KC vs. Salamanca Semi-Running Commentary

3-3 final after a lively second half.

Lineup:
-------------------Pardo (Brown 70)---------------------

Pizarro (Leathers 70)-----McKenzie (Conrad 70)------Hohlbein (Besler 46)---Marquess (Harrington 70)

-------------------Watson (Jewsbury 70)--------------------

Hirsig (Zusi 46)------------------------------------Souter (Gomez 70)

------------------Morsink (Arnaud 70)----------------------

-----Thompson (Wolff 70)-----Kraus (Lopez 70)---------

Goals:

22nd minute- McKenzie pulls down a Salamanca attacker in the area and the following PK is converted, 1-0 Salamanca.
29th minute- Off a corner kick, Hohlbein is elbowed while trying to hit a header on frame. Hirsig scores the PK.
35th minute- Salamanca puts a forward through with a long ball and he slots home the 1v1 against Pardo.
52nd minute- We worked a great combo up the left, starting with Pardo rolling the ball out for Marquess. He and Souter worked all the way up the wing, eventually Marquess beat a defender at the top of the box and won the end line, sliding a pass back for Thompson for an easy tap home from close range.
59th minute- Kraus played the ball wide right for Zusi at the corner of the area. Zusi cut inside around a defender and smashed a hard-hit ball that the goalkeeper couldn't control. The rebound bounced free and Watson followed up to tap in for a 3-2 lead.
78th minute- Salamanca's right winger got by a defender and hit a low shot inside the back post that beat Brown from about 18 yards out for a 3-3 tie.

Notes:
-The first half was pretty even with 7 shots for us and 6 for them.
-Most of the players who started the last couple of preseason matches will come in and play the final 20 minutes or so.
-We outshot them 13-8 after the break.
-Gomez played for the first time since injuring himself the third training session of the year.
-Zusi has now played a part in 9 goals this preseason. He has two goals himself, five assists, drew a PK in one game and took the shot that led to Watson's goal today.
-We play Salamanca again Tuesday at 11 a.m.
-The team returns Wednesday late and will begin training possibly Thursday afternoon late but definitely Friday.

Friendly Matches Tonight, Tuesday

Tonight we will play the Selemanca reserves at 5 p.m. CT. Tuesday we will then play the Salamanca first team at 11 a.m. for our final friendly of our Guadalajara trip. We'll provide semi-running commentary for both games. Check in here tonight anytime after 5:15 p.m. for our lineup and word on the match.

Final Preseason Friendly Confirmed for March 14

Many of you have known this for a while, but we'll be concluding our preseason campaign March 14 up in Cedar Rapids, Iowa against the Minnesota Thunder. We couldn't officially confirm the game until we had signed contracts, but now we're good to go. Hillcrest Road will be making the trip, so we'll have periodic updates (possibly a running commentary on the game?) from the extravaganza that includes a clinic that morning in Cedar Rapids. The whole event is hosted by Prairie Soccer Club, who will be bringing a large group to Kansas City for our Sept. 26 match at CAB. More info from the release:

The first teams of the Wizards and Thunder will play at 5:30 p.m. CT at Prairie High School, with a second match for reserves immediately to follow. A large number of Minnesota fans are expected to travel for the match to get an early look at their team before the 2009 USL-1 campaign begins.

“As part of our preseason preparations, we always play the week before the MLS regular season opener,” Wizards Technical Director Peter Vermes said. “We look forward to playing the Minnesota Thunder in a pair of games in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on March 14. The people of Prairie Soccer Club have been great to work with, and we look forward to concluding our preseason on a positive note.”

"We are excited about playing two matches against the Kansas City Wizards and believe it’s a fantastic way to begin our preseason campaign,” Thunder Head Coach Don Gramenz said. “We will take advantage of this opportunity to evaluate each player’s form against a formidable and well coached team.”

Prairie Soccer Club will host the day-long event, including a 4-hour youth clinic at Ely City Park in Cedar Rapids on March 14 at 8 a.m. PSC will offer a package that includes admission to the clinic, a ticket to the doubleheader March 14, a ticket to a Wizards game in Kansas City on Sept. 26 and a soccer ball for $135. Individual tickets to the doubleheader cost $30 and are available by calling Prairie Soccer Club at (319) 845-3039. Fans can order additional tickets to the Sept. 26 Wizards match in Kansas City by calling the Wizards ticket office at (913) 387-3400 or (877) 828-7222.

AJ Godbolt Fan Club

(l to r) Operations super guru (read Vice President) Chris Wyche, intern Justin ("JustIntern"), Operations guru Dan Drelich, intern Joe (open your eyes buddy) and intern Steve.

Ditto. Joe's eyes are still closed.

In recent days, a few of our operations guys and interns have been getting the Swope Park Training Center all pretty and prepared for when the boys return next week to begin the final push to the 2009 Major League Soccer season. Along the way, they came along these gems and decided to wear them today on Soccer Jersey Friday here in the Wizards office.

You'll notice the countdown to First Kick in the upper-right corner of those pictures. Yes folks, we're 22 days from opening day. Get excited and get your tickets!

Ask PV Some Questions

PV tracks John Spencer in the playin' days.

Ives Galarcep of Soccer by Ives has enlisted our own front-office guru Peter Vermes to take part in his next fan question series. Post your questions in the comment section of the post and Ives will do a phoner with PV next week and put up the results. Here's your chance to ask any questions you've been wondering about Peter's playing days, the future of our club or U.S. Soccer in general.

Semi-Running Commentary KC vs CD Guadalajara

CD Guadalajara 1-1 Kansas City Wizards FINAL

Chivas has put a pretty good squad on the field. Their training tops don't have numbers, so we don't have the full 11, but Jared Borgetti is up top for the Goats, and Francisco Mendoza (former Chivas USA standout) is playing in center mid.

