Wizards-Galaxy Video Recap

Take a look...thanks to video guru Jake:

Wizards 0-1 LA Galaxy

Today, the Wizards fell to the Los Angeles Galaxy 1-0 in a 60-minute preseason match at the Reach 11 soccer complex in Phoenix. Gregg Berhalter buried a penalty kick after Edson Buddle was fouled by Eric Kronberg just before halftime for the game's lone goal. The Wizards are back in action Sunday at 12 p.m. CT, again against Los Angeles. 

**Updated**

Today our boys take on the LA Galaxy at 6 p.m. CT at the Reach 11 complex in Phoenix, AZ. The game will be played in a pair of 30-minute sessions. We'll have lineups, goals and other info here. For immediate updates, follow Robb Heineman on Twitter. We will also send info, including re-tweeting many of Robb's messages via Twitter.

KC lineup for session 1:
Kronberg; Myers, Escobar, Conrad, Espinoza; Diop, Auvray, Arnaud, Smith; Wolff, Kamara
KC lineup for session 2:
Pardo; Leathers, Hohlbein, Besler, Harrington; Watson, Dastan, Fuzetti, Hirsig; Casian, Kraus

Galaxy lineup:
Saunders, Franklin, Marshall, Berhalter, Alex Cazumba, Birchall, Jordan, Stephens, Klein; Kirovski, Buddle

GOALS

Half 1-
Edson Buddle gets pulled down in penalty area by Kronberg...Berhalter converts for 1-0 lead.
Half 2-
no goals

Kei Kamara at Cali Indoor Complex

Kei checked out new indoor complex South Coast Soccer City back in SoCal. He's pretty good with the kids, isn't he?

Wizards Face Galaxy/More

Davy Arnaud and Ryan Smith in action against Chivas USA.

Today, the Wizards take on the Los Angeles Galaxy at 5 p.m. CT (4 p.m. Arizona time) in another preseason friendly. We'll have semi-live updates here and on Twitter. Don't forget that President Robb Heineman is down there and will likely be tweeting.

Some news from around the world of soccer/football:

-Portsmouth has entered administration and will be docked 9 points by the Premier League. Aye. Other teams are in trouble too. 

-Arsenal seems like one of the only teams who isn't having issues. 

-England boss Fabio Capello wants Wayne Bridge to reconsider quitting the England National Team. I think I speak for all Americans when I say "don't reconsider." The thought of Landon Donovan or Clint Dempsey taking on Englands's #3 or #4 left back is very appealing.

-Aston Villa's Stephen Warnock is watching the situation closely, as is, I'm sure, Donovan's teammate at Everton Leighton Baines. I also like the thought of Donovan running up against Baines, someone he will know very well after his stint at Everton. 

-Want to know the real Joe Gaetjens, the hero in our 1950 win over England? Read about him.

-Bar staff from the Mexico City club where Salvador Cabanas was shot have been charged by authorities. 

-Pele wants 5 officials for World Cup matches. Can't say I disagree.

Sit Down with Stephane Auvray

Dread the Dreads! I love looking at his hair and listening to him talk...cool accent.

EJ Makes USA-Holland Roster

The U.S. National Team roster for next Wednesday's friendly against Holland in Amsterdam is out, and former Wizards striker Eddie Johnson is on the list. The 20-player roster is comprised of 16 Euro-based players, 3 MLS players and Jose Francisco Torres of the Mexican Primera Division.

The big-time match against one of the most skilled and precise teams in the world kicks off at 1:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and Galavision. Working on a watch party...we'll let you know if something is arranged. 

The roster (here's a more detailed version):

GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Tim Howard (Everton)
DEFENDERS (7): Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Jay DeMerit (Watford), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas), Frank Simek (Sheffield Wednesday), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United)
MIDFIELDERS (7): DaMarcus Beasley (Rangers), Alejandro Bedoya (Orebro), Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Landon Donovan (Everton), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Stuart Holden (Bolton Wanderers), José Torres (Pachuca)
FORWARDS (3): Jozy Altidore (Hull City), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake), Eddie Johnson (Aris Thessaloniki)

Single-Game Tickets are Now on Sale!

Looking for single-game tickets for the 2010 season? They're now on sale. Head to www.ticketmaster.com/kcwizards now to reserve your seats for matches this season at CommunityAmerica Ballpark. You can also click through to the specific games below:

Sat. March 27 vs D.C. United BUY NOW
Sat. April 10 vs. Colorado Rapids BUY NOW
Sat. April 24 vs. LA Galaxy BUY NOW
Sat. May 15 vs. Chicago Fire BUY NOW
Sun. May 23 vs. Columbus Crew BUY NOW
Thrs. June 10 vs. Philadelphia Union BUY NOW
Sat. June 26 vs. New York Red Bulls BUY NOW
Sat. July 10 vs. Chivas USA BUY NOW
Sat. July 31 vs. Toronto FC BUY NOW
Sat. August 7 vs. Real Salt Lake BUY NOW
Sat. August 21 vs. New England Revolution BUY NOW
Sat. September 11 vs. Houston Dynamo BUY NOW
Sat. September 25 vs. FC Dallas BUY NOW
Sat. October 9 vs. Seattle Sounders FC BUY NOW
Sat. October 23 vs. San Jose Earthquakes BUY NOW

Stadium Construction Update

Always a beautiful sight!

