Watch Parties Saturday for USA/KCW

This Saturday, we take on the New England Revolution at 6:30 p.m. CT, (Metro Sports) and the U.S. Men's National Team hosts El Salvador at 7 p.m. CT at Rio Tinto Stadium, home of Real Salt Lake (ESPN Classic). Since all Wizards watch parties in September will take place at Fox and Hound in OP courtesy of Budweiser and all U.S. Men's National Team watch parties in 2009 are hosted at both area 810 Zone locations courtesy of Budweiser, we will hold watch parties at all three locations that will feature both games.

The USA enters this round of qualifying in 3rd place in CONCACAF Qualifying, two points behind 1st place Costa Rica and behind Honduras on goal differential only for 2nd place. In this round, the USA hosts El Salvador, Costa Rica hosts Mexico and Honduras hosts Trindad and Tobago. There could be lots of movement come Saturday night.

The Kori Quinn Story

Kori Quinn (middle) on the field with a pair of friends during warm-ups of our match Saturday. Read more about her foundation.

In the last couple of years, we've posted a few of these "stories". We told you about Will Daniel and last week's opponent Andy Williams. Earlier this year we told you about Miguel Jimenez and Kori Quinn. Well, Kori has a story that we hope continues for quite some time. The Kansas City Star got in on the act last week, filling the public in on Kori's latest quest to help others at a time when many would be thinking only of themselves.

In the story, the Star mentions an upcoming 5K hosted by the I-ROK (Kori backward) Foundation. I-ROK stands for Imagine Getting Rid Of Kancer. The 5K will take place this Saturday, September 5 at 8 a.m. at Excelsior Springs High School in Excelsior Springs, MO. If you're a runner (or a walker) and want to help out this extraordinary girl raise funds for Children's Mercy Hospital, head to their website and register for the race. While you're there, make sure to view the wish list of things that would brighten the days of kids at Children's Mercy Hospital. Pick up a couple of these items and bring them to the race.

Kori, keep it up. Your story is incredible and we love getting the opportunity to tell it.

Wizards Lose to RSL 1-0

We dropped another one 1-0 tonight, extending our goalless streak to 424 straight minutes. In the process, we outshot RSL 17-5, including an 8-3 advantage in shots on goal. Chris Seitz made seven saves, and Fabian Espindola cleared Zoltan's late header off the goal line to preserve a 1-0 victory in the 5th minute of second-half stoppage time. Next Saturday we start a 3-game, 7-day East-coast swing with matches at New England, D.C. United and New York. All games will be broadcast live on Metro Sports (English) and TWC 5 (Spanish). Check out the notables and quotes below:

· Kansas City is now 5-3-2 all-time against Real Salt Lake, including a 3-1-1 record at home.
· The Wizards goalless streak reaches 424 minutes, the second longest such streak in club history.
· Kansas City last scored July 25 against the Los Angeles Galaxy.
· The longest goalless streak (427 consecutive minutes) was set between 6/24/2000 and 7/22/2000.
· Wizards goalkeeper Kevin Hartman has now started 103 straight games and hasn’t missed any action in the last 9270 minutes his teams have played.
· His minutes-played streak constitutes an MLS record.
· Aug. 1, Hartman became just the 2nd player in MLS history to start 100 straight matches.
· Hartman made two saves Sunday, increasing his career MLS record in saves to 1201.
· Hartman becomes the first goalkeeper in MLS history to reach the 1200-save plateau.
· Hartman is the only player to start all 21 games this season for the Wizards and the only player to play every minute of every game this year.
· Kansas City registered a season-high 11 corner kicks Saturday night.
· Claudio Lopez took 10 corner kicks, with Herculez Gomez taking the other.
· Midfielder Chance Myers made his 2009 debut, entering for Gomez in the 64th minute.
· Myers was activated from the Disabled List before last weekend’s match against San Jose after suffering a broken toe late in preseason.
· Kansas City was without goalkeeper Eric Kronberg, defender Rauwshan McKenzie, midfielder Kevin Souter and forward Josh Wolff through injury.
· The Wizards return to action next Saturday, September 5 at the New England Revolution at 6:30 p.m. CT on Metro Sports (English) and Time Warner Cable Channel 5 (Spanish).
· The USA Bid Committee Inc. announced August 4 that Kansas City and Arrowhead Stadium are one of 27 cities and 32 venues, down from 70 initial stadia in 52 cities, on the short list to be included in the United States’ bid to host the FIFA World Cup™ in either 2018 or 2022.
· The Kansas City / USA Host City Bid Committee is Co-Chaired by Kansas City Chiefs Chairman of the Board Clark Hunt and Cerner Corporation’s Chairman and CEO and Kansas City Wizards co-owner Neal Patterson.
· Soccer United Marketing (SUM), Saral, the Kansas City Wizards (Major League Soccer) and the Kansas City Chiefs (NFL), announced Wednesday that Mexico’s most popular teams, Club América and Club Deportivo Guadalajara S.A. de C.V. (Chivas), will add a new chapter to their storied rivalry when the clubs meet for another edition of Mexico’s “Clásico Nacional,” or national derby, on Wednesday, September 16 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri at 8:30 p.m. CT. The game, which will celebrate Mexican Independence Day, will be presented by Bud Light.
· Tickets went on sale to the general public Thursday. Prices start at $25, and seats can be purchased by visiting the Kansas City Wizards front office at 8900 State Line Road, Leawood, KS 66206 or by calling the Wizards toll free at 1-877-828-7222 or 1-913-387-3400.
· Before the match, Park Hill South High School took on Vianney High School (St. Louis) on the field at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.
· After the game, the 2009 Mayor’s Night Kicks tournament concluded with a Championship between 2008 finalists Real Del Oro and Barilleros.

Quotes:

KANSAS CITY WIZARDS HEAD COACH PETER VERMES
On Real Salt Lake’s goal
“It was just a complete breakdown. They only had one guy up, so everything was a breakdown from side to side. Everybody was late. They just kept passing the ball and eventually they found the last guy sitting there by himself on top of the box.”

On what it will take to start scoring goals again
“The only thing you can do is keep working on finishing and keep working on trying to build those chances up through the run of play and through the way we play. At some point, we have to get that goal. We need to be more a part of the game management itself. There are a lot of pieces of the game that we need to have better game management around. We’re tentative. We’re a second late offensively, and everything else falls apart from that perspective, so everything else is a second late, and that’s part of the situation that we’re dealing with.”