Our lineup:

-------------------Hartman------------------

Leathers-----Conrad----Besler----Harrington (Kraus 65)

------------------Jewsbury------------------

Hirsig (Zusi 46)-----------------------------Espinoza (Thompson 60)

------------------Arnaud--------------------

------Wolff------------------Lopez---------

Goals:
25th minute- Chivas player Carlos Borja receives ball at top of the penalty area, cuts around a defender and smashes one low past hartman from 18 yards out. 1-0 Chivas Guadalajara.
81st minute- Wizards win possession in our own end and spin the ball forward for Arnaud who carries through the center circle. Arnaud played the ball wide for rookie midfielder Graham Zusi. Zusi beat two defenders, carrying the ball into the penalty area and beat the Chivas goalkeeper near post from 15 yards out at a tough angle.

Notes:
-Chivas outshot us 7-4 in the first half. Hartman made three saves, including a spectacular point-blank, near-post save on a 3v2 breakaway by Chivas.
-Wizards controlled the possession in the second half.
-We outshot Chivas 9-6 in the second, with 2 shots on goal to their 1.
-We had 5 corner kicks to their 2.
-In the 60th minute, Thompson entered for Espinoza and we switched to a 3-4-3, with Harrington playing outside mid for the next five minutes before Kraus entered.

We now have the info of the players that played for Chivas. Thanks to the PR staff of Chivas USA for the help in this regard. "From the Chivas first team were the following players: Hugo Hernández, Patricio Araujo, Sergio Ávila, Omar Esparza, Édgar Solís, Omar Arellano, Francisco Mendoza, y Jared Borgetti.

From Tapatío of the Primera ‘A’ division, these players took part: Alan Ramírez, César Valdovinos, Alejandro Galván, Hugo López, Marco de León, and Carlos Borja, who helped finish the first half with a 1-0 advantage.

For the second half, the American team allowed these players from the Second Division to enter: Jorge Mora, Jorge Enríquez, and Octavio Aceves."

Game This Morning, YouTube Fun

Don't forget that we play against Chivas Guadalajara's reserves shortly. We'll give you lineups and updates as we can get them. The Chivas first team defeated Everton of Chile 6-2 last night. Hopefully we can put that score line on their reserves this morning.

Now, a fun YouTube highlight of former Wizard Paul Wright scoring a goal three seconds into an indoor soccer match:

A composed finish from Hirsig in the box:


And finally the Claudio Lopez commercial last year from Time Warner Cable:

Flogging Molly Reps KCW

Bassist Nathan Maxwell sporting a blue Wizards top.

Last night, Flogging Molly was in town dropping their mad-fun Irish-inspired beats at the Uptown Theater. Several Wizards fans and staffers (including Executive VP Greg Cotton) attended. One, Cauldron Treasurer Kevin Shook, snapped the photo above of bass player Nathan Maxwell wearing a Wizards #5 jersey during the encore. Cotton spoke with Maxwell before the gig and reports he's a pretty rad dude.

Wednesday Morning Roundup

Captain Kansas City checked in with the KC Star in the latest in our series of preseason diaries. Jimmy details the trip so far with tongue firmly planted in cheek. We've been told none of the rookies fell victim to the water test, so hopefully that remains true! Hit the "recommend" button when you read the story.

Having an argument with someone about futbol vs. U.S. football? Send them this story about how long the ball is actually in play during an NFL game and this story that "soccerizes" football scores to where only touchdowns count. These numbers look strangely like futbol scores.

Friendly Changed

We've got another schedule change. The preseason match scheduled for tomorrow has been postponed. Instead we will be playing the Chivas de Guadalajara reserves Thursday morning. We'll check in Thursday morning with as many details as possible from camp. Might the Wizards face former Chivas USA midfielder/defender Panchito Mendoza? We'll see.

Fun Reads

Ivan.

Ivan Gazidis, formerly the Deputy Commissioner of Major League Soccer checked in with the New York Times Goal blog today. Read Jack Bell's interesting article and Gazidis' thoughts on MLS now that he looks at the League through some different colored glasses. His new team is playing in the UEFA Champions League right now. They're currently up 1-0 on AS Roma at home.

Merritt Paulson, son of former Secretary of the U.S. Treasury Henry Paulson, is trying to bring an MLS club to Portland, Oregon. Today he addressed the people of Portland in a letter printed in The Oregonian. Read his well articulated words here.

Get your Season Tickets

I know most of you probably already have them, but on the off chance you don't, here's one more reminder. We now have the ability to sell season ticket packages (and 10-game half-season packs) via Ticketmaster's online service. Head to this page and get all your season ticket needs taken care of. If you prefer the on-the-phone method, call our wonderful sales people at (913) 387-3400 for more information.

Ready for the countdown? We're 25 days away from First Kick. WOAH! That's coming up pretty quick. For single-game tickets to the home opener on March 21, click here.

KCW 3-0 Atlas, FINAL

Atlas 0-3 Kansas City Wizards Final

Game now final. Our lineup is below. Atlas is playing a team made up of reserves. This marks Hirsig's first appearance in Wizards colors.

-----------------Hartman (Pardo 60)------------------

Leathers (Pizarro 60)--Conrad (McKenzie 60)--Hohlbein (Besler 60)--Harrington (Marquess 46)

---------------Jewsbury (Souter 60)--------------------

---Hirsig (Morsink 46)------------Espinoza (Zusi 60)---

---------------Arnaud (Beres 60)----------------------

--------Wolff (Thompson 60)------------Lopez (Kraus 60)------------

Notes
-Morsink entered for Hirsig, with Arnaud moving to the right wing at half.
-Pizarro played right back.
-Game "could have been a lot worse than 3-0."
-They generated only one shot on goal, a long-range effort that Pardo parried wide.
-Boris Pardo has switched to #27.
-GK Chris Brown is now wearing #31.

