KCW Commercial Star Donates Dreads

Remember the Claudio Lopez commercial for Time Warner Cable last year? Remember the young man in that video with the dreadlocks? As of now, those dreadlocks are gone.

This week, Pembroke Hill raffled off the opportunity to cut off each of eleven year old A.J. Cambric's 122 dreadlocks for charity. All proceeds will be turned over to 11 year old classmate Daniel Burford, co-founder of the new youth group, Youth in Support of Medical Missions. Daniel will purchase hearing aids to be donated to doctors who volunteer their time helping hearing impaired youth around the world through Medical Missions Foundation.

He cut off the dreadlocks this morning at 9 a.m. Check out the commercial again and say goodbye to the dreads A.J. has been growing for the last six years:

First Pitch Fun

Take a look at Davy Arnaud and Kevin Hartman taking part in the First Pitch last night at the Kansas City Royals game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Hartman was using John Buck's official game glove, and both players got a tour of the clubhouse and met Royals manager Trey Hillman 10 minutes before first pitch. Both players had a lot of fun and helped the Royals to a big win to remain in a tie for first place. With the Royals in 1st and the Wizards tied for 2nd, KC sports are doing pretty well in the standings at the moment.

Reserves Top Missouri State 3-0

Swope Park Rangers and MSU pose for pre-game picture.

Abe Thompson plays a cross between his two goals.

Kurt Morsink poses as teammate Jack Jewsbury snaps a picture during the first half.

If you were following along via our Twitter account, you already know this, but the KCW Reserves/Swope Park Rangers defeated a well-organized Missouri State team 3-0 today on the strength of first-half goals from Abe Thompson and a second-half strike from Kurt Morsink. Further details below:

Lineup: Pardo; Leathers, McKenzie, Josh White*, Marquess; Gomez (Harrington 46), Morsink, Zusi, Souter; Thompson, Kraus (Austin Williams 60)

7th minute- Wizards take the lead after Herculez Gomez serves a corner kick that is headed home from close range by Thompson at the back post. Morsink played a ball over the top to Souter, and Souter won the corner kick attempting to round his man.

44th minute- Thompson puts the home side ahead 2-0 going into halftime after a beautiful exchange through midfield. On the counter attack, Gomez got the ball up the right wing, cut into the penalty area and laid the ball off for Graham Zusi running toward goal. Zusi lined up a first-time shot that stayed low to the ground and hit the left upright, bouncing to the feet of Thompson who tapped home to complete a run he started on the other side of the half line.

89th minute- Morsink collected a ball 35 yards from goal, beat three defenders and hit a ball inside the upper 90 at the back post from 20 yards out.

We're Off to See the Royals

The new scoreboard at The K will feature Davy Arnaud and Kevin Hartman tonight.

Kansas City Wizards soccer will meet Kansas City Wizards baseball tonight, as midfielder Davy Arnaud will throw out the ceremonial first pitch to Kevin Hartman at tonight's Royals contest against the Toronto Blue Jays at 7:10 p.m. If you're heading out to The K, make sure to arrive early to see our two futbol stars spend some time on the diamond. The new K is supposed to look great, so if you don't have any other plans, feel free to join the Wizards out there. The Wizards and Royals support one another very much. When KC sports do well, we all do well.

Don't forget, the Swope Park Rangers host Missouri State at 11 a.m. at our Swope Park Training Center. Hopefully we'll see some of you out there.

JC Show Tomorrow/Post 800

First for the more important part of this post, this is officially the 800th entry ever at Hillcrest Road, the blog. Congratulations to me and to you for reading this wonderful source of information and, hopefully, some fun. We'll be at 1,000 before you know it. Perhaps there will be some sort of contest associated with reaching this milestone. Keep reading here over the next few months and see what we scheme up.

Secondly, the lesser news. This week's edition of the Jimmy Conrad Show will take place at Fox and Hound on Metcalf near 103rd street in Overland Park, Kansas at 7 p.m. As we've mentioned numerous times now, we have some sweet prizes for those of you who attend the Conrad show each week. This month's prize is a pair of Field Side Reserved tickets to the May 6 game against D.C. United. Tomorrow is your last chance to enter to win this exciting prize. Get directions to Fox and Hound in OP by using the map below:

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International Roundup

We showed you a great goal yesterday from Clint Mathis. Now, take a look at a ridiculous goal scored in the Bundesliga:

Also, take a look at the lineup Ives Galarcep sees the U.S. fielding for the upcoming Confederations Cup. Agree with him? Is there someone else you'd like to see? Let us know.

In UEFA Champions League land, Barcelona and Chelsea square off today at 1:45 p.m. CT. The match at Barca's famed Nou Camp will be broadcast live on ESPN2. This match should be a pretty good battle. The way Barca has played this year, can anyone really bet against them? Enjoy the match!

Reserve Match Wednesday

Greetings everyone, we've got information on the next Swope Park Rangers match. They will host Missouri State this Wednesday at 11 a.m. CT at our Swope Park Training Center. If you're not working that day or feel like watching some soccer over a long lunch, join us to watch first-team training at 10 and the reserve game at 11. To learn more about our opponents, head over to their athletics website. MSU features one local product, Ryan Hennessy of North Kansas City High.

Mathis Wonderstrike

This isn't a KCW goal, but something like this needs to be seen by every MLS fan. Check out Clint Mathis' left-footed volley off a corner kick. Yes that play was scripted, and yes Morales put the ball directly in front of Mathis from about 45 yards away. Goal of the Year anyone? Beautiful play all the way around:

Notables and Quotes

That was a tough one yesterday. For long periods of time, it looked like we held possession better and were the better team. Toronto scored the lone goal, however, and Stefan Frei was strong in goal during their 1-0 win. Check out the quotes and notables from the match below:

Notables:
· Kansas City is now 3-3-1, 10 pts in a tie for 2nd place in the Eastern Conference with Chicago.
· The Wizards are now 3-3-2 all-time against Toronto FC, including a 1-2-1 record at BMO Field.
· The Wizards were shutout in their first match since August 2, 2008 at D.C. United.
· Kansas City had not been shutout for 18 consecutive MLS matches.
· Kansas City’s record for most consecutive games without being shutout is 20, set between 8/19/06 – 6/20/07.
· Kansas City took a season-high nine corner kicks Sunday.
· The Wizards now rank 1st in MLS with 42 corners on the year.
· Goalkeeper Kevin Hartman made four saves on the night, improving his career MLS record to 1154.
· Hartman has 24 saves on the year, good for 3rd in MLS this season.
· Toronto FC’s goal snapped a 214-minute scoreless streak by Hartman and the Wizards defense.
· The streak is the longest of the season thus far for Kansas City, topping a 208-minute scoreless streak earlier in the campaign.
· Striker Abe Thompson made his first appearance since starting the second match of the year against the Colorado Rapids.
· Kansas City has posted six shutouts of its own during that stretch.
· Midfielder Roger Espinoza made his first start of the 2009 season Sunday at left midfield. Espinoza had previously appeared in five games, recording one assist.
· Michael Harrington started his first game since week 2, playing right midfield.
· Kansas City was without goalkeeper Eric Kronberg, defender Chance Myers, midfielder Jack Jewsbury and striker Adam Cristman due to injury.
· The Wizards next game comes Wednesday, May 6 at CommunityAmerica Ballpark against D.C. United.