KANSAS CITY WIZARDS MIDFIELDER HERCULEZ GOMEZ
On where the Wizards are at right now
“It’s still a work in progress. I know people get tired of hearing that, but that’s the reality of things. It’s disappointing because a lot of that is just battling and heart. It’s a shame that we have to kind of get punched first and then react instead of coming out and us doing the swinging and taking it to them.

KANSAS CITY WIZARDS MIDFIELDER CHANCE MYERS
On his first game back after a broken toe during preseason
“It feels good to get back on the field. I need to make my money. It felt good to be back in there and get my legs going again. I just tried to isolate myself on the right side and get some early service into the box and flood the near post.”

REAL SALT LAKE HEAD COACH JASON KREIS
On shots advantage going to Kansas City (17-5) but still winning
“We continue to talk about battling and fighting mentality. Tonight was another example for us with a team that believes in itself and works for results. Without that tonight, we certainly wouldn't have come out of here with three points.”

On building momentum to get into the playoffs
“Yeah I think we have to feel good about where we're at right now. There is a lot of work left to do. We have six matches remaining and we're going to have to pick up another 10 points or so to make the playoffs.

On Chris Seitz's shutout and giving some starters rest
“We've played three games in six days. I don't think we have many guys who should be playing 90 minutes three times in six days. There had to be some rotation, and we have a lot of guys who we believe in, and Chris Seitz is one guy who has trained very well over the last few weeks. He deserved an opportunity, and he took advantage of it.”

REAL SALT LAKE GOALKEEPER CHRIS SEITZ
On the game
“It was a big game for us. We needed three points on the road. It's that time of the season where we need to start getting points on the road. We've been working on situations like this all year, and they paid off tonight for all of us.”

On playing a man down
“It's something we always work on. We practice a man down against a full side a lot in training. We've done it 30-40 times this season. When that happened at halftime, we said 'hey, we've been here before." We stuck together, we stayed tight and defended our butts off and got the result."

Lots of Stuff Tomorrow

Weather for tomorrow's game looks beautiful.

In addition to the MLS match at 7:30 p.m. CT against Real Salt Lake, there are lots of other events going on around tomorrow's game. Park Hill South and Vianney (St. Louis) will play one another at 3:30 p.m., with the Mayor's Night Kicks final between Barilleros and Real Del Oro taking place after our match at 10:00 p.m. If you're not sticking around after our match for the Night Kicks final, head over to Dave and Buster's for the post-match party that will feature at a minimum: Marquess, Espinoza, Kraus, Kronberg, Arnaud, Jewsbury, Watson and Pardo.

As part of the Dance and Cheer festivities, Rock Chalk Dancers from KU and Golden Girls from Mizzou** will mingle with the participants as our Starting 11 Girls run the clinic. They will then sign autographs for the girls before attending the match. The Golden Girls will perform a quick routine at halftime. While the K-State dance team couldn't make it, Willie the Wildcat will be on hand for the match.

Also, a group KU students will be attending the match. Read this story in the University Daily Kansan for details on how the event got started.

Don't yet have your tickets? Visit www.ticketmaster.com/kcwizards or call us at 913.387.3400 for more info.

Vermes on MLS Talk Podcast

Kartik of Major League Soccer Talk took some time to interview our own Technical Director/Interim Head Coach Peter Vermes about his playing days, the Claudio Lopez signing, the 2000 Kansas City Wizards team and more. Click over to MLS Talk for the podcast. If you haven't yet bookmarked the site, it's also a good one to browse on a regular basis. Once he goes to the commercial break, he only asks one more question about PV growing up and watching the New York Cosmos.

Wizards Players Give School Supplies

Jack Jewsbury signs autographs after a clinic at Northeast Elementary Thursday. Photo taken from KC Star website.

Yesterday, nine Wizards players and members of the Wizards Wives Club headed to Northeast Elementary School in the Kansas City Missouri School District to donate items collected during the Stuff the Bus school supply drive surrounding our match against the Galaxy. Thanks to all for your support in donating over 2,000 items for KC schoolchildren. See the entire photo gallery from yesterday's donation and clinic here. The participating players were: Jimmy Conrad, Adam Cristman, Kevin Hartman, Aaron Hohlbein Jack Jewsbury, Rauwshan McKenzie, Kurt Morsink and Kevin Souter.

To Do List

We've been pretty busy giving lots of information on upcoming events here at Hillcrest Road lately. In light of all the news, we figured it was time to put together a to-do list for area soccer fans. Here it is:

1. Buy your tickets to this Saturday's Wizards contest against Real Salt Lake if you haven't already.

2. Get your tickets to the Club America-Chivas showdown at Arrowhead Stadium on Wednesday, Sept. 16 by calling our ticket office at 913-387-3400. If you're from out of town, call us at 1-877-828-7222.

3. Support the USA bid to host the FIFA World Cup by heading to www.goUSAbid.com and signing the petition. Invite all of your friends to show the support of soccer here in the KC area to help our chances of being part of the bid submitted to FIFA early next year.

4. We haven't yet talked about this event, but go watch the UMKC Women Sunday night as they play their first-ever home game in their new soccer-specific stadium on the UMKC campus.

5. While you're checking things off the list, make sure you're following us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/hillcrest_road) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/kcwizards). You can also follow/fan the USA Bid (www.twitter.com/goUSAbid and www.facebook.com) to show your support and receive frequent updates.

US Soccer Releases Roster

Highlights from the last USA-TnT match.

That kind of rhymes, doesn't it? Today, U.S. Men's Head Coach Bob Bradley announced a 24-player training camp roster for upcoming World Cup Qualifiers against El Salvador (Sept. 5 at Rio Tinto Stadium at 7 p.m. CT) and Trinidad and Tobago (Sept 9 in Trinidad at 6 p.m. CT). Both games will be broadcast live on ESPN Classic and Univision, as the US team has a chance to further solidify its position in the qualification standings. What do you think of the names on the list?

