Kansas City Wizards General Manager Curt Johnson announced today that he will be stepping down as the general manager of the organization at the end of the 2006 season.
"We want to thank Curt for his long tenure with the Kansas City Wizards," said OnGoal, LLC member Robb Heineman. "Curt was a key component of a Wizards club that achieved the highest pinnacle of Major League Soccer, the MLS Cup Championship in 2000. Curt is a consummate professional, having steered this organization successfully through a multitude of challenges for the past seven years. We wish nothing but success for Curt, Susan, and the Johnson family."
Johnson will be retained in an advisory capacity through the transition process.
Johnson was named General Manager of the Wizards on November 22, 1999 after serving as the Vice President and General Manager of the Richmond Kickers of the United Soccer League from 1998-99. While at the helm of the Wizards organization for the past seven years, Johnson helped lead Kansas City to the MLS Cup Championship and Supporter's Shield in 2000 and both the U.S. Open Cup and Western Conference Championship in 2004.
During his tenure, Johnson has been instrumental in bringing a number of big-name players to the Kansas City area. Among those Johnson signed or acquired via trade were Miklos Molnar, then-MLS scoring leader Roy Lassiter, former U.S. National Team members Mark Santel and Mike Burns, the re-acquisition of Kansas City fan favorite Preki and Diego Gutierrez and current U.S. National Team standouts Josh Wolff, Eddie Johnson and Jimmy Conrad.
Johnson was also successful in a number of MLS Drafts as the Wizards' GM. He drafted future National Team members Nick Garcia and Kerry Zavagnin in 2000. In 2001, he selected U-20 and U-23 standout Jose Luis Burciaga Jr. He acquired Davy Arnaud in the later rounds of the 2002 draft and Scott Sealy with the 11th overall pick in 2005. He also orchestrated draft-day trades for Diego Gutierrez (2002), Josh Wolff (2003), Jimmy Conrad (2003), Shavar Thomas (2004) and Sasha Victorine (2005).
Prior to making the jump to the front office Johnson was an Assistant Men's Soccer Coach for his alma mater, North Carolina State University, during the 1996 season, and was an assistant coach for the Raleigh Flyers, formerly of the A-League in 1995. From 1992-94 he served as the Midwest region's Marketing Director for adidas. The Raleigh, North Carolina native received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication from North Carolina State University in 1991. On the field, Johnson was a four-year defensive starter at NC State and was team captain his senior year when the Wolfpack won the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship and advanced to the NCAA Semifinals in 1990.
