MLS Sporting Kansas City

Kansas City Wizards Weekly Update

Published on July 16, 2007 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release


Wizards Host Colorado Rapids Sunday in Third DiGiorno Ultimate Family Four Pack Night

Sunday, July 22, the Wizards host the Colorado Rapids at 7 p.m. CT at Arrowhead Stadium. The Kansas City Wizards Players Wives Club will collect stuffed animals for Children's Mercy hospital prior to the match. At halftime, the Wizards will host a Harry Potter relay race in honor of the latest installment of the best-selling Harry Potter book franchise.

Available for all Sunday home matches for $59 plus a $5 one-time shipping fee, families who purchase a DiGiorno Ultimate Family Four Pack will receive:

- 4 game tickets

- 4 Wizards visors

- 4 ice cream treats courtesy of Roberts Dairy (redeemable at Arrowhead Stadium)

- 1 DiGiorno Ultimate pizza coupon (redeemable at Kansas City-area Price Chopper locations)

Kansas City Wizards Wives Club to Hold Teddy Bear Drive July 22 at Arrowhead Stadium

Prior to the Kansas City Wizards home match Sunday, July 22, against the Colorado Rapids, Wizards players wives will collect teddy bears from fans to be donated to Children's Mercy Hospital. Beginning at 5:30 p.m. outside the Arrowhead Stadium gates, wives donning pink versions of their husband's Kansas City Wizards jerseys will collect NEW stuffed animals in exchange for player cards autographed by their husbands.

Wives will remain outside the stadium until 7:30 p.m. Following collection, Wizards players and wives will present the animals to patients of Children's Mercy.

Three Wizards to Compete in Sierra Mist MLS All-Star Game Thursday

Kansas City Wizards stars forward Eddie Johnson, defender Jimmy Conrad and goalkeeper Kevin Hartman will take part in the 2007 Sierra Mist MLS All-Star game Thursday at 8 p.m. CT against Scottish Power Celtic FC at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado (Live on ESPN 2).

Conrad and Johnson were chosen as part of the MLS All-Star First XI. The First XI was chosen by votes from fans (25 percent), fellow players (25 percent), coaches/general managers (25 percent) and media members (25 percent). First XI members will not necessarily be starters in the game.

New England Revolution and MLS All-Star Head Coach Steve Nicol selected Hartman as the second goalkeeper to the roster. Revolution and former Hartman teammate Matt Reis was the First XI goalkeeper.

The Jimmy Conrad Show to Present All-Star Edition

Sean Wheelock and All-Star defender Jimmy Conrad will broadcast The Jimmy Conrad Show live as scheduled Wednesday at 6 p.m. CT from Commerce City, Colorado. Wheelock and Conrad will talk all things All-Star while speaking with various guests from throughout MLS during the league's mid-season celebration.

The show will be broadcast live on ESPN Radio 97.3 and at www.kcwizards.com.

Wheelock to Broadcast from All-Star Game, Los Angeles for British Broadcasting Company

Voice of the Wizards and BBC North American Football (Soccer) Correspondent Sean Wheelock is set to broadcast from Colorado this week before heading to Los Angeles Saturday to broadcast the World Series of Football match between Los Angeles Galaxy and British power Chelsea.

Wheelock will do live, in-game updates for BBC Radio 5 during the 2007 Sierra Mist MLS All-Star game before serving as the play-by-play reporter for international superstar David Beckham's first match for the Galaxy.

Wheelock will then return to Kansas City Sunday to call the Wizards match at 7 p.m. CT against the Colorado Rapids live on Metro Sports.

Kansas City Wizards to Auction 18 Front-Row Tickets for September 27 Match Against Los Angeles Galaxy, International Superstar David Beckham

Beginning July 23, 18 front-row tickets to the match September 27 at Arrowhead Stadium against the Los Angeles Galaxy will be up for auction. Prices per package start at $90, and the auction runs through August 6.

A package consists of:

2 front row tickets (a pair)

1 parking pass

2 tickets to the Corporate Pavilion

There will be five different bidding groups. Groups are determined by the section in which the tickets are located. An individual can only bid upon one pair of tickets per bidding group.

So far, the Wizards have sold over 16,000 tickets to the September 27 match against Beckham, Landon Donovan and the Galaxy. The 18 front-row tickets available through this auction are the last front-row seats available. The bulk of tickets sold were purchased online, as groups and tickets from fans in the region are not included as of yet.

