The Kansas City Wizards and Major League Soccer today unveiled the 2006 MLS regular season schedule. The Wizards 2006 campaign will feature a 32-game schedule that kicks off on Saturday, April 1st when they host Eastern Conference rivals the Columbus Crew at Arrowhead Stadium beginning at 7:30 p.m. CT. Major League Soccer's season will culminate with MLS Cup 2006 taking place at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas on Sunday, November 12th at 2:30 pm CT.
"We are excited to announce our best home schedule in the 11-year history of the Wizards organization," said General Manager Curt Johnson. "Every home game offers a significant challenge and the ability to host 13 Saturday games is something fans are thrilled about. We look forward to getting the season underway and feel the schedule will be one that soccer fans throughout Mid-America will enjoy."
In 2006, the Wizards embark on their second season in the Eastern Conference. The first seven scheduled home games for the Wizards will feature opponents from the Eastern Conference between April and the end of June, including two home matches against D.C. United and 16-year-old phenom Freddy Adu on Saturday, May 27th and Wednesday, June 28th.
In all, the Wizards will face each Eastern Conference team four times during the season, twice at home and twice on the road, and will face each Western Conference team twice, once at home and once on the road. For the second consecutive season, the schedule will consist of 16 home games and 16 road games.
Kansas City's first road test of the year will be Saturday, April 8th when they travel to Houston, TX for the first time ever to face Houston 1836, formerly the San Jose Earthquakes. Another compelling matchup will take place on Tuesday, July 4th when the Wizards travel to Chicago to take on the Fire at the new Bridgeview Stadium, which is scheduled to open June 25th.
Other dates worth noting for Wizards fans are Saturday, May 6th and Saturday, June 17th when former Wizards midfielder Diego Gutierrez returns to Kansas City with the Chicago Fire. Saturday, September 30th, the next-to-last home game of the season will also mark the return of midfielder Chris Klein, when Real Salt Lake makes their only trip to Arrowhead in 2006.
Defending MLS Cup Champions the Los Angeles Galaxy are scheduled to make their only visit to Kansas City on Saturday, July 1st as the Wizards celebrate Independence Day weekend at Arrowhead with the city's best fireworks show.
The Wizards will close out their 2006 home schedule on Saturday, October 7th when they host second-year franchise Chivas USA at Arrowhead. From there, they will finish the regular season on the road with a crucial Eastern Conference showdown against the MetroStars on Saturday, October 14th in East Rutherford, NJ in a match that could have major playoff implications.
The 11th MLS season will continue through the 2006 World Cup that is scheduled to take place June 9th through July 9th in Germany. While some World Cup matches may fall on the same day as some Wizards and MLS matches, there will be no conflict due to the time difference between Germany and the United States.
Wizards 2006 Season Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by calling the Wizards office at 816-920-9300 or online at www.kcwizards.com and clicking on "Season Tickets". Individual tickets will go on sale Friday, March 3rd and can be purchased through Ticketmaster by calling 816-931-3330 or online at www.ticketmaster.com.