GOALKEEPERS (2): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa: 5/3 SO), Tim Howard (Everton FC: 12/7 SO)
DEFENDERS (8): Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes: 22/3), Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA, 2/0), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover: 19/0), Jay DeMerit (Watford: 3/0), Clarence Goodson (IK Start: 1/0), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew: 2/0), Oguchi Onyewu (AC Milan: 17/1), Jonathan Spector (West Ham: 2/0)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake: 0/0), Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach: 11/4), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo: 6/0), Clint Dempsey (Fulham: 18/4), Benny Feilhaber (AGF Aarhus: 2/0), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo: 1/0), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew: 0/0), José Francisco Torres (Pachuca: 5/0)
FORWARDS (6): Jozy Altidore (Hull City: 9/5), Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids: 5/0), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo: 16/6), Charlie Davies (FC Sochaux: 3/2), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy: 31/11), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake: 0/0)
*numbers indicate all-time World Cup Qualifying caps/goals

Welcome to Blogville

The National Examiner is expanding, bringing its online-only content to Kansas City. The Wizards now have a blog/page on Examiner, run by Mr. Brent Lager. Welcome him to the world of online Wizards coverage by reading his post from yesterday. You can follow him regularly by visiting the cleaned-up URL www.tinyurl.com/wizardsoccer. Add Brent to your daily bookmark list.

Also, thanks to Jason Carney for the love on his own blog. Hopefully he continues posts related to us in the future.

Jimmy Conrad Show at FoxnHound

Tonight, the Jimmy Conrad Show will come to you live from Fox and Hound in Overland Park, broadcast live locally on Sports Radio 810 WHB and online at kcwizards.com. JC will host second-year defenders and close friends Jonathan Leathers and Matt Marquess on the show. Tune in as the Captain picks the brains of the youngsters.

Champions League(s) Action

The UEFA Champions' League qualification phase wraps up today with a couple of marquee match ups, including Celtic visit Arsenal and Sporting visiting Fiorentina. Games are on Fox Soccer Channel, Fox Sports en Espanol and the special DirecTV channels now employed by FSC. The matches just started, so if you can't leave your desk, follow the scores here at Soccernet.com.

Tonight, three MLS clubs continue in the CONCACAF Champions League group stages, with Houston Dynamo visiting Arabe Unido (Panama), D.C. United hosting Toluca (Mexico) and Columbus Crew visiting Cruz Azul (Mexico). The D.C. and Columbus games will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel at 7 p.m. CT and 9 p.m. CT, respectively.

America v Chivas at Arrowhead

Claudio Lopez playing the ball in the FIFA Club World Cup while still with Club America in December of 2006.

As you have probably seen this morning (or late yesterday) on the KC Star website or on Mike's Down the Byline, we are hosting a match between Claudio Lopez's former team Club America and arch rivals Club Deportivo Guadalajara (Chivas) at Arrowhead Stadium. The game will be played on Mexican Independence Day, Wednesday, September 16 at 8:30 p.m. CT.

The match will serve as Special Game B in your season ticket packages. We have worked to ensure you receive comparable seating at Arrowhead to the seats you have at CAB.T ickets for the match go on sale to the general public tomorrow, but there is a special pre-sale today for Wizards Season Ticket Holders. If STH would like additional tickets, give your ticket representative a call or an email or call the main ticket line at 913.387.3400. Anyone else can purchase tickets by visiting our office at 8900 State Line Road in Leawood, KS or calling us at 913.387.3400. If you're outside of the immediate KC area, call us toll-free at 1-877-828-7222.


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Vote Hartman for Save of the Week!

Wizards backstop Kevin Hartman is up for the MLS Save of the Week after his two-stop effort during the first-half last Saturday against San Jose. Go vote! You can see the save here.

Saturday night, Kevin became the first goalkeeper in League history to reach 1200 saves. Hartman made five saves on the night, extending his MLS record for career saves. He is the all-time MLS leader in wins (143), shutouts (82), saves (1200), games played in goal (323) and minutes played in goal (28,935). Should Hartman play the full 90 minutes this Saturday as the Wizards host Real Salt Lake, he will become just the second player in MLS history to surpass 29,000 minutes played.

Don't yet have your tickets to Saturday's match? Visit www.ticketmaster.com/kcwizards.

Part of our Fanbase

The Wizards and all Major League Soccer teams are included in the launch of Fanbase.com, a site that wants to become the go-to source for information on anyone who has ever played professional or amateur sports. Read Fanbase's about-us section for a little more information, or head straight to the page of the Wizards to start editing our history.

Wizards Players at Batting Practice

After the Royals visited our Swope Park Training Center this afternoon, some of our guys went over to take a little early batting practice with the Royals. Check out the pictures below, and buy your KC Blue Sports Pack for tickets to tomorrow night's Royals game and Saturday night's Wizards game.

Davy Arnaud takes a swing in the batting cage.

Arnaud shares a word with Royals Manager Trey Hillman.

Matt Besler (who looks a little like Mark Teahen), does an interview wearing Royals gear.

Wizards Top Creighton/Royals Visit

Though it's a little blurry, here is a picture of Michael Kraus scoring the game-winning goal against his former club.

Our Swope Park Rangers topped the Creighton University Bluejays 4-2 this morning on the strength of goals from Adam Cristman (2), former Creighton standout Michael Kraus and Aaron Hohlbein. Creighton scored first to make it 1-0, then Cristman put our boys ahead 2-1 before the break. Creighton then leveled early in the second half before goals from Kraus and Cristman put the game out of reach. For a more in-depth play-by-play, check out our Tweet-roll at www.twitter.com/hillcrest_road. **Update** Creighton's website offers their side of things, including their goal-scorer.

After the game, some Royals players stopped by as part of our KC Blue Sports Pack that features a ticket to the Royals game tomorrow night, a ticket to our match Saturday against Real Salt Lake, a Royals hat and a Wizards T-shirt for just $30. Buy the package now if you haven't already. Young star Billy Butler and pitchers Bruce Chen and Jamey Wright stopped by to take some penalty kicks and chat with our players. Watch Channel 9, Channel 41 or Metro Sports tonight for more on this.

A couple of pictures from the Royals' visit, thanks to Wizards intern Jason:

Jimmy Conrad interviews Billy Butler for Metro Sports.

Bruce Chen watches a slow PK from Davy Arnaud roll inside the right post as TV cameras look on.