Quotes:
KANSAS CITY WIZARDS HEAD COACH CURT ONALFO
On the game
“I thought it was an extremely competitive game, I thought the environment was excellent. And games like that come down to a play or two, the team that can kind of capitalize on those plays are teams that end up winning the game, and at the end of the day we fell a little bit short in that category we had chances, as did they. But you gotta put those away if you want to walk away with points and we fell a little bit short today.”

“I thought our effort was excellent and I thought it was a hard fought match from both teams. I guess what the people in this community understand is that if you win two or three games you find yourself in first place. That’s Major league soccer there’s enormous parity and Toronto finds themselves in first place after two wins in one week.”

KANSAS CITY WIZARDS GOALKEEPER KEVIN HARTMAN
On the game
“I thought that we really competed I felt like we put ourselves in a position to be successful I had to come up with a few saves, but at the end of the day it was the difference of one play. Aaron I thought went up and cleared it well, maybe a hit by Dichio and I thought they’d whistle it there, unfortunately it wasn’t - and the ball came back across and I tried to hold Dichio a bit in the goal so that maybe he wouldn’t be able to get back on side and once I released him he was able to finish from not very far out.”

On Toronto's goal
“It’s just disappointing because I thought we played well enough to get a point on the road you know and it’s a difficult place to play. When you come into Toronto your expectation is that it’s not going to be easy and not very many people walk out of here with points so we’re always excited when we get away from places like that with points.”

KANSAS CITY WIZARDS DEFENDER JIMMY CONRAD
On the game
“I actually thought it was a pretty even game we had some moments where you know we could have just finished the ball into the goal and obviously would have changed the momentum – but that’s what a goal does. We know that they were a team on the balance and if we made any plays that would give them some confidence then they of really taken it and ran with it and that’s what they did. We kind of shut off for a couple of minutes and they took advantage of that got some confidence and never looked back.”

Ready for Sunday, and May 6?

Captain KC holding off Danny Dichio during Kansas City's 1-0 win in the first-ever match at BMO Field.

The boys will be. The match comes to you from BMO Field at 4 p.m. CT on Metro Sports (English) and Time Warner Cable Channel 5 (Spanish). If you're interested in gathering with fellow fans, head over to Coach's Bar and Grill on 103rd near Wornall. The last few watch parties there have been excellent. Thanks to Coach's and all you fans who come together to watch the games!

Additionally, thanks to everyone who came out to last night's game. The crowd was great, and the players really appreciated the support. Check out the quotes below for some verification of that! Our next home game is May 6 against D.C. United. If you don't yet have your tickets, get them now.

1st Place Wizards

It's nice waking up in the morning in first place, even if you've played more games than your opponent. We're atop the East heading into Sunday's match at Toronto. A win there would go a long way toward making our place at the top of the table more secure. Check out the notables and quotes from last night:

Notables:
· With the win, Kansas City improves to 3-2-1, 10 pts and occupies 1st place in the Eastern Conference.
· Kansas City is now 15-14-9 all-time against New York, including a 13-6-2 record at home.
· The Wizards are 2-1-0 at CommunityAmerica Ballpark on the season and 11-3-4 all-time at the stadium.
· Kansas City posted its 3rd shutout of the season, moving into a tie for 1st in MLS.
· The Wizards have not been shutout in the last 18 MLS regular-season matches, dating back to 8/2/08 at D.C. United.
· Kansas City’s record for most consecutive games without being shutout is 20, set between 8/19/06 – 6/20/07.
· Kansas City has posted six shutouts of its own during that stretch.
· Argentine striker Claudio Lopez scored his 2nd goal of the season, converting a 3rd minute penalty kick for the game-winning goal.
· Lopez’s strike was the earliest Kansas City goal in a game this year and the 2nd fastest penalty kick in team history.
· Preki took a penalty kick that was stopped in the 1st minute 9/12/97.
· Saturday’s penalty was the fastest ever converted by a Wizards player.
· Lopez now has 2 goals and 3 assists on the year and 8 goals and 10 assists in MLS play since joining the Wizards.
· Lopez is tied for 2nd on the team in goals with Josh Wolff and is tied for the MLS lead in assists.
· Lopez has converted 3 penalty kicks in a Wizards uniform.
· New York defender Carlos Johnson brought down Herculez Gomez in the 2nd minute, creating the penalty kick.
· Johnson was also ejected on the play for denying a goal-scoring opportunity.
· Johnson’s red card was the fastest in MLS history.
· The Wizards have now seen two opposing players sent off in the last three games. Herculez Gomez has been the Wizards player involved in both plays.
· Goalkeeper Kevin Hartman made 2 saves on the night, including a last-second save on Juan Pablo Angel from close range.
· Hartman now has 1150 career saves and ranks 1st all-time in MLS in this category.
· The Wizards honored Hartman before the match for breaking the MLS career saves record March 28 at Colorado.
· Hartman also ranks 1st in shutouts. With tonight’s clean sheet, Hartman becomes the 1st MLS goalkeeper to reach the 80-shutout plateau.
· Hartman now has 141 career wins, another MLS record.
· Wizards midfielder Jack Jewsbury left the match in the 32nd minute with a concussion after a 19th minute collision. He was taken to an area hospital for tests and released shortly thereafter.
· Jewsbury had not missed a minute previously for Kansas City in 2009.
· Jimmy Conrad and Kevin Hartman are the only Wizards players to play all 540 minutes on the season.
· Kansas City was without goalkeeper Eric Kronberg, defender Chance Myers and striker Adam Cristman due to injury.
· Tonight, the first 5,000 fans into CommunityAmerica Ballpark received a Jimmy Conrad bobblehead courtesy of Time Warner Cable.
· IRL and NASCAR Truck Series drivers were also be on hand to mingle with fans and sign autographs before the match.
· A B2 Bomber from Whiteman Air Force Base flew over the stadium just before kickoff with a Jimmy Conrad bobblehead on board.
· Kansas City sold out another match at CommunityAmerica Ballpark with 10,385 fans creating a great atmosphere for the first-ever ESPN2 broadcast from CAB.

Quotes:

KANSAS CITY WIZARDS HEAD COACH CURT ONALFO
On the game
“We wanted to have a good start, and we certainly had a great start. Drawing the PK and then getting the goal right away was great. Credit to New York, I thought they did an excellent job once they went a player down to make it really hard on us. It was one of those games where if we would have just got that second goal then maybe we could put the game away, but we weren’t able to do that. Credit to New York, they really dug it out and fought hard with 10 players.”

On the day
“We had some chances we just didn’t have that final finish or final pass. That part of it was disappointing. But for me, this has been an unbelievable day. I had a nasty car accident on the way here with my family (in the car). Fortunately everybody’s healthy and we got our three points tonight. We have ten points, and we’re sitting in first place. We’ll figure out the things that we need to do better and get ourselves ready for a tough game on Sunday.”

On defending Juan Pablo Angel
“I thought we did well. He’s one of those players where you never relax, because if he has one chance, he usually finishes it. But for the most part I thought we did a solid job against him.”

On the quick turnaround for Sunday’s game at Toronto
“We may have to play some other players depending on where we are with fatigue. There are some fresh bodies on our bench that may see more time. Roger Espinoza came in tonight and had a real impact on the game, and that’s good to see. Michael Harrington again came in and did a good job. Our reserve players have done well.”

