Kansas City Wizards weekly update

This Week with the Wizards - Headlines for Week of June 15th:

Playing their fourth of five consecutive road games, the Wizards will look for revenge after New England scored two goals in the final four minutes to beat Kansas City 3-2 at Arrowhead Stadium on June 2nd. That loss snapped the Wizards eight-game home unbeaten streak in MLS play and their seven game unbeaten streak against New England.

New England sits in the Eastern Conference cellar with a 2-6-3 record (9 points), but have been riddled with injuries throughout the season. The Revs have been without defenders Carlos Llamosa and Rusty Piece and forward Joe-Max Moore for much of the season while forward Taylor Twellman and midfielder Brian Kamler have each missed the past three games with hamstring injuries. Both Twellman's and Kamler's status for this weekend are in doubt.

In addition to their injuries, the Revs will also be forced to play this weekend's match without Joe Franchino who was issued a red card last weekend in New England's 3-1 loss at Dallas. Midfielder Shalrie Joseph will miss Saturday's match as well while with the Grenada National Team, who plays host to the U.S. in Grenada on Sunday.

Two Wizards will also be missing for Saturday's match. Josh Wolff and Kerry Zavagnin will be with the U.S. National Team in Grenada for the second leg of their World Cup Qualifying series against Grenada. Wolff, who leads the Wizards in scoring with 12 points (4g, 4a), will likely be replaced in the lineup with rookie Matt Taylor. Taylor was the 4th overall pick by the Wizards in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft and has appeared in six games including one start.

Zavagnin will miss just his fourth game, including regular season and postseason, since joining the Wizards in 2000. Entering this weekend's matches he has appeared in 141 of a possible 144 games in over four seasons since being drafted by Kansas City in the 3rd round of the 2000 MLS SuperDraft.

Despite the losses on the offensive side of the ball, the Wizards defense that has allowed just 11 goals in 12 games, a 0.92 GAA, will remain in tact. Led by goalkeeper Tony Meola and central defenders Jimmy Conrad and Shavar Thomas, the Wizards have posted five shutouts this season, the second most in MLS (Chicago has six).

The Kansas City Wizards and Coach's Bar & Grill will host a Watch Party on Saturday, June 19th for the Wizards match against the New England Revolution. The game will be broadcast live on HDNet beginning at 6:30 p.m. CT.

The Wizards Watch Party will take place at Coach's Bar & Grill in South Kansas City, located at 414 W. 103rd St., just off 103rd and Wornall. Remember to wear blue and cheer on your Wizards as they take on the Revolution. For directions, call Coach's Bar & Grill at 816-941-2286 or log on to www.coach-s.com.

Mark your calendars for the first two weekends in July as the Wizards host two of the biggest matches of the year! On Saturday, July 3rd the Wizards will "Celebrate America" as they host the Dallas Burn at 7:30 p.m. CT. Immediately following that match, the sky's over Arrowhead will be filled with Kansas City's biggest and best Independence Day Weekend Fireworks display set to music.

On Saturday, July 10th, fifteen year old soccer phenom Freddy Adu will make his first ever appearance at Arrowhead Stadium when the Wizards host D.C. United. The match will kickoff at 7:30 p.m. CT. As the youngest player to play American professional sports in over a century, Adu has drawn media attention from across the globe and has been responsible for an increase in attendance in each MLS city he has played. Of the six road games D.C. United has played this season, they have drawn an average attendance of 25,442.

    Tickets for both matches are available through Ticketmaster by calling 816-931-3330 or online at www.ticketmaster.com. The Wizards are also offering a special "Freddy Four Pack" for the July 10th match. Fans can purchase four Field Level Reserved seats for just $60. Additional tickets can be purchased for $15 each. Log on to www.kcwizards.com and click on the Freddy Adu banner to purchase the "Freddy Four Pack" online.</p><p><strong>Wizards ACE Injury/Absence Report</strong><br> 

[Player - Status - Injury/Reason]