Weekly Headlines:
* Wizards Host Crew, Autograph Session Sunday
* KCWE to Broadcast Remaining 23 Wizards Matches
* Kamara into 3rd
* Espinoza Departs for Honduras World Cup Training Camp
* Manchester United Tickets Now On Sale
* Jimmy Nielsen Nominated for Save of the Week
* Register Now for KCW Juniors Tryouts
* Now on KCWizards.com
* This Week on KC Soccer Radio
* Wizards Youth Soccer Camps Update
WIZARDS HOST CREW, AUTOGRAPH SESSION SUNDAY:
Sunday, the two-time defending Supporters’ Shield champion Columbus Crew visit CommunityAmerica Ballpark for a 3 p.m. CT kickoff. Columbus enters the week 4-0-2 but faces a pair of stiff road trips. The Crew play Thursday night at the New York Red Bulls on ESPN2 before facing Kansas City Sunday. The Wizards have yet to lose a home match after rallying for a 2-2 draw last weekend against the Fire, who had been ahead 2-0 early in the second half.
After Saturday’s match, the Wizards will host an autograph session featuring the entire roster at Dave and Buster’s across the street from CommunityAmerica Ballpark in the Legends. The autograph session will begin at 6 p.m. CT once players have had the chance to shower and conclude post-game media availability. All fans will receive a $10 for $10 discount card upon exiting Sunday’s match. The autograph session will take place on the roof of Dave and Buster’s, with a view of the KC Soccer Stadium construction site in the background.
KCWE TO BROADCAST REMAINING 23 WIZARDS MATCHES IN HD:
This weekend, the Wizards return to local broadcast partner KCWE 29 after three straight national TV broadcasts. KCWE will carry Kansas City’s 23 remaining MLS regular season contests. Play-by-play man Dave Borchardt is joined by former Wizards standout Sasha Victorine in the booth, and telecasts feature Spanish-language audio via SAP.
For more information on KCWE, including listings on metro-area cable listings, click here.
KAMARA INTO 3RD:
Kansas City striker Kei Kamara scored both goals last Saturday in the come-from-behind 2-2 draw with the Chicago Fire. Kamara has five goals on the year, good for 3rd place in MLS behind only Edson Buddle and Dwayne De Rosario. The 25-year-old attacker is now just one goal shy of his career high of six set in 2009 when he scored five goals for the Houston Dynamo and one for the Wizards after arriving in a late-season trade.
ESPINOZA DEPARTS FOR HONDURAS WORLD CUP CAMP:
Kansas City Wizards defender/midfielder Roger Espinoza has left for Honduras training camp in advance of next month’s World Cup. Honduras will be training in Northern Europe for the next few weeks before departing for base camp in Johannesburg, South Africa June 8. Los Catrachos will play friendlies against Belarus (May 27), Azerbaijan (June 2) and Romania (June 5) as their final pre-World Cup tune-ups.
With the selection, Espinoza becomes the 20th member of the Kansas City Wizards to be named to a World Cup squad, and the seventh player to go to the competition as a member of the club.
Espinoza’s call-up comes just over a year after his first appearance with the national team in the UNCAF Nations Cup at the start of 2009. Espinoza scored his first international goal in that tournament, netting the winner in Honduras’ 1-0 win in the third place game against El Salvador. Espinoza has gone on to score three goals in 10 appearances for Honduras, the most recent coming against the United States in a 3-1 Honduras victory on January 23, 2010.
The Hondurans will face stern tests in the World Cup group stage, as defending European champions Spain await them along with Chile and Switzerland. Should Honduras advance out of their group, they would face the winner or runner-up in Group G, widely considered to be the “Group of Death” with five-time World Champions Brazil, Portugal, Ivory Coast and North Korea.
MANCHESTER UNITED TICKETS NOW ON SALE TO THE PUBLIC:
Fans who wish to watch the Kansas City Wizards take on soccer giants Manchester United in an exhibition match Sunday, July 25 can now purchase single-game tickets to the match.
Tickets, which range from $30 - $200 can be purchased online through Ticketmaster.com, by calling 1-800-745-3000, or by visiting Kansas City area Ticketmaster outlets or the Arrowhead Stadium box office. Premium tickets, VIP opportunities and group tickets can be purchased by calling the Wizards at 888-4KC-GOAL.
Fans who purchase new Wizards season tickets will also get a ticket to the Manchester United game. Season tickets start at only $150 and can be purchased by calling 888-4KC-GOAL.