KANSAS CITY WIZARDS STRIKER CLAUDIO LOPEZ
On the early penalty kick
“It was a clear PK call. I just tried to see the keeper and try to shoot it the other way.”

On having the PK so early in the game
“You always have to concentrate because you always have to be ready for something like that. It’s an opportunity that you can’t miss. It was really good that it happened to us early.”

KANSAS CITY WIZARDS DEFENDER JIMMY CONRAD
On the quick turnaround for Sunday’s game at Toronto
“After Sunday, we don’t have another game for 10 days, so we can push it a little bit knowing that we have a couple of days off afterwards. We do have a deep bench, but I think we’ll continue to have a similar lineup knowing that we’ll have time to rest the next week.”

On climbing into first place in the East
“We’re confident, but we’re aware that we need to get better. We’re not playing our best soccer right now, but we’re getting results, and that’s a good thing. We still have a lot of room for improvement.”

On the atmosphere inside CommunityAmerica Ballpark
“It was really loud, and the atmosphere was great. It was one of the best atmospheres that we’ve ever had here at CommunityAmerica Ballpark. I’m really excited because we were trying to put on a good show for the rest of the country and we came out and got a win.”

KANSAS CITY WIZARDS GOALKEEPER KEVIN HARTMAN
On the game
“We put them under pressure early and put them in a precarious situation, and I thought the referee gave a justified call. We wish we would have done better and gone ahead and secured a second goal. That being said, we finished it off without giving up a ton a shots and we were pretty secure in the back.”

KANSAS CITY WIZARDS MIDFIELDER HERCULEZ GOMEZ
Onthe atmosphere at CommunityAmerica Ballpark
“That’s the way we want it to be every game. The crowd definitely gives us a boost. It’s fun playing in front of a packed stadium and an exciting crowd like that. It feels good to get the fans a win.”

NEW YORK RED BULLS HEAD COACH JUAN CARLOS OSORIO
On the Wizards attack
"One thing we were aware of was the counterattack; obviously they had their chances when we had three in the back. When were playing four in the back I think we controlled them quite well. We also did very well on set-plays. We defended very well against a team that is very good on set-plays."

On goalkeeper Jon Conway’s play
"I think Conway did well. He made a couple of good saves. A credit to him, he has kept himself in good shape throughout the suspension."

NEW YORK RED BULLS STRIKER JUAN PABLO ANGEL
On the game
"The whole course of the game changed with that first play. I think it was one of those tough calls for the referee. I think we showed a little character. The positive thing we can take from here is we didn’t cut back, we went for the game, we tried to get the equalizer, and it didn’t happen. But I think there were a lot of positives."

NEW YORK RED BULLS GOALKEEPER JON CONWAY
On the game
"As a goalkeeper it wasn’t something that you expect that early in the match, it was unfortunate to go down a man. We did well. I thought our back line did great in limiting their chances. With ten men they are going to get chances to score, but we did well."

Countdown to Kickoff

In case you were wondering, last year's Missouri State Champions Incarnate Word defeated last year's Kansas State Champions St. James Academy 4-0 in today's doubleheader opener. We're about 30 minutes to kickoff, and the stands are starting to fill in nicely. It seems that plenty of people decided to arrive early for the bobbleheads.

Lineups:

KC- Hartman; Watson, Conrad (c), Hohlbein, Besler; Hirsig, Jewsbury, Arnaud, Gomez; Wolff, Lopez

subs- Pardo, Espinoza, Harrington, Kraus, McKenzie, Morsink, Thompson

NY- Conway; Johnson, Goldthwaite, Mendes, Pacheco; Mbuta, Stammler, Rojas, Borman; Kandji, Angel (c)

subs- Cepero, Boyens, Richards, Sassano, Smith, Ubiparipovic, Wolyniec

The Opening Act

St. James after their 2008 State Title.

We've told you a million times that we have a million things going on before tonight's match. Here's another one! St. James Academy, last year's Kansas State Champions in Girls Soccer, will be taking on Incarnate Word, last year's Missouri State Champions in Girls Soccer (from St. Louis), in a pre-game match at 3:30 p.m. inside CommunityAmerica Ballpark. A ticket to tonight's Wizards match (There are VERY few left, by the way. From here on out, it will be a couple of sprinkled tickets here and there and possibly standing room only.) gets you into the high school game. Those who watch SJA-IW will then be asked to leave the stadium until 5:30 when the gates open.

For a preview of the high school match, head over to the Shawnee Dispatch website. We will be doing several of these doubleheaders this year. If you're interested in staging one with your soccer team, give us a call at 913.387.3400 for further details.

Once again, another reminder to arrive as early as possible tonight. Here are some of the reasons why. I'll say this probably seven more times today (well, maybe only two or three) because it is important if you want to take advantage of the pre-game and pre-kickoff fun.

Jimmy Conrad Show Tonight

Wow, late 1st post of the day! After a long, tough (ha) morning of attending practice, Hillcrest was forced (ha) to step into a meeting and has thus been unable to hit up the blog so far today. I'll try to make up for it! Don't forget everyone that the Jimmy Conrad Show tonight will be broadcast live from the Plaza 810 Zone. The show runs from 7-8 p.m. CT on Sports Radio 810 WHB locally and online (both live and through podcast) at www.kcwizards.com. This month's prize for attending the show is a set of 2 Field Side Reserved seats to the D.C. United game on May 6. For the full list of prizes this year, head back to this post again.

In other news, check out Thad's blog The Back Post and Mike's Down the Byline for some interesting stories from today's training session. Between the shooting contest held after practice to the lively interview Thad did with reigning MLS Player of the Week Josh Wolff, they should each have some quality stuff.

Jimmy Conrad Show Tomorrow

Plaza.

Greetings everyone. The Jimmy Conrad Show for tomorrow night is moving. It will be all around the city this year, and tomorrow night's edition will come to you live from the Plaza 810 Zone. Head down to the Country Club Plaza and stop by to watch Jimmy as he broadcasts live via Sports Radio 810 WHB and kcwizards.com. As you know, he's always funny--and always handsome. If you forgot the sweet prizes we're giving out this year to fans who attend Jimmy's hour of madness, head back to this post from last week.

In other news, don't forget to arrive early Thursday! I know I've said it a ton now, but please don't forget. If you'd like other details on a parking situation that will be different for the match, refer back to this previous post. By the way, the weather looks perfect:

Chance Featured on CosmoGirl.com

Second-year defender/midfielder Chance Myers has been featured by CosmoGirl.com in their "sexy soccer studs" photo gallery and poll. Head over to the gallery to see each of the 15 players they picked out for their feature. As you'll see, Chance is the first one to appear in the gallery.

The Reuters sports blog Left Field picked up the story today, also using a picture of Chance in their write-up.