Goals
36th minute- Davy gets around a man on the right side of the field and plays a ball back along the ground for Jewsbury at the top of the 18. Jewsbury drills a one-time effort past the goalkeeper from the top of the area for a 1-0 lead.
65th minute- Pizarro got free up the right, sending a cross into the middle of the area for Souter who put the ball home on the first touch for a 2-0 advantage.
68th minute- Morsink put pressure on an Atlas center back, stole the ball and slotted home from the top of the 18 for the final 3-0 score line.

Espinoza Highlighted by AZ Paper

Happy Monday all, hopefully your weekend was excellent. Remember that the team is in Guadalajara. They will be playing Atlas this afternoon at 4 p.m. and Real Colima Wednesday at 4 p.m. We'll get you guys updates as soon as we get them from the crew in Mexico.

The Daily Courier of Prescott, AZ checked in on some former Yavapai College athletes who are now on to bigger and better things. The author got a couple of details wrong (Gold Cup doesn't qualify anyone for the World Cup), but check it out anyway.

Oh, and Mediotiempo.com was excited that Claudio Lopez and Santiago Hirsig were watching Atlas' game this weekend.

News and Notes

Greetings Hillcrest Road faithful, hopefully your Friday afternoon is going well. Some updates from camp have reached us. The game that was canceled this morning will be played Monday at 4 p.m. Atlas says they'll be playing their first team for the match, so it should be a good test for our guys. We will then play Real Colima Wednesday at 4 p.m.

We have received word that Hirsig will wear #10 this year. He becomes the 5th #10 in team history, following Mike Sorber (1996), Mo Johnston (1997-2001), Francisco Gomez (2002-2004) and Carlos Marinelli (2007-2008). For the history of other team numbers (not yet updated since not all players have chosen numbers for this year), visit this page at kcwizards.com.

Claudio Lopez and Roger Espinoza did on-camera interviews today with ESPN Deportes, so keep an eye out for those over the weekend.

More Development to Southeast Kansas City

Graphic borrowed from the KC Star.

News came out yesterday that Jim Stowers III is looking to develop a 350-acre biomedical research campus catty-corner from The Trials in Southeast Kansas City. Added up, that's nearly 800 acres of new development for a part of the city that has been sorely lacking good news in recent years. The project would go on the north side of 87th street between I-435 and US-71. Our project, of course, is between 87th and 95th streets on the opposite side of 435. In total, that's a pretty humongous coup for the region.

I had been surprised to see that reports on the proposal by Mr. Stowers and Oxford Redevelopment Co. had neglected to mention the fact that two HUGE economic engines are going within a mile of one another. Well, now it's been mentioned. Spread the word, Southeast Kansas City has some great days ahead of it.

Game Canceled

Sorry folks, the friendly against Atlas was canceled this morning in Guadalajara. We'll get you further details when we get them about rescheduling and the rest of our opponents while south of the border.

Fox News on Soccer

Wow. Not funny at all. I feel myself physically getting mad. Write Fox News and let them know. Isn't that the same company that owns Fox Soccer Channel?

www.hillcrestroadblog.com

In the last 13 months, a lot has changed. We have a new President, a new MLS Cup champion, the Wizards now employ Santiago Hirsig, Adam Cristman, Matt Besler and Graham Zusi and the URL to Hillcrest Road has finally changed. From here on out, find Hillcrest Road, the blog, at www.hillcrestroadblog.com. We're still on the blogger format (for now), so all your old bookmarks and links will still work, but we'll be easier to write and hopefully easier to remember. The future is bright for Hillcrest Road, the blog, and Hillcrest Road, the street. Hopefully we'll soon have more information for you guys soon on Hillcrest Road, the stadium.

Hillcrest Road Goes Mobile

Hillcrest Road, the blog, is now available on mobile phones. Thanks to the people of mofuse.mobi, your favorite team's blog will be easy to read from any mobile device. Head to our URL http://hillcrestroad.mofuse.mobi, type in your number and click "send to phone" so you're getting Hillcrest Road info no matter where you are. If you're an iPhone user, see an example of what it will look like on your device here:

Single-Game Tickets ON SALE

As of 20 minutes ago. GO BUY! You can also get more information from our excellent ticket folks by calling 913.387.3400.

Zusi Story in the Star

Not long ago Zusi was playing college soccer. Now he's battling with former Argentina international Claudio Lopez in training every day.

Check out Cole Young's story today in the KC Star about rookie midfielder Graham Zusi and his trip from college powerhouse Maryland to the pros. Just a few months ago, he was sitting in classes and scoring goals to help his team win a championship. Hopefully he can do a little more of the latter this year with us. Read up (and "recommend" the story).

Robb Heineman on 810 WHB

Robb last year at the Mayor's Night Kicks start-up event.

As we told you earlier in the week, Robb Heineman went on with sports radio stud Kevin Kietzman today. The interview lasted about 23 minutes and covered a ton of different topics. As always, Robb is a great interview and offers some great tidbits. Listen to it here.

License to Coach: the Back-Story

Zavagnin will now interact with fans again, this time teaching them how to coach more effectively.

Last week, the Wizards launched an innovative new program to help fans expand their coaching horizons. The License to Coach program was born out of the bus trip to and from Columbus for Leg 2 of our playoff series last November. Sam Pierron and a group of season ticket holders were discussing the "bigger issues" of soccer in this country and decided to create something to help bring youth soccer and professional soccer closer together.