Bruce Chen takes a PK against Royals teammate Jamey Wright.

Jamey Wright juggles as the ball covers up Billy Butler's face.

Reserve Game at 11

The Swope Park Rangers take on Michael Kraus' Creighton University this morning at 11 a.m. at our Swope Park Training Center. We first told you of the game a few weeks back but wanted to make sure everyone knew this morning. If you're off of work this morning or know of a way to sneak out of the office early, we'll see you at Swope.

Wiz Fall; Hartman Reaches 1200 Saves

Chris Wondolowski's late snap header earned San Jose all three points Saturday night in a game that had been dominated by the goalkeepers until that point. Hartman made five saves to reach 1200 career stops. He is the first goalkeeper in MLS history to reach that mark. Cannon made seven saves for the clean sheet. The two goalkeepers have now played a combined 590 career matches.

Notables:

• Kansas City is now 17-19-6 all-time against San Jose, including a 4-12-5 record on the road.
• Wizards goalkeeper Kevin Hartman has now started 102 straight games and hasn’t missed any action in the last 9180 minutes his teams have played.
• His minutes-played streak constitutes an MLS record.
• Aug. 1, Hartman became just the 2nd player in MLS history to start 100 straight matches.
• Hartman made five saves Sunday, increasing his career MLS record in saves to 1200.
• Hartman becomes the first goalkeeper in MLS history to reach the 1200-save plateau.
• Hartman is the only player to start all 20 games this season for the Wizards and the only player to play every minute of every game this year.
• Michael Harrington started at left back for the Wizards for the first time since the second match of the season, playing the full 90 minutes.
• Defender/midfielder Chance Myers made the 18-man game day roster for the first time this season.
• Kansas City activated Myers from the Disabled List Friday.
• Myers suffered a broken toe late in preseason that ruled him out for the first 19 games of the year.
• Kansas City was without goalkeeper Eric Kronberg and midfielder Kevin Souter through injury.
• The Wizards return to action next Saturday, August 29 against Real Salt Lake at 7:30 p.m. CT at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.
• The USA Bid Committee Inc. announced Thursday that Kansas City and Arrowhead Stadium are one of 27 cities and 32 venues, down from 70 initial stadia in 52 cities, on the short list to be included in the United States’ bid to host the FIFA World Cup™ in either 2018 or 2022.
• The Kansas City / USA Host City Bid Committee is Co-Chaired by Kansas City Chiefs Chairman of the Board Clark Hunt and Cerner Corporation’s Chairman and CEO and Kansas City Wizards co-owner Neal Patterson.

Show your support for the bid at www.goUSAbid.com.

Watch Party Tomorrow

The Budweiser watch party tomorrow night will be held at Fox and Hound in Overland Park. Get there by 9:30 p.m. CT to see our Wizards take on the San Jose Earthquakes live from Buck Shaw Stadium in Santa Clara, California. See you there!


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Today's Practice Report

Check it out:

WC Presser Parts 1 & 2

Yesterday, our press conference centered around our continued inclusion in the running to host FIFA World Cup matches should the event come to the USA in 2018 or 2022. Check out part 1 of the press conference, featuring former World Cup player Peter Vermes and former Women's World Cup Venue Director David Ficklin, OnGoal's Vice President of Development. Part 2 includes former World Cup participants Josh Wolff and Jimmy Conrad on what the tournament is like as a player. Enjoy the lengthy but quality clips:

Practice Photos/Myers Off DL

The guys went through a light session this morning before departing for San Jose. One thing of note, defender/midfielder Chance Myers has been removed from the Disabled List and is available for selection Saturday should Peter Vermes feel he is ready for game action. Kronberg and Souter remain on the DL. Another person on the DL currently is President Robb Heineman, as you'll see below.

President Robb Heineman sharing a laugh with Peter Vermes (right), Chet North (middle-left), Zoran Savic (Middle) and John Pascarella (middle-right).

Boris Pardo makes an excellent save during short-sided action.

The guys huddle after training before many leave for the airport.

Love for the World Cup Bid

Lots of hype going on around our bid to host FIFA World Cup matches should the USA bid be successful in 2018 or 2022. Make sure to comment on these stories wherever possible and let them know that your excited about the potential of games coming to KC. Also, sign the petition at www.goUSAbid.com to show your support.

Check out the full list in ugly, un-edited link form:
August 20, 2009
http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/1394557.html#none
http://voices.kansascity.com/node/5522
http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/stories/2009/08/17/daily34.html
http://www.inkkc.com/article/world-cup-kc-maybe
http://www.kansascitykansan.com/sports_kcwizards/x1373194167/Arrowhead-Stadium-could-host-World-Cup-game
http://www.fox4kc.com/sports/wdaf-story-arrowhead-wcup-soccer-082009,0,5767334.story
http://www.kctv5.com/news/20478433/detail.html
http://www.kmbc.com/sports/20478821/detail.html
http://www.38thespot.com/content/sports/story/KC-Bids-To-Host-World-Cup-Soccer/EiZ2P93LzEOKTP4GenWwWw.cspx
http://www.nbcactionnews.com/sports/story/KC-Bids-To-Host-World-Cup-Soccer/EiZ2P93LzEOKTP4GenWwWw.cspx


August 21, 2009
http://www.kansascity.com/sports/story/1395934.html - Star Sports
http://www.kansascity.com/340/story/1395621.html - KC Star Lead Editorial

KC Still Alive for USA World Cup Bid

We are the American City, and we want to be a part of the USA Bid.

That's right folks, Kansas City is still in the running to serve as a host city for the FIFA World Cup should the USA win the bid to host the 2018 or 2022 event. The USA Bid Committee announced the 27 cities and 32 venues about 45 minutes ago. What does that mean to you? Well, that means we're another step to seeing the highest level of soccer played here in our backyard. It also means that it's imperative that all of you sign the petition on goUSAbid.com to show your support for the bid and prove that we have a soccer-crazy fan base here in Kansas City. Make sure that all of your friends and family sign the petition as well. Let's prove we deserve to be a host city should the USA bid prevail. The full list of 32 venues is available here for your curious eyes.

Yesterday's Practice Report

Enjoy.

