The Kansas City Wizards opened up today's training session with light running and stretching for the first 25-30 minutes. The regeneration session was geared toward giving the players a chance to rejuvenate themselves after their victory against the Chicago Fire yesterday. After the first segment of practice, the team participated in a competitive game of soccer tennis. The team divided up into groups of two, and played a 2-v-2 tournament. Kansas City Wizards Head Coach Curt Onalfo was particularly pleased with the performance of the eventual soccer tournament champions.
"Assistant Coach Chris Henderson and myself won the title of soccer tennis champions today," Onalfo said. "We were very pleased with our performance, considering the fact that we were playing against some of the most talented players in MLS. It was a huge victory for the coaching staff and although the players were rooting for their teammates, we had no problem with the competition."
The Wizards are preparing for two intense days of practice on Friday and Saturday, and will play their next exhibition against the U.S. Under-17 National Team at 8:30 a.m. (CT) on Feb. 27.
From a Player's Perspective: Kevin Hartman
On the roommates...
"Kerry spends more time at the training room than he actually spends at apartment. He says he's getting treatment for non-existent injuries...I mean real ones...Sasha has taken over my Xbox 360 and is trying to conquer the world. And I'm just trying to figure out ways to stay entertained because I'm usually the one running around getting into trouble."
On the "other" apartment...
"Jimmy Conrad's entire apartment never comes out, and we think it's because they're always playing that board game 'Settlers of Catan.' We tried to socialize with them the other night and went over to watch American Idol. But no one has seen them anywhere except on the soccer field. I mean I don't want to make ludicrous claims like I'm cooler, but when I want to play a game I don't necessarily do it on the board - I play games on the computer. But if we're comparing the nerd factor of board games versus computer games, I guess it's a toss up."
But if he WAS going to play a board game...
"If I was going to buy a game, it would definitely be 'Chutes and Ladders' or 'Candyland.' To be honest, 'Scrabble' is my game of choice - I know how to put words together and get triple word scores - I take it seriously. I hoard tiles so at the end of the game, I'm putting together huge words. I have even been known to watch the Scrabble World Championships on ESPN from time to time. But I don't know if I can even pull the other guys away from 'Settlers of Catan' to get a game going."
On their food of choice: cereal...
"We have a plethora of cereals in our kitchen - like eight boxes. My box of Shredded Wheat is gone, so I've started eyeing the other guys' cereals in the room, and I've decided I'm going to steal their Raisin Bran - but on the upside, I supply all the beverages for the guys, so it's OK if I steal some cereal."