What does License to Coach entail? Through our contacts we have secured the right to host a USSF E coaching license training session. Our own Kerry Zavagnin will host/teach the event at our beautiful Swope Park Training Center. The event will be held March 6, 7 and 8 at the facility.

Interested in taking part? Well, that's great. Unfortunately the first class filled up filled up right away, with more than two applicants per open slot after just one email was sent out to current season ticket holders. We are looking to continue the program, however. Be on the lookout here and at kcwizards.com for more information in the future. We look forward to the program growing and helping strengthen our already strong relationship with the youth soccer community.

Sorry. No photographic bliss this time.

I Promised Pictures...

...You get pictures. The guys leave tomorrow, with the first match of the Guadalajara trip coming Friday morning against Atlas AC. We'll get the full schedule to you soon. Some opponents and venues are still being worked out. So you all know, the open tryout registration closes Friday. If you're interested in giving it a go (or know someone who is), make sure they enroll by the end of the week.

And now the pictures:

Jewsbury.

Herculez Gomez (good to see him knocking the ball around already).

Arnaud.

Goalkeeper trialist Chris Brown.

Final Practice in KC Taking Place/Besler Bites

Guadalajara.

The guys are out training right now for the last time before they head to Guadalajara, Mexico. and the facilities of Atlas We have an intern dispatched with the official Hillcrest Road camera, so hopefully those turn out well. We'll post some later in the afternoon. Hopefully you had a chance to listen to some of the guys this morning on the radio. They were quite good. 2009 schedule cards are out. Be on the lookout around town, as interns have been papering local stores with word of the upcoming Major League Soccer season. (Speaking of that, we're 32 days from opening day. WOW!)

Yesterday we asked Matt Besler a few questions about how he has settled in as a professional. Listen to it over at kcwizards.com.

Word on Myers Injury/Weekly Interview Schedule

Here's the latest:

Second-year defender Chance Myers will miss 10-12 weeks of action after surgery this Friday to repair a fracture of his fifth metatarsal. Myers suffered the injury while training in Bradenton, Fla. and will not accompany his teammates to Guadalajara, Mexico. Myers has fought injuries frequently in his short career, including a bout with mononucleosis in 2008 that caused him to miss most of the final half of the season. Kansas City selected Myers with the 1st overall selection in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft after Myers signed with MLS as part of the Generation adidas program.

The guys leave Wednesday, so be prepared to be peppered with Wizards on the radio tomorrow. Here's the full list:

Tuesday--7:50 a.m.--Jimmy Conrad in-studio radio interview--Star 102.1 FM
Tuesday--8:10 a.m.--Jimmy Conrad in-studio radio interview--Mix 93.3 FM
Tuesday--8:50 a.m.--Jack Jewsbury in-studio radio interview--105.1 Jack FM
Tuesday--9:30 a.m.--Herculez Gomez phone interview--La Gran D 1340 AM (Spanish)
Tuesday--3:00 p.m.--Kevin Hartman phone interview--610 Sports Radio AM
Tuesday--3:30 p.m.--Roger Espinoza phone interview--La Super X 1250 AM (Spanish)
Wednesday--time TBD--Robb Heineman in-studio interview--Sports Radio 810 AM

Final Practice in KC/McCarthy Likes Hirsig Signing

Tomorrow is the final practice of the latest Kansas City stint before the team departs Wednesday for Guadalajara and training at the facilities of partner club Atlas AC. The boys will begin at 11 a.m., with practice usually lasting between 80-100 minutes. Head on out if you can. There was quite a nice crowd Friday when Hillcrest was able to get out of the office to see training live.

Today Kyle McCarthy posted his latest Monday MLS Breakdown. at Goal.com The first part focused on Beckham and the ongoing transfer situation between AC Milan and the Galaxy, but McCarthy goes on to praise our acquisition of Santiago Hirsig as "perhaps the most impressive deal of the offseason". Thanks for the love, Kyle! Check out the story.

In other news, we might have some unfortunate injury news to report regarding Chance Myers. As soon as we get the details, we'll let you know.

Ruff Ruff

On May 23 when we play Chivas USA, we will host Dog's Night Out for the second time in our history. Herculez Gomez and Eric Kronberg went on the pet telethon last night with Gary Lezak to discuss the event and hold some pretty cute dogs. Take a look:

Happy Belated Birthday, Dr. Love

As many of you have now seen, yesterday was Jimmy Conrad's birthday. He turned 32. In the post below, you'll see a portion of the cake his wife brought to the Swope Park Training Center for the guys to enjoy. Here you will read a write-up posted yesterday at Soccer365.com about Captain Kansas City's birthday.

Here you will read a hilarious post from Conrad on Luis Arroyave's The Red Card, the soccer blog of the Chicago Tribune. Conrad answered questions from fans without promoting himself or the Wizards AT ALL.

COLD Weather at Training/Demo Photos

So the weather was nice when we left from the office, but by the time the guys started knocking the ball around at 11 a.m., it was quite chilly. New draft pick Graham Zusi saw his first time in Kansas City, as did trialist Ferenc Beres. Roger Espinoza and Jack Jewsbury were back in town after National Team duty. Several guys sat out for precautionary reasons with little bumps and/or bruises (Wolff, Cristman, Harrington, Morsink, Chris Brown). Kronberg remains out after off-season surgery, and Herculez was doing some rehab work today.

The guys did some positional work and shape drills to start, followed by some 10v10 on a smaller field. During the scrimmage, Abe Thompson hit a cracker of a goal from about 12 yards out, connecting with a volley in the center of the penalty area.

