Kansas City Weekly Update
February 23, 2009 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release
COUNTDOWN TO FIRST KICK - 26 DAYS:
The Kansas City Wizards open the 2009 MLS season Saturday, March 21 at 7:30 p.m. CT against Toronto FC at CommunityAmerica Ballpark. The Wizards are currently in Guadalajara, Mexico for the second extended training camp of the 2009 preseason. The Wizards opened the Guadalajara trip Monday with a 3-0 win over partner club Atlas. They play Wednesday at 4 p.m. CT against Real Colima of the Mexican Second Division.
Single-game tickets for the 2009 Major League Soccer (MLS) season are now on sale to the general public. Season ticket packages for 2009 are still available, starting as low as $180. Contact the Wizards at (913) 387-3400 for tickets or visit www.kcwizards.com. For individual tickets, contact Ticketmaster via phone at (816) 931-3330 or online at Ticketmaster.com.
PURCHASE THE TIME WARNER CABLE PREMIER 3-GAME PACK:
The Wizards and Time Warner Cable have put together an exciting 3-game pack that covers three of the most popular match-ups of the 2009 MLS season. The pack includes a ticket to the home opener against Toronto FC, a match-up with the 2008 MLS Cup runners-up Red Bull New York and a July contest Los Angeles Galaxy. The New York game will mark the first-ever ESPN2 match at CommunityAmerica Ballpark for the Wizards, and Jimmy Conrad bobble heads will be distributed to the first 5,000 fans through the door courtesy of Time Warner Cable. For more information on this exclusive package, contact the Wizards at (913) 387-3400.
TIME WARNER CABLE PREMIER 3-PACK GAMES
Date Time Opponent
Saturday, March 21 7:30 p.m. CT Toronto FC
Thursday, April 23 7:00 p.m. CT New York Red Bulls (Jimmy Conrad Bobble head Night)
Saturday, July 25 7:30 p.m. CT Los Angeles Galaxy
WIZARDS DEFEAT ATLAS 3-0:
The Wizards started the Guadalajara trip on the right foot Monday, earning a 3-0 victory over partner club Atlas AC. The Wizards are now 2-0-0 in friendlies against Atlas in the last year, after Kansas City's reserves defeated the Mexican First Division team 2-1 on July 11, 2008 at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.
Midfielder Jack Jewsbury opened the scoring in the 36th minute when he hit a one-time rocket from the top of the 18 past the Atlas goalkeeper. Midfielder Davy Arnaud started the play, working around the Atlas defense on the right wing before slotting a pass back to Jewsbury at the top of the penalty area. In the second half, substitute midfielder Kevin Souter and Kurt Morsink added goals to put the game out of reach. Starting goalkeeper Kevin Hartman was never tested, and reserve âkeeper Boris Pardo made one save to keep the clean sheet. The Wizards are now 4-0-1 during the 2009 preseason campaign.
Lineup: Kevin Hartman (Boris Pardo 60); Jonathan Leathers (Nelson Pizarro (60), Jimmy Conrad (Rauwshan McKenzie 60), Aaron Hohlbein (Matt Besler 60), Michael Harrington (Matt Marquess 46); Santiago Hirsig (Kurt Morsink 46), Davy Arnaud (Ferenc Beres 60), Jack Jewsbury (Kevin Souter 60), Roger Espinoza (Graham Zusi 60); Josh Wolff (Abe Thompson 60), Claudio Lopez (Michael Kraus 60)
#10 SANTIAGO HIRSIG JOINS TEAM:
Offseason signing Santiago Hirsig joined the team Friday in Guadalajara, Mexico. He was unable to travel to the United States previously due to visa issues, but he played in Monday's friendly against Atlas for 45 minutes. Hirsig, an eight-year veteran of the Argentine First Division, will wear number 10 for Kansas City in 2009. He joins MLS after three years with Argentine powerhouse San Lorenzo.
Hirsig and forward Claudio Lopez took in Atlas' league match Saturday, prompting Mexican media outlet mediotiempo.com to write a story that the pair were in attendance. Lopez grew up a fan of San Lorenzo, though he never played professionally for the club.
ORDER MLS DIRECT KICK TODAY:
Major League Soccer's Direct Kick television package is again available for $79, providing fans the opportunity to watch up to 130 MLS regular season matches and select playoff games during the 2009 season.
Direct Kick returns for the League's 14th season and is available on three separate outlets. Starting March 21, satellite TV providers DIRECTV and DISH Network®, along with digital cable provider iN DEMAND Networks, will once again each present regional telecasts of Major League Soccer action. Major League Soccer has collaborated with all three providers to offer a FREE PREVIEW period, Saturday, March 21, during the opening weekend of the season known as MLS First Kick presented by Dick's Sporting Goods.
The residential price is just $79 on any of the three platforms. Commercial establishments can purchase the package for a flat rate of $100. The package will be available for purchase through each outlet between now and the end of the season.
HOW TO ORDER
DIRECTV
1-800-GET-SPORTS, 1-888-388-6622 (Spanish), online at www.directv.com/mls
price (residential): $79.00 price (commercial): $100 (888-200-4388)
DISH Network ®
1-800-333-DISH (3478), online at www.dishnetwork.com/soccer
price (residential): $79.00 price (commercial): $100 (800-454-0843)
iN DEMAND (Digital Cable TV)
1-888-SPORTS-iN, online at www.indemand.com/sports
price (residential): $79.00 price (commercial): $100 (888-776-7874)
WIZARDS LAUNCH "HILLCREST ROAD" ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER:
On Friday, Kansas City Wizards team blog Hillcrest Road moved to Facebook. Fans can now follow the official team blog via the Facebook social networking site. Followers are encouraged to upload their own photos and videos from Wizards games and events. Find the Wizards Facebook by searching for "Kansas City Wizards - Hillcrest Road" or going directly to the page.
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