WEEKLY SCHEDULE:
The Kansas City Wizards moved into a tie for 2nd place in the Eastern Conference with a 1-1 tie at the Los Angeles Galaxy Saturday. This weekend, the 2008 MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew come to town for a 7:30 p.m. CT kickoff at CommunityAmerica Ballpark. The Wizards will host their weekly press conference Thursday at the team's Swope Park Training Center.
SATURDAY'S MATCH FEATURES FAITH AND FAMILY NIGHT, SPECIAL GROUP OUTINGS:
This Saturday, the Kansas City Wizards will host Faith and Family Night as the rival Columbus Crew comes to CommunityAmerica Ballpark for a match at 7:30 p.m. CT. Wizards forward Adam Cristman will address participating fans after the game about his faith at 5:15 p.m. CT on the stage between Gates B and C at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.
Shortly thereafter, Kansas City's Christian Rock Band, The Pool Boys (http://www.myspace.com/thepoolboys), will perform original songs and popular Christian hits for all "Faith & Family Night" participants on the same stage.
Members of the local Girl Scouts will also attend the match this weekend. The Scouts will gather early in the day at Dave and Buster's across the street from the stadium at The Legends, then arrive early to CommunityAmerica Ballpark for a pre-match clinic. All participants will be able to take part in the Human Tunnel before the match, and Scouts receiving a Gold or Silver Award will be recognized on the field prior to the match. A large group from Fort Leavenworth will also attend the match, taking part in pre-game festivities on the field.
MIDFIELDER ROGER ESPINOZA CALLED TO HONDURAS NATIONAL TEAM:
Kansas City midfielder Roger Espinoza has been named to the 23-man Honduras roster for a pair of upcoming World Cup Qualifiers. Espinoza joins Toronto FC star Amado Guevara as the only MLS players named to Head Coach Reinaldo Rueda squad for games June 6 against the United States in Chicago and June 10 against El Salvador. Espinoza reported Monday to Honduras camp in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
Honduras currently occupies 3rd place in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying. If qualification ended today, Honduras would qualify automatically to the 2010 World Cup along with the United States and Costa Rica, while Mexico would play the 5th seeded team from South America's Confederation for a place in the South Africa World Cup. Honduras is 1-1-1 after a 2-0 loss to Costa Rica, a 1-1 tie with Trinidad and Tobago and a 3-1 win over Mexico.
Espinoza earned his first appearance for his birth nation Jan. 22 in Honduras' first game of the 2009 UNCAF (Central American Football Union) Nations Cup. Espinoza appeared three times during the five-game tournament, scoring his first goal in the 3rd place match to give Honduras a 1-0 win. Espinoza stayed with the National Team for a World Cup Qualifying loss to Costa Rica Feb. 11 but did not make the game roster. Espinoza was then called to Honduras camp again for a pair of qualifiers March 28 against Trinidad and Tobago and April 1 against Mexico. He did not enter either match, though he was on the 18-man roster against Mexico.
WIZARDS, BUDWEISER TO HOST WATCH PARTIES FOR NATIONAL TEAM MATCHES:
Wednesday night, the United States Men's National Team takes on Costa Rica at Estadio Saprissa at 9 p.m. CT in World Cup qualifying. The match will be shown live on ESPN, and the Wizards and Budweiser will host a watch party at both area 810 Zone locations.
The U.S. men then return home for a Saturday-night tilt against Honduras and Wizards midfielder Roger Espinoza at 7 p.m. CT at Soldier Field. At last report, over 40,000 tickets have been sold for the match. The U.S. game takes place during the Wizards game Saturday night at CAB. The Wizards and Budweiser will record the USA match and show it at Dave and Buster's in the Legends following the conclusion of the Wizards game Saturday.
Fans are encouraged to come out Saturday night to see the Wizards take on the 2008 MLS Cup champs, then head to Dave and Buster's to see how the U.S. faired against Roger Espinoza's Honduras side.