On the way back to the office, we stopped by Bannister Mall and snagged a couple of photos. Kaw Valley Construction is still knocking, ripping and tearing. A little more comes down each day.

Photos:

Demo.

Demo.

Demo.

Birthday cake for Jimmy Conrad, brought in by his wife. The players tell us it was excellent.

Watson and Jewsbury listen to coach Kerry Zavagnin going over some midfield positioning drills.

Goalkeeper Boris Pardo knocks the ball over the bar in a goalkeeping drill with new coach John Pascarella.

Rookie Graham Zusi during pre-practice warm-ups.

Michael Harrington does some treadmill work.

Practice at Swope in 1 Hour

Don't forget, if you happen to have Friday off, head over to our Swope Park Training Center for an 11 a.m. practice. The guys are just getting back from Florida, so they're probably nice and tan. Hopefully the rain and nastiness holds off so that the whole session is played in amicable conditions.

Read Bob Rusert's take on the Hirsig signing, complete with some quotes from PV about how he sees the team shaping up this year.

Single-Game Tickets on Sale Next Week

Hello all, just wanted to stop in and let you know that single-game tickets go on sale next week. If you're a season ticket holder and you want tickets to additional matches, you'll be able to get them Monday. If you're not an STH, as we say, you can get them starting next Thursday. If you want the whole release, check it out here. If you don't, don't check it out :).

Don't forget to check out our new home on Facebook. It seems that not all of you readers have become a fan yet...join up! As the season goes on, we'll do some fun promotions through the Facebook home of Hillcrest Road, so make sure you'll be able to take part.

Final Bradenton Scrimmage

After having schedules not line up with other MLS clubs in town, we played a scrimmage yesterday against a team from the IMG Academy in Bradenton. We won 7-1 on three goals in the first half and four in the second.

Lineup: Hartman (Pardo 46); Leathers, Conrad (McKenzie 65), Hohlbein (Besler 46), Marquess (Kraus 65); Zusi, Jewsbury (Morsink 60), Arnaud (Pizarro 65) Souter (Watson 46); Wolff (Cristman 46), Lopez (Thompson 65).

Goals:
25th- Conrad brought the ball up the right, crossed to Zusi who brought down and finished from just inside the 18-yard area.
35th- Lopez sent in a corner kick to Jewsbury for a header goal from the middle of the area.
41st- Lopez brought the ball up the left, cut inside and crossed to Arnaud who hit a diving header from about 15 yards out.
56th- Watson brought the ball up the right, played to Zusi at the top of the area, and Zusi put a ball on the first touch to Thompson at the back post for an easy tap in.
60th- Morsink put Zusi through on the left; Zusi crossed to Cristman for a header from 10 yards out.
63rd- IMG team scored against the run of play after a ball bounced around in the area and a striker hit a rebound from 10 yards out.
75th- Besler brought the ball up the left and crossed to Abe who hit a side volley from the top of the 18.
85th- Watson put Kraus through behind the defense, but the goalkeeper brought Kraus down in the area. Kraus stepped up and nailed the following penalty kick for the final 7-1 score line.

Media Love for Hirsig, USA

Hirsig squaring off with River Plate.

The KC Star checked in today with a nice article on the signing of Santiago Hirsig and the USA's 2-0 win over arch-rivals Mexico. ESPN Soccernet also said some good things on Hirsig, and tons on the USA win.

What was your favorite part of last night's win? Was it the site of the red-clad Sam's Army (which Wizards staffer Sam Pierron was a part of, though I don't think it was named after him) going nuts all night? Was it the reaction for the players after Bradley's first goal, or was it the satisfying feeling of knowing Mexico hasn't won on U.S. soil in 9 years? Let us know below.

The players touched down in Kansas City last night and will train tomorrow at 11 a.m. at our Swope Park Training Center. Come on out. Hillcrest will be there tomorrow with a camera for some new practice photos.

USA Wins 2-0

Wow, what a game. Michael Bradley was the man, not just with the goals, but with his play in general. The U.S. looked the far superior team for most of the night. Mexico is struggling right now. The goalkeeping on Bradley's last goal was a little suspect, but U.S. fans (who sure were loud in Columbus) will definitely take it. What a way to start World Cup Qualifying. Now let's see if Roger plays tonight for Honduras.

Let's Go U.S.A.

One hour 'til kickoff. Get excited. Turn your TV's to ESPN2 (or ESPN2 HD) or go to your local sports bar and make them turn on the game. This is big. World Cup 2010 here we come.

Hirsig Signs On

As some of you figured through Big Soccer this morning, we have reached an agreement with Argentine midfielder Santiago Hirsig. We don't yet know when he will be able to join up with the team, as he's going through the process now to get his P-1 Visa. We will, of course, let you know when he arrives to train with the team, whether that's here in KC or while we're in Guadalajara.

Quotes:
"We have come across a talented and gifted player through our expanding international scouting network and contacts,” Wizards Technical Director Peter Vermes said. “Finalizing the contractual negotiations with Santiago Hirsig gives another solid contributor to the Kansas City Wizards who can play in the center or out wide in the midfield."

"I am very excited to join the Kansas City Wizards,” Hirsig said. “I have followed MLS a lot in the past year, and I cannot wait to be part of the team and hopefully help the Wizards win MLS Cup in 2009."

USA-Mexico Game Day

It's almost here, ladies and gentlemen. Today I really was thinking about USA-Mex while waking. If you're interested in a little history, check out this look back at five of the biggest matches in the series' recent history. Peter Vermes weighs in on the 1991 Gold Cup win. There are plenty of other stories out there, so hit up your favorite soccer blogs. They're pretty much all in Columbus.

