* Los Angeles Tickets Selling Quickly
* KCW Juniors Tryouts June 18-20
* All-Star Voting Continues
* Jimmy Conrad Show Live Wednesday
* Wizards Weekly on Metro Sports
* Johnson Named MLS Player of the Week
* Wizards Present Miss Soccer Kansas City
* Burciaga Cleat Auction Ongoing
* Kansas City Wizards Training Schedule
Tickets for Match Against Los Angeles Galaxy, Featuring David Beckham, Landon Donovan, Cobi Jones Selling Quickly
Tickets to the September 27, 2007 match against David Beckham, Landon Donovan, Cobi Jones and the Los Angeles Galaxy went on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. CT. Already, over 12,000 tickets have been sold to that match still over three months away.
Originally scheduled to go on sale in mid-July, the initial offer date was moved up due to high demand for tickets to the game.
Individual tickets will be available at all Ticketmaster retail outlets, Ticketmaster.com, kcwizards.com or by calling Ticketmaster directly at 816.931.3330.
For groups of 40 or more, special ticket rates apply. Group packages are available by calling the Wizards directly at (913) 387-3400 or toll free at 1-(877) 828-7222. Premium seating, including suites and club seating, is still available in limited quantities.
Wizards to Hold KCW Juniors Youth Development Tryouts June 18-20 at William Jewell College
The Kansas City Wizards will be holding tryouts for the newly created KCW Juniors Youth Development Program later this month. The KCW Juniors will be made up of the best young soccer players from Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa and Oklahoma and train under the direction of the Wizards technical staff.
Tryouts for the three KCW Juniors teams will take place June 18-20 at William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri. There will be no charge for trying out.
To enroll for tryouts, click on the following registration page:
https://www.htgsports.net/registration/registration.aspx?id=198
Walk-up registration will also be accepted.
Tryouts are scheduled as follows:
June 18th and June 19th Main Stadium
U-15 boys 5:00-6:15 pm
U-16 boys 6:30-7:45 pm
U-17 boys 8:00-9:15 pm
June 20th Grass Game Field
U-15 boys 5:00-6:15 pm
U-16 boys 6:30-7:45 pm
U-17 boys 8:00-9:15 pm
The main stadium field is field turf. All types of shoes are usable.
Directions to William Jewell College:
William Jewell College
500 College Hill
Liberty, MO 64068, US
All-Star Voting Continues
Online fan ballots are now being accepted for the 2007 Sierra Mist MLS All-Star Game, which will pit the best in MLS against perennial Scottish powerhouse Celtic FC on July 19 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo. Vote up to ten times per day to make your Kansas City Wizards 2007 All-Stars.
To vote, visit the kcwizards.com home page and click the All-Star ballot. Each person can vote up to ten times per day. Voting ends on Monday, June 25, 2007.
Jimmy Conrad Show Live Wednesday
Kansas City Wizards defender Jimmy Conrad and the voice of the Wizards Sean Wheelock will co-host The Jimmy Conrad Show live from the Plaza 810 Zone Wednesday. The show, broadcast live at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN Radio 97.3, will feature Wizards midfielder Kerry Zavagnin.
Wheelock, Conrad and Zavagnin will discuss the Wizards come-from-behind win at home against New York last Saturday, Zavagnin's steady play so far this season and the performance of the rest of the squad through the season's first nine games.
Catch the show on 97.3 FM or streamed live at kcwizards.com.
Wizards Weekly on Metro Sports
Wizards Weekly, the official Kansas City Wizards weekly highlight show, broadcast on Metro Sports Thursday at 11:30 p.m., Friday and 4 p.m. and again Saturday at 11:30 a.m., will feature Head Coach Curt Onalfo and forward Scott Sealy.
Onalfo and show host Brad Porter will discuss the 3-2 win against Onalfo's mentor Bruce Arena and the New York Red Bulls last Saturday and his team's progress one-third of the way through the MLS season.
Sealy will appear on Wizards Weekly for the first time in 2007. He made his return to the Wizards lineup from a high ankle sprain in the victory over New York, entering for defender Jose Luis Burciaga Jr. in the 72nd minute. Sealy has one goal and one assist in just three games (one start) in 2007 due to an injury suffered in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Qualifier held at Real Salt Lake April 18. Sealy is back and healthy and will step into the line up as fellow striker Eddie Johnson joins the U.S. National Team for the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Johnson Named MLS Player of the Week For Second Straight Week, Third Time in 2007
Kansas City Wizards forward Eddie Johnson took home his fourth major MLS award of 2007 as he was named MLS Player of the Week for the second consecutive week in Week 9. Johnson scored a hat trick for the second straight match, including the game-winner in the 85th minute against Red Bull New York. No player in MLS history had ever scored hat tricks in back-to-back matches before Johnson did the trick in games against New England and New York.
Johnson becomes the first player in team history to win a Player of the Week award three times in a season. Johnson now ranks first in MLS in goals (9), first in game-winning goals (5) and tied for fourth in assists (3). The Wizards have scored more goals (19) than any team this season. So far, Johnson has scored as many goals as the entire Toronto FC roster and outscored Columbus (8 goals), Houston (7), Los Angeles (7) and Real Salt Lake (7).
"This award says a lot about our team and how we've been playing," Johnson said. "It's definitely a collaborative effort every time we come out on the field, and I'm looking forward to coming back to Kansas City after the Gold Cup."