Wizards 1-1 Chivas USA

**Updated** After 120 minutes today, the score was 1-1 between the Wizards and Chivas USA. Mariano Trujillo opened the scoring for the Goats, with Josh Wolff answering back. Strong  Wizards performances from Roger Espinoza, Michael Harrington, Stephane Auvray, Ryan Smith and Josh Wolff, among others. 

Today, our boys take on Chivas USA in a pair of 60-minute preseason sessions down at the Reach 11 complex in Phoenix, AZ. Robb Heineman is on the ground in AZ Tweeting, so make sure you follow him for all the latest updates. The match started right at noon, so the first half just ended as I post this initial post. Since our team Twitter has quite a few more followers at the moment than Robb's, we'll retweet many of his notes. If any of you want to turn off mobile updates from one of us for the time being, feel free.

Robb's latest Tweets:

Twitter Updates

follow me on Twitter

KC lineup for session 1:

Crayton; Myers, Escobar (Dastan 31), Conrad, Espinoza; Diop, Auvray, Arnaud, Smith; Wolff, Kamara

CHV lineup for session 1:
Conway; Talley, Carlos Borja, Emilio Viades, Jazic; Trujillo, Gavin, Lahoud, Flores;Braun, Galindo

KC Lineup for session 2:
Pardo (Kronberg 31); Leathers, Hohlbein, Besler, Harrington; Hirsig (Fuzetti 31), Zusi, Aiyegbusi (Watson 31), Casian; Kraus, Zoltan

CHV lineup for session 2:
Dan Kennedy; Kevin Tangney, Claudio Suarez, Yamith Cuesta, Miguel Sanchez; Chris Ross, Ben Zemanski, Mario Padilla, Cesar Zamora; Chukwudi Chijindu, Artur Aghasyan

GOALS

Session 1-

• Chivas USA takes 1-0 lead in 26th minute after a strong build-up down the right wing. Trujillo scored it on assists from Lahoud and Jazic.
• Wizards tie 1-1 through Wolff. Ryan Smith steals ball in midfield, feeds Kamara who sets up Wolff to level the match. 

Two Matches Today/Spoiler Alert

Today, there are two matches taking place of note for KC soccer fans. At 12 p.m. CT, our boys take on Chivas USA down at Reach 11 in Phoenix. We'll have Twitter updates for the match and a blog updated throughout the game as best as we can. Also, President Robb Heineman is down there and Twitter-ready, so he will send some updates. If you don't already follow him, sign up to do so.

Tonight, the U.S. National Team takes on El Salvador from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida at 6 p.m. CT. Apologies for incorrectly identifying the game day previously, it is tonight at will be broadcast live on ESPN Classic and Galavision. We will also be Tweeting throughout that game, so if you're recording it, turn off our mobile alerts for the night.

Jimmy Conrad Quick Six

Watch it and dig it:

Wizards Waive Two, Cut Two, Add One

As you might have seen last night from Mike or Thad, a couple of 2009 Wizards have departed and a couple of training camp invitees have left camp. We have also added another international defender to the tryout mix. Midfielders Kurt Morsink and Kevin Souter have been waived, while Nelson Pizarro and Alex Horwath have been cut from the preseason roster. Iranian defender Shahriar Dastan has also joined the team for the next phase of preseason.

Morsink, a 4th round draft pick by the Wizards in 2007, appeared in 47 games in three years with the team, recording three assists from the defensive midfielder position.

Both Souter and Pizarro joined the Wizards after impressing coaches during the team’s open tryouts in 2008. Souter made eight appearances with five starts in his two years with the team, scoring one goal. Pizarro made three appearances for the team in 2008, before leaving the Wizards during the 2009 season.

Horwath was an Academic All-Big Ten goalkeeper at the University of Wisconsin. He joined the Wizards on trial at the start of the 2010 preseason.

We would to thank Morsink, Souter and Pizarro for their time and efforts in Wizards colors and wish them and Horwath all the best in the future.

Wizards Win Luis Gil Lottery

You might have seen from various sources that we have won the special lottery for the rights to Luis Gil.

As Robb Heineman just said on Twitter, we would like to have a conversation with Gil, his family and representation to see if he is interested in coming to Kansas City. As a 16-year-old from the west coast, we understand the special considerations in his contract with MLS and his initial desire to play closer to home with either Seattle Sounders FC or Real Salt Lake. Having said that, we have a world-class stadium project underway and innovative ownership. Peter Vermes has spoken with Gil's agent already today, and we are hopeful that he will be able to get to know our staff and our team. If Luis decides he would still like to stay out west, we will aggressively seek a trade with Seattle or RSL, but we would love the opportunity to have a conversation with him first.