Join us on Facebook, Twitter

Most of you already have, but there are a few of you holding out on following the Wizards on Twitter or becoming a fan on Facebook. We love communicating with all of you on your favorite social-media platforms. To find us on either site, look in the right-hand column or click on these URLS: www.Facebook.com/kcwizards or www.Twitter.com/hillcrest_road

Don't forget to tell your friends!

EA Sports Teams with U.S. Soccer

EA Sports and U.S. Soccer have teamed up for a VERY cool coaching tool for youth coaches. To see the whole site, including the various levels and skills featured, check out www.EASPORTSinteractivetraining.com.

KC Blue Sports Pack

If you're a big-time summer sports fan, this is the perfect package for you. We've teamed up with the Royals for a sweet deal the last week of August that features a ticket to our match against Real Salt Lake and their T-Shirt Tuesday match against the Cleveland Indians. To buy, click on www.royals.com/wizards or give us a call at (913) 387-3400.

UEFA CL 2day, CONCACAF CL 2night

The UEFA Champions League slate features a mouth-watering match up between injury-depleted Arsenal and Celtic in Scotland and an interesting contest between Fiorentina and Sporting Lisbon in Portugal. CONCACAF Champions League group-stage games begin tonight, with Columbus and D.C. United in action. Check out the full slate of games today at Soccernet.com. Here are the TV games as found on SBI, some starting now:

2pm- FSC- FC Sheriff vs. Olympiakos
2:45pm- Setanta Sports- Chelsea vs. Sunderland
2:45pm- FSE- Timisoara vs. Stuttgart
2:45pm- FSE- Celtic vs. Arsenal
4:45pm- Setanta Sports- Wigan Athletic vs. Wolverhampton Wanderers
5pm- FSE- Sporting CP Lisbon vs. Fiorentina
8pm- FSC- Columbus Crew vs. Puerto Rico Islanders
8:15pm- FSE- Tigre vs. San Lorenzo
10pm- FSC- CD Marathon vs. D.C. United

GO USA BID/Sports Guy

Jimmy Conrad heads the ball in front of the GOUSABID.com field board.

We told you Friday about the Field Boards you would see Sunday at our match against Chicago. The initial response from the U.S. Soccer community has been great, as there are over 28,000 folks (watch the total climb on the widget in the right-hand column here at Hillcrest Road) already on the petition. If you haven't yet signed up and invited your friends, head to GOUSABID.com now to do so.

In other big news, the Sports Guy, ESPN.com's Bill Simmons penned an excellent column from last Wednesday's match at Azteca. He touches on the passion of Mexico supporters, his growing love for the game, Jozy Altidore and the bright future of soccer in our nation. It's a great read, so check it out.

Practice Report

The rain squashed the practice portion of things, but Dave did get a quality sit-down with Kerry Zavagnin:

Goal or No Goal?

How would you like to be the away supporters and see your team lose 1-0 after this happened? Ouch!

Fire Top Wizards 2-0 Sunday

The Wizards dropped a 2-0 result Sunday to the 2nd place Chicago Fire at CommunityAmerica Ballpark in Peter Vermes' first game as Technical Director/Interim Head Coach. Chris Rolfe opened the scoring in the 13th minute, with Mike Banner sealing victory in the 89th. Zoltan made his Wizards debut in the 63rd minute, showing some nice touch and high work rate before he was shown a red card in the 85th. We're back in action next Saturday night at San Jose in a 9:30 p.m. CT match on Metro Sports (English) and TWC 5 (Spanish).

· Kansas City is now 9-20-7 all-time against Chicago, including a 7-7-5 record at home.
· The match marked the first as Interim Head Coach for Kansas City Technical Director Peter Vermes.
· Striker Zoltan made his MLS debut, entering for Adam Cristman in the 63rd minute. Zoltan was ejected in the 85th minute.
· Midfielder Kurt Morsink started his first game of the season Sunday and played in his third match of 2009.
· Morsink has now started 24 games in his career and played in 45.
· Jack Jewsbury started his 115th career game for Kansas City.
· Wizards goalkeeper Kevin Hartman has now started 101 straight games and hasn’t missed any action in the last 9090 minutes his teams have played.
· His minutes-played streak constitutes an MLS record.
· Aug. 1, Hartman became just the 2nd player in MLS history to start 100 straight matches.
· Hartman made four saves Sunday, increasing his career MLS records in saves to 1195.
· With five more stops, Hartman will become the first goalkeeper in MLS history to surpass the 1200-save plateau.
· Only Hartman and central defender Aaron Hohlbein have started all 19 games this season for the Wizards.
· Hartman is the only Wizards player to play every minute of every game this year.
· Striker Zoltan will miss the next match after picking up a red card Sunday.
· Kansas City has committed five red cards in MLS play and six in all competitions.
· Kansas City was without goalkeeper Eric Kronberg, defenders Chance Myers and midfielder Kevin Souter through injury.
· Midfielder Davy Arnaud missed the match due to yellow-card accumulation.
· Forward Claudio Lopez misses the game serving a red-card suspension.
· Sunday, the Wizards showed their support for the United States’ bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or 2022 with two new field boards at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.
· One field board featured the new website launched by the USA Bid Committee: www.GOUSABID.com.
· After Sunday’s match, a pair of teams from local amateur Ligas played on the field at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.
· The Wizards return to action next Saturday, August 22 with a 9:30 p.m. CT match up at the San Jose Earthquakes on Metro Sports (English) and TWC Channel 5 (Spanish).

CHICAGO FIRE HEAD COACH DENIS HAMLETT
On the secret to getting a 6th road win
“I can't tell you. I think when we go on the road, we have a sense of togetherness. Our guys enjoy each other's company. The concentration level is pretty high. There are no distractions. So we think about the game from the moment we leave TOYOTA Park and we get on the bus to the airport. It's a regular routine. I guess that would be the secret.”

On Chris Rolfe's goal and season
“I told Chris many a time, he's such a talented player. His ability around the goal is pretty special. If he's playing up front, obviously we know that when he has half a look, he's dangerous. I told him that he probably could have had a few more goals if he looked to try to pass instead of shooting. You're going to have those moments, those decision that they make. He's been a good pro because when he is out wide right, he's learning that part of it and getting a better understanding of how to play out there. I always remind him to look around the world. When you're a complete player, you can adapt to different positions. Adjust your game and learn it for those positions, and it makes you that much better of a player. I was happy for him today, not just because he scored the goal but because he was sharp from the get go.

CHICAGO FIRE FORWARD CHRIS ROLFE
On playing forward
“I was excited because I got to play forward. It's always fun for me to play up there and play with Patrick [Nyarko]. I enjoy having Peter Lowry underneath. I think he's a great player to combine with as well, so it was fun.”

On the secret to winning on the road
“Beats me. It's a good secret to have though.”

INTERIM HEAD COACH PETER VERMES
On the game
“We have a lot to work on: fitness, when we have the ball what we want to do, and when we don’t have the ball what we want to do. It’s not all going to happen in ten days. I fully believe that going forward we just need to make incremental improvement. It’s not going to be easy, and it’s going to take some time.”

On the positives from Sunday’s match
“I thought that a couple of the guys that came on made an impact. I thought that Kurt Morsink played pretty well in the center of the midfield. Zoltan came on and was doing a lot. He was around the ball and really wanted it. I also thought Josh did a good job up front working and being dangerous and getting some shots off.”

On the performance in the first half
“I thought we were a little tentative. We were giving them too much respect. We were dropping off too much and they were establishing their line very close to our goal. In the second half, we wanted to be a little higher up the field and take a little more risk both defensively and offensively. I thought in the second half we were starting to drive the game a little bit more, and I thought we were starting to get a little bit of flow before the red card.”

On Zoltan’s first game with the Wizards
“I think that he played very well when he came in. We’re trying to build him up to be able to be a mainstay with the team. I think he’s acclimating himself a little more quickly than we anticipated because he’s getting more fit.”

KANSAS CITY WIZARDS STRIKER ZOLTAN (through a translator)
On his first game
“It was like a preseason game for me, so I thought it went pretty well. I felt like I fit into the team pretty well quickly. I feel ashamed that I got the red card. It was a tactical foul for me, but that’s the referee’s decision so I have to live with it.”

KANSAS CITY WIZARDS MIDFIELDER JACK JEWSBURY
On the game
“The result’s disappointing. We would have liked to have done better, but we put in a good effort. It’s something to build off of. We’re not pleased, but it’s a starting point.”

On what Adam Cristman and Zoltan add to the team’s offensive attack:
“Adam’s a big guy in the middle that’s going to fight and hold up balls for us. We’ve got to do better running off him and give him options once the ball comes in. I thought Zoltan also did a good job today and gave us some energy when he came in. It’s good to have both those guys playing.”

KANSAS CITY WIZARDS DEFENDER JIMMY CONRAD
On Chicago’s two goals
“Both goals came off of throw-ins, and I think that’s the most disappointing part. Anytime the ball goes out of bounds it’s a concentration thing, and we need to be tuned in for the whole game. If you want to be a team that’s consistently good, you need to be alert at all times.”

The Rain Won't Stop Us

Just a reminder to everyone that the rain won't stop the match (unless it's CRAZY lightning non-stop for the whole afternoon). Come on out to CommunityAmerica Ballpark rain or shine for our 2 p.m. showdown with Cuauhtemoc Blanco and the Chicago Fire. Speaking of the Fire, check out this story from Ives regarding Head Coach Denis Hamlett and defender Bakary Soumare. Aye.

Also be on the lookout for two new field boards at CAB today. One will feature the URL (www.GOUSABID.com) for the USA Bid Committee's new website to help gather grassroots support for the effort to bring the FIFA World Cup back to the USA in 2018 or 2022. The other will feature the logo and slogan for Kansas City's bid to U.S. Soccer to be a host city. The moniker "The American City" represents all of the uniquely American traits of our community. Let us know what you think after the game. Before the game, visit www.GOUSABID.com and sign the petition to help us bring back the FIFA World Cup. The petition is currently at 24,330 signatures since the site was launched Wednesday. Help it get to 25,000 by game time.

Practice Report

Check out Dave's report from today's training session in the afternoon:

Also, if you can't make the game this weekend, listen in to Sports Radio 810 WHB for Dave's call of Sunday's match. On the TV broadcast, former Wizards midfielder Ryan Raybould will join Brad Porter on the Metro Sports call.

PV Doesn't Mess Around

Or Does He? PV on the left giving trainer Chet North a bath last year on his birthday.

Wizards fans have known for a while that Technical Director turned Interim Head Coach Peter Vermes doesn't pull any punches. The guys over at The Shin Guardian, a new blog on the soccer block, found that out yesterday. Check out their writeup of the talk, which features some nifty nuggets about the rest of our season, the U.S. National Team, Jimmy Conrad and more.

Practice Report

Check out the report from yesterday afternoon's training session. If you don't yet have tickets for Sunday's game against Chicago at 2 p.m. CT, head to www.Ticketmaster.com/kcwizards to pick yours up.

GOUSABID.com

http://www.GOUSABID.com.

Get Your KC Blue Sports Pack

We have partnered up with the Kansas City Royals for a great offer for the last week in August. Purchase the KC Blue Sports pack and you'll receive a Bleacher Ticket at CommunityAmerica Ballpark for the Wizards-Real Salt Lake Major League Soccer contest at 7:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, August 29 and a View Level Infield Ticket at Kauffman Stadium for the Royals-Cleveland Indians 7:10 p.m. CT game on Tuesday, August 25. Doubly exciting, each ticket package also includes a Wizards T-shirt and a Royals cap. August 25 at Kauffman Stadium also features the 5th installment of T-Shirt Tuesday for the Royals. The first 20,000 in attendance will receive a powder blue t-shirt with a classic Royals design.

Members of the Cauldron can also take part, standing and cheering for the Royals on August 25. Speak to Cauldron leadership for details, as they have been informed of the plans. Purchase the package at www.royals.com/wizards. Give us a call at (913) 387-3400 for more information.

Jimmy Conrad Show at FAH

The Jimmy Conrad Show begins live from Fox and Hound in Overland Park at 7 p.m. CT. Tonight, goalkeeper Kevin Hartman will join Jimmy for some talk on the USA-Mexico match, new Interim Head Coach Peter Vermes and the contest against Cuauhtemoc Blanco and the Chicago Fire Sunday at CAB. If you can't make it to Fox and Hound, listen live on Sports Radio 810 WHB or online at www.kcwizards.com.

Mexico, Blanco top USA 2-1

Mexico and Kansas City's opponent Sunday Cuauhtemoc Blanco topped the U.S. National Team 2-1 today at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Blanco wore the captain's armband for Mexico for the first 56 minutes before leaving the match for Arsenal's Carlos Vela. Blanco will rejoin the Chicago Fire and play Sunday at 2 p.m. CT at CommunityAmerica Ballpark against the Wizards. If you don't yet have tickets for the match, hurry to www.ticketmaster.com/kcwizards.

Watch parties were held at both area 810 Zone locations and at Taqueria Mexico on Rainbow Boulevard in KCK. Check out some pictures below from the parties, with more to come later at www.kcwizards.com. Props to Wizards intern Jason Baker for the pics.

Kickoff in 2 Hours

One more reminder of all the ways to watch the game. Make sure to get somewhere in time for kickoff. Better yet, get somewhere in time to watch the pre-game show at 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN.

The Wizards and Budweiser are hosting watch parties at both area 810 Zone locations for the World Cup Qualifier between the United States and Mexico at famed Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. A watch party will also be available for Wizards and Mexico supporters at Taqueria Mexico on Rainbow Boulevard in Kansas City, Kansas. The match kicks off at 3 p.m. CT, broadcast live on Telemundo (Spanish) and mun2 (English).

NBC Universal has agreed to allow local cable companies a free one-day preview of mun2. Wizards partner Time Warner Cable has taken advantage of this offer and will allow customers free access to mun2 for the day on channel 154. DirecTV will offer mun2 as a free preview on Channel 203, and Dish Network will offer mun2 as a free preview on Channel 838.

US Soccer Launches WC Bid Site

Today, U.S. Soccer launched a website for its bid to host the FIFA World Cup in either 2018 or 2022. Visit http://www.gousabid.com, sign the petition, tell your friends and show you support for our country hosting the great sporting event in the world. Watch the widget on the right side of the page to find out how many people are supporting the cause. As you know, Kansas City and Arrowhead Stadium were one of 37 cities and 45 stadia on the last list of potential host venues.

Weekly Interviews

Lots of the guys will be in studio Thursday. Hopefully they'll have a USA win to talk about in addition to our match Sunday versus Mexico star Cuauhtemoc Blanco and the Fire.

Tonight--7:00 pm--The Jimmy Conrad Show--Sports Radio 810 AM
Thursday--7:50 am—Jimmy Conrad in-studio radio interview--Star 102.1 FM
Thursday--8:10 am—Jimmy Conrad in-studio radio interview—Mix 93.3 FM
Thursday--8:20 am--Jack Jewsbury telephone interview--105.1 Jack FM
Thursday--8:30 am—Jimmy Conrad in-studio radio interview—Q104.3 FM
Thursday--8:50 am—Davy Arnaud in-studio radio interview—94.1 FM KFKF (note—this interview will be replayed on Friday)
Thursday—9:30 am--Kevin Hartman in-studio radio interview--106.5 FM The Wolff
Thursday--3:00 pm--Weekly Press Conference with Peter Vermes and Jimmy Conrad--Metro Sports (note--this will be taped at 12:00 Thursday)
Thursday--4:40 pm--Jimmy Conrad's weekly phone interview--Hot Talk 1510 AM
Thursday--5:00-6:00 pm--Zona Wizards Weekly Spanish Radio Show—Peter Vermes & player TBD--Ke Buena 1480 AM
Thursday 9:30 pm, Friday--6:30 pm, Saturday--11:30 am---Wizards Weekly TV Show with Peter Vermes and Wizards players--Metro Sports
Friday--12:30 pm—Wizards player TBD phone interview on the weekly Wizards segment on The Program with Soren Petro--Sports Radio 810
Friday—time TBD-- Adam Cristman in-studio radio interview--Hot 103 Jamz (103.3 FM)
Saturday--8:20 am—Josh Wolff in-studio TV interview--Channel 5 (CBS) morning show

GET READY

For watch party and TV info, click here.

Practice Report

Dave Borchardt checks in with info from this morning's session:

3rd Annual Blood Drive

Dynamo helping out during last year's blood drive.

If you have some free time this week, stop by one of the area Community Blood Center locations to donate blood and help save a life. This is the 3rd year we've teamed up with the CBC, and our fans are always very supportive. Check out the details at kcwizards.com for the prize packs available to donors and for the area CBC locations.

Assistant coach Kerry Zavagnin will appear at the CBC headquarters at 4040 Main today from 1:30-2:30 if you can stop by at that time to donate.

Jimmy Conrad on Landon Donovan

U.S. National Team prior to match against Norway in 2006, featuring Kevin Hartman, Jimmy Conrad, Josh Wolff and Kerry Zavagnin among others.

Ahead of tomorrow's gigantic battle between the USA and Mexico at Azteca, Kristian Dyer of ESPN takes a look at the evolution of Landon Donovan and why no one can ever call him Landycakes again. The article features a great quote/story from our own captain Jimmy Conrad on Landon's mentality and a funny exchange they shared prior to the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Here's that portion of the article, but definitely read the whole thing:

Players like Kansas City's Jimmy Conrad -- who has played against Donovan in MLS and served as a teammate with him on the national team -- can't quite understand the criticism. Conrad considers Donovan the best player the U.S. has ever produced and says unequivocally that he doesn't "know of a single teammate of Landon's, both in the past and present, who could have anything but positive things to say about his commitment to the game and to his team. The guy wants to win at everything he does."

And he doesn't mind a good joke, either.

About a month before the 2006 World Cup, Conrad was nervously awaiting the announcement of the roster for the tournament. As somewhat of a bubble player, Conrad hoped to make the team, but he wasn't so sure, and he spent an uncertain afternoon instant-messaging Donovan.

Donovan left the instant-message session with Conrad and returned 45 minutes later. According to the Wizards defender, Donovan messaged him saying "Hey, I've got great news." Conrad, thinking Donovan might have heard something, responded to the message, wanting details.

"My heart is pumping wildly while he's typing back because I think he's going to confirm my dream coming true," Conrad said. "He says, 'I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance by switching to Geico.'"

Despite their friendship, Conrad claims he would have exacted his revenge on the playing field. The Wizards defender would, however, be named to head coach Bruce Arena's World Cup roster, but the damage was already done. Conrad summed up his thoughts on Donovan.

"What a jerk," he said, with a laugh.

Practice Report

Dave Borchardt reports from today's rained-out training session:

Watch Parties for Wednesday/mun2

In addition to the watch parties at both area 810 Zone locations courtesy of Budweiser, the Wizards will host a watch part at Taqueria Mexico on Rainbow Boulevard in Kansas City, Kansas. Taqueria Mexico will be the home for Wizards and Mexico fans to watch the epic showdown between the USA and El Tri Wednesday at 3 p.m. CT.

The game will be broadcast live in English (mun2) and Spanish (Telemundo). Those of you not familiar with mun2 can read this interview with station exec Kevin Dougan from Footiebusiness. Also, take a look at the video previewing the game from some USA players and former Mexico players. Argentina's Lionel Messi also weighs in, though he doesn't pick a winner. U.S. players are feeling confident, as this ESPN Soccernet story from Jeff Carlisle tells you.

Details on watching the game on mun2 away from the watch parties:
mun2 is available nationwide on DirecTV Mas channel 410 (1-800-817-2599) and Dish Classic Gold 250 or Dish Latino channel 838 (1-888-599-3474).

For DirecTV subscribers, DirecTV will offer mun2 as a free preview on Channel 203 on August 12th 6am through August 13th 6am.

For Dish Network subscribers, Dish Network will offer mun2 as a free preview on Channel 838 on August 12th 6am through August 13th 6am.

Time Warner Cable will be offering mun2 as a free preview on channel 154.

Watch party locations:
Taqueria Mexico
3300 Rainbow Blvd
Kansas City, KS 66103-1358
(913) 722-9200‎

810 Zone - Leawood
4800 W 119th St
Leawood, KS 66209-1559
(913) 469-9663

810 Zone - Plaza
4686 Broadway St
Kansas City, MO 64112-1459
(816) 268-9663

USA-Mexico Wednesday

EA Sports gives a preview of what we might see.

Ask Vermes a Question

Kyle McCarthy of Goal.com did it. Now you can too. Submit your questions for Technical Director/Interim Head Coach Peter Vermes today. We will ask PV tomorrow and video the conversation, posting the results on our website. Get the answers to the questions you've been wondering about the club.

USA Roster for MEX Qualifier Out

The United States National Team has announced their roster for next Wednesday's World Cup qualifier against Mexico at famed Estadio Azteca. The Wizards will host watch parties next Wednesday for the match at both area 810 Zone locations courtesy of Budweiser. The drink special is $1.50 AB bottles...very nice.

The game kicks off at 3 p.m. CT and will be broadcast live on Telemundo (Spanish) and mun2 (English), with unprecedented pre and post-game coverage from ESPN though they aren't broadcasting the match. Wizards partner Time Warner Cable will take advantage of NBC Universal's offer of offering mun2 for free on Wednesday.

Here's the lineup. For more from USSoccer, check out the release on their new-and-improved website:
Goalkeepers- Tim Howard, Brad Guzan
Defenders- Oguchi Onyewu, Carlos Bocanegra, Jay DeMerit, Jonathan Spector, Steve Cherundolo, Chad Marshall, Jonathan Bornstein
Midfielders- Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Ricardo Clark, Benny Feilhaber, Jose Francisco Torres, Stuart Holden
Forwards- Jozy Altidore, Charlie Davies, Brian Ching, Conor Casey

Wizards Host Brass in 30

The Wizards (and probably the Swope Park Rangers at some point) will face the Brass today at Swope Park at 10:30 a.m. If you can't make it out to the friendly, follow us over on Twitter (or look at our "tweet roll" on the right side of this page often) to see how it's going. http://www.twitter.com/hillcrest_road.

PV Answers Your Questions

Peter Vermes, left, chats with the rest of the coaching staff after Wednesday's practice.

That's right folks, you have the opportunity to pose questions directly to Technical Director/Interim Head Coach Peter Vermes. We are taking questions now at kcwizards.com and will pose them to PV after training next Tuesday. They will then be posted at kcwizards.com for your viewing pleasure. Ask away then check back next Wednesday for the response.

ESPN.com Follows the USMNT

Wow. That's really the only way to describe this piece. Wayne Drehs followed the U.S. Men's National Team on their summer-long search for trophies that started back on June 3 with the loss in Costa Rica, took the team to the final of two major tournaments and will conclude next Wednesday at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Take a read through this, pass it along to friends and make sure everyone at ESPN knows how much you love the in-depth coverage.

**Updated. They also love soccer in general and have picked up some EPL rights for this year. Read about the details.

Garber State of the League

Commissioner Garber at the Philly Union Presser.

It wasn't quite a State of the League address, but it was a story on SI.com from Soccer America's Ridge Mahoney about all things MLS with The Don. Read and enjoy all three pages.

Jimmy Returns to Jimmy's Show

Jimmy's head recently stopped bobbling after the nasty collision with Blas Perez of Panama.

Tonight, Jimmy Conrad returns to the Jimmy Conrad Show (sponsored by Budweiser) after spending the last month at Gold Cup with the U.S. National Team. The show takes place from 7-8 p.m. CT live from Fox and Hound in Overland Park, broadcast on Sports Radio 810 WHB and kcwizards.com. Feel free to call into the show at 913-3-810-810 as Sean Wheelock joins Conrad for a reunion of sorts.

Upcoming Reserve Games

The KCW Reserves/Swope Park Rangers will get back at it this Friday at 10:30 a.m. CT at our Swope Park Training Center with a match against the Kansas City Brass. They will then be back in action Monday, August 24 with a match against Creighton at 11 a.m. CT. As Mike so eloquently stated, Friday's match will be the first opportunity to see the team under the direction of Peter Vermes as Interim Head Coach.

Star Lovin' for Wizards

With yesterday's appointment of Peter Vermes as the Interim Head Coach, the Kansas City Star spent some quality time with the Wizards. Not only did Terez Paylor make it out to the press conference for some words from the new on-field leader and some players, but Matt Schofield of the Editorial Board threw out an interesting name for the new full-time Head Coach. The Star also sent out a photog/video guy for some video highlights of the presser and training.

Great to see the multi-faceted coverage from the Star. Let them know you're excited about it by commenting on the stories and passing them along to your friends to read!