Managed by Sir Alex Ferguson since 1986, Manchester United currently boasts a lineup full of international stars such as Wayne Rooney (England), Patrice Evra (France), Dimitar Berbatov (Bulgaria), Nani (Portugal), Edwin van der Sar (Netherlands), Antonio Valencia (Ecuador), Paul Scholes (England) and legendary midfielder Ryan Giggs (Wales) who has been a part of every United Premier League Championship and holds the record for most appearances in club history with 837. Rooney scored his 100th Premier League goal this season and is currently tied for the English Premier league scoring lead with 26 goals. In addition, last month Manchester United added to its stable Mexican star Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, who is considered one of the top young players in the world. United are committed to fielding all of its players for the North American tour who are not obligated to World Cup duties.
JIMMY NIELSEN NOMINATED FOR SAVE OF THE WEEK:
Wizards goalkeeper Jimmy “White Puma” Nielsen has been nominated for NAPA MLS Save of the Week for a first-half stop against Chicago Fire attacker Patrick Nyarko. Nyarko cut in from the left flank and fired a right-footed rocket toward goal, but Nielsen dove to keep the shot out at the near post. Nielsen is one of five nominees for the award this week. Fans can see all five saves and vote for their favorite here through MLS Insider.
REGISTER NOW FOR KCW JUNIORS TRYOUTS:
Local youth players that want to take their game to the highest level may now sign up to try out for the KCW Juniors U-16 and U-18 teams. Tryouts will take place on May 24th and 25th, with the U-16 tryouts running from 5-6:30 p.m. CT and the U-18 tryouts running from 7-8:30 p.m. on both days.
Any male player with a birthday from 1992-1995 is eligible to try out (1992 and 1993 for U-18s, 1994 and 1995 for U-16s). To register for the tryouts, click here or email Betsy Pollard at bpollard@kcwizards.com for more information.
The KCW Juniors will later hold tryouts for a U-13 team and a U-14/15 team June 12-14. To sign up for U-13 or U-14/15 tryouts, click here or email Betsy Pollard at bpollard@kcwizards.com for more information.
Since beginning play in 2007, the KCW Juniors program has quickly risen to become one of the top youth soccer clubs in the Midwest region. The U-16 and U-18 teams play in the United States Soccer Federation’s Development Academy program, competing against some of the top youth clubs from around the country. Both teams are fully funded, meaning players and their families are not responsible for financial obligations of the extensive travel that participating in the Development Academy requires.
KCW Juniors players have the opportunity to eventually join the Kansas City Wizards first team without going through the MLS draft process. In late 2006, Major League Soccer announced an initiative that created a “Homegrown Protected List” for each team. Clubs now have the opportunity to retain the professional rights of players developed within its marketplace.
For more information about the KCW Juniors, visit the Juniors blog at www.kcwjuniors.blogspot.com, or email bpollard@kcwizards.com.
THIS WEEK ON KC SOCCER RADIO:
Wizards fans can follow the beautiful game on local radio this summer in both Spanish and English, with the Kansas City Soccer Show and Zona Wizards.
The Kansas City Soccer Show, which airs every Saturday from 10-11 a.m. CT on Sports Radio 810 AM, will cover the international game, the 2010 World Cup and the Kansas City soccer scene, including the Wizards, KCW Juniors and local youth soccer. There’s a lot for the show to talk about this week, as co-hosts Jake Gutierrez and Josh Whisenhunt cover the World Cup squad selections, the Wizards vs. Crew game and the upcoming Kansas City Wizards-Manchester United exhibition match at the New Arrowhead Stadium. Fans are encouraged to call into the program at 913-381-0810.
Zona Wizards, the Wizards weekly Spanish-language radio show, airs weekly during the 2010 MLS season. The show, which features interviews with Wizards players and coaches, airs every Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. CT on La Gran D 1340 AM, which is also the Wizards Spanish-language flagship station. This week the show welcomes Wizards Assistant Coach Octavio Zambrano.
WIZARDS YOUTH SOCCER CAMPS NOW ON SALE:
Registration to any of the Kansas City Wizards’ youth camps is now open, with nine different camps taking place at various locations around the Kansas City metro area this summer. In a special offer, the next fifteen registrants for the Wizards’ June 7th camp will receive a special World Cup mini ball, signed by the three members of the Wizards who have played in a World Cup (Manager Peter Vermes, defender Jimmy Conrad and forward Josh Wolff).
All camps will be managed and directed by full time Wizards employees, and include appearances by Wizards coaching staff and/or players along with a game ticket and many other benefits. The Wizards offer a variety of camps, consisting of Elite Camps for boys only, Fantasy Camps for the experienced male and female players at the team’s Swope Park Training Center and a handful of other camps in the Overland Park area.
For more information or to register for a Kansas City Wizards youth camp, visit www.kcwizards.com/camps, or contact Betsy Pollard at (913) 387-3883 or bpollard@kcwizards.com.