International News and Notes

As always, the world of international football is swimming along at a teeming pace. Only one point separates four different teams in positions 4-7 in the English Premier League, putting Champions League and Europa League spots at a huge premium. Liverpool and Man City tied 0-0 at the weekend while Tottenham and Aston Villa won. The top 10 in the EPL now looks like this:

RK Team Games Played Points

1  Chelsea 27 61
2  Manchester United 27 57
3  Arsenal 27 55
4  Tottenham Hotspur 27 46
5  Manchester City 26 46
6  Liverpool 27 45
7  Aston Villa 26 45
8  Everton 26 38
9  Fulham 27 37
10  Birmingham 26 37

Other interesting news from the other side of the pond:

-Jeff Carlisle gives his thoughts on Howard, Donovan and Everton's fine weekend win over Man United. 

-Mancini wants Tevez back in England, but he's been tending to his extremely premature newborn daughter.

-Fabio Capello has visited the training grounds in South Africa, which aren't yet done but will be by the time the Cup rolls around.

-Ashley Cole is in a whole lot of trouble.

-Cole's former boss Jose Mourinho is also in some trouble.

The USA arriving in Tampa to a rockstar's greeting:

The U.S. Men take on El Salvador this Wednesday** night at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN Classic

Jack Jewsbury Talks Comeback

Jewsbury discusses his return from off-season surgery:

Kempin Wins Gatorade Honor/Gil

KCW Juniors U-16 'keeper Jon Kempin has been honored by ESPN Rise and Gatorade as the Player of the Year for Kansas. Kempin, a Blue Valley North Junior, spent time at the U.S. Soccer Residency Academy before returning last year to star for the Juniors and BVN. Read more about the honor here.

In other young National Team news, 16-year-old Luis Gil has signed a Major League Soccer contract and will be assigned to a team Monday via the weighted lottery. Read up on him at MLS Insider Blog.

Spanish-Language Radio Network

Read the presser...we're very excited about this:

The Kansas City Wizards today announced that the club has partnered with Reyes Media Group to launch the Wizards Spanish Radio Network for the team's 2010 season.

“The Wizards have been pleased with our partnership with Reyes Media Group over the past few seasons, and we are happy to have La Gran D 1340 AM as our Spanish-radio flagship station again in 2010,” Andrew Steinberg, Wizards Executive Vice President of Revenue said. “This agreement is also a big step for us in terms of taking the Wizards from being a strong presence locally in the Latino community, to being one of the top brands in the Midwest for Latino sports fans.”

All of the Wizards 2010 regular season and post-season games will be broadcast live on La Gran D 1340 AM. Raul "Padrino" Villegas will handle the play-by-play duties and Enrique Morales will provide the analysis, with Ricardo Soto and Gonzalo Fernandez contributing to the broadcast as sideline reporters. La Gran D will also host "Zona Wizards," a weekly one-hour show featuring interviews with Wizards players and coaches, and the Wizards will also have additional interviews each week on 1340 AM.

“We are excited to enter the next phase of our partnership with the Kansas City Wizards,” Ed Reyes, Vice President of Reyes Media Group said. “When we first started, our focus was on getting the Wizards games on our radio station in Spanish, and now, with this agreement, we can bring Wizards games to Spanish-speaking communities throughout the Midwest.”

The Wizards and Reyes Media Group are currently in the process of lining up affiliates across the Midwest to air Wizards soccer games. Reyes Media Group will provide the live broadcast locally on La Gran D, and that broadcast will be available to be picked up by radio stations in the surrounding states.

Stations interested in becoming a part of the Wizards Spanish Radio Network should contact Dave Borchardt with the Wizards at (816) 665-8442 or dborchardt@kcwizards.com.

The Wizards partnership with Reyes Media Group will expand beyond the radio broadcast. The two organizations will continue to partner on numerous Latino-focused events throughout the Kansas City area during 2010. These include the Wizards “Latino Outreach Events,” where Wizards players and coaches get out to Kansas City’s various Latino communities and interact with the area’s soccer fans. The Wizards and Reyes Media Group will also publish "Zona Wizards," a soccer magazine that will be printed five times during the Wizards season and distributed throughout the metro area.

Bring FSCHD & Fox Soccer Plus to KC

Are you a soccer fan? Do you enjoy Fox Soccer Channel? Would you love to have Fox Soccer Channel HD and Fox Soccer Plus? Good! We want you to have it. We've reached out to our long-time partners Time Warner Cable about offering the channels, and they'd like us to help poll potential customers. Click here to register your interest and help bring FSCHD and Fox Soccer Plus to Kansas City.

Auvray Excitement

People around the office, including Community Relations guru Erin Lawless, are getting excited about new midfielder Stephane Auvray. Dread the Dreads!

