Weekly Update: Getting Revved up

WEEKLY SCHEDULE:

The Kansas City Wizards host red-hot New England Revolution Saturday at 7:30 p.m. CT at CommunityAmerica Ballpark. The Wizards and Revolution are tied for 3rd in the Eastern Conference on 16 points. The teams will face each other three times in Kansas City's next six matches, including two MLS contests and a SuperLiga tilt.

MIDFIELDER ROGER ESPINOZA REMAINS WITH HONDURAS NATIONAL TEAM:

Kansas City midfielder Roger Espinoza remains with the Honduras National Team for a Wednesday match-up against El Salvador. Espinoza joins Toronto FC star Amado Guevara as the only MLS players named to Head Coach Reinaldo Rueda's current squad. Espinoza did not dress Saturday as Honduras lost to the United States 2-1 in Chicago.

Honduras currently occupies 4th place in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying. If qualification ended today, Honduras play the 5th seeded team from South America's Confederation for a place in the South Africa World Cup. Honduras is 1-2-1 after a 2-0 loss to Costa Rica, a 1-1 tie with Trinidad and Tobago, a 3-1 win over Mexico and the loss Saturday to the U.S.

Espinoza earned his first appearance for his birth nation Jan. 22 in Honduras' first game of the 2009 UNCAF (Central American Football Union) Nations Cup. Espinoza appeared three times during the five-game tournament, scoring his first goal in the 3rd place match to give Honduras a 1-0 win. Espinoza stayed with the National Team for a World Cup Qualifying loss to Costa Rica Feb. 11 but did not make the game roster. Espinoza was then called to Honduras camp again for a pair of qualifiers March 28 against Trinidad and Tobago and April 1 against Mexico. He did not enter either match, though he was on the 18-man roster against Mexico.

WIZARDS TO HOST CAREER FAIR SATURDAY NIGHT:

For the second straight year the Wizards will host a sports career fair in conjunction with an MLS match at CommunityAmerica Ballpark. Saturday, the fair will take place before Kansas City hosts the New England Revolution in an MLS contest. Representatives from several local sports organizations will attend to discuss their jobs and answer questions about the sports industry. The Career Fair will take place at Dave and Buster's. A $40 fee includes entrance to the event, some beverages/cookies and a ticket to the Wizards game against the Revolution.

Interested parties should contact Jill Prather (jprather@kcwizards.com) or Adam Meloan (ameloan@kcwizards.com) for more information.

FOOTWEDGE CUP RETURNS TUESDAY:

The Kansas City Soccer Foundation FootWedge Cup returns Tuesday for its second year at picturesque Loch Lloyd Country Club in South Kansas City. Golfers from several major companies in the Kansas City area will take part in this unique tournament that brings elements of soccer to the golf course for a day. Wizards players, coaches and staff will also take part. The tournament features holes that include a "FootWedge," where players are allowed to kick a mini soccer ball to better their drive. All proceeds from the tournament benefit the Kansas City Soccer Foundation, and fans are encouraged to come take part. On one hole, members of the Cauldron will chant and cheer at golfers as they tee off, something usually forbidden in golf tournaments. For more information, visit
www.kcwizards.com/footwedgecup
.

MR. GOODCENTS MAGIC MINUTES RETURN FOR 2ND GAME SATURDAY:

The Mr. Goodcents Magic Minutes will take place this Saturday between 25:00 on the clock and 30:00 on the clock as the Wizards host the New England Revolution. If a Wizards player scores within that time period, all fans will have the opportunity to redeem their ticket at any Kansas City-area Mr. Goodcents restaurant for a free 8" cold-sub sandwich for the seven days after the match.

HARTMAN WINS MLS SAVE OF THE WEEK HONORS:

Goalkeeper Kevin Hartman won MLS Save of the Week honors for Week 11 after an outstanding diving effort to deny LA Galaxy midfielder Chris Klein. Hartman garnered over 50 percent of the vote on his way to the award. To see a replay of the save, visit
this page at the Wizards' team blog
Hillcrest Road.

KCW JUNIORS TRYOUTS BEGIN THURSDAY:

The KCW Juniors program is one of five youth soccer clubs chosen by U.S. Soccer out of 250 applicants to join the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, the United States' premier youth club competition. The KCW Juniors will field three teams during the 2009-2010 youth soccer season, with U-16 and U-18 teams competing in the Frontier Conference against some of the top youth clubs from around the Midwest. KCW Juniors U-16 and U-18 teams will be fully funded. The KCW Juniors will also field a U-14 team that will play in the Midwest Regional League and Kansas State Cup competitions.
Tryout registration for all three teams is available through this link
for tryouts that begin Thursday at the team's Swope Park Training Center.