If you're in KC and looking for something to do, consider hitting up the Buffalo Wild Wings up off of highway 152 in the Northland. I know that' s a long drive for most people, but the Wizards Northland-based staff will be there to cheer on the Red, White and Blue. Wear red.

Schedule Updates/International Calendar

Alright, TBD is no longer on our schedule, and our second home game has moved from Saturday night to Sunday at 2 p.m. for TV purposes. Hopefully there will also be a little warmer weather during that early-season match by playing it in the daylight. When we travel to Toronto, the game will be at 4 p.m. CT. When we go to New England, it will be at 3 p.m. CT. If you want more info, check out the release. The Outlook calendar is also correct and up to date. Download it here.

Don't forget to watch the Brazil-Italy tilt today at Emirates Stadium in Northern London. The world powers square off at 1:45 p.m. CT. Also, get ready for a huge day of soccer tomorrow that includes USA-Mexico, Honduras-Costa Rica (Roger Espinoza could factor in the match), France-Argentina, Spain-England and many others.

For the latest on the USA-Mexico tilt, check out ussoccer.com, the men's national team blog, Soccer by Ives or any other soccer site. They're all paying attention.

Here's an interesting article about potentially including penalty boxes for yellow cards. Very interesting idea. I have a feeling you'd see less hard tackling if this were the case.

Besler Journals for the Star/Heineman Speaks

Rookie defender Matt Besler checked in with fans today via the KC Star. Check out the top of page 3 for the latest, or click through to this link.

To see highlights of the 4-4 draw from Saturday with New York, click here.

Also, Robb Heineman spoke recently on the Heartland Business Exchange, a local radio show focusing business in the KC area. Listen to him talk about owning a sports team and the future of the Wizards and OnGoal here.

Conrad Turned Love Doctor

I really thought we had seen it all in regard to Wizards players and some of their interests. This, however, takes the cake. Jimmy Conrad, our captain and beloved center back, is apparently moonlighting as Dr. Drew and giving relationship advice. Head over to The Red Card, Luis Arroyave's blog that covers the Chicago Fire and soccer for the Chicago Tribune. Ask Jimmy a question, then check back in Friday to see the answer. Have fun with this one.

Wolff QnA/USA-Mexico

El Lobo.

We posted a pretty candid question/answer session with striker Josh Wolff this morning over at kcwizards.com. Check it out. Interesting note about Wolffie...he has over 750 U2 songs on iTunes. WOW.

I'm sure you've seen it already, but the U.S. roster has been announced. Remember this is an initial 20-player list. Only 18 will suit up for the game. When is that, you ask? Wednesday at 6 p.m. CT live on ESPN2 HD. Get ready folks. It's going to be fun.

Kick it Kori

Kori is on the far right with the green jacket as a helper holds up the Wizards memorabilia.

In January, Head Coach Curt Onalfo took a trip to Children's Mercy Hospital to visit with a young soccer player named Kori who is battling Ewing's Sarcoma. Kori's club soccer team, Viati, held a fundraiser over the weekend that included some signed Wizards memorabilia. Viati raised over $900 to help this courageous little girl and her family during this tough time. From everyone at the Wizards, good luck Kori, Kick it!

Wizards 4-4 Red Bulls

Wizards tie Red Bulls 4-4 in whacky game! Wolff, Lopez, Zusi star for KC.

89th minute- Kansas City ties it! Souter takes a corner to the near post, where Kraus flicks it on toward McKenzie. McKenzie cleans it up from close range, blasting a volley home to tie it 4-4.

84th minute- St. Preux scores again, tapping home a rebound from close range for 4-3 NY lead.

69th minute- Lionel St. Preaux steals a ball and is free to goal, slotting it past Brown at the near post to level 3-3.

Subs now on for KC: Cristman for Lopez, Thompson for Wolff, Kraus for Souter, Morsink for Arnaud, Pizarro for Zusi, Hohlbein for Besler, McKenzie for Conrad. Harrington not playing for hamstring, Beres for hamstring, Hartman coach's decision and Jewsbury got in late last night.

60th minute- Zusi plays ball to Wolff. Wolff played another great through ball to Lopez who dribbled Conway and slid it home into the open net.

56th minute- Zusi scores to tie at 2! Arnaud played the ball ahead to Wolff, who put a great diagonal ball through the defense for Zusi. Zusi beat everyone to the ball and flicked it over NY's 'keeper from ten yards out to level the match.

New York changes the full team at half. New lineup: Jon Conway, Gordon Kljestan, Ryan Mirsky, Scott Palguta, Chris Leitch, Juan Pietravallo, Juan Manuel Perez Bernal, Sinisa Ubiparipovic, Nico Colaluca, David Roth, Lionel St. Preux

Halftime subs for KC...Chris Brown in for Boris Pardo and Matt Marquess in for Chance Myers.

Halftime here- 2-1 New York

42nd minute- Richards got behind the defense on the right and sent a cross in for Oduro who headed it down and past Pardo. 2-1 Red Bulls.

38th minute- Rojas takes a free kick from the left side, playing it to Petke ten yards from goal. Petke hit a volley off the left post and in.

35th minute- Besler plays a long ball out of the back to Wolff near the half line. Wolff put the ball through to Lopez who was making a clever run behind the defense. Lopez was free to goal from 40 yards out, carried it into the area and slotted past Cepero for 1-0 KC lead.

Alright, they're about 30 minutes into the game in Bradenton. Wizards lineup:

———–Lopez—–Wolff—————–
Souter—–—Arnaud——–Zusi
——-—–—-Watson————–
Myers–Besler–Conrad–Leathers
————–—-Pardo———————

Red bulls:
——————–Wolyniec—————–
Oduro—–—Rojas——–Richards
—-—–Leigh———-—–Hall———
Santil-Goldthwaite-Petke-Parratt
————–—-Cepero———————

For a live blog, head over to New York's blog Red Bulls Reader.