Pablo Escobar Arrives (Fixed)

Pablo Escobar arrived today at Swope for the first time after receiving all his immigration paperwork. We spoke with him momentarily about his style of play and what he knows of the Wizards and American soccer. ***Sorry for the unplayable file last night...now corrected:

Stadium Update with Rory O'C

Rory O'Connor, construction extraordinaire for OnGoal, sat down with us yesterday to give an update on the current state of stadium construction. Check out his thoughts and the fun images from pier drilling:

New Construction Photos/Piers Drilled

As many of you saw earlier today via Twitpic, the first piers were drilled today out at the Stadium Complex at Village West. We've posted a bigger gallery at the website, so head that way to see more images! What do you think? Excited to see some serious excavating taking place? I know I am!

Don't forget that you can help document stadium construction at the Flickr group we've created: http://www.flickr.com/groups/kcsoccerstadium/.

Local Player up for US Youth Soccer Goal of the Year

And what a goal it was! Oliver Bihuniak of Leawood scored that beauty this season to win his team the match, and now he's up for the US Youth Soccer Goal of the Year award. You can vote for Oliver here. He's currently in 3rd place. Help him out!

You might remember Oliver from this video set to the Blackpool Lights anthem a couple years back:

Fish KCK, Win KCW Tix

Newsflash, gold has been discovered in Wyandotte County Lake! All kidding aside, whoever catches the golden trout pictured above will win the great prizes listed above, including a pair of Kansas City Wizards season tickets. Fishing season starts March 6, so be ready.

Jimmy Nielsen Signs

 

Nielsen helps the ball over the bar.

As Mr. Nielsen himself confirmed last week, the signing is now official. Jimmy immediately has one of the better nicknames on the club, Casino Jimmy. Info from the press release:

Nielsen comes to Kansas City after a long career in the Danish Superliga, appearing in 388 games since 1995 in the country’s top-flight league. A vast majority of those appearances came with hometown club AaB Aalborg, with whom he won the 1998-1999 Danish Superliga championship and participated in the UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds. In 1998 and 2004 Nielsen won the Det Gyldne Bur (The Golden Cage), awarded annually to the best goalkeeper in Danish soccer. After the 2004 season, Nielsen was named Aalborg’s captain.

Nielsen remained a fixture in Aalborg until 2007, when he left to join Leicester City in the English Championship. However, Nielsen’s arrival coincided with a tumultuous time for the club that saw the Foxes hire and fire four different managers before the mid-point of the season. Nielsen left Leicester by mutual consent in January 2008 and signed with Danish club Vejle, with whom he made 46 appearances over two seasons.

“Everyone I've talked to said it's a great setup here in Kansas City, with good facilities and great support from the fans,” Nielsen said. “I'm really looking forward to coming to Kansas City and winning a lot of games with the team.”

Though Nielsen will become just the second Danish player in Wizards history after Miklos Molnar, he does have a pair of connections to Major League Soccer. Current New York Red Bulls coach Hans Backe managed the championship winning 1998-1999 Aalborg team, which featured Nielsen as the starting goalkeeper. In addition, the Dane was teammates with current Philadelphia Union defender Danny Califf at Aalborg during the 2006-2007 season.

Nielsen will compete for a starting spot with the team upon arriving in Arizona. Current goalkeepers in camp include Louis Crayton, Boris Pardo and Alex Horwath.

New Stadium Facebook Page

This morning we launched a new Facebook page for the new stadium out in KCK. The page, accessible here, is the official place for Facebook conversations about the project. We're asking for all of your input on what makes an entertainment venue great. The most innovative participants will be invited to a special stadium summit with the development team. Visit and sign up!

PV's Reaction to Saturday's Friendly

Happy V-day all. Check out Peter's thoughts about yesterday's 1-0 loss to San Jose.

Wizards 0-1 San Jose

**Updated** San Jose topped Kansas City today 1-0 through three 45-minute sessions down in Arizona. New signing Eduardo scored in just the 2nd minute of the contest to provide the match's only goal. Davy Arnaud and Ryan Smith troubled San Jose in the final session, but KC couldn't get on the score sheet.

We're back facing San Jose again today after defeating them 3-0 Wednesday on a hat trick from Kei Kamara. Today's match kicks off at 12 p.m. CT (11 p.m. local time in Phoenix). The teams will play 3 45-minute sessions this time around. While waiting for more updates on the friendly, read this Goal.com piece on defender Jimmy Conrad and his winding career path.

