This Week with the Wizards - Headlines for Week of September 14, 2006:
* The East Is Up In The Air
* Wizards' Training & Nutrition Week
* Check Please?!
* Wizards In The Community
** Arnaud Named Player Of The Week
The East Is Up In The Air
The Wizards are idle this weekend as they are in the midst of their lone off week of the season, now 25 weeks old. In the past three weeks, Kansas City has had five players miss games due to injuries so an off week is just what they needed in order to recuperate and make their final push for the 2006 MLS Cup Playoffs. The Wizards, sitting in fourth place in the tightly contested Eastern Conference, have distanced themselves from the bottom of the field for the final playoff spot in the East. D.C. United clinched home field advantage throughout the conference playoffs with a 1-1 tie vs. New England this past Wednesday, but all of sudden the final three spots in the East are for anyone's taking. Chicago currently holds down the number two spot with 38 points and one game in-hand on KC, but it does face United two more times in the regular season, as well as New York once. The Revolution is in third, up just two on the Wizards with one game in hand, but the Revs are yet to face the Red Bulls one more time in addition to their head-to-head contest with Kansas City next weekend in Gillette Stadium. The Wizards' biggest competition for the fourth and final playoff spot is New York, which sits four points behind with 29 and one game in-hand. However, in addition to Kansas City's regular season finale against NY, the Red Bulls still have to play D.C. and New England one more time before the regular season ends.
Wizards' Training & Nutrition Week
In conjunction with Blue Cross Blue Shield and The National Kidney Foundation, the Kansas City Wizards are sponsoring Training & Nutrition Week for the week of September 11th through 15th. Over 15,000 students in the Kansas City area are participating in the program in over 750 classrooms.
The focus of the program is to give young children an introduction to healthy behaviors that they can incorporate in their everyday lives. Each classroom was given a poster that outlines nutrition, training, and take-home tasks for every day of the week that are designed to promote healthy behaviors. For participating in the program every student will be awarded two complimentary tickets to experience the Wizards' match against ReAL Salt Lake on Saturday, September 30th thanks to Blue Cross Blue Shield and The National Kidney Foundation.
Check Please?!
This past Tuesday, September 12th, a number of Wizards players took part in a celebrity bartending event to raise money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Spearheaded by midfielder/defender Alex Zotinca, Coach's Bar & Grill on Metcalf played host to the event where Zotinca, Nick Garcia, Josh Wolff, Dave van den Bergh, Davy Arnaud, Jack Jewsbury and Will Hesmer served food and drinks to those in attendance. For their table-waiting expertise, all of the gratuities the Wizards players generated on the night where donated to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. This past Tuesday's event marked the second time this year that the Wizards players took part in an event to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. On July 16th Garcia hosted his First Annual Nick Garcia Dodgeball Tournament at the Arrowhead Practice Facility where local restaurants and other groups put together teams to compete for the title and help The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society along the way.
Wizards In The Community
A number of Wizards players will be out and about in the greater Kansas City community this weekend, highlighted by defender Jimmy Conrad's participation with the Kansas Special Olympics Awards Gala in Olathe. On Saturday, September 16th, Conrad will be helping recognize the athletes who be competing in the Kansas Special Olympics' state soccer tournament earlier that day. The Gala will be held at the American Legion in Olathe at 410 East Dennis Avenue. Earlier in the day a trio of Wizards will be out at various soccer competitions. Lance Watson will be signing autographs at the Southern Platte County Athletic Association games at Tiffany Springs Park from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Defender Tyson Wahl will be doing the same at the Western Missouri Soccer League's complex in the Northland from 12:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. And veteran Sasha Victorine will be greeting fans at Raytown Soccer Club's Tournament In The Woods at the Raytown Soccer Fields from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Arnaud Named Player Of The Week
Kansas City midfielder Davy Arnaud became the second Wizard to be named Major League Soccer's Player of the Week this season when he was awarded the honor this week by a panel of journalists from the Professional Soccer Reporters Association. Arnaud led Kansas City this past week with a pair of remarkable goals in its 4-1 win against the Colorado Rapids, strengthening the Wizards' hold on the fourth and final playoff spot in the East. Arnaud, who combined with defender Jose Luis Burciaga Jr. on both goals, joins Scott Sealy on this season's list of honorees after the Trinidadian forward won the award in week 10.
This Week's Training Schedule
Thursday 9/14 - Monday 9/18: OFF
Tuesday 9/19: Training 9:00 a.m. to approx. 11:30 a.m.
*all training sessions are open to the media and take place at the Arrowhead Training Facility unless otherwise noted.
