KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Kansas City Wizards General Manager Curt Johnson announced today that forward Davy Arnaud has signed a new, multi-year contract with the Wizards. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
"When you have a bright, talented, hard working player working under a coaching staff led by a great teacher of the game this is the result," said Wizards General Manager Curt Johnson. "2005 will be a new challenge and I am thrilled to know that Davy will be wearing Wizards blue for many years to come."
Arnaud, 24, enjoyed tremendous success in 2004, his third season in the League. He scored nine goals and added eight assists for 26 points, good enough for second on the team in scoring and ranking him 7th overall in MLS. He was also the only Wizards player to appear in and start all 30 regular season matches. On July 3, 2004, he recorded his first career hat trick and just the third in franchise history with three goals against Dallas.
He also played every minute of the Wizards four postseason matches including the 2004 MLS Cup Final against D.C. United. He scored two goals in Kansas City's 2-0 win over the Los Angeles in the Western Conference Final to help propel the Wizards into their second MLS Cup Final in franchise history.
The Nederland, Texas native is one of the brightest young stars in MLS and has been one of the biggest successes of the League's Developmental program over the last three seasons. He was drafted by the Wizards in the 5th round (50th overall) of the 2002 MLS SuperDraft out of West Texas A&M. He spent his first season as a professional on the Wizards developmental roster, the first season the League implemented the developmental program.
In 2003, Arnaud was promoted to Kansas City's senior roster and appeared in 18 matches including seven starts. He scored three goals in his second season, including his first career goal on June 7, 2003 against MetroStars goalkeeper Tim Howard just one month before Howard would transfer to Manchester United.
In three seasons, Arnaud had appeared in 51 matches, including 37 starts. His 12 career goals tie him for 8th in team history, while his 32 career points rank him 11th on the Wizards all-time scoring charts.
The Wizards will kickoff their 2005 season next week when they begin play in the 2005 Champions Cup against Costa Rican side Deportivo Saprissa. The Wizards will host the first leg of the first round, aggregate goal series on Wednesday, March 9th at Arrowhead Stadium. The match will kickoff at 7:00 p.m. CT. Tickets to the Champions Cup match are available now through Ticketmaster.
Kansas City will open the 2005 Major League Soccer season on Saturday, April 2nd when they host former Western Conference rivals the Colorado Rapids at Arrowhead Stadium beginning at 7:00 p.m. CT. The reigning Western Conference Champion Wizards begin a new era in 2005 as they move to and compete in the Eastern Conference for the first time.