WIZARDS ANNOUNCE GAME DATE CHANGE FOR ROAD MATCH AT D.C. UNITED:
The Kansas City Wizards announced Thursday that their match originally scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 8 at D.C. United will be moved to Wednesday, Sept. 9 at RFK Stadium at 6:30 p.m. CT. The match will still be televised live locally on Metro Sports in English and Time Warner Cable Channel 5 in Spanish. D.C. United will host Spanish superpower Real Madrid Aug. 9 at FedEx Field.
KCW JUNIORS JOIN U.S. SOCCER DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY FOR 2009-2010 SEASON:
The KCW Juniors program is one of five youth soccer clubs chosen by U.S. Soccer out of 250 applicants to join the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, the United States' premier youth club competition. The KCW Juniors will field three teams during the 2009-2010 youth soccer season, with U-16 and U-18 teams competing in the Frontier Conference against some of the top youth clubs from around the Midwest. KCW Juniors U-16 and U-18 teams will be fully funded. The KCW Juniors will also field a U-14 team that will play in the Midwest Regional League and Kansas State Cup competitions. Tryout registration for all three teams is available through this link.
The five new Academy clubs were selected from a pool of 250 applicants. Clubs were selected based on their potential to generate future national team players as determined by geographic location, coaching staff, administrative capabilities and national team coach site visits and evaluations. U.S. Soccer has limited the number of clubs admitted into the Academy each year to maintain the highest quality of competition in the program.
The KCW Juniors will hold tryouts for Academy teams June 11-12 at the team's Swope Park Training Center. Roster sizes for the U-16 and U-18 teams will be determined by the quality of the player pool at tryouts. Players must attend Day 1 of tryouts and be invited back to take part in Day 2. Younger players are invited to attend tryouts for teams in older age groups. U-17 players will be placed on the U-18 team, U-15 players on the U-16 team, U-13 players on the U-14 team and so on. The U.S. Soccer Development Academy determines age groups by calendar year of a player's birth. The U-18 division denotes players born in 1991 or later, while the U-16 team denotes players born in 1993 or later.
CLAUDIO LOPEZ WINS MLS GOAL OF THE WEEK:
Wizards striker Claudio Lopez won the MLS Goal of the Week honor last week. Lopez struck a perfectly placed free kick into the upper-right corner May 23 against Chivas USA in a 1-1 draw. Lopez has four goals and three assists on the season and 10 goals and 10 assists in his two seasons with the Wizards.
SuperLiga™ 2009 Schedule
(All Times Eastern) / Subject to change
Saturday, June 20
Chicago Fire vs. San Luis (Toyota Park - Bridgeview, Ill) 20:00
Chivas USA vs. Tigres UANL (The Home Depot Center - Carson, Calif.) 22:00
Sunday, June 21
Kansas City Wizards vs. Atlas (Robert R. Hermann Stadium at St. Louis University - St. Louis, Mo.) 16:30
New England Revolution vs. Santos Laguna (Gillette Stadium - Foxborough, Mass.) 18:30
Tuesday, June 23
Chicago Fire vs. Chivas USA (Toyota Park - Bridgeview, Ill.) 20:00
San Luis vs. Tigres UANL (Toyota Park - Bridgeview, Ill.) 22:00
Wednesday, June 24
New England Revolution vs. Kansas City Wizards (Gillette Stadium - Foxborough, Mass.) 19:00
Santos Laguna vs. Atlas (Gillette Stadium - Foxborough, Mass.) 21:00
Saturday, June 27
Chicago Fire vs. Tigres UANL (Toyota Park - Bridgeview, Ill.) 20:00
Chivas USA vs. San Luis (The Home Depot Center - Carson, Calif.) 22:00
Sunday, June 28
New England Revolution vs. Atlas (Gillette Stadium - Foxborough, Mass.) 16:30
Kansas City Wizards vs. Santos Laguna (CommunityAmerica Ballpark - Kansas City, Kan.) 18:30
Wednesday, July 15
Semifinal 1 (TBD)
Semifinal 2 (TBD)
Wednesday, August 5
Final (TBD)
BUY TICKETS TODAY FOR SUPERLIGA MATCH VERSUS SANTOS LAGUNA: Sunday, June 28, Mexican First Division side Santos Laguna comes to town with famed Mexico National Team goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez. The match counts as "Special Game A" in Kansas City Wizards season ticket packages. Single-game tickets are available for purchase by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000 or visiting www.ticketmaster.com/kcwizards. The Wizards will also offer a special 2-game package that includes:
•One (1) ticket to the match against Santos Laguna
•One (1) ticket to the match Aug. 16 against former Santos player Cuauhtémoc Blanco and the Chicago Fire
•One (1) limited-edition T-shirt.