KC Lineup 1st session-

Trialist GK Hannigan; Myers, Gbandi, Conrad, Espinoza; Casian, Diop, Fuzetti, Aiyegbusi; Kostrov, Bunbury

SJ Lineup 1st session-
Graczyk, Brown, Burling, Opara, Corrales, Gjertsen, Ring, Andre Luiz, Alvarez, Eduardo, Glen

KC Lineup 2nd session-
Pardo; Costanzo, Gbandi, Cardenas, Harrinton; Souter, Zusi, Morsink, Pizarro; Kraus, Zoltan

SJ Lineup 2nd session-
Graczyk, Brown, McDonald, Opara, Corrales, Trialist, Ring, Eilliot, Alvarez, Eduardo, Glen

KC Lineup 3rd session-
Horwath; Leathers, Hohlbein, Besler, Harrington; Arnaud, Hirsig, Zusi, Smith; Wolff, Kamara

SJ Lineup 2nd session-
Graczyk, Brown, Roberts, Opara, Corrales, Beitashour, Ring, Eilliot, Alvarez, Eduardo, Glen

GOALS
1st session-
2nd minute: San Jose took an early lead as Eduardo flicked a header in at the back post off service from Andre Luiz.1-0 SJ
2nd session-
no goals
3rd session-
no goals

Shooting Competition

Today, the losing team in the shooting competition had to serve the winning team lunch after training. The final two shooters were Michael Kraus and Matt Besler. See how the last round played out:

Goalkeeping Change/Int'l News

Thanks for the service, Kevin.

It appears that goalkeeper Kevin Hartman will not be returning after three solid seasons in the net for the Wizards. Hartman started every MLS game over the last three years since joining via trade from LA before the 2007 season, helping us reach the playoffs in both '07 and '08. We'd like to wish Kevin all the best in the future and thank him for his time in Wizards blue.

Peter Vermes told the KC Star yesterday:  

“He will not be back at this point,” Vermes said. “We went through a long, extensive negotiation, and we were just unable to come to terms

“It’s been 22 days that we’ve been in camp. At the end of the day, we have to start putting together the pieces we need for our team this year.”

In international news, it looks like FIFA might reconsider automatic red cards and the ensuing suspension that goes with them on plays where the last defender commits a foul to deny an obvious goal-scoring opportunity if a penalty kick is awarded. Read about it.

Sven Goran Erickson is about to share the story of Notts County's off-season takeover by Munto Finance and their inability to live up to original promises.

Quick Six with Davy Arnaud

Party in the USA:

Ping Pong Voice Over Challenge

We showed you yesterday a ping-pong battle between Peter Vermes and Octavio Zambrano from the other evening. Now, we'd like your help in laying some audio over the track. Write a script for the 1-minute clip and email it to krogers@kcwizards.com. The winning script will be added to the clip by voice-over guru Dave Borchardt and re-posted on YouTube. Have some fun with this one, folks!

Staff Offsite

Today, we will be going through a staff offsite event at the home of our new marketing partner Barkley in downtown Kansas City. If you're looking for someone in the organization, email is probably the best way to get in contact. If your question is urgent, get ahold of your favorite Wizards representative by cell phone. 

Enjoy the day. Hillcrest will be pretty quiet here at the blog and on Twitter and Facebook.

Zambrano's Thoughts & Highlights

Octavio Zambrano gives his thoughts after the 3-0 victory today against San Jose. Kei Kamara scored all three goals for the Wizards.See the goals here:

Wizards top Earthquakes 3-0

*Update* Wizards top SJ today 3-0 on a hat trick from former Earthquake striker Kei Kamara. Kamara scored all three goals during the opening 30-minute session. He was assisted by Chance Myers, no one and Ryan Smith, respectively.

Today's "game" will be a little different than most, as Kansas City and San Jose will compete in 4 30-minute quarters. We have KC's lineup for the first 30-minute segment below and will update with further information as it comes.

KC Lineup 1st 30-Minute Session

Crayton; Myers, Hohlbein, Conrad, Espinoza; Diop, Auvray, Wolff, Smith; Arnaud, Kamara

KC Lineup 2nd 30-Minute Session

Walker; Myers, Hohlbein, Conrad, Espinoza; Aiyegbusi, Auvray, Kostrov, Smith; Bunbury, Kamara

KC Lineup 3rd 30-Minute Session

Horwath; Leathers, Besler, Cardenas, Harrington; Casian, Morsink, Aiyegbusi, Fuzetti; Bunbury, Hirsig

KC Lineup 4th 30-Minute Session

Trialist GK; Chris Gbandi, Cardenas, Besler, Rich Costanzo; Pizarro, Souter, Diop, Kraus; Zoltan, Zusi

GOALS
1st session-
22nd minute: Kei Kamara heads home cross from Chance Myers. 1-0 KCW
26th minute: Kei Kamara collects deflected clearance in behind defense and finishes breakaway. 2-0 KCW
30th minute: Kei Kamara finishes cross from Ryan Smith. 3-0 KCW
2nd session-
no goals
3rd session-
no goals
4th session-
no goals

Coach Ping Pong Battle

Video guru Jake caught Manager Peter Vermes taking on Octavio Zambrano last night in ping pong. No word on the winner, but both those guys look pretty good:

Wolff Checks In/Int'l Footie

 Today, striker Josh Wolff checked in with the KC Star via a postcard from camp. Read the story to hear Wolff's thoughts on preseason as a veteran, Teal Bunbury, Stephane Auvray, Athlete's Performance and the upcoming season.