Passback Comes Back

Thursday night, in addition to all the other funness, is our Passback Night for the 2009 season. Bring in your new or gently used soccer gear for this drive sponsored by the Wizards, the Cauldron, US Soccer Foundation and All-American Indoor Sports. Once again, here are the details from yesterday's weekly release:

The Kansas City Wizards and their supporters’ section, The Cauldron, are excited to take part in the US Soccer Foundation's Passback Program. The Passback Drive is a grassroots initiative with a goal of increasing the collection of new and gently used gear and equipment by 40% for disadvantaged and "at-risk" soccer communities nationally and abroad. Each season, the soccer equipment drive will be held on the Kansas City Wizards official Passback Night from the time the gates open until the start of the game

The 2009 Passback Drive will be held before this Thursday’s game against the New York Red Bulls. Collection bins will be placed at each gate and items will be accepted once the gates open. Make sure to bring your donations early, as the first 250 donors will receive a Passback T-shirt, courtesy of All-American Indoor Sports. Please come out and support the 2009 Passback Drive. Family budgets are tight and there is a lot of need in the Kansas City area. You can help make a difference.

Arrive Early Thursday!

We've mentioned this before, but it's time to get a little more serious. The earlier start time (7 p.m.), the Jimmy Conrad Bobblehead (only to the first 5,000 fans), the pre-game fly over by a B2 Bomber and a parking situation dictate that all fans should arrive as early as possible to our game this Thursday against the New York Red Bulls. Here's the excerpt below from our weekly press release explaining the parking situation. Please show up early and tell all your friends that are coming to the match to do the same! We will be reminding you all week.

All Kansas City Wizards fans are encouraged to arrive early for Thursday night’s match against the New York Red Bulls at 7 p.m. CT. Gates at CommunityAmerica Ballpark will open at 5:30 p.m. CT. Due to giveaways, pre-game events and altered parking plans for the match, fans are encouraged to arrive as early as possible.

Wizards fans will not have access to the outer West parking lot at Nebraska Furniture Mart due to another event Thursday night. Fans are encouraged to utilize the parking lot outside TJ Maxx or use the outer lots at Cabela’s. The Wizards will add a stop on the parking shuttle route for fans who park in the outer lots at Cabela’s. The Wizards are very appreciative of Nebraska Furniture Mart, Cabela’s, The Legends and Red Development for their cooperation and the use of their parking facilities during matches at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.

Wolff Named MLS Player of the Week

That's right folks, our friend Josh Wolff was voted the MLS Player of the Week for his late-game heroics Saturday against his former club. Wolff was up against Brian McBride and Kenny Cooper as two-goal scorers, but the good people of the North American Soccer Reporters voted Wolff the best from this round's action. Wolff is also up for the Sierra Mist Goal of the Week award, so head over to MLSnet.com and vote for him there.

Here are Wolff's two goals from Saturday, once again courtesy of Quick Kicks:

Interview Schedule

With the big game coming up this Thursday, the local media will be feeding you all a steady diet of Wizards players and officials tomorrow and Wednesday. Tune in to the following shows to hear your favorite players talk about the upcoming match and our recent run of positive results.

Tuesday--8:15 am--Kevin Hartman in-studio radio interview--106.5 FM The Wolf
Tuesday--8:30 am--Davy Arnaud in-studio radio interview--94.1 KFKF FM
Tuesday--8:30 am--Herculez Gomez weekly phone interview--La Gran D 1340 AM (Spanish)
Tuesday--8:30 am--Michael Harrington in-studio radio interview--Q104.3 FM
Tuesday--4:40 pm--Jimmy Conrad phone interview--Hot Talk 1510 AM
Wednesday--7:50 a.m.-- Jimmy Conrad in-studio radio interview--Star 102.1 FM
Wednesday--8:20 a.m.--Jimmy Conrad in-studio radio interview--Mix 93.3 FM
Wednesday--8:15 am--Jack Jewsbury in-studio radio interview--105.1 Jack FM
Wednesday--12:30 pm--Jimmy Conrad--phone interview--World Soccer Daily--Sirius XM Radio
Wednesday--3:00 pm--Weekly Press Conference with Curt Onalfo and Josh Wolff--Metro Sports
Wednesday--7:00-8:00 pm--The Jimmy Conrad Show--Live on Sports Radio 810 from the 810 Zone on the Plaza (note--location may change to P&L)
Wednesday--5:00-6:00 pm--Zona Wizards Weekly Spanish Radio Show--Curt Onalfo & Roger Espinoza--Ke Buena 1480 AM
Friday--12:30 pm--Curt Onalfo phone interview on the Weekly Wizards segment on The Program with Soren Petro--Sports Radio 810
Friday--6:30 p.m., Saturday 11:30 a.m.---Wizards Weekly TV Show with Curt Onalfo and player TBD--Metro Sports
Also, Josh Wolff will be doing a phone interview sometime this week on "Between the Lines" with Kevin Kietzman on Sports Radio 810. We'll let you know once the time is confirmed.

Wolff up for Goal of the Week

Though technical difficulties kept Davy Arnaud out of the running last week, the Wizards are once again up for the Sierra Mist honor. Check out Josh Wolff's first goal Saturday, a sliding effort after a beautiful steal-then-avoid-defender-then-cross effort from Claudio Lopez. Vote for Wolffy here.

By the way, for those of you who haven't tried it out, head over to MLS Quick Kicks. This League-website feature allows fans to scroll through highlights from the previous weekend's games, make their own mixes of highlights and embed it all into your own blog, website, MySpace page or other web content aggregator. This is a very cool feature set up by the people of MLSnet and gotuit.

Wizards Tie Chicago 2-2 Saturday

WOW, what a comeback. After falling behind 2-0 after 20 minutes through two strikes from Brian McBride, Wizards goalkeeper Kevin Hartman makes four brilliant second-half stops to keep the team alive, and Josh Wolf scores his first two goals of the year to earn a valuable road point. Claudio Lopez assisted on both Wolff efforts to reach 10 assists in a Wizards uniform. There are a million other tidbits from tonight, but instead of re-typing them all here, I'll let you look below. The Wizards remain in 3rd in the East behind Chicago and New England with seven points on the year. Hopefully I didn't miss any on this breathtaking evening. Who was your man of the match? Let us know below.

