MLS Sporting Kansas City

Kansas City Wizards Weekly Release (8-5-02)

Published on August 5, 2002 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release


Fans Can Follow Wednesday's Champions Cup Match on MatchTracker The Kansas City Wizards travel to Morelia, Mexico this week to face Monarcas Morelia in the first leg of the 2002 Champions Cup Semifinal series on Wednesday, August 7th. The Wizards and Morelia will kickoff in their first ever meeting at 3:00 p.m. CT from Estadio Morelos. Fans can follow the game via MatchTracker by logging on to www.MLSnet.com.

The winner of the Wizards and Morelia series will face the winner of the Alajuelense (Costa Rica) and Pachuca (Mexico) series. Alajuelense will host the first leg of the series on Wednesday, August 14th at Estadio Marrero Soto, while Pachuca will host the second leg at Estadio Hidalgo on Wednesday, August 21st. Both games will kick off at 8:00 p.m. CT.

Wizards Make an Impact in 2002 Pepsi MLS All-Star Game

Four members of the Kansas City Wizards took part in the 2002 Pepsi MLS All-Star Game over the weekend, and all four showed why they were selected to the midsummer classic. Midfielder Preki started for the U.S. All-Stars and became the only player in MLS history to start each of the first seven All-Star Games. Jeff Agoos, Cobi Jones and Brian McBride are the only other players to appear in seven All-Star games.

Tony Meola made his fifth trip to the All-Star game, starting in goal for the U.S. squad. Meola played the first half and made a huge save early in the contest, tipping away a 30-yard rocket from Colorado midfielder Mark Chung. Defender Mike Burns played the second half for the U.S. All-Stars, marking his second career all-star appearance. Burns played solid defense on the right along side Alexi Lalas and Pablo Mastroeni.

Chris Klein was the star of the show in his first All-Star game, making a bid for MVP honors. Klein came on in the second half for the MLS All-Stars and was a constant threat on the right flank. His dangerous crosses led to two-second half goals and nearly a third goal in the closing minutes. Klein assisted on Jason Kreis' goal in the 59th minute that tied the game at one goal apiece. He then combined with Kreis on Steve Ralston's game-winning goal in the 81st minute. Klein sent another perfect cross into Ariel Graziani in the final minutes, but Graziani hit the crossbar with his one-time shot.

Kansas City Travels to Nation's Capital to Face D.C. United on Saturday

The Kansas City Wizards (8-6-7, 31 points) come off the All-Star Break as the hottest team in MLS, having won two straight games and posting a league-best 5-2-3 record over their last ten games. The Wizards have a chance to become the only team in MLS this season to string together three consecutive wins when they travel to the Nation's Capital to face D.C. United (6-11-3, 21 points) at RFK Stadium on Saturday, August 10th. D.C. United comes into Saturday's contest with a 431-minute scoreless streak, a span of over five games without a goal. D.C. has not scored since the 39th minute of their game against Columbus on July 13th. To add to their troubles, forward Santino Quaranta will not play after undergoing surgery to repair an abdominal hernia. Quaranta, who leads D.C. United with 10 points (3g, 4a), is expected to be out four to six weeks.

D.C. has scored just 19 goals on the season and sits in last place in the MLS Cup Playoff race with 21 points. They have also taken a league-low 234 shots on the season while the Wizards lead the league with 305 shots taken. D.C.'s success has come in the friendly confines of RFK Stadium where they have posted a respectable 6-3-1 record. On the road, they have gone 0-8-2. A few bright spots in the United lineup is midfielder Marco Etcheverry's play in the All-Star Game and the return of midfielder Ben Olsen. Etcheverry was named MVP of the 2002 All-Star game on Saturday after scoring the second goal of the match for the MLS All-Stars and being a constant threat for the U.S. All-Stars in front of D.C. United's home crowd. Midfielder Ben Olsen appeared for United in last Wednesday's match against Chicago. Olsen came on in the 68th minute to make his first appearance since June of 2000. Olsen injured his ankle on June 17, 2000, and then went on loan to Nottingham Forest of the English First Division for the remainder of the 2000 season. He then missed the entire 2001 season and the first half of the 2002 season after fracturing his ankle while with Nottingham.

Kansas City Advances in U.S. Open Cup, Will Face Milwaukee Rampage August 24th

The Kansas City Wizards have announced their U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinal date against the Milwaukee Rampage of the A-league. The Wizards will travel to Milwaukee on Saturday, August 24th to face the Rampage at 7:30 p.m. CT at the Rampage Sports Complex in Franklin, WI. The Wizards advanced to the Semifinals after beating the Rochester Raging Rhinos (A-League) 3-2 in overtime on July 17th. Milwaukee knocked off the Chicago Fire in the third round of the 64-team tournament and became the only A-League team to advance to the quarterfinals.

Kansas City's win over Rochester marked the second consecutive year the Wizards have advanced past the first round in which they have been involved. Last year, the Wizards entered the tournament in the Second Round and advanced to the Round of 16 by defeating the Seattle Sounders 4-1. This year, the Wizards entered the tournament in the Third Round and defeated Rochester to advance to the Quarterfinals of the tournament.

The winner of the Kansas City-Milwaukee match will advance to the Semifinals of the U.S. Open Cup and face the winner of the Columbus Crew and MetroStars game, which takes place Wednesday, August 7th in New York. The Semifinal match will be held on Tuesday, September 10th and will be broadcast live on Fox Sports World and Fox Sports World Español.

Field Trip Days at Arrowhead Stadium - Thursday, August 8, 2002

The Kansas City Wizards will host their third "Field Trip Day" at Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday, August 8th. All students attending will tour the stadium and the Wizards practice facility before heading over the Pavilion at Arrowhead to meet Wizards goalkeeper Taly Goode, defender Jose Burciaga and Wizards mascot Dynamo the Dragon. The event is from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. For more information call 816-920-9300.

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Major League Soccer Stories from August 5, 2002


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