First Kick Promo

Watch and enjoy. Abe (while still with Dallas) and Wolff (while with us) make this goal-heavy highlight reel.

Hillcrest Road on Facebook/Team Watches Sharapova

Hillcrest Road is now on Facebook. Some of you have already come across the page via a soft launch that's been going on for a couple of weeks now, but we're fully up to speed. Head over there and check it out. Various players are also fans of the page, including Jimmy Conrad who was the first to write on our wall. Don't forget, OnGoal CEO Robb Heineman also has a Facebook. Add him too.

Tennis star.

Maria Sharapova was playing tennis at the IMG academies today and stopped to chat with some of our players after training. I'm sure they hated that. A lot.

Don't forget that we play the New York Red Bulls tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. CT in a friendly. We'll keep you updated. Jack Jewsbury will be back with the team tomorrow, as National Team camp wraps up today. He might play for us tomorrow.

Ron Newman Rapping? A-MAY-ZING

Please watch Ron Newman rapping back when he coached the San Diego Sockers. His clip starts at 2:40, but I highly encourage you to watch the whole thing. It is wholesome family goodness for sure.

USA-Mexico Fever

So I woke up this morning shaking. Well, that's not true, but I started shaking once I clicked on the U.S. Soccer page at Soccernet to see the massive graphic dedicated to the upcoming USA-Mexico World Cup Qualifier next Wednesday at 6 p.m. CT at Columbus Crew Stadium. The match sold out in 90 minutes, so it has to be a big deal right? Jack Jewsbury is currently in camp with the Nats, hoping to earn a spot for the match. Most of the spots will likely be taken by Euro-based players, but anything is possible right? For now, read Frank Dell'Apa's piece on the history of the rivalry. Read Jeff Carlisle's article on dirtywork extraordinare Brian Ching. Read Doug McIntyre's story on Mexico arriving extra early to get used to the cold. Then head over to the Men's National Team blog and see the latest and greatest from camp (and check-ins from players like Landon Donovan who are already getting pretty jazzed up too).

Oh, and if you're going next Wednesday, WEAR RED.

Highlights From Yesterday

Rauwshan McKenzie scored the game winner yesterday against Chicago.

The good folks of MLSnet.com have put together a couple of highlights and interviews following yesterday's 3-2 win over the Chicago Fire down in Bradenton. See some of the action and hear what Jimmy had to say after the match.

Bannister Demo Photos

"Ooooh that's pretty."

As some of you have seen, our good friend Thad has taken some shots from Bannister Mall yesterday. See a few more of them here at kcwizards.com. Also, jump over to Thad's site www.tpbinkc.smugmug.com (here's a link specifically to the gallery from yesterday). He's got some really great shots from inside the mall there that not too many people have seen. If you like them enough, buy yourself a print. I'm sure he wouldn't mind.

Links Links Links

Bob Rusert, our friend at kcwizards.com, checked in with some words from Jimmy Conrad and Coach Onalfo on how preseason is going so far. Conrad sounds pretty confident.

The New York Red Bulls, who we play Saturday morning at 9 a.m. in a friendly, were defeated today by the U.S. U-17s 1-0. RBNY played young guys first, but still couldn't score after putting in a more veteran side later in the game. KCW Juniors player Jon Kempin played the first half of the game for the U-17s, keeping the Red Bulls off the score sheet.

"The Distracter" (aka girlfriend) of Greg Seltzer, Soccer365 reporter and No Short Corners blogger, has tabbed our Kansas City Wizards as her favorite MLS club. That's what I like to hear!

Our TBD game in Toronto will be played at 4 p.m. CT. Official announcement of that will come later on. And now, some pictures of Jack Jewsbury training with the National Team from a photo gallery up at ussoccer.com:

Semi-Running Commentary KC 3-2 CHI

Chicago 2-3 Kansas City FINAL

38th minute- Roland Paul Bebey Kingue (I'm not kidding, I had to look him up) for Chicago (who entered just before for Brandon Prideaux) carries the ball into the right corner and centers for Patrick Nyarko who heads the ball home from 8 yards out.

40th minute- Nyarko collects a loose ball in midfield, carries toward goal while holding off a couple of defenders and slots ball past Hartman from top of the 18.

Halftime reached, 2-0 Chicago at the break.

Second half lineup us:
Pardo; Leathers (Myers 60), McKenzie, Hohlbein, Harrington (Besler 60); Beres, Souter (Watson 60), Arnaud (Morsink 60), Zusi; Thompson (Pizarro 60), Kraus

Second half lineup them:
45’: GK-Andrew Dykstra (Tyler Kettering 60), D-Roland Paul Bebey Kingue (Marco Calich 70), D-Ramos Dyoub, D-CJ Brown (Igor Lozo 70), D-Tim Ward, M-Austin Washington, M-Anton Peterlin, M-Peter Lowry (Idrissa Kone 70), M-Michel Mongue (Alfonso Rippa 70), F-Richard Jata, F-Stefan Dimitrov.

49th minute- Michael Harrington makes authoritative run up the left flank, eventually earning a corner kick. Kevin Souter puts the ball into the mixer, and Aaron Hohlbein** heads it home. 2-1 Chicago.

**corrected

53rd minute- Davy Arnaud and Graham Zusi work a 2v2 break. Arnaud lays the ball off the Zusi in the area, he takes a touch and is hauled down for a PK. Arnaud takes the ensuing PK and buries it into the left corner as the 'keeper guesses incorrectly. 2-2 tie.