Notables:
· Kansas City is now 9-19-7 all-time against Chicago, including a 2-13-2 record away from home.
· Kansas City scored two goals after the 75th minute to tie the match after Chicago went ahead 2-0 in the first half.
· The Wizards have now come from two goals down to tie or win a match 12 times in club history.
· After a 1-0 win over Seattle Sounders FC last weekend, the Wizards have now secured road results in back-to-back games for the first time since July 4 and July 17 of 2008 when the Wizards tied FC Dallas 1-1 and the Columbus Crew 3-3, respectively.
· The Wizards have not been shutout in the last 17 MLS regular-season matches, dating back to 8/2/08 at D.C. United.
· Kansas City has posted five shutouts of its own during that stretch.
· Striker Josh Wolff recorded his 8th career multi-goal game and his 3rd such performance in a Kansas City uniform.
· Wolff recorded his first 2 goals of the season, giving the veteran 64 for his career that started with Chicago.
· Wolff has played 199 career MLS matches.
· He ranks 16th in MLS history in goals scored and 9th among active players.
· Wolff now has 32 career goals in a Wizards uniform.
· He leapfrogged former Wizards standout Mo Johnston to move into 4th place on the team’s all-time list.
· Wolff currently trails Preki (71), Chris Klein (39) and current teammate Davy Arnaud (35) on Kansas City’s all-time goals chart.
· Wolff has now scored 5 goals against Chicago, the team with which he started his MLS career.
· Argentine striker Claudio Lopez assisted on both of Wolff’s goals for his 2nd and 3rd helpers of the season.
· Lopez now has 10 assists in a Wizards uniform after recording 7 last year in his first MLS season.
· Lopez now has 2 multi-assist games for Kansas City.
· Second-half substitute Michael Harrington assisted Wolff’s 2nd goal, his 1st assist of the year.
· Harrington now has 7 assists in his 3-year career.
· With Chicago’s first goal, the Wizards shutout streak ended at 208 minutes.
· Goalkeeper Kevin Hartman made 6 saves on the night, including 4 remarkable second-half efforts to keep Kansas City within striking distance.
· Hartman now has 1148 career saves and ranks 1st all-time in MLS in this category.
· Kansas City was without goalkeeper Eric Kronberg, defender Chance Myers, defender Matt Marquess, midfielder Graham Zusi and striker Adam Cristman due to injury.
· Kansas City was well-supported Saturday in Chicago. Defenders Aaron Hohlbein and Matt Besler each had a large contingent of family and friends at the match and around 20 members of the KC Cauldron traveled to Chicago for the game.
· The Cauldron also hosted a watch party Saturday night at Coach’s Bar and Grill on 103rd street near Wornall in KCMO.
· The Wizards next game comes this Thursday, April 23 at 7 p.m. CT against the New York Red Bulls in a nationally televised match on ESPN2.
· That night, the first 5,000 fans into CommunityAmerica Ballpark will receive a Jimmy Conrad bobblehead courtesy of Time Warner Cable.
· IRL and NASCAR Truck Series drivers will also be on hand to mingle with fans and sign autographs before the match.
· A B2 Bomber from Whiteman Air Force Base will fly over the stadium just before kickoff with a Jimmy Conrad bobblehead on board.

Besler Gets the Whipped Cream

Bes

Andrea Canales Chats with Piojo

Andrea Canales of Goal.com chatted with Claudio Lopez yesterday about his first season in MLS and what made the Argentine vet want to remain in town. Lopez talked about his decision to come to MLS, the level of play here in the U.S. and his decision to re-join Kansas City this season. Check out the story here.

Interview Schedule/Shenanigans

Here's the updated version of our interview schedule for this week as we get ready for the Chicago game and then the big ESPN2 match-up with New York next Thursday. Listen and enjoy:

Today--3:00--Weekly Press Conference with Curt Onalfo and Jimmy Conrad--Metro Sports
Today--5:00-6:00 pm--Zona Wizards Weekly Spanish Radio Show/Latino Outreach Event--Curt Onalfo, Herculez Gomez and Boris Pardo--Live on Ke Buena 1480 AM from Taqueria Mexico II restaurant in Kansas City, MO
Today--9:30 p.m., Friday--6:30 p.m., Saturday 11:30 a.m.---Wizards Weekly TV Show with Curt Onalfo and Matt Besler--Metro Sports
Friday--7:30 a.m.--Davy Arnaud phone interview--Sports Radio 810
Friday--7:50 a.m.--Jimmy Conrad in-studio radio interview--Mix 93.3 FM
Friday--8:20 a.m.--Jimmy Conrad in-studio radio interview--Star 102.1 FM
Friday--12:30 pm--Kevin Hartman phone interview on the Weekly Wizards segment on The Program with Soren Petro--Sports Radio 810

Also, Davy Arnaud and Jack Jewsbury decided it was time to officially welcome defender Matt Besler to the club--with a face full of whipped cream. Enjoy this photo gallery below, and get ready for an in-depth video of the event on Metro Sports.

Wizards Visit Whiteman

Conrad's bobblehead will be in the cockpit as the plane flys over CAB next Thursday.

As many of you know by now, our April 23 home game will feature a fly over by a B2 Bomber from Whiteman Air Force Base. As part of the event, Whiteman was kind enough to invite several members of the organization out yesterday for a tour of the base, a look inside the cockpit of the B2 and a clinic for kids on base. Cole Young of the KC Star tagged along and wrote this story that mentions some of our other community outreach programming as well. We've got some great pictures that will be going up in a photo gallery at kcwizards.com later. For now, enjoy the picture above or head over to Thad's blog The Back Post for a few more pictures and a link to a pretty substantial gallery from the event.

Besler Featured/More Rideout Talk

Besler in his first career start against San Jose.

Matt Besler entered the starting lineup two games ago, and the Wizards defense has yet to allow a goal. In fact, Besler has never been on the field when Kansas City has allowed a goal. He entered for the final minutes of the Colorado match and nearly registered an assist on his first-ever touch. Curtis Kitchen of MLSnet.com/kcwizards.com caught up with Besler to chat about the last couple of games and his outlook for the future.

Everton Banter caught up with KCW Juniors coach Paul Rideout again, discussing the upcoming FA Cup semifinal against Manchester United. Rideout scored the game-winning goal against United for Everton's last piece of silverware, the 1995 FA Cup. See what Rideout had to say about the next tilt between the two clubs. Speaking of Mancester United, did you see Cristiano Ronaldo's goal yesterday? INSANE.

Davy Don't Know Jack!

Jewsbury (with Arnaud in the background) last year against Colorado in the Open Cup play-in game.

...and vice-versa. We're going to be conducting a newlyweds-show-like feature with our midfielders Jack Jewsbury and Davy Arnaud. As many probably know, the two are very good friends off the field and have been playing together on the field since 2003 when Jewsbury joined the Wizards through the SuperDraft. For this video feature, we will pose questions to Davy that fans submit about Jack. We will then do the opposite, film the whole extravaganza and put it together in one video that promises to be pretty entertaining.

Example question: Where did Jack Jewsbury go to high school?
Example Davy answer: Hmm...somewhere in Missouri. Nevada High School?
Example Jack answer: Springfield Kickapoo High School. Did Davy really miss that?

Submit your questions below in the comments section!

Jimmy Conrad Show TONIGHT!

The Jimmy Conrad Show is back for all you Conrad-loving fans out there. We've got some great prizes in store for those who attend the show this season. If you can't make it to the Leawood 810 Zone tonight from 7-8 p.m., turn your radio to Sports Radio 810 WHB, or visit www.kcwizards.com to hear a live stream. Forgot the month-end prizes already? Here they are once more for your viewing pleasure:

April 2 Field Side Reserved tickets to Kansas City Wizards vs. D.C. United May 6
May VIP Meet & Greet session for 10 at a Wizards practice
June 4 Terrace Table tickets to Kansas City Wizards vs. Houston Dynamo July 4
July Youth-team clinic with a Kansas City Wizards player
August Football/Futbol Double-Header including KU, K-State or MU Football tickets
September 2 Field Side Reserved tickets to Kansas City Wizards vs. Colorado Rapids Sept. 26
October Autographed Wizards jersey and on-field VIP experience at 2009 playoff game

Jack Jewsbury Get to Know You

Take a look:

Planet Sub Hat Trick Special!

Alright guys, props to the sponsorship department for wrangling up this pretty sweet offer for Wizards fans. On days after the Wizards score 3 or more goals in MLS play, fans can receive a "Planet Sub Sandwich", a drink and a cookie for just $3 at any KC-area Planet Sub store. All you have to do is ask for the Hat Trick Special on the day after we pour in 3 goals on some unlucky opponent.

Quote from P.Sub:
“Planet Sub is proud to be associated with the Kansas City Wizards and OnGoal,” Planet Sub co-owner Jeff Klusman said. “They are a first-class organization growing a great sport in the city we love. We look forward to seeing lots of Wizards fans in our stores on the day after MLS games.”

Arnaud Talks to Davis/Rideout Quoted

After last weekend's cracker off the foot of Davy Arnaud, Glenn Davis of Houston Chronicle, ESPN, HDNet and his own website's fame chatted with our favorite #22. Head over to the Sports Animal's website and click on Hour 2 from Monday, April 13.

Also, former Everton FC striker and KCW player Paul Rideout was featured on an Everton fan site's story about the future of the club. Mr. Rideout seems to think that Everton needs a large investment from elsewhere to break up the top 4 of Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal that has dominated the English Premier League for the last several years. As you know, Rideout currently coaches our U-16, U-17 and U-18 KCW Juniors sides.

Events Next Thursday/Get There Early

As many of you know, we have a TON of stuff going on around next Thursday's game against the Red Bulls. New York has come out of the gate somewhat slow, but they qualified for the MLS Cup final last year, so you know this team has talent and will be dangerous. Juan Pablo Angel is one of MLS's best strikers, so Conrad, Hohlbein and the rest of the defense will surely have their hands full.

Here's the grand list of things going on before the match next weekend. There's a lot, so make sure to get there early. With a 7 p.m. kickoff, I know many of you will be rushing to get to the stadium. Do your best to get there as close to 5:30 as possible, with the Jimmy Conrad bobbleheads sure to be a big hit. Also, racers Dan Wheldon, Mario Moraes, Jennifer Jo Cobb and Johnny Sauter will be on the concourse signing autographs and mingling with fans from 5:30-6:45. A B2 Bomber will be flying over the stadium just before kickoff at only 1,000 feet, so the place will be shakin!

For the creative types, we'll also be holding an ESPN2 Sign Contest. Make your most creative ESPN2 sign, and Jenny Matthews of Mix 93.3, Holly Starr of 38 the Spot and a representative from Sports Radio 810 WHB will choose the top three from the crowd at 6:45. The winning sign will earn a seat upgrade for four to the Field Side Reserved section. The 2nd place sign will win four tickets to an upcoming Wizards match and the 3rd place sign will win a merchandise prize pack. Come ready to get on TV and win a little something from the Wizards for your efforts.

In addition to all the festivities before the game, the parking situation will be somewhat different next weekend for those of you who aren't season ticket holders. One of the Nebraska Furniture Mart lots will be unavailable. To make up for this loss, we will take over a lot at Cabela's. The exact lot is yet to be determined, but there will be signage and staff to help you find the way. Once we know the exact lot information, we'll let everyone know.

To buy single-game tickets, head here!

The Jimmy Conrad Show Returns Wed

Thanks Bud.

That's right folks, The Jimmy Conrad Show is coming back, and it's going to be better than ever. Thanks to the fine people at Budweiser, your captain will be back on the air each Wednesday night on Sports Radio 810 WHB. This year, we will offer monthly drawings for some pretty sweet prizes for those of you who attend the show. You can enter once per show, so the more you go, the better your chances of winning. **This week's show is coming live from the Leawood 810 Zone.**

The show will primarily air from 7-8 p.m. on Wednesday nights, but a few may times may differ due to programming conflicts on 810. Each episode will be streamed live at kcwizards.com, with archives available via our podcast page.

April 2 Field Side Reserved tickets to Kansas City Wizards vs. D.C. United May 6
May VIP Meet & Greet session for 10 at a Wizards practice
June 4 Terrace Table tickets to Kansas City Wizards vs. Houston Dynamo July 4
July Youth-team clinic with a Kansas City Wizards player
August Football/Futbol Double-Header including KU, K-State or MU Football tickets
September 2 Field Side Reserved tickets to Kansas City Wizards vs. Colorado Rapids Sept. 26
October Autographed Wizards jersey and on-field VIP experience at 2009 playoff game

Match Center Issues

It has been brought to our attention that many fans had trouble viewing tonight's match via MLS Match Center. The broadcast feed was provided only in HD, which the Match Center system does not support. MLS broadcasting guru Larry Tiscornia is currently working on finding the source of the problem and has been since our match started.

MLS, MLSnet.com and the Wizards apologize to anyone who missed tonight's match due to this issue. We are very sorry for this inconvenience.

What a Crazy Win

Kansas City earned its first road win of 2008 with a 1-0 shutout of Seattle Sounders FC that included a red card to former US international Kasey Keller and another stunning long-range goal from Davy Arnaud. What a way to deal Seattle its first loss since joining MLS. With the win, Kansas City moved up to 3rd place in the Eastern Conference after all other East teams lost or tied Saturday. Get ready to vote for Arnaud for Goal of the Week!

· Kansas City is now 1-0-0 all-time against Seattle Sounders FC in MLS play.
· The Wizards became the first team to ever defeat Seattle in MLS play and the first team to ever score against Sounders FC.
· The Wizards are 4-1-1 against expansion teams since Head Coach Curt Onalfo took over in 2007.
· Kansas City was the first MLS team to score at both Seattle and Toronto during their expansion seasons.
· Seattle entered the match after posting three straight shutouts.
· The Wizards have not been shutout in the last 16 MLS regular-season matches, dating back to 8/2/08 at D.C. United.
· Kansas City has posted five shutouts of its own during that stretch.
· Kansas City is tied for 4th in MLS in goals this season with 6.
· Kansas City has now recorded shutouts in back-to-back matches and has a 196-minute shutout streak in tact.
· The Wizards shutout streak is second only to the streak by Seattle snapped by Arnaud’s goal.
· Goalkeeper Kevin Hartman made 2 save on the night, extending his MLS records in three categories.
· Hartman now has 140 career wins, 79 career shutouts and 1142 career saves.
· Hartman also broke a tie for 3rd place on the MLS games-played list. His 307 career matches surpassed former LA Galaxy star Cobi Jones.
· Hartman now trails only New England midfielder Steve Ralston and former Kansas City midfielder and assistant coach Chris Henderson, Seattle Sounders FC’s Technical Director.
· Davy Arnaud scored his 3rd goal of the season in the 80th minute.
· All three of Arnaud’s goals have come on long-range efforts of 25 yards or more.
· Four of Kansas City’s six goals have been scored outside the 18-yard area this year.
· Arnaud now has 35 career goals, 3rd most in Wizards history.
· He trails Chris Klein by only four goals for 2nd place.
· Arnaud is tied for 2nd in MLS with three goals on the season behind only Conor Casey of Colorado.
· Jack Jewsbury assisted the goal, recording his 1st of the season and the 16th of his career.
· He is now one behind former defender Jose Burciaga for 10th on Kansas City’s all-time assists list.
· Kansas City was without goalkeeper Eric Kronberg, defender Chance Myers, midfielder Graham Zusi and striker Adam Cristman due to injury.
· Kansas City returns to action next Saturday, April 18 with a 730 p.m. CT kickoff at the Chicago Fire. The game will be televised live on Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Sports en Español.
· The first 5,000 fans into the stadium received a 2009 team poster, and the team gathered at nearby Dave and Buster’s after the match for an autograph session.
· The Wizards next home game comes Thursday, April 23 at 7 p.m. CT against the New York Red Bulls in a nationally televised match on ESPN2.
· That night, the first 5,000 fans into CommunityAmerica Ballpark will receive a Jimmy Conrad bobble head courtesy of Time Warner Cable.
· IRL and NASCAR Truck Series drivers will also be on hand to mingle with fans and sign autographs before the match.

Parking at KU

Here's an interesting story for all you Wizards fans out there at KU. If you think you might let your parking meter expire, make sure you have some Wizards swag somewhere visible! Story below related by intern Kim:

Here's what happened…

I parked in the Student Recreation Center parking lot at KU and paid the meter for 1 hour while I attended a meeting to talk to a class about my internship with the Kansas City Wizards. It was no suprise to me that there was a little pink envelope on my windshield as I walked back out to my car about 45 minutes after my hour on the meter had already expired. I opened the envelope to look at the ticket and was pleasantly shocked to find a handwritten note with no parking ticket attached… the note read:

"I LOVE THE WIZARDS!!! But next time keep the meter paid"

The outstanding employee of the KU Parking Department must have noticed the Kansas City Wizards Staff parking pass that is conveniently displayed in my front windshield and realized that his/her love for the Kansas City Wizards extends beyond his/her obligation to enforce the laws of the KU Parking Department.

Thank you KU Parking Department employee; you are a valued fan.

Watch Party/PV Goes on "The Program"

For those of you who haven't yet seen, the good people of the Cauldron have arranged a watch party for tomorrow night's match at Coach's on 103rd near Wornall in KCMO. The game starts at 9:30 p.m. CT and will be shown live locally on Metro Sports (English) and Time Warner Cable Channel 5 (Spanish). Future watch party locations are still TBD. We'll let you know when that's sorted out.

View Larger Map

In other news, Peter Vermes joined Soren Petro this afternoon on "The Program" on Sports Radio 810 WHB. From now on, the Wizards will have a guest on Soren's show each Friday at 12:30 p.m. CT. Make sure to tune in. If you didn't hear PV this afternoon, check it out here.

Want an SBI Commentary?

Ives Galarcep of the blog Soccer By Ives has offered a poll to his readers to choose a match for the Jersey boy to comment on during the run of play. So far, our match is leading with just 94 votes cast. If you want to be able to read Ives' commentary while watching our game this weekend, go vote. If you want to keep Ives up late from the east coast, go vote too!

Well-Known Racers Join us on April 23

IRL drivers Dan Wheldon (2005 Indy 500 champion and champion at Kansas Speedway in 2007 and 2008) and Mario Moraes (20-year-old from Brazil) will join us at CommunityAmerica Ballpark for our next home match on Thursday, April 23 at 7 p.m. CT. Wheldon and Moraes will be in the stadium with their cars, signing autographs from 5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. Both are soccer fans, growing up in the football-mad countries of England and Brazil.

NASCAR Truck drivers Johnny Sauter and local Jennifer Jo Cobb will also be at the match, stationed throughout the concourse at CAB. They too will sign autographs for fans between 5:30 p.m. at 6:45. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN2, and a B2 Bomber from Whiteman Air Force Base will fly over the stadium prior to the game. As you may already know, the first 5,000 fans through the door that night will receive a Jimmy Conrad bobble head, and everyone will receive thundersticks. Both of these giveaways come courtesy of our friends at Time Warner Cable. To get your tickets, give us a call at (913) 387-3400 or click here.

Wheldon.

Moraes.

Sauter.

Cobb.

Hirsig Highlighted

Hirsig lays the ball off to Davy Arnaud in Game 1, resulting in his first MLS assist.

Those of you who watched last Sunday's match (either in person while freezing or in the comfort of your own toasty home) saw the abilities of Santiago Hirsig. His play on both sides of the ball was critical to our success, scoring two goals against San Jose while allowing no goals and only three shots. Curtis Kitchen of mlsnet checks in with Hirsig and Coach Onalfo on the progress our off-season signing from Argentina has made since he joined us in February and the skills he brings to the team.

World Cup to KC?

It's a possibility. U.S. Soccer released the list of stadiums and municipalities contacted about becoming a World Cup host venue should our country win the bid for either the 2018 or 2022 FIFA World Cups. In all, 50 metro areas and 70 stadiums are on the full list. Check that out at ussoccer.com. The KC Star included a short blurb today. Read that and offer your comments on what World Cup matches would do for the KC area.

Claudio Lopez Banner Nearly Leaves

Those of you at the match know just how windy it was. For those of you not watching and not inside the stadium, this clip below gives you an idea. The Claudio Lopez/Time Warner Cable banner that has been a staple of CommunityAmerica Ballpark for Wizards games the last two years nearly blew away. If not for the fast reactions of our operations crew and others, it probably would have.

Are you my Facebook Friend?

I'm not sure if you are yet. We started the official home on Facebook a little over a month ago, and we currently have just over 300 friends. Are you one of them? If you're not, head over to the page and become a fan. If you are, make sure to share the page with all your Wizards-loving friends! I'd like to get us to 1,000 by the April 23 match. Help us make it happen!

Cotton 3-1 Heineman

Watch and enjoy....sorry for the shaky camera work. Thanks to Intern Joe for his work on this video and for scoring our team's only goal.

Appearance at Taqueria Mexico II

Onalfo during a training session last year.

Similar to the Latino Barnstorming Tour we staged last year at three different places in one day, we will be taking Spanish-speaking players and Coach Onalfo to various businesses in Hispanic communities throughout this season. The first event is coming up. The details are below:

Thursday, April 16th--5:00-6:00 p.m.
Taqueria Mexico II--5920 Independence Avenue, Kansas City, MO

Curt Onalfo, Herculez Gomez and Boris Pardo will be in attendance for the first Latino Outreach Event of the 2009 season. The guys will be hanging out and talking with soccer fans, and will also be available for photos and autographs. Zona Wizards, the Wizards weekly Spanish Radio show, will also be broadcast live from the restaurant.

Reserves Defeat UMKC, Cotton Defeats Heineman

It was a good day for the KCW Reserves/Swope Park Rangers and Cotton's Fighting Ishii's. The former defeated UMKC 2-0, while the latter defeated Heineman's Flying Strombolis 3-1. For the full reserve recap, I'm going to send you over to Mike Kuhn and Down the Byline since he did a great job of following the action. Michael Kraus (who is on a scoring tear, isn't he?) scored the first, while Kurt Morsink added the second.

Rob Thomson, Brian Roberts and Nahuel Rodriguez scored for Cotton's squad, while intern Joe Coletta netted the only tally for Heineman's group. A more formal recap of the Staff Soccer match will be up later on, so look forward to that.

In the mean time, vote for Lopez for Goal of the Week and check out Jimmy Conrad pimping his bobble head night on April 23:

Reserves/Staff Soccer

Just wanted to remind you all that the Swope Park Rangers will be facing UMKC today at 2:30 at our (and their) Swope Park Training Center. After that game, the front office staff (including technical staff members) will engage in a staff soccer match on the turf field at Swope. For details, including rosters for each team, view this post from last week. Hillcrest will, of course, have some details after the match. Will he score two goals like last time? With Kerry Zavagnin roaming the midfield of my opposition, I find that highly unlikely.

Lopez Nominated for Goal of the Week

Claudio Lopez's second-half strike from yesterday's brutally cold affair is up for the Sierra Mist Goal of the Week award. Watch the goal below, courtesy of MLS Quick Kicks, then go and vote for Claudio!

Wizards Defeat San Jose 2-0

Holy cow was that a cold one! The temperature at kickoff was 38, but with 40 mile per hour winds and some rain/snow/sleet mixtures, it felt a lot colder than that. Props to our players for adjusting well to the weather and really dominating the run of play. San Jose generated just three shots and only one on goal. Well done defense. Props to rookie Matt Besler for making his first career start and showing well against a tough San Jose attack and to Lance Watson for shutting down Darren Huckerby in his first minutes at right back this year.

Good rebound goal for Aaron Hohlbein and a great breakaway finish from Claudio Lopez on the counter.

KANSAS CITY WIZARDS HEAD COACH CURT ONALFO
On the game
“The combination play between Josh Wolff, Claudio Lopez, Santiago Hirsig, Jack Jewsbury and Davy Arnaud was very good. Hats off to the guys. They implemented the game plan and performed very well. San Jose is a very good team, and I think today we showed that we’re a very good team as well.”

On the changes in the starting lineup
“I thought Lance Watson was solid at right back, and with Matt Besler, you can see the quality there. He’s a young player who doesn’t play like a young player. You can see what Santiago Hirsig brings to the team. He has such an influence in the middle of the midfield. He and Jack Jewsbury had a good understanding of each other, and there are a lot of good things to build on from today’s match.”

On the adverse playing conditions
“I told the guys before the game that this was going to be a game where they would have to roll up their sleeves and fight. It was just about mentality today. I think we did a great job today, and I thought we played well from the opening whistle.”

KANSAS CITY WIZARDS DEFENDER MATT BESLER
On his first career start
“It felt good to be out there and to get the start and play 90 minutes. It felt good, and I’m glad the team got the win. It’s great to play for my hometown team. It’s a lot more comfortable growing up here and being a fan of the Wizards. It just makes me want to win that much more since I grew up supporting the team.”

KANSAS CITY WIZARDS MIDFIELDER HERCULEZ GOMEZ
On his assist
“Davy did a good job of laying the ball off to me. I knew that with the cross wind I would have to hit it just right and put it out there in front of Claudio. I got fortunate and struck it well and put it in front of Claudio, and then he buried it.”

On the game
“We battled very hard. I think we managed the game very well. There were stretches of the game where we played very well and dominated, so I’m very proud of our effort and our performance today.”

KANSAS CITY WIZARDS DEFENDER AARON HOHLBEIN
On the game
“The last couple of weeks we weren’t playing up to our ability. We knew coming in that we had to have a good performance today. We came out confident and played the way we knew we could play.”

On scoring his first career goal
“It felt good. It was a good ball played in, and it kind of bobbled around a little bit and popped out, and I happened to be right there so I just pounded it home.”

KANSAS CITY WIZARDS GOALKEEPER KEVIN HARTMAN
On the game
“I was pleased by how well we played today. We were on top of our game in really inclement conditions. It’s exciting for us. I’m really proud to play behind a group that plays like that. The shutout is a little bit of a bonus. We didn’t give up a ton of shots, we were sound defensively, and we were winning a lot of second balls.”

KANSAS CITY WIZARDS MIDFIELDER SANTIAGO HIRSIG (Through a translator)
On his first start for the Wizards
“It’s always easier to start the game because you get used to the rhythm of the game and the pace. If you come into the game as a substitute, you have to get used to the pace of the game. I’m happy with the way things are going for me so far this season. Every day I’m here I get to know the players more on and off the field, and I’m getting more and more comfortable with the team.”

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES HEAD COACH FRANK YALLOP
On the game
“We just did not a have a good day today, especially in the first half. They had enough chances to be up two or three goals at the half. We had a good spell in the second half, but that second goal just killed off the game.”

On consistency
“We need to be more consistent game to game. We were not sharp enough today, and I am not going to blame the conditions. They were able to create chances despite the wind.”

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES DEFENDER NICK GARCIA
On the game
“It was not a good day for us. The conditions were the same for both teams, and they adjusted to them better than we did. We need to play better and create chances to get some goals.”

SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES MIDFIELDER SIMON ELLIOTT
On the conditions
“We need to be prepared for games like this. They adjusted well to the conditions, and we didn’t. You have to be ready for a game with a lot of turnovers and transition play on a day like this. They came out ready and created opportunities, and we were slow to the ball.”

· Kansas City is now 17-18-6 all-time against San Jose, including a 17-7-1 home record.
· Kansas City outshot San Jose 12-3, with 6 shots on goal to San Jose’s 1.
· Sunday marked the largest shot differential this season for the Wizards.
· Defender Aaron Hohlbein scored his 1st career goal in the 28th minute.
· The goal turned out to be Hohlbein’s 1st career game-winning goal.
· Hohlbein’s strike was Kansas City’s 1st before halftime thus far in 2009.
· Argentine striker Claudio Lopez scored his 1st goal of the season and 7th in MLS.
· Midfielder Herculez Gomez recorded his 1st assist of the season, springing Lopez for his 2nd half breakaway.
· Midfielder Davy Arnaud also tallied an assist on the play, his 1st of the season and the 29th of his career.
· Arnaud’s helper broke a tie with former Wizards standout Mo Johnston. Arnaud now sits alone in 3rd place on Kansas City’s all-time assist list.
· Goalkeeper Kevin Hartman made 1 save on the night, extending his MLS records in three categories.
· Hartman now has 139 career wins, 78 career shutouts and 1140 career saves.
· Hartman also moved into a tie for 3rd place on the MLS games-played list. His 306 career matches equals former LA Galaxy star Cobi Jones.
· Hartman now trails only New England midfielder Steve Ralston and former Kansas City midfielder and assistant coach Chris Henderson.
· Argentine midfielder Santiago Hirsig made his 1st start since joining Kansas City and was instrumental in helping Kansas City control midfield play.
· Rookie defender and Overland Park native Matt Besler made his first MLS start Sunday, starting at left back for the injured Michael Harrington.
· Lance Watson started his 2nd straight game, appearing at right back Sunday.
· Midfielder Roger Espinoza came on late for Josh Wolff in his first action since returning from Honduras National Team duty.
· Kansas City was without goalkeeper Eric Kronberg, defender Chance Myers, defender Michael Harrington, midfielder Graham Zusi and striker Adam Cristman due to injury.
· Kansas City returns to action next Saturday, April 11 with a 9:30 p.m. CT kickoff at Qwest Field against Seattle Sounders FC. The match will be televised live on Metro Sports.
· Today’s match, sponsored by Sprint, was “Family Day” at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.
· The first 5,000 fans into the stadium received a 2009 team poster, and the team gathered at nearby Dave and Buster’s after the match for an autograph session.
· The Wizards next home game comes Thursday, April 23 at 7 p.m. CT against the New York Red Bulls in a nationally televised match on ESPN2.
· That night, the first 5,000 fans into CommunityAmerica Ballpark will receive a Jimmy Conrad bobble head courtesy of Time Warner Cable.
· IRL and NASCAR Truck Series drivers will also be on hand to mingle with fans and sign autographs before the match.