Packages start at $30 and are available in all seating categories. Call the Wizards at (913) 387-3400 for more information.
TICKETS ON SALE NOW FOR SUPERLIGA MATCH IN ST. LOUIS AGAINST FC ATLAS:
Tickets are now available for the match Sunday, June 21 when the Kansas City Wizards take on FC Atlas of the Mexican First Division at Robert R. Hermann Stadium at St. Louis University. The match kicks off at 3:30 p.m. CT, with tickets starting at $20. Discounts are available for groups of 15 or more. Tickets now available in St. Louis at all MetroTix locations. Charge by phone (314) 534-1111 or online at metrotix.com. Tickets and information also available by calling the Kansas City Wizards toll free at (877) 828-7222.
Ticket Pricing:
$35 for Zone 1 (Center Midfield)
$30 for Zone 2 (Sidelines)
$20 for Zone 3 (Goal Line)
** Includes a ticket voucher to select Wizards game in Kansas City
THE JIMMY CONRAD SHOW AIRS FROM TANNER'S IN SHAWNEE THIS MONTH:
The Jimmy Conrad Show, presented by Budweiser, will air Wednesday night on Sports Radio 810 WHB from 7-8 p.m. CT and simulcast online at kcwizards.com. The show will be broadcast live from Tanner's Bar & Grill in Shawnee, Kan. during the month of June. The Tanner's is located near the intersection of K-7 at Shawnee Mission Parkway. Fans are encouraged to watch the show live in person for a chance to win great prizes. This week, Conrad will announce the teams for Saturday night's Media Game at halftime of the Wizards contest against the Columbus Crew.
Tanner's Bar & Grill - Shawnee
22370 W 66th St
Shawnee, KS 66226
(913) 745-8100
Google Maps Link
In 2009, the Wizards will take registrations from fans at each edition of the Jimmy Conrad Show for month-end drawings. Prizes will include Field Side Reserved tickets, a clinic from a Wizards player, a Football/Futbol double-header package and a VIP Meet & Greet session after a training session. Each fan can enter that month's drawing each time they attend The Jimmy Conrad Show.
The Jimmy Conrad Show will be held at different bars throughout the Kansas City metropolitan area. The show will run from 7-8 p.m. CT each week except for a small number of nights when the time will change due to programming conflicts on Sports Radio 810 WHB.
Fans can download archives of The Jimmy Conrad Show from the podcast page at kcwizards.com.
SPANISH-LANGUAGE COACH'S SHOW AIRS THURSDAY ON 1480 AM:
Wizards Head Coach Curt Onalfo will join Enrique Morales Thursday at 5 p.m. CT for his weekly Spanish-language coach's show on Ke Buena 1480 AM. Spanish-speaking fans are encouraged to listen for a recap of last week's game against the Los Angeles Galaxy and a look ahead to Saturday's match against the 2008 MLS Cup champion Columbus Crew.
HERCULEZ GOMEZ TO PRESENT SOCCER GEAR TO PAIR OF CHARITIES WEDNESDAY:,
Who: M-F Herculez Gomez
When: Wednesday, June 3; 1:00-2:00 p.m.
Where: Swope Park Training Facility, Kansas City, MO
What: Herculez Gomez will be on hand at the Passback Pick-Up at the team's training facility. Two local groups in need will be bringing children and will be picking out used soccer gear that was donated this season on Passback Night at the stadium.
ADAM CRISTMAN TO APPEAR AT FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH OF RAYTOWN:
Who: F Adam Cristman
When: Saturday, June 6; 12:00-1:00 p.m.
Where: First Baptist of Raytown, Raytown, MO
What: First Baptist of Raytown will get a visit from Adam Cristman when he comes to the church to talk about his faith and life as a professional soccer player. As it is the church's awards ceremony, he will also be handing out prizes and awards to the children.