Down 1-0 to start the second half, Johnson erased the deficit in the 46th minute when he ran onto Michael Harrington's pass over the defense, and hit a first-time shot over Red Bulls goalkeeper Jon Conway.
Johnson's second goal came in the 59th minute as he struck a first-time shot past Conway after Jose Burciaga Jr.'s low cross from the left wing came through to him. Johnson scored the eventual game-winner in the 86th minute when he slotted a breakaway pass from Sasha Victorine under Conway. It was Johnson's League-leading fifth game-winning goal this season and completed the second hat trick of his career.
Johnson is the only player to win Player of the Week honors more than once in 2007. He was tabbed in Week 2 after scoring a goal and assisting on two other's in the Wizards season-opening 4-2 victory on the road at D.C. United. Also, no other teams have had more than one winner of the award in 2007.
Johnson was then named MLS Player of the Month for April after he led the Wizards to a 3-1-0 record, scoring three game-winning goals while adding two assists. Johnson had never won an MLS Player of the Week or Player of the Month award until this season.
Johnson won the Week 8 award after notching his first career MLS hat trick in a 4-3 win at New England.
Thirteen different players have won Player of the Week awards for the Wizards. Johnson is the sixth player to win the award more than once and the fourth player to win the award more than once in a season.
Johnson has now joined the U.S. National Team in preparation for the upcoming CONCACAF Gold Cup. The United States, looking to defend its 2005 title in the competition, opens play Thursday, June 7 against Guatemala at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Cal. at 5 p.m. CT. Johnson will be with the U.S. squad through the duration of the tournament. The finals will be held Sunday, June 24 in Chicago.
The MLS record for Player of the Week awards in one season came in 1999 when Jason Kreis won the award six times for the Dallas Burn.
Wizards and Metro Sports present the 2007 Miss Soccer Kansas City contest
In the spirit of the new Picturehouse feature-length film, Gracie, the Kansas City Wizards and Metro Sports are excited to bring the 2007 Miss Soccer Kansas City contest to the many young girls in the community who excel on and off the soccer field. With the help of Metro Sports, the Wizards are holding a contest to find five girls, ages 18 and under, who will serve as the new junior spokespeople for the team and don the titles of Miss Soccer Kansas City. The five winners will represent the organization throughout the 2007 season.
The winners of the 2007 Miss Soccer Kansas City contest would, like the character in the film, be chosen for their confidence, friendliness, love of athletics and willingness to make a difference in Kansas City. The Wizards, in partnership with Metro Sports, will hold tryouts for girls at various sites throughout the city leading up to the June 24th deadline.
The five winners will be announced at halftime of the Wizards July 1st home game against Toronto FC. Winners must be present at Arrowhead Stadium in order to receive the honor.
In addition, girls can send in DVD/video tryouts to the Kansas City Wizards office. Girls must answer the questions at the bottom of this release and also showcase their soccer skills in their tryout video. A full list of tryout locations, Miss Soccer Kansas City duties and the Wizards office address is listed below. Please contact the Kansas City Wizards communications department with any further questions at (913) 387-3400.
Miss Soccer Kansas City tryout questions:
Who is your favorite Kansas City Wizards player and why?
Who is your female role model and why?
What makes soccer fun for you?
How would you get people in the community excited about the Wizards?
What are three special qualities that you would bring to this position?
The duties for Miss Soccer Kansas City for the 2007 season would include:
* Participation in pre-game media and TV segments, including reporting from the Wizards' "Soccer Celebration" area, which revolves around activities for children.
* Participation in Kansas City Wizards community events and activities.
* Video messages to the crowd that will be played on the Jumbotron during games.
* Participation in a Kansas City Wizards practice with the players.
* Participation in the opening coin toss of a future Kansas City Wizards game.
* Photo shoot for pictures to be used in media/advertisements geared toward youth soccer, as well as in the Wizards merchandise catalogues.
* Personal bio page on kcwizards.com that will highlight background information, quotes, and any other issues the participant would like to talk about, etc.
Upcoming Miss Soccer Kansas City tryout locations:
Wizards vs. Houston: June 24; 2:30-4:30 p.m.
Participants can submit a DVD/video that includes answers to the previously mentioned questions and showcases their soccer skills, by Friday, June 22, to:
The Kansas City Wizards
Attn: Miss Soccer Kansas City
8900 State Line Rd. 5th Flr.
Leawood, KS 66206
Be sure to come out to the Wizards game on July 1 and hear the winners announced!
Burciaga Game-Winning Boot Auction Continues
Defender Jose Burciaga Jr. has donated the cleats he wore May 5 against Columbus, a game he scored the game-winning goal in the 90th minute for the Wizards, for a charity auction.
Burciaga's boots are available here >
The bidding starts at $250, with the auction running through Friday, July 29th at 5 p.m. CT. Proceeds from the auction will be donated to the Jacobo family, benefiting the family that was featured on the May 13th Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in Kansas City.
Kansas City Wizards Weekly Training Schedule
*All training sessions will take place at the Sprint World Headquarters located at 119th and Nall in Overland Park. Upcoming Training Schedule
Monday, June 4
Off
Tuesday, June 5
10-11 a.m.
Wednesday, June 6
11 a.m.-12 p.m.
Thursday, June 7
10-11 a.m.
Friday, June 8
10 a.m. - intra-squad scrimmage
Saturday, June 9 - Monday, June 11
Off