Today is yet another big day in international football, as Landon Donovan, Tim Howard and Everton host Chelsea in the Americans Abroad headliner. (Read Ives' take on the game.) Other matches (see the day's full lineup here) include Liverpool at Arsenal, Tottenham at Wolves, Jozy Altidore and Hull at Blackburn, Birmingham at Jonathan Spector and West Ham, Man United at the goalies Brad and Aston Villa. 

Non-English games include Inter Milan at Parma in Serie A, Jamaica at Argentina in an international friendly and several big-time Copa Libertadores matches. 

Goff's Soccer on TV lineup:

*Soccer on TV:
England, Aston Villa-Manchester United 2:30 p.m. Fox Soccer Channel
England, Arsenal-Liverpool 2:40 p.m. Setanta
Copa Libertadores, Banfield-Morelia 4:30 p.m. Fox Sports Espanol
England, Wolves-Spurs 5 p.m. FSC
Copa Libertadores, Sao Paulo-Monterrey 6:30 p.m. FSE
Copa Libertadores, Velez Sarsfield-Cruzeiro midnight FSE

Peter Vermes on PHX Training Camp

Video guru Jake snagged Manager Peter Vermes for a quick talk about the process around our Phoenix training camp.

KZ Updates from Phoenix

It’s a much different mentality than a year ago. With 18 new players in camp and the level of talent greater than it was last year, everyone realizes the competition this group is bringing. This isn’t something we’re doing as coaches. It’s being done internally through the leaders on this team. Keep in mind that this will be a difficult roster to make this year. There will be some good players that don’t make the team. We hope that by increasing the talent within the roster, our play will increase within the group.

Our level of play at this point is probably a little further ahead of where we were at this point last year. We’re getting near the end of the first phase or preseason camp. The approach on Wednesday will be similar to Saturday's. Everybody will get an opportunity to show what they can do. We’re planning on playing 4 30-minute games against San Jose. We’re aiming for all guys to get at least 30-45 minutes. 

Birahim Diop—left side or central midfielder is now on trial. (He was Trialist X from the match reports on Saturday's friendly.)   

-Pablo Escobar should be getting his passport back by Thursday or Friday and then he can come immediately.

Editor's note: Diop played for Octavio Zambrano in New York in 2001-2002 before following him to Moldova.

International News/Jozy's Tale

Today's international fixture list includes some big ones in the English Premier League, the Coupe de France and Copa Libertadores, among others. Man City hosts Bolton Wanderers in a battle between a team looking to crack the top 4 and a team fighting to stay above the relegation zone. Other relegation battlers are on the field today as Portsmouth hosts Sunderland, Wigan hosts Stoke and Fulham hosts Burnley. For Americans Abroad notes and the TV listings, see Goff's post from this morning.

In other news, USA-England is one of the few World Cup matches already sold out, and the USA maintains  14th place in the latest FIFA world rankings.

Also, read this great story on Jozy Altidore and his efforts to do some good for Haiti written by the Daily Mail. Really touching.

Update from Phoenix/Roster Moves

Video guru Jake checks in with the first video update from training in the Southwest. Enjoy the sunny weather and pretend we're all there!

The Wizards waived defender Rauwshan McKenzie and dropped defender Ofori Sarkodie, midfielder Eric Gehrig and forward Kyle Brown from their preseason roster this weekend. 

A fourth round draft pick by the Wizards in 2008, McKenzie started five contests for Kansas City last season. McKenzie also made one appearance for the Wizards in 2008, starting against the then-USL Seattle Sounders in a quarterfinal of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

Sarkodie, formerly of Indiana University, was drafted by the Wizards in the fourth round of the 2010 MLS SuperDraft. Former Loyola University Chicago midfielder Eric Gehrig and former Austin Aztex forward Kyle Brown joined the Wizards as trialists before the 2010 preseason.

What's it Take to be a KCW Junior?

Let them tell you. As always, check the Juniors' blog from time to time for other updates: www.kcwjuniors.blogspot.com. 

Friendly Win/More

Saturday night, our boys topped the Arizona Sahuaros (USASA) 5-0 in a friendly match. Thad has a full rundown, provided by a friend on the ground in AZ. The goals came from Wolff (2), Zoltan, Fuzetti and Casian**. Assists to Espinoza, Zoltan, Fuzetti and Zusi. We now play the Earthquakes on Wednesday and Saturday, both games at noon. Our video guru Jake is now on the ground in Arizona, so we should have some fun video content this week. Check here and the website for more.

In former Wizards news, Herculez Gomez scored his first goal for Puebla in a 1-1 tie against Atlante.  Herc started and played 61 minutes in the match.

And how about a nasty finish from Robinho (1:05 mark)?

Friday's KZ Training Update

Training went well again this morning. We broke up into 3 teams and played 11 v 11 full-field (12 minute games). This was the first time that we’ve gone full-field this year. It was a good opportunity to get the guys moving together and getting used to playing in a full-sided atmosphere as we build towards our first game tomorrow night.