Four Wizards in Winning Group in Charity Golf Tournament Monday in Leawood

Seven Kansas City Wizards players took part Monday in the 2007 American Cancer Society Golf Classic presented by Metro Sports. Goalkeeper Kevin Hartman; defenders Nick Garcia and Jack Jewsbury; midfielders Davy Arnaud, Michael Harrington, Ryan McMahen and Kerry Zavagnin participated in the event at Nicklaus Golf Club at LionsGate.

The tournament was followed by an awards ceremony and luncheon where Lief Lisec of Metro Sports spoke about the importance of each person's contribution to the American Cancer Society as a part of the ongoing fight to find a cure. In addition to the tournament, there will be a silent auction to raise money for the fight against cancer. All funds raised at the tournament will benefit The American Cancer Society's ongoing mission to eliminate cancer as a major health problem through research, education, advocacy and service.

Arnaud, Harrington, Jewsbury and McMahen won their flight with a score of 10 under par. Each member of the winning team received a $50 gift card to the LionsGate pro shop.

"I was the man today," Arnaud said. "I was clearly the team leader."

Jewsbury could not agree with his close friend, however.

"I was definitely the man today, not Davy," he said. "I led our squad to victory."

The Wizards group of Garcia, Hartman, Zavagnin and Garcia's father-in-law were close behind the winners with an eight-under-par effort.

Wizards Team with Two Local Book Stores for Harry Potter Book Release Festivities

Friday, July 20, Harry Potter Book Release with Borders Bookstore off I-29 and Barry Road in Northland:

The Wizards are working with Borders, Shops at Boardwalk and Children's Mercy to hold a book release event. STAR 102.1 will be present with a van remote throughout the day when the line begins to fill with young readers waiting for the release of the newest Harry Potter book, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows. Kansas City Wizards players will appear that evening at the store, where they will pose for pictures, sign autographs and judge a children's costume contests. The Wizards will raffle off a prize package. The money raised will be used to buy Harry Potter books for kids at Children's Mercy who can't attend the event. Players will later deliver books to the Children's Mercy patients.

Friday, July 20, Harry Potter Book Release with Rainy Day Books in The Legends in Kansas City Kansas:

The Wizards will participate in the Harry Potter Party on Friday, July 20, from 8:30 p.m. - Midnight at Legends 14 Theatres in Kansas City, Kansas. Players will be present from 7-9 p.m. before the showing of the movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which will start at 9 p.m. There will be family package giveaways and prizes, including a Wizards prize package. At midnight after the movie, Rainy Day Books will release the new book, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows. Also at midnight, KUDL 98.1 will give away free Blue Bunny ice cream.

Dynamo to Attend Harry Potter Book Release

Who: Mascot Dynamo

When: Friday, July 20; 7:00-8:30 p.m.

Where: Shops at the Boardwalk, 8628 North Boardwalk Ave., North Kansas City, MO

What: Dynamo will be attending the Harry Potter book release at the Shops at the Boardwalk Borders on July 20. Dynamo will join the Wizards players there to pose for pictures, sign autographs, and judge kid's costume contests. Children's Mercy is teaming up with the Kansas City Wizards to give away prizes as well.

Second-Annual Media Game a Success During Halftime of Saturday's Match

The Kansas City Wizards hosted 34 members of the local media in the second-annual Kansas City Wizards Media Game Saturday. Jake Gutierrez of 810 Sports won the MVP award for his stellar play in goal. Below is a list of the media members who participated in the order that each team "selected" them.

Wizards Blue Team: (Coach Jenny Matthews - Mix 93.3)

Draft Order:

1 Cory Anderson - Sports Radio 610

2 Robert Whitman - Soccer KC

3 Bob Rusert - MLSnet.com

4 Chris Hamblin - Sports Radio 610

5 Mick Shaffer - Metro Sports

6 Bob Luder - Kansas City Star

7 Matt Stewart - KCTV 5

8 Rocket - Mix 93.3

9 Thomas Foote - MLSnet.com

10 Scott Parks - 980 KMBZ

11 Carlos Chicas - Univision - Arkansas

12 DA - Sports Radio 610

13 Dave Fogel - STAR 102.1

14 Brad Porter - Metro Sports

15 Jose Lopez - Univision - Arkansas