70th minute- Zusi plays corner kick into the area, and McKenzie hits a header just under the bar for a 3-2 Kansas City lead.

84th minute- Idrissa Kone gets free behind the defense and is clear to goal, but Boris Pardo stops the wide-open shot to keep Kansas City ahead.

FINAL- Kansas City Wizards defeat Chicago Fire 3-2.

Lineup V. Chicago

Alright, the friendly is about to start down in Bradenton. Our lineup:

-------------Hartman-------------

Leathers--Conrad--Hohlbein--Harrington

--------------Souter-----------------

Beres------------------------Lopez

--------------Arnaud-----------------

-------Thompson--------Wolff--------

Theirs:
GK-Nick Noble, D-Brandon Prideaux, D-Bakary Soumare, D-Dasan Robinson, D-Gonzalo Segares, M-Marco Pappa, M-Baggio Husidic, M-Logan Pause, M-Justin Mapp, F-Patrick Nyarko, F-Brian McBride

**Notes**

• Cristman out (toe) for precautionary reasons
• Chris Brown, former Boston College GK and younger brother of Adin Brown, is in camp for a trial. He was not at the combine after looking to sign in Europe and is now with the squad. He is unlikely to play today.
• Don't forget, Jewsbury is with the U.S. National Team, and Espinoza is with the Honduras National Team.
• For Chicago, Jon Busch, John Thorrington and Chris Rolfe are with the U.S. National Team.
• It's 67 and sunny this morning in Western Florida.
  

Practice Update/Roger QnA

So Hillcrest isn't down in Florida, but the big boss-man is. He checked in with the following info from camp:

They started with the usual warm-up and stretching before splitting off. The goalkeepers worked on one end with John Pascarella, while the field players did some short passing drills led by Kerry Zavagnin. It was a very fast-paced drill with lots of touches and movement. After that, there was a 7-v-4 drill focusing on defensive shape and communication while some attacking players did one-touch shooting on the goalkeepers. Finally they played 11-v-11. It was a good clean, sharp game. The team looked very good.

Players who stood out? Leathers, Cristman, Wolff and Besler. Sometime during practice, equipment manager Alex Paepke went into the wooded area looking for a ball that had escaped over the large netting. While he was in there, a snake fell out of a tree dangerously close to Mr. Paepke. Thankfully he got out without damage.

We just posted a QnA with Roger that was done before he scored Sunday. I wish we would have known that was coming! Read it over at kcwizards.com.

Espinoza Remains with Honduras for WC Qualifier

Espinoza battles with Wilman Conde of the Fire last year.

Espinoza impressed enough during the UNCAF Nations Cup to remain with the full national team for a World Cup Qualifier next Wednesday at Costa Rica. BIG-TIME. Congrats to Roger. He is one of three MLS players on the squad that includes David Suazo of Inter Milan (on loan currently to Benfica). A couple of other big Honduran players Wilson Palacios (Tottenham of the English Premier League) and Carlo Costly (Birmingham of the English League Championship** oops) aren't with the team as they're settling in with their new clubs after transfers in the last window. Costly, in fact, was rumored to be joining us for a while, though we were never actively courting him.

Hartman Speaks and More

Hartman.

Those of you who sit close to the goals know Hartman usually speaks a lot, but this time he did it in journal fashion in the KC Star. Check out part one of a multi-part journal series from Bradenton and later Guadlajara in which our players will let you fans know first hand exactly what is going on in camp. Read part 1.

As you most likely saw yesterday, the U.S. is bidding for the 2018 or 2022 World Cups. That seems like a long way away, doesn't it? Read the quote sheet from U.S. Soccer about the process and our chances.

Ridge Mahoney over at Soccer America does a season preview, looking at our roster and how things will shake out. Enjoy.

MLS Talk is looking for a few good bloggers/writer. Click here and contact them if you're interested in covering the Wizards for a national/international blog.

U.S. Soccer is also running a pretty cool little promo where you can create your own play-by-play call from a prominent goal in the USA-Mexico series. They will pick one new call per goal and compile them in a YouTube video for posting next Tuesday before the big game Wednesday. Our own Josh Wolff scored a goal that is included in the contest. See it here:

U.S. Men's Nats Train

We've mentioned Roger Espinoza a couple of times today, so how about a little video lovin' for Jack Jewsbury and the U.S. men. Don't forget they're training ahead of the Mexico match next Wednesday. More Euro-based players will be called in, but he's still training in advance of the Mexico game. Nice.

He appears to be playing mostly as a right back here:

Espinoza Scores/ Beres Info

So, we told you briefly this morning that Roger Espinoza scored for Honduras, now there is a picture to prove it. He started the 3rd place match of the UNCAF Nations Cup last night for Honduras and scored the game's lone goal in a 1-0 win over El Salvador. With the 3rd place finish, Honduras books a trip to the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup. The team will now prepare for a Feb. 11 2010 World Cup Qualifier in Costa Rica. We'll let you know if Roger makes that squad or not.

Here's the goal, which came in the 30th minute:

Here's a little more information, sorta, on Ferenc Beres, the Hungarian player currently on trial with us down in Bradenton. As we told you Saturday, he scored twice against the U-17s. Here's a link to his Wikipedia page (that appears in Hungarian). He is listed as a forward for his former club, FC Tatabanya, and he wore #29.

Beres.

Espinoza Scores 1st International Goal

Midfielder Roger Espinoza scored his first international goal Sunday for Honduras in a 1-0 victory over El Salvador in the UNCAF Nations Cup. Hillcrest is on the way to jury duty, but we'll post more about Roger's goal later in the day. Honduras next plays February 11 in 2010 World Cup qualifying.