capable.

The camp begins Jan. 4 and concludes with a home qualifier against Sweden on Jan. 24 at 3:30 p.m. CT on Fox Soccer Channel and Galavision. Hopefully we'll see Jack in that game.

Jack says:

“It’s quite an honor to be called in by your national team. As a player, you always strive to reach that level. I’m excited to show the coaches what I can do and represent the Kansas City Wizards well.”

Back From Break

Wow, that was quite a long layoff here at Hillcrest Road. In some ways it was hard, but it was a nice break from the daily grind. Now we're back (though New Year's Day will be another slow day), and all eyes are squarely pointed at the 2009 Major League Soccer Season. I'll update you now with some important dates during the upcoming month.

Jan. 9 - combine starts with training session for all players

Jan. 10 - combine first day of games

Jan. 11 - combine second day of games

Jan. 12 - day off for combine participants

Jan. 13 - combine third day of games

Jan. 14 - Day 1 of NSCAA national convention at The Westin in St. Louis, Missouri

Jan. 15 - MLS SuperDraft held at NSCAA convention and broadcast live on ESPN 2 and MLSnet.com

Jan. 16, 17, 18 - NSCAA convention continues in St. Louis.

Read Ives Galarcep's mock draft version 2.0 here. So far, he's had us take two central attacking midfielder types in his first two mock drafts. What position do you think we should go after with our first selection (number 8 overall)? Vote to the right. The poll will be up until just a couple of hours before the SuperDraft.

Wizards players will report for training in the week after the SuperDraft and start their preparations for the 2009 season at that time. Once we get a final date, we will let you know. We'd love to see several of you out at the first training sessions.

Also, U.S. Soccer should be announcing the roster for the January camp today. Word is there will be Wizards representation. We'll let you know once it's public.

Merry Christmas!

Season's greetings to all of our readers and fans! Hopefully you and yours have a wonderful holiday season. Hillcrest will be in and out over the next week, so posts might be a little hard to come by. Feel free to share your Christmas wishes for the Wizards in the comments section below!

New Additions

It's a Web 2.0 world out there.

On this Christmas Eve Eve, I thought it a great time to point you to a couple of new additions here at Hillcrest Road, the blog.

• First of all, the top right corner links to the very first post. Read it once in a while. It's fun to look back.
• Second, we have a link to the Wizards Facebook fan page. The page is pretty plain right now, but we'll be working on adding some fun stuff as the 2009 season approaches. Be ready.
• Third, look below at this nifty little "tell a friend" button. If you're one of those who "shares" stories via a social media site, here's your easy-to-use button to make it happen. This one contains many of the more popular sites, but if you hear of a better button to use, feel free to send it my way (krogers@kcwizards.com).
• Fourth, there's an RSS subscription button on the right-hand side. If you're an RSS user, subscribe.

We'll be focusing a lot on making sure all of our fans read Hillcrest Road frequently in 2009. Hopefully this will help. If you're a social-media guru and have anymore suggestions to make, comment them below or send them to my email. We're always looking for ways to improve.

Pre-and-Post-Holiday Shopping

First of all, let us wish all of our Jewish readers a very happy Hanukkah. It starts today (sunset last night) and runs through sunset on Dec. 29. If you're looking for last-minute Hanukkah gifts, some of these might strike your fancy. For those of you observing Christmas, Festivus or Kwanzaa (Dec. 26 through Jan. 1), this list is also for you. We've got the top 10 things a Wizards fan should purchase this year for yourself or your loved ones. Hopefully you enjoy:

10. T-shirts from Objectivo or Bumpy Pitch. Both of these sites are great for the soccer fan. I have a couple of Objectivo shirts. They're great. Bumpy Pitch I haven't worn yet, but they look outstanding and have made appearances on some pretty

big-time people (such as Ryan Seacrest and Joe Cannon).

Check them out, especially this Objectivo shirt on the right. Vamos Missouri Azzurri. That has a cool ring to it. Cost: Objectivo $19.99 and up. Bumpy Pitch $36.

9. Adam Cristman #9 Wizards jersey. Yes, Cristmas has chosen his number for next year, and yes he will wear #9. Though he hasn't appeared in a W

izards uniform yet, now is a great time to acquire the jersey of our latest acquisition. Cost: Jerseys start at $50 for for kids ($70 for adults) and cost $20 for customization.

8. Jimmy Conrad Has a Posse gear. Our center back has a posse; it's true. Head over to the previous link to pick up the latest merchandise with the bad-ass logo above. The proceeds go to a good cause, as Jimmy is sending money to his favorite charities from the sale of this gear. Good job Jimmy. Cost: $2.99 for the sticker, other gear from $14.99.

