Having the burden lifted from shoulders concerning the immediate future of the Kansas City Wizards, head coach Bob Gansler and general manager Curt Johnson are ready to move forward in designing the 2006 team.
On Tuesday, Wizards investor/operator Lamar Hunt announced that the club would remain in K.C. next season and continue to play at Arrowhead Stadium.
After failing to match their MLS Cup 2004 Final run last season, the Wizards feel they need to up the quality in a variety of spots.
"We want to add one good player, at least, on each line to make us better and the guys here better," said Gansler, who had his contract renewed, extending the longest head coaching tenure in MLS history to seven years.
The most immediate chance for filling spots will be the MLS SuperDraft in January. Gansler gave his estimation of the quality that will be available to the Wizards who hold the fourth, 16th, 28th, 29th, 40th overall picks.
"I think it's like every year: There are good players that are obvious to everyone," Gansler said. "I think what the vast majority of us want to do is to find a sleeper, find somebody that nobody else appreciates or nobody else rates. There are anywhere from six to 10 coming out early for the adidas elite group, and it will be interesting to see exactly who those folks are."
U.S. U-20 Youth International Marvelle Wynne is a right back who might be of interest to the Wizards in the draft as reinforcement for the back line or as trade bait for a more established player.
"Right now, he's more of an athlete than a player," said Gansler of the UCLA sophomore. "But you can't teach speed, and this guy can fly. He has all the earmarks of the next Frankie Hejduk who has been on a couple World Cup teams. [Wynne's] just one of the guys that could come out. He showed his wares in the U-20 World Cup and so did another two or three guys who could be available.
"But if you get one guy out of the draft the way we have in the past with [Nick] Garcia or Jose Burciaga Jr. or last year with Scott Sealy, you've done well. There are some of those out there. We have the 4th overall pick and we have to nail one who can help us immediately.
"Or we can do what we've done the last four years -- we've acquired Diego Gutierrez, Sasha Victorine, Josh Wolff, Jimmy Conrad -- for 1st or 2nd round choices. So, we are looking for people who are good, who might be, in their present setting, not happy, or overpriced ... the salary cap does crazy things in this market. We need to add three good players, and we'll get them one way or another."
Teams have already probed the Wizards regarding their fourth overall pick, and a few teams have already made transactions.
"There are a lot of things that are tossed around," said Gansler. "This is the preliminary feeling out; everybody's dancing. I think you'll see as the [adidas MLS Player Combine] comes closer, more things of substance will happen."
In addition to the SuperDraft and the trade route, Gansler and Johnson have two allocations at their disposal due to Preki's retirement and missing the 2005 MLS Cup Playoffs.
But a consideration in any transaction made may be the fact that 2006 is a World Cup year which could result in players like forward Josh Wolff or back Jimmy Conrad being absent from the team for an extended period. This could also impact who the Wizards pursue via allocation or otherwise.
"It's a consideration. I wouldn't say it outweighs bringing in a player that is of [Conrad's or Wolff's] caliber," said Johnson. "The long-term shows, and it's the reality of our league, that your performance at the end of the year is certainly the most important third of the season. It's not anything that would be a deal breaker in and of itself."
The Wizards are not at peace with themselves after last season and no matter how it's done, they are determined to make 2006 a new start in their Kansas City existence.
"As a team we are looking forward to the new season to make up for what we didn't quite get done last year. For two-thirds of the year we were as good as anyone ... We underachieved," Gansler said. "There's more there, and we know it."
"We feel we can compete once again with the best in the league for two cups [U.S. Open Cup adn MLS Cup] and be the last team standing as we where near to being in 2004. We're looking forward to it; Feb. 1 [training camp] can't come quickly enough for us."
Robert Rusert is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
