Kansas City Wizards Weekly Update
August 31, 2004 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release
Wizards Look to Extend Lead in West Against Chicago Wednesday, Host MetroStars Saturday
The Kansas City Wizards will face two Eastern Conference opponents this week, first traveling to Chicago for a midweek matchup against the Chicago Fire on Wednesday, September 1st. Wednesday's match will kickoff at 7:30 p.m. CT from Soldier Field in Chicago. On Saturday, the Wizards return home to host Eastern Conference leading MetroStars at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday, September 4th at 7:30 p.m. CT.
Wednesday's match against the Fire will be a preview of the 2004 U.S. Open Cup Final as the same sides will square off at Arrowhead Stadium on September 22nd in the Championship game of the U.S. Open Cup. Kickoff for the Open Cup Final is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT.
Kansas City heads to Chicago still looking for their first ever win in the "Windy City". In eight previous meetings at Chicago since 1998, the Wizards are 0-8-0 and have been outscored 22-5. Wednesday's match will mark the third and final meeting of the season, with the two sides tying the previous two meetings this season (0-0 in KC on April 3rd and 2-2 in KC on May 8th).
Chicago (5-10-8, 23 points) will look to climb out of the Eastern Conference cellar on Wednesday. Trailing the New England Revolution (24 points) by one point in the standings, the Fire will try to grab a hold of a playoff spot with just seven games remaining on their regular season slate. Kansas City will try to distance themselves from the Los Angeles Galaxy for the lead in the Western Conference and the best overall record in MLS. Currently the Wizards are tied with the Galaxy with 35 points, but hold the tiebreaker on head-to-head games.
Kansas City will be without the services of midfielder Kerry Zavagnin, who will be in camp with the U.S. National Team for two upcoming World Cup Qualifying games - Sept. 4th vs. El Salvador and Sept. 8th at Panama.
Klein Undergoes Successful Knee Surgery
Kansas City Wizards midfielder Chris Klein underwent successful knee surgery on Monday afternoon in Los Angeles, CA. U.S. National Team Doctor Bert Mandelbaum performed the surgery to repair a completely torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and a partial tear of the meniscus. Klein will return to Kansas City on Thursday and will begin rehabilitation immediately. The timetable for recovery is expected to be six months.
Klein suffered the injury on August 14th in the 76th minute against the San Jose Earthquakes. After beating his defender down the left flank, Klein turned to cut inside near the top of the box and planted his left leg.
His pivoting motion caused the leg the buckle and sent Klein to the ground in obvious pain. He came off for a minute and eventually returned to finish out the match. He was then taken to a nearby hospital where Wizards team doctor, Dr. Scott Luallin, discovered the extent of the injury.
The ACL tear is the second of Klein's career as he suffered the same injury to his right knee in October 2001. Prior to his injury on August 14th, Klein was tied for 8th in the League in scoring with 16 points (4g, 8a). His eight assists were tied for the most in MLS. He was selected as Major League Soccer's Player of the Month for June and made his second career appearance in the 2004 MLS All-Star Game last month.
Wizards Host Fire in U.S. Open Cup Final at Arrowhead on September 22nd
The Kansas City Wizards are one step away from claiming their first U.S. Open Cup Title in franchise history and will play the Championship match on their home soil. Kansas City will host the Chicago Fire in the 2004 U.S. Open Cup Final at Arrowhead Stadium on Wednesday, September 22nd. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT. The winner of the U.S. Open Cup will take home $100,000 in prize money, while the runner up will receive $50,000.
Tickets for the U.S. Open Cup Final are on sale now and can be purchased through Ticketmaster or the Wizards Box Office. Lower Level Sideline seating is available for $18 for adults and $13 for youth (15 and under). Club Level seating is $22 for adults and $16 for youths. There will be no endline general admission seating available. Zard Card holders can purchase $5 seats for themselves and each accompanying family member with reserved seating in Sections 104 and 133 on the North side of the stadium.
The Open Cup Final is designated as "Special Game C" for Wizards season ticket holders. Each "Special Game C" ticket will admit one person into the Stadium and tickets can be used directly at the Gate without the need to exchange the ticket. All unused Season Tickets and Ticket Vouchers can be exchanged at the Wizards Box Office for best available seating. For more ticket information, please call the Wizards office at 816-920-9300.
The winner of the U.S. Open Cup will have their name added to the Dewar Trophy, the same piece of hardware that was presented to the winner of the first U.S. Open Cup final in 1914. The Trophy will then remain on display in the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta, New York. At 90 years of age, the Dewar Trophy is the oldest, team sport trophy in the United States.
The Dewar Trophy will be in Kansas City prior to the Open Cup Final, making various appearances around the Kansas City metro area. More information, including a schedule of events, will be available on the Wizards website, www.kcwizards.com, in the coming days.
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Major League Soccer Stories from August 31, 2004
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- Crew takes team-record 10-game unbeaten streak into Saturday's home game vs. Los Angeles - Columbus Crew SC
- Kansas City Wizards Weekly Update - Sporting Kansas City
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