7. History of MLS Cup. This is a fun one, especially the chapter about the 2000 season. Watch and enjoy. Cost: $19.99.

6. Trip to St. Louis for MLS SuperDraft 2009. SuperDraft takes place well within driving distance at the Westin St. Louis. Get some friends together and head across the state of Missouri to make some noise as the Wizards make their selections (starting with #8 in round 1). Cost: $44.12 in gas (500 miles at 17 miles per gallon and $1.50 per mile) plus hotel cost. You should be able to get back to KC for less than $200, especially if you car pool.

5. Wizards pilsner glasses. What better way to drink a beer (Dropkick Ale, perhaps) than out of a Kansas City Wizards glass. Head over to KCSoccerstore.com to pick up your set of four. Cost: $14.99.

4. MLSlive.tv package. Watch every MLS game not shown exclusively on a national broadcast partner (MLS Primetime Thursday night games or FSC Saturday games) from the comfort of your computer. Cost: $19.99 for the entire season, $4.95 for a single-day pass.

3. MLS Guaranteed Seating License. You have to have an mlsnet.com account to log in for the details, but a GSL guarantees you first dibs on all MLS All-Star game and MLS Cup tickets. Sign up today and always be the first in line for major MLS events. Cost: $500.

2. USA-Mexico tickets. They're not yet on sale, but they will be soon. Columbus Crew Stadium is the site, Feb. 11 is the date. For the latest on tickets and prices, visit www.ussoccer.com. This match will be epic as the two regional powers kick off the CONCACAF hexagonal. Each is expected to qualify for the 2010 World Cup. This is the first step in that process.

1. Kansas City Wizards season tickets. Get your seats to see Major League Soccer action right here in Kansas City. The Wizards have qualified for the playoffs in each of the last two seasons (both seasons under new ownership group OnGoal, in fact) and are poised to improve upon their record for a third-consecutive season next year. Tickets are affordable, the soccer is great and CommunityAmerica Ballpark provides a real home field advantage for our boys in blue (9-2-4 home record this year). Cost: Season seats start from $180, and there is something for everyone's price range. Click the link above or call (913) 387-3400 for more information.

KZ Joins Coaching Staff

Zavagnin after his final regular-season home match in KC colors.

Long-time Wizards holding midfielder Kerry Zavagnin hung up his boots following the loss against Columbus in November. Now he has officially re-joined the organization as an assistant coach. Welcome back Kerry. We're happy you're staying. Quotes:

“We are proud to welcome Kerry Zavagnin to the technical staff as an assistant coach after his successful playing career in Kansas City,” Wizards Technical Director Peter Vermes said. “One of our core philosophies is incorporating former Wizards players into the organization after their playing careers are over. Kerry was a great ambassador of the Wizards as a player, and he will continue that legacy as a member of the technical staff.”

“I’m excited to have Kerry join us on the coaching staff,” Head Coach Curt Onalfo said. “He was a very intelligent player with a good head for the game. These qualities will carry over and make him an excellent coach.”

“I am excited to begin my coaching career with the Kansas City Wizards, an organization that has meant a great deal to me over the past nine years,” Zavagnin said. “I will continue to serve this organization with the same passion, drive and commitment that I had during my time as a player.”

Espinoza to Train with Honduras National Team

Espinoza preparing for a speed test during last year's pre-season.

As some of you have seen, Roger Espinoza has been tabbed to participate in a 25-man training camp for the upcoming UNCAF Nations Cup scheduled to begin Jan. 22 in Honduras. Espinoza has no previous National Team experience and is exciting about the opportunity to play for his birth country.

He told me earlier today by phone:

“I am very excited about the opportunity to play for the country I was born in. I am glad that I got the call to camp, and I am eager to show what I can do at that level. I hope to make the most of this opportunity.”

Peter Vermes said this about Roger getting the call:

“I’m happy for Roger because it shows he is improving as a player every day. It is always good when we have more players with international experience because it helps us to improve as a team.”

Honduras has a strong roster that includes scoring marchine David Sauzo of Inter Milan. Should Espinoza break into the first-choice side for manager Reynaldo Rueda, he could compete in games in the upcoming UNCAF competition, as well as World Cup 2010 qualifying and the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Good luck to you, Roger.

A Little Jack to Start Your Morning

Look at those hot white Pumas.