The five new Academy clubs were selected from a pool of 250 applicants. Clubs were selected based on their potential to generate future national team players as determined by geographic location, coaching staff, administrative capabilities and national team coach site visits and evaluations. U.S. Soccer has limited the number of clubs admitted into the Academy each year to maintain the highest quality of competition in the program.

The KCW Juniors will hold tryouts for Academy teams June 11-12 at the team's Swope Park Training Center. Roster sizes for the U-16 and U-18 teams will be determined by the quality of the player pool at tryouts. Players must attend Day 1 of tryouts and be invited back to take part in Day 2. Younger players are invited to attend tryouts for teams in older age groups. U-17 players will be placed on the U-18 team, U-15 players on the U-16 team, U-13 players on the U-14 team and so on. The U.S. Soccer Development Academy determines age groups by calendar year of a player's birth. The U-18 division denotes players born in 1991 or later, while the U-16 team denotes players born in 1993 or later.

WIZARDS SUPERLIGA SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED:

The Kansas City Wizards will participate in the 3rd edition of SuperLiga™, the competition that brings the USA-Mexico soccer rivalry to the club level. SuperLiga pits four MLS clubs and four clubs from the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol Primera Division against one another. Kansas City has history with both of its opening-round opponents from Mexico's top flight, Club Santos Laguna and FC Atlas. The Wizards will play one home SuperLiga game at CommunityAmerica Ballpark and one in St. Louis, Mo.

SuperLiga™ 2009 Schedule
(All Times Eastern) / Subject to change

Saturday, June 20
Chicago Fire vs. San Luis (Toyota Park - Bridgeview, Ill) 20:00
Chivas USA vs. Tigres UANL (The Home Depot Center - Carson, Calif.) 22:00

Sunday, June 21
Kansas City Wizards vs. Atlas (Robert R. Hermann Stadium at St. Louis University - St. Louis, Mo.) 16:30
New England Revolution vs. Santos Laguna (Gillette Stadium - Foxborough, Mass.) 18:30

Tuesday, June 23
Chicago Fire vs. Chivas USA (Toyota Park - Bridgeview, Ill.) 20:00
San Luis vs. Tigres UANL (Toyota Park - Bridgeview, Ill.) 22:00

Wednesday, June 24
New England Revolution vs. Kansas City Wizards (Gillette Stadium - Foxborough, Mass.) 19:00
Santos Laguna vs. Atlas (Gillette Stadium - Foxborough, Mass.) 21:00

Saturday, June 27
Chicago Fire vs. Tigres UANL (Toyota Park - Bridgeview, Ill.) 20:00
Chivas USA vs. San Luis (The Home Depot Center - Carson, Calif.) 22:00

Sunday, June 28
New England Revolution vs. Atlas (Gillette Stadium - Foxborough, Mass.) 16:30
Kansas City Wizards vs. Santos Laguna (CommunityAmerica Ballpark - Kansas City, Kan.) 18:30

Wednesday, July 15
Semifinal 1 (TBD)
Semifinal 2 (TBD)

Wednesday, August 5
Final (TBD)

BUY TICKETS TODAY FOR SUPERLIGA MATCH VERSUS SANTOS LAGUNA:

Sunday, June 28, Mexican First Division side Santos Laguna comes to town with famed Mexico National Team goalkeeper Oswaldo Sanchez. The match counts as "Special Game A" in Kansas City Wizards season ticket packages. Single-game tickets are available for purchase by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000 or visiting
www.ticketmaster.com/kcwizards
. The Wizards will also offer a special 2-game package that includes:

•One (1) ticket to the match against Santos Laguna
•One (1) ticket to the match Aug. 16 against former Santos player Cuauhtémoc Blanco and the Chicago Fire
•One (1) limited-edition T-shirt.

Packages start at $30 and are available in all seating categories. Call the Wizards at (913) 387-3400 for more information.