Everyone will play a full 30 minutes tomorrow, and then do a full fitness run after they play. As we’ve gone from fitness testing to getting used to knocking the ball around again, we’ve progressed through that phase. I think we’ve arrived at the point that it’s time to see our guys against other competition, so we're excited about the game tomorrow night.

In regards to the game, I don't think you'll really see a lineup of "starters" per say. We are nowhere near deciding who are starting 11 will be, and during these early games there will be a mix of probable starters and players who are fighting for a starting spot/players the team is wanting to get a better look at.

In this morning's practice the Blue Team was the winning side. There's a chance we'll keep the teams from this morning together in the game tomorrow night. Here is what the Blue team looked like this morning:


GK--Crayton

Harrington, Hohlbein, Conrad, Leathers

Espinoza, Trialist x, Fuzetti, Arnaud

Wolff, Zoltan

Friday Link Layout

Tim Howard, Landon Donovan and Everton take on cross-town rivals Liverpool this weekend. Liverpool, as you know, is owned by Americans. Here's a feature on that clash and the England-U.S. implications it holds.

Some other interesting notes from around the world of soccer:

-John Terry is out as captain of England, as chosen by Fabio Capello.

-Frank Ribery will decide where he will play next season by the end of March.

-Newcastle's new striker turns down the number 9 shirt.

-An Aston Villa younster has been banned from attending the Carling Cup final for trying to sell tickets to the game via Facebook.

-Portsmouth is for sale once again, this time "for nothing".

Today's Update from KZ

Yesterday afternoon we did some aerobic and technical work, then some technical passing activities. We also did a little bit of pattern work to goal. We finished with 7 v 7 games.

We came out today and continued with the same idea of aerobic type activities. We played 10 v 10 (3 different teams). We're progressing well and looking forward to our first game Saturday night. With 30+ guys in camp, we've talked about this being an evaluation time as well as an ability to build our fitness base and technique. When we start cutting down the numbers, that's when we'll hit the tactics of how we're going to play heavily and start getting more of an idea about our starting lineup. That should take place during the second trip to Arizona.

All the rookies have adjusted pretty well. The first week with the testing they had some nervous energy. Each session was an exciting one for them, but I think they've calmed down a little bit. I think all of our draft picks have made a case for themselves to be a part of the next phase of training. I'm sure a lot of people are excited about Teal. From a coaching staff we are trying to keep it in perspective, but he certainly brings a lot of attractive qualities to the group. With his size and the speed that he has, it's a nice, raw talent to work with. He's lived up to being a first-round pick so far. We can't evaluate until the games start, but the first glimpse of him has been a good one.

We have 18 guys that weren't on the roster last year in camp with us. We've mixed up the room assignments to get the new guys integrated with the team. The rooming list puts a minimum of 4 guys in each suite, and a few have up to 8 guys. It's important for team chemistry to get everyone integrated with each other. This is also partially intended to keep our players from getting too comfortable. I don't think there's anyone that feels extremely comfortable, and I think that 's a good thing because that keeps them on their game.

Last night was Octavio's birthday. We went out to eat at a steakhouse. Octavio had a big steak to celebrate the occasion. His addition has really helped out our staff. We have four guys now with head coaching experience, so I think everybody within our group brings an important piece of the puzzle. It's certainly a unified staff and a good one to work with, with everyone working hard and being committed to getting the job done.

Stadium Update from Robb Heineman

Robb took some time out after this week's design meeting to update everyone on the construction and design processes taking place on the Stadium Complex at Village West. Watch, enjoy, and pass along to your friends:

Thoughts on Training from KZ

Training was good. After a pretty challenging day yesterday, we used the morning session to do a lot of technical work. Another perfect weather day. Kamara trained today and looks ready to go. He's fit and happy to be here. Auvray is doing an excellent job early on. He's a good pro. Ryan Smith is a good player. There's talent there.

The goalkeeper position is wide open. There's not really a #1 at the moment, so everyone in camp is eligible for the starting spot.

Reach 11 is a nice complex. There are 8 fields right next to each other, and the fields are very good. It's about 15 minutes away from the team hotel.

Adam Cristman to DCU

 

A picture of Mr. Cristman during his first training with KC last January.

Greetings all. We have traded striker Adam Cristman to D.C. United in exchange for an international roster spot for two seasons. We acquired Adam from New England the day before Seattle's expansion draft, but injuries limited his production last year to five games (three starts). He is a Virginia native (and attended UVA), so this is a homecoming of sorts. Good luck to Adam. We thank him for his hard work while in Kansas City and his contributions to the community while he was here.

2010 MLS Schedule Announced

The 2010 MLS schedule is out, the guide by which Wizards fanaticos will plan trips, tailgates and other events from March through November. This season, each MLS team plays every other team once at home and once away for a completely balanced schedule.View our full schedule. View the full MLS schedule.