Not that kind of Jack folks, a little Jack Jewsbury. As we posted a few days back, Jack has recently taken up the sport of writing/blogging over at SGFSoccer (soccer site based in Springfield, MO). This time our favorite #14 checks in regarding some OnGoal-related issues, including our upcoming stadium project and our beautiful Swope Park Training Center. Read all about the facility straight from a players' mouth (well, fingers).

Happy Holidays from the Wizards

With Hanukah and Christmas coming up soon (and Festivus going on all around us as we speak), I felt it a great time to wish everyone in Wizville a wonderful holiday season from the club. As you can see above (and below), the Wizards office is in quite the holiday spirit. Our informal gift exchange is later on today (see some presents wrapped on the table), so we might be back with details of that if there are any gifts worth posting in this space. Instead of posting a list of holiday gift ideas, Hillcrest Road is going to present its top ten things to purchase with your post-holiday money and/or gift cards. Look for that either today, tomorrow, or first thing next week. It's a long but fun process to pick the best top 10. It'll be great.

USA-Mexico

Will Davy Arnaud continue his time with the USA in the upcoming round of World Cup Qualifying?

U.S. Soccer announced yesterday that the upcoming matchup between the U.S. and Mexico on Feb. 11 will be played at Columbus Crew Stadium. Mexico, who generally struggles in cold-weather venues, is 0-2 all-time at Crew Stadium. Columbus doesn't have one of the larger Latino populations of the available venues, so that also makes sense for the USA.

What are your thoughts on this venue? Are you pumped? Are you going (I know Sam Pierron is trying to organize a trip. If you're close with him, let him know your interest level.)? How much are you looking forward to the hex? Which Wizards players would you like to see as part of the U.S. squad during qualifying? Let us know in the comments section.

A Little Facebook to Close Your Day

So I was cruising through some work-related Facebook pages today and realized that there are a couple I haven't pumped up on here so far. First of all, Robb Heineman has a facebook page again. He checks periodically and has been known to wish fans a Happy Birthday once in a while. Find him here. Second, the Wizards have a team page. Find it here. Third, MLS has a League-wide fan page. Find it here, add the League and chat with other fans from around MLS.

Former Wizard Featured by Celtic Underground

Former Wizards standout and current Toronto FC manager Mo Johnston was featured in a lengthy production recently by the good people of Celtic. Watch below for a recap of Mo's career beginning in Scotland and finishing up right here in KC.

Judas from celtic underground on Vimeo.

Conrad's Dad to Try Out!

Conrad Kuhn posing with Santa Claus at Saturday's Wizards Wonderland event.

Made you look. The results are in and Mike Kuhn, father of Conrad Kuhn and author of Down the Byline, has to try out for the 2009 Wizards and let some players rate his performance. This should be fun. Give your best guess as the ranking they will give our blog-writing friend in the comments section below. 

Remember, if you're interested in trying out or know someone who would be, get over to www.kcwizards.com/opentryouts for more information.

2008 Highlights

Enjoy:

Wizards Wonderland Very Busy

Josh Wolff poses for a picture with some fans. Josh signed some autographs for about an hour during the day's event.

Adam Cristman does an interview for kcwizards.com. Adam wanted to take time out of his day hunting for a new place to live to stop by and meet some of his new fans. Thanks for coming Adam!

The Wizards Wonderland event was quite popular. Several new season ticket holders picked out their seats. As you see above, Josh Wolff and Adam Cristman stopped by for a time and Santa Claus and Dynamo the Dragon were hits with the kids as always. If you were at the event and want to see some pictures, check out the photo album below, then head to this link to download the shots. Feel free to  use them for Christmas cards, Facebook profile pics or desktop backgrounds. Wizards pictures are great for any of those things! 

Download these pictures here!

Wizards Wonderland

Wizards Wonderland starts in 10 minutes. If you haven't already solidified plans to come out today, we certainly encourage you to. Your kids can get their pictures taken with Santa Claus and you can select your seats for the 2009 season. If you're an existing season ticket holder, no worries, your seats are reserved unless you choose to move them. If you're not, come on out today for a great Saturday afternoon that will include some awesome merchandise discounts (items up to 75% off!) and a sale of game-worn equipment from 2007. It'll be a fun one. See you here!

If you came out to the stadium today, check out the album here at our Picasa account to download pictures of your kids with Santa or random photos from the event. We will also use this Picasa account throughout the year for you to view and download photos from our other events. Enjoy.

Jackie J Blogs/GA Team Loses Final Match

Jewsbury with some fans at our Season Ticket Holder event last spring at Dave and Buster's

Versatile Wizards midfielder Jack Jewsbury checks in with fans via sgfsoccer in Springfield about the season and an upcoming clinic he is doing. Read up and, if you're from the area, sign up for his clinic here. This is Jack's second attempt at journalism, according to him. Let us know what you think about it.

Also, Roger Espinoza and the Generation adidas team dropped a 3-2 result to West Ham United's reserve squad that featured American defender Jonathan Spector. Read about the match here at mlsnet.com. Espinoza entered in the 73rd minute.

"Vanishing Spray" to Keep Walls at Bay?

A journalist in Argentina came up with a vanishing spray to help referees keep the wall back during free kicks. Now that's some cool stuff. Read about it here, thanks to The Telegraph in UK.

Fowlkes Featured in KC Star

Lauren Fowlkes, a sophomore at Notre Dame, grew up in Lee's Summit before starring for St. Theresa's High School in Kansas City. Last weekend, Fowlkes was a prominent member on the U.S. Women's U-20 team that captured the U-20 World Cup championship in Chile. On the same day Fowlkes helped in the U.S. win, Fowlkes college club lost to North Carolina 2-1 in the NCAA College Cup. Quite a bittersweet day for the young player.

Hillcrest Road interviewed her back in June after the U-20 qualifying trip to Mexico. Read her responses here. The KC Star caught up with her recently and posted the story today. Enjoy.

Espinoza Checks in Again

Sinclair.

The Generation adidas side played its second of three matches today, falling to the Chelsea FC reserve team that featured first-team striker Scott Sinclair. Sinclair, 19-years-old and a member of many England youth national squads, scored the hat trick for the Blues as they won the match 4-0 on a pair of goals in each half. Espinoza played the first half before exiting for Tony Beltran of Real Salt Lake. To read more about the match, click here.

Espinoza's take on the game:
The game against Chelsea didn't go too well for us today. We lost 4-0; they were a pretty good team. Their team seemed to be a lot better shape than ours, which makes sense since they’re in season right now. Although the score was 4-0, we still had many opportunities to score. They scored 2 goals on each half, and I played the first 45 minutes.

2009 adidas Combine Roster Announced

Overland Park product Matt Besler will take part in 2009 adidas Combine.

MLS released today the list of NCAA DI players participating in the 2009 adidas Combine. Of note is local product Matt Besler (Notre Dame, Blue Valley West High School); Creighton players Andrei Gotsmanov and Seth Sinovic; and St. Louis University players Calum Angus, Brandon Barklage and Kyle Patterson. Generation adidas, NCAA Division II and III and NAIA players will be announced at a later date. The annual player combine will be held at Lockhart Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Jan. 9-13, 2009. The MLS SuperDraft takes place Thursday, Jan. 15 in St. Louis missouri in conjunction with the NSCAA national convention.

Player list by position:
GOALKEEPERS (7): Chris Brown (Boston College); Evan Bush (University of Akron); Steward Ceus (University of Albany); Alec Dufty (University of Evansville); Neal Kitson (St. John’s University); Milos Kocic (Loyola College); Sean Milligan (Dartmouth College)

DEFENDERS (20): Lyle Adams (Wake Forest University); Calum Angus (Saint Louis University); Trevor Banks (Old Dominion University); Darius Barnes (Duke University); Rhett Bernstein (Brown University); Matt Besler (Notre Dame University); Evan Brown (Wake Forest University); Oscar Castillo (University of Connecticut); Chris Clements (University of Tulsa); AJ Delagarza (University of Maryland); Paul Gerstenberger (Boston College); David Hertel (Michigan State University); Wes Knight (College of Charleston); Otto Loewy (Winthrop University); Yohance Marshall (University of South Florida); Ryan Mirsky (Southern Methodist University); Babjide Ogunbiyi (Santa Clara University); Kyle Russell (Coastal Carolina University); Seth Sinovic (Creighton University); Jack Traynor (Notre Dame University)

MIDFIELDERS/FORWARDS (39): Kwame Adjeman-Pamboe (George Mason University); Quincy Amarikwa (University of California-Davis); Brandon Barklage (Saint Louis University); Josh Boateng (Liberty University); Graciano Brito (Quinnipiac University); Pav Castenada (Duke University); Aaron Clapham (University of Louisville); Raphael Cox (University of Washington); Sam Cronin (Wake Forest University); Dylan Curtis (University of California-Davis); Doug DeMartin (Michigan State University); Jokul Elisabetarson (University of North Carolina-Greensboro); Michael Fucito (Harvard University); Andrei Gotsmanov (Creighton University); Mike Grella (Duke University); Alex Grendi (University of Pennsylvania); Juan Guerra (Florida International University); Jeffrey Harwell (Southern Methodist University); Bryan Irwin (University of Portland); Richard Jata (Campbell University); George John (University of Washington); Keum Sung Kim (Loyola University); Michael Lahoud (Wake Forest University); Ryan Maduro (Providence College); Patrick Murray (Furman University); Kyle Patterson (Saint Louis University); Nick Perra (University of California-Santa Barbara); Chris Pontius (University of California-Santa Barbara); Matt Poole (University of Virginia); Akeem Priestley (University of Connecticut); Daniel Revivo (Winthrop University); Tosaint Ricketts (University of Wisconsin-Green Bay); Brad Ring (Indiana University); Chris Salvaggionne (University of North Carolina-Charlotte); Jordan Seabrook (University of South Florida); Marcus Tracy (Wake Forest University); Nick Zimmerman (James Madison University); Graham Zusi (University of Maryland)

Brigade Suspend Season?

The KC Star is reporting that the KC Brigade (and the AFL) may suspend operations this year. If this is in fact true and you know someone who is a Brigade season ticket holder or has gone to several games, invite them out to attend a Wizards match. Our seasons overlap for the most part, so Saturday's they might have spent inside watching indoor football can now be spent outside under the stars watching Major League Futbol (err, Soccer).

The same is said for people dropping their Chiefs or Royals season tickets for financial reasons. Invite them out to a Wizards match. We're very affordable and certainly customer friendly!

Espinoza Reports Back From London

Espinoza against the Houston Dynamo in his MLS debut.

Roger Espinoza checked in today via email regarding his trip to London, England so far. Today the Generation adidas players watched Chelsea defeat CFC Cluj (Romania) 2-1 to advance to the round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League. Needless to say, it was a great moment for the players to watch.

From Espinoza:

The trip has been fantastic so far. We practiced at the Chelsea facilities the second day we got here, and it was a first-class organization. Everything was amazing. The time change has been very difficult for everyone to adjust to, but we are doing pretty well now. In the game against Reading, we played pretty well. I was expecting them to be at a whole different level than us, but the game was pretty even. Both Chelsea and Reading have treated us very well.

Watching Chelsea play in the Champions League today is what I have enjoyed this trip the most.  It was the best soccer game I've been to. The passionate people in the stadium makes the game so interesting because everyone is chanting and supporting their team the entire game, and the level of soccer: it was incredible from both teams.

Other then that, I really haven't done that much the walk around the mall here and shop some. During the weekend is when we start doing things like getting a tour around town and go watch Liverpool, so I'll let you know how that goes.

Tomorrow we play the Chelsea reserve team in the morning. I'll let you know how that goes too.

PV Interview/4Years Ago Today

Vermes soaking trainer Chet North after a training session on Chet's birthday.

So I pulled my head out and figured out the link issue that had been perplexing me (thanks Dave). Now, here's a link to the interview posted yesterday at kcwizards.com with Peter Vermes. Listen, learn and enjoy. 

Also of note: 4 years ago today, Lamar Hunt announced that he had put the Kansas City Wizards for sale. Lamar, thank you for your years of service to the sport and the organization. OnGoal, thank you for buying the team and giving us the resources to be succesful. The Kansas City Wizards will be one of the premier soccer and sports organizations in the country. Stick with us and watch us grow!

Wizards Wonderland/Marinelli/Hillcrest Road Songs

Don't forget about the Wizards Wonderland event this Saturday at CommunityAmerica Ballpark. From 1-5 p.m., we'll host our new season ticket holders, potential season ticket holders and current STHs who are interested in upgrading or changing their seat locations. Santa Claus and Dynamo will be on hand for pictures with the kiddos, so bring the whole family out. Read more here, including info about a used gear sale.

Word from South America is that Carlos Marinelli has signed with Colombian club Millonarios, the former club of Chicago Fire defender/midfielder Wilman Conde and Red Bull Head Coach Juan Carlos Osorio. Read (in Spanish) the info from the club. Good luck Carlos.

Hillcrest Road, the band based out of Wisconsin that we interviewed here yesterday, has informed us that you can download some free versions of their songs via the band's fansite. Check out the site here for some free downloads of the quality music.

Espinoza Goes 60 in Loss to Reading Reserves

The Generation adidas youngsters took on Reading FC today, losing 1-0 to the English Championship side's second team. Wizards midfielder Roger Espinoza went the first 60 minutes for the GA team. Hillcrest Road will catch up with Roger in the next couple of days about his trip to England and experiences as part of the GA team. Don't forget to check out the audio interview currently available at kcwizards.com with team Technical Director Peter Vermes. PV chatted with PR guru Dave Borchardt today about the off-season and his plans for the club.

Read more about the GA match here.

Hillcrest Road Interview

HcR, the band

Sounds a little conceited doesn't it? Well, this time, Hillcrest is actually interviewing Hillcrest Road, the band. We got in contact with these guys a while back after running a search for www.hillcrestroad.com and coming across their website. After a listen to their music on iTunes (it's pretty good!), we shot them an email. After some back and forth chit-chatting, we decided to do a QnA so that our two versions of Hillcrest Road could come together for some time on the interweb. So, here is the first-ever Hillcrest Road (the band) interview on Hillcrest Road (the blog). Enjoy--then go browse their website and iTunes! (They've also got a side project named after their lead singer Scott Dangerfiend. Check that out at www.myspace.com/scottdangerfield)

QnA-

1. How did you first discover Hillcrest Road, the blog?

Tom: You know, it was almost a year ago I think... I was feeling rather narcissistic and tried Googling ourselves.  Lo and behold, your blog popped up.  At first I was a little confused, but the more I read and figured things out, the more interested I was.  Heck, as a big MLS and in general soccer fan I should have already known about this.  Regardless, I was happy to have found out and now find myself following the blog's updates fairly regularly!

2. What were your thoughts when you found out a professional soccer team could potentially have a stadium on a street with the same name as your band?

Patrick: I was excited to hear it! It's also somewhat coincidental, as most of us in the band grew up playing soccer. Even though I spent a lot of time on the bench, I still love playing the game and watching games on TV.

Scott: Hillcrest Road is actually a pretty common street name. We receive lots of messages from fans that live on or nearby a Hillcrest Road from all over the country. Although it is pretty cool that something big like this will be associated (at least in some circles) with our band.

3. Are you guys soccer fans? If so, who do you support?

Tom: We are all soccer fans, though Jake and I are definitely the biggest ones out of us all.  Living somewhat near Chicago, I guess I'd consider myself a Fire fan... but that's more out of default than anything else since it's the easiest team for me to get tickets to.  Having lived in London for a bit, I'm also a pretty big Premier League fan.  And because of my ties to Jay DeMerit, I'm definitely a Watford supporter.

Scott:I don’t know where Tom got his sources but I’ve never really been a soccer fan.  It’s a cool sport, just never grabbed my interest I guess. I was always more of a basketball, football (American), and baseball player.

4. Will you now support the Wizards, given your name ties to the organization?

Tom: I already do!  This really is just the icing on the cake...

5. How did you chose your name?

When we were first starting out, one of the many songs that never made it onto our set-list was called "At Hillcrest Road and Francis Creek."  We ended up dropping all but the Hillcrest Road and adopted that as our title. The actual Hillcrest Road that we're named after is about halfway between Green Bay (where three of our original members lived) and Milwaukee, where we like to stop for Subway sandwiches, gasoline, and take potty breaks.

6. What song of yours should Wizards supporters check out and why?

Tom: If I had to pick one track off our first album, Life After Liftoff, I'd suggest "It's Been You," because it definitely has gotten the most response from our fans.  Two of my personal favorites off that album are "Postcards Lost (In the Mail)" and "Options Limit Actions," because they really show off the band's range and diversity.  What I would really tell people, however, is that every single track off our upcoming album, The Definition EP is now my favorite.  We'll start releasing new songs sometime in late December or January, and when we do those tracks would be the ones I'd suggest everyone checks out.

Scott: My personal favorite is Marvelous. It’s a slow and simple song but it dives much deeper than any of our others. In other words, I don’t like it because it’s popular; I value it because it has meaning.

iTunes.

7. Explain your style of music and musical influences to Hillcrest Road readers...

Our musical influences vary greatly, including everything from rock, to hip hop and pop, to jazz. While we are usually characterized as "pop rock," we like to include elements of the other genres we love to listen to. Probably the most important thing about our music is that we do not write anything we would not want to listen to ourselves.  Some have compared us to Mae or Anberlin, others to Motion City Soundtrack, but really the comparison should be up to you the listener to decide for yourself.

8. What is the long-term ambition of your band?

Patrick: We absolutely love writing and playing music. In the long term, getting paid enough to support ourselves by playing music would be a dream come true.

9. Once Hillcrest Road is built, would you like to play at the venue?

We are always looking for places to play, and a venue that has such close ties to our name is definitely an exciting idea.  The prospect of not only playing at such a fantastic facility on a road of our namesake, but for such an impressive organization is definitely something that interests us!

10. Anything else you want to tell fans?

The fans are important, but when it comes down to it, we use music as an avenue for self and group expression. Music has the ability to transcend boundaries that the spoken word cannot. It’s an art. It can be interpreted in an infinite number of ways and therefore can touch any person regardless of differences. But most of all it allows us to extract emotions that we otherwise wouldn’t know how to get out. Even if those emotions don’t reach anybody else’s ears, it’s more than worth it. In other words, there is always a reason to play music…even if you are your own audience.

Mike Looks In/Ask the Fans

With only one day down, it seems the voting already has clinched that Mike will participate in the Open Tryout. Congrats to you buddy, we're also trying to get a couple of media people to join you. That should really be interesting. Jake Gutierrez anyone?

It's the offseason now, so we're starting to reconsider everything about everything in the front office. I know we've asked you these things before, but we'll ask again. What do you want to see most in 2009. Do you like that times have changed to 7:30 p.m.? Did you like the bus program this year? Let us know of any ideas and/or preferences you have in the comments section.

Down the Byline at Open Tryout?

If Mike signs up for the open tryout, he could be playing on that field next season.

Last year, Mike of Down the Byline came to the open tryout and rated some of the players he saw. Read his ratings and see Kevin Souter in that second picture he posted. At the time, Kuhn told me how he would likely have tried out, but his knee wouldn't allow it. Well folks, as many of you know, Mike is back at full strength. In chatting with him today, I suggested that he tryout this year. He claims to be open to the idea. If he does try out, I'm sure we could get some players to watch the trial and rate Mike's performance, as he so often rates their performances. You get to decide. Should Mike tryout and let the Wizards players rate him? Make the call in the top-right corner.

Open Tryouts are Back

Kevin Souter at last year's open tryout.

Souter just a few weeks later at a pre-season practice.

Souter on the field against Guillermo Barros Schelotto and the Crew in the MLS Cup Playoffs.

Just ask Kevin Souter and Nelson Pizarro, open tryouts work. Last season, each player showed enough while competing against over 200 other hopefuls that the Wizards eventually signed them to contracts. Souter eventually emerged as a starter down the stretch, playing in the Wizards final six matches, including our two MLS Cup Playoff bouts with eventual-champions Columbus.

Now, the 2008 version of the open tryout is upon us. If you're interested, or know anyone else who would be, visit www.kcwizards.com/opentryout.

Supporters' Shield Created by One of Our Own

Stud.

Jeff Bradley checks in at MLSnet.com with his latest version of the First XI. Our own Saturday Night Sammy J Pierron gets a little lovin' in #1. Great job Sammy!

And one more for good measure.

Wizards Wonderland Dec. 13/Welcome to Blogville

Wizards fans out there, make sure to join us on December 13 (it's a Saturday) out at CommunityAmerica Ballpark for this year's version of a seat-selection event. We will be winter holiday themed, with door prizes and Dynamo the Dragon and Mr. Santa Claus available for pictures with the kiddos. If you've already put down your season ticket holder deposit, make sure you come out between 1-5 p.m. that day. Even if you haven't already put down your deposit, come on out and take a look at the seating options anyway. We'll take your deposit there and seat you.

We'd also like to welcome Wizards fan and aspiring writer Graham Fox to the blogosphere. Graham has started his new blog, Advantage Played, at www.advantageplayed.blogspot.com. Stop by and check out his notes and musings when you're not reading Hillcrest Road.

MLS First Kick Announced

The full slate of games for MLS Week 1 is now available (below), as is the fact that we're switching our start times to 7:30 p.m. CT next year. Our first match will come Saturday, March 21, 2009 against Toronto FC at the CAB at 7:30 p.m. Single-game tickets won't go on sale until 2009, so the only way to guarantee a ticket to the opener against Mo Johnston's side will be with season tickets. Purchase them at (913) 387-3400 or visit this page at kcwizards.com for more information. Help us sell out all the matches next year!

Our second game comes on Saturday, March 28, 2009 at the Colorado Rapids at 8:30 p.m. CT.

First Kick and Home Opener Schedule:

REGULAR SEASON – WEEK 1 (FIRST KICK)

Thursday, March 19, 2009 (ALL TIMES CENTRAL)
New York Red Bulls at Seattle Sounders FC, 8 p.m. (ESPN2/Deportes)

Saturday, March 21, 2009
Columbus Crew at Houston Dynamo, 7 p.m. (Fox Soccer Channel/Fox Sports en Español)
Toronto FC at Kansas City Wizards, 7:30 p.m.
Chicago Fire at FC Dallas, 7:30 p.m.
Colorado Rapids at Chivas USA, 9:30 pm (Fox Soccer Channel/Fox Sports en Español)
New England Revolution at San Jose Earthquakes, 9:30 p.m.

Sunday, March 22, 2009
D.C. United at Los Angeles Galaxy, 2 p.m.

REGULAR SEASON – WEEK 2

Saturday, March 28, 2008
Toronto FC at Columbus Crew, 3 p.m.
San Jose Earthquakes at D.C. United, 6:30 p.m.
New England Revolution at New York Red Bulls, 6:30 p.m.
Kansas City Wizards at Colorado Rapids, 8:30 p.m.

REGULAR SEASON – WEEK 3

Thursday, April 2, 2009
Columbus Crew at Real Salt Lake, 8 p.m. (ESPN2/Deportes)

Saturday, April 4, 2009
Seattle Sounders FC at Toronto FC, 2 p.m.
FC Dallas at New England Revolution, TBD

Sunday, April 5, 2009
New York Red Bulls at Chicago Fire, 2 p.m. (Telefutura)

Holiday Auctions Courtesy of USSF

The United States Soccer Foundation is hosting its annual holiday auction to raise funds for their wonderful programs (which last year included helping fund community events at Field 3 at our gorgeous Swope Park Training Center). Click here to bid on the jerseys. There are autographed Wizards jerseys from 2007 and 2008 available, as well as jerseys from other MLS clubs and several top clubs from around the world. The auction runs through Dec. 15. Enjoy!

Also, don't forget that MLS will announce MLS First Kick (Week 1) and the home opener for each MLS team later today. We'll check in then with the Wizards first match and the early-season schedule for the rest of the League.

Espinoza Joins Generation adidas Trip

Espinoza volunteering for a clinic last summer for Verano MLS.

Our team Rookie of the Year is earning a nice trip to England with a group of 16 Generation adidas players from around MLS. Espinoza stepped in and logged some quality minutes this season on the left side of midfield after being taken with the 11th overall selection in last January's MLS SuperDraft. Read the story about the trip here at MLSnet.com and see Espinoza's bio and stats here.

Generation adidas roster for England Trip (Still confirming a 16th player):

Ciaran O’Brien (Colorado Rapids)
Bakary Soumare (Chicago Fire)
Josh Lambo (FC Dallas)
Bruno Guarda (FC Dallas)
Eric Avila (FC Dallas)
Anthony Wallace (FC Dallas)
Roger Espinoza (Kansas City Wizards)
Rob Valentino (NE Revolution)
Amaechi Igwe (NE Revolution)
Anthony Beltran (Real Salt Lake)
Alex Nimo (Real Salt Lake)
Chris Seitz (Real Salt Lake)
Yura Movsisyan (Real Salt Lake)
Abdus Ibrahim (Toronto FC)
Marvell Wynne (Toronto FC)

Itinerary:

• Friday, Dec. 5 Departure date to London
• Saturday, Dec. 6 Attend West Ham United vs. Tottenham or Arsenal vs. Wigan match
• Sunday, Dec. 7 Training at Chelsea Academy (two sessions on Sunday)
• Monday, Dec. 8 Match 1- Generation adidas VS EPL or West Ham Reserve Team.
  
• Tuesday, Dec. 9 Training Session at Chelsea Academy; Stamford Bridge Stadium and Museum Tour and visit to the Chelsea Mega Store
• Wednesday, Dec. 10 Match 2- Generation adidas VS Chelsea Reserve Team; Attendance UEFA Champions League Match - CHELSEA vs -CFR CLUJ NAPOCA
• Thursday, Dec. 11 Match 3- Generation adidas VS Aston Villa Reserve Team (TBC).
• Friday, Dec. 12 Watch Chelsea 1st Team Training Session at Chelsea Academy; London Eye private tour; Bus tour of London
• Saturday, Dec. 13 Late morning in London - sightseeing Oxford Street, Harrod's department store; Attendance EPL Match - CHELSEA vs WEST HAM (Note - Match could be moved to Sunday)
• Sunday, Dec. 14 Return flights to the US
  

Back From the Break

After the longest break in the history of Hillcrest Road, we're back and raring to go. Hopefully your Thanksgiving celebrations were cheerful and your post-Thanksgiving shopping successful. If you have a soccer fan on your list and haven't purchased anything yet, visit www.kcsoccerstore.com.

Here's a look at some stories of note from the past few days:

Article about new 12-field soccer complex in OP

KCBJ article on The Trails from Lane4's perspective

Bob Rusert breaks down the 2008 regular season

Then Rusert poses 5 questions from this year and looking ahead to next year

Article on the Seattle Sounders ticket-sales rate - good stuff from the newest team