TICKETS ON SALE NOW FOR SUPERLIGA MATCH IN ST. LOUIS AGAINST FC ATLAS:

Tickets are now available for the match Sunday, June 21 when the Kansas City Wizards take on FC Atlas of the Mexican First Division at Robert R. Hermann Stadium at St. Louis University. The match kicks off at 3:30 p.m. CT, with tickets starting at $20. Discounts are available for groups of 15 or more. Tickets now available in St. Louis at all MetroTix locations. Charge by phone (314) 534-1111 or online at metrotix.com. Tickets and information also available by calling the Kansas City Wizards toll free at (877) 828-7222.

Ticket Pricing:
$35 for Zone 1 (Center Midfield)
$30 for Zone 2 (Sidelines)
$20 for Zone 3 (Goal Line)

** Includes a ticket voucher to select Wizards game in Kansas City

WIZARDS ANNOUNCE GAME DATE CHANGE FOR ROAD MATCH AT D.C. UNITED:

The Kansas City Wizards announced last week that their match originally scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 8 at D.C. United will be moved to Wednesday, Sept. 9 at RFK Stadium at 6:30 p.m. CT. The match will still be televised live locally on Metro Sports in English and Time Warner Cable Channel 5 in Spanish. D.C. United will host Spanish superpower Real Madrid Aug. 9 at FedEx Field.

THE JIMMY CONRAD SHOW AIRS FROM TANNER'S IN SHAWNEE THIS MONTH:

The Jimmy Conrad Show, presented by Budweiser, will air Wednesday night on Sports Radio 810 WHB from 7-8 p.m. CT and simulcast online at kcwizards.com. The show will be broadcast live from Tanner's Bar & Grill in Shawnee, Kan. during the month of June. The Tanner's is located near the intersection of K-7 at Shawnee Mission Parkway. Fans are encouraged to watch the show live in person for a chance to win great prizes.

Tanner's Bar & Grill - Shawnee
22370 W 66th St

Shawnee, KS 66226

(913) 745-8100
Google Maps Link

In 2009, the Wizards will take registrations from fans at each edition of the Jimmy Conrad Show for month-end drawings. Prizes will include Field Side Reserved tickets, a clinic from a Wizards player, a Football/Futbol double-header package and a VIP Meet & Greet session after a training session. Each fan can enter that month's drawing each time they attend The Jimmy Conrad Show.

The Jimmy Conrad Show will be held at different bars throughout the Kansas City metropolitan area. The show will run from 7-8 p.m. CT each week except for a small number of nights when the time will change due to programming conflicts on Sports Radio 810 WHB.

Fans can download archives of The Jimmy Conrad Show from the podcast page at kcwizards.com.

SPANISH-LANGUAGE COACH'S SHOW AIRS THURSDAY ON 1480 AM:

Wizards Head Coach Curt Onalfo will join Enrique Morales Thursday at 5 p.m. CT for his weekly Spanish-language coach's show on Ke Buena 1480 AM. Spanish-speaking fans are encouraged to listen for a recap of last week's game against the Columbus Crew and a look ahead to Saturday's match against the New England Revolution.

JEWSBURY, MORSINK CONDUCT POP-IN AT BOY AND GIRL SCOUT EVENT:

Who:
M-F Jack Jewsbury, M Kurt Morsink
When:
Monday, June 8; 11:30-12:45 p.m.
Where:
Camp Nash, Bonner Springs, KS
What:
Jack Jewsbury and Kurt Morsink will be attending Camp Nash for a player "pop-in." Boy and Girl Scouts will have the opportunity to get some pointers from the pros, as the players will be there to help with their camp and talk to the children about teamwork.

PLAYERS CONDUCT POP-INS AT SUMMIT SOCCER CLUB PRACTICES:

Who:
F Herculez Gomez, D Aaron Hohlbein


When:
Monday, June 8; 5:30-7:00 p.m.


Where:
Franke Soccer Fields, Lee's Summit, MO


What:
Summit Soccer Club players will have the opportunity to get some pointers from the pros, as Herculez Gomez and Aaron Hohlbein will "pop-in" to help with their practice and talk to the children about teamwork.

Who: F Abe Thompson
When: Tuesday, June 9; 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Where: Franke Soccer Fields, Lee's Summit, MO
What: Summit Soccer Club players will have the opportunity to get some pointers from a pro, as Abe Thompson will "pop-in" to help with their practice and talk to the children about teamwork.

Who: D Matt Besler
When: Wednesday, June 10; 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Where: Franke Soccer Fields, Lee's Summit, MO
What: Summit Soccer Club players will have the opportunity to get some pointers from a pro, as Matt Besler will "pop-in" to help with their practice and talk to the children about teamwork.