Kansas City Wizards Weekly Update
Published on September 20, 2004 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release
Wizards Host Fire in U.S. Open Cup Final at Arrowhead on Wednesday, 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 and will be broadcast live on GolTV, and
available via video webcast online at www.MLSnet.com
Wednesday's match also marks the second time the Wizards and Fire have met
with a Championship on the line. Kansas City defeated Chicago 1-0 on October
15, 2000 to capture the MLS Cup Championship, the first championship in
franchise history. Wizards midfielder Diego Gutierrez and forward Josh Wolff
were both members of the Fire during the 2000 MLS Cup. 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 youth. 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. Gates into the
stadium will open at 6:00 p.m. 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 92 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
Dewar Trophy Continues Tour of Kansas City The prestigious Dewar Trophy, a 92-year-old piece of hardware
presented annually to the winner of the U.S. Open Cup, continues its tour of
Kansas City this week in advance of the Open Cup Final on Wednesday,
September 22nd. On Monday evening, the trophy will be on display at Price
Chopper, located at 4201 Noland Road, from 5:00pm to 7:00pm CT. On Tuesday, the trophy will be on display during the Wizards training
session at the Arrowhead Outdoor Training Facility and will be available for
media photos. Following training, all players and coaches will be available
for media interviews. On Tuesday afternoon, the Dewar trophy will make a
visit to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) National
Office in Mission, Kansas. In the evening, the trophy will be on display at
the "Top Dawg" Tournament at the Blue Valley District Activities Complex at
135th & Switzer. Wednesday, September 22nd, the Dewar trophy will greet customers at George
Brett's on the Plaza during the lunch hour from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm and then
will be at Arrowhead Stadium for the U.S. Open Cup Final that will kickoff
at 7:30 p.m.
Kansas City Puts First Place on the Line Once Again Hosting Colorado on
Saturday, September 25th On Wednesday, the Wizards play for their second championship in club
history in the U.S. Open Cup Final, but three days later another huge battle
looms on the horizon. On Saturday, September 25th, the first-place Wizards
will host the second place Colorado Rapids at Arrowhead Stadium. On
September 10th, the same two teams squared off, each with the same position
in the standings - the Wizards in first place, the Rapids in second place.
Colorado ended up victorious 3-1, knocking the Wizards out of first place. This past weekend, Colorado (10-8-9, 39 points) suffered one of the
worst losses in team history falling to the New England Revolution 6-1. The
Wizards (12-9-5, 41 points) shutout the defending MLS Cup Champion San Jose
Earthquakes 1-0 and vaulted past the Rapids and back into first place in the
West, two points clear of Colorado with a game in hand. The two sides will meet for the final time in the regular season
with the Wizards leading the season series 2-1-0 after posting two
consecutive shutouts, 2-0 in Kansas City on May 1st, and 1-0 at Colorado on
June 9th before falling 3-1 on September 10th.
Preki Undergoes Successful Ankle Surgery Kansas City Wizards midfielder and reigning MLS MVP Preki underwent
successful arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle on Friday, September 10th
to repair damage. The surgery was deemed a success by Doctor Greg Horton, an
ankle specialist in the Kansas City area. Preki will be sidelined for four
to six months, but is expected to make a full recovery in time for preseason
training for the 2005 season. Preki dislocated his ankle and fractured his left fibula in a preseason game
against the Columbus Crew on February 21st. He underwent surgery and went
through extensive rehabilitation, forcing him to miss the first four and a
half months of the 2004 season. He returned to action on August 18th
starting in midfield, ironically, against the Columbus Crew. After appearing in two regular season matches and one U.S. Open Cup match,
Preki experienced more pain in the ankle and opted for surgery that will end
his season.
Brian Roberts Joins Wizards Kansas City Wizards defender Brian Roberts joined the team last week
following the completion of his loan with the A-League's Minnesota Thunder.
Roberts was signed as a developmental player on June 28th and was
immediately loaned to Minnesota for the remainder of their season.
Roberts joined the Wizards in Kansas City early last week. He immediately
began training with the team and was available for last Saturday's match
against San Jose. The 22-year-old Yale graduate appeared in 16 matches with
Minnesota including one U.S. Open Cup match for the Thunder. With his Open
Cup appearance, he will not be eligible to play in Wednesday's U.S. Open Cup
Final for the Wizards when they host the Chicago Fire at 7:30 p.m. CT.
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
Major League Soccer Stories from September 20, 2004