As you already know, we open the season with D.C. United at home March 27 at 7:30 p.m. CT. We are then off the following weekend before hosting** the Colorado Rapids at 7:30 p.m. CT Saturday, April 10. One of the highlights of the schedule is a home match Thursday, June 10 against expansion club Philadelphia Union. We are one of only two matches played in MLS the night before the first FIFA World Cup match between Mexico and South Africa. It's going to be a great way to start the WC break.

We have 13 Saturday-night home games, one Thursday night match (the Philly game just before the World Cup) and one Sunday match (5-23 vs Columbus at 3 p.m. CT).

TV schedule will be announced at a later date, besides our three National TV appearances. They are:

Saturday, May 1 at Houston on FSC/FSE

Wednesday, May 5 at D.C. United on ESPN2/ESPN Deportes

Saturday, May 15 vs. Chicago on FSC/FSE

Tell us your thoughts on the schedule in the comments section below.

Kurt Morsink Off-Season Work

In addition to staying in shape for the 2010 season, Costa Rican midfielder Kurt Morsink took some time to do some good in his birth nation. Kurt took back some soccer equipment and donated it to footie fans in need. Due to video capture issues, this is a silent movie, but you get the gist: 

Today's Training Update

Perfect weather for training this morning--70 degrees and sunny when the team got started at 9:30 AM MT. The coaching staff has told us that the focus this week is on continuing to build the team's aerobic fitness base, as well as evaluating the player pool currently in camp.

This morning's practice started with some technical work, then 10 v 10 games (8 minutes) with 3 teams. Following that, the team did some full-field fitness work, and then broke into 7 v 7 small-sided games.

Energy and the commitment to training were high during today's practice. Kei Kamara arrived in camp this morning and spent the practice doing aerobic work on the side. Kei is likely to be on the field tomorrow, either during the morning or afternoon training session.

The team will be hitting the weight room this afternoon, and then will be returning to the practice field tomorrow at 9:30 AM Arizona time. Wednesday's second practice will be at 4:00 PM, with this week's work building to Saturday's first exhibition game against Grand Canyon University at 11:00 AM.

Notes--Jack Jewsbury and Lance Watson are not currently with the team. They remain in Kansas City due to injury.

Schedules, Two of Them

First of all, the League will announce the 2010 regular-season schedule tomorrow at 1 p.m. CT on MLSnet.com. We already know the home opener is March 27 against Curt Onalfo's D.C. United at 7:30 p.m. CT. What other opponents are you excited to see in KC this year?

Also, we put out our pre-season schedule today. Here it is (as always, subject to change):

Date/Time (All Times Central) Opponent Location
Saturday, Feb. 6, 8 p.m. Arizona Sahuaros Grand Canyon University
Wednesday, Feb. 10, 12 p.m. San Jose Earthquakes Reach 11
Saturday, Feb. 13, 12 p.m. San Jose Earthquakes Arizona State University
Wednesday, Feb. 24, 12 p.m. Chivas USA Reach 11
Friday, Feb. 26, Time TBA Los Angeles Galaxy Reach 11
Thursday, March 4, 12 p.m. Columbus Crew Reach 11
Sunday, March 7, 12 p.m. Grand Canyon University Reach 11

Overnight News

Ryan Smith, trialist, while with Southampton.

Last Night, Team Prez Robb Heineman used some late-night Tweeting and Big-Soccer posting to inform everyone of three players in on trial with the team down in Arizona. The first is left-sided winger Ryan Smith, a former Arsenal product who has spent time with various English clubs during his career. Smith is 23 and has appeared once for the England U-20 National Team.

Also on trial are Moldovan midfielders Alexei Casian and Igor Kostrov.

Some Casian video, thanks to Northbank Highbury:

Kei Kamara Re-signs

Kamara sent moments ago via Twitpic this image of him after signing his new contract.

Kei Kamara has re-signed with MLS and the Wizards. He put pen to paper on his contract just moments ago and sent out the picture above via Twitpic to his Twitter followers. You can follow Kei at twitter.com/keikamara.

Robb Heineman was the first to announce the signing, also via Twitter, 20 minutes ago.

Kamara first joined the Wizards last September from the Houston Dynamo, scoring one goal in six games (four starts) in Kansas City blue. He has 15 goals and three assists in 86 League games since 2006. He played for Columbus, San Jose and Houston before joining the Wizards. His six total goals in 2009 were a career high.

Transfer Deadline Day

For those of you who follow the English Premier League or any of the other big European leagues, today is the final day for transactions before the summer. So far, the action has been relatively quiet, with Fulhamerica (well, they're not really anymore, but lots of us Yanks still like them) one of the more active clubs. Check out all the completed deals here and follow England-based transfer gossip here.

Speaking of European soccer (and Fulham), former Wizards strike Eddie Johnson opened his Aris account yesterday with a persistent finish off a feed from Freddy Adu in a 2-1 loss. EJ played the final 20 and scored in the 90th, so maybe he's looking at an increase in playing time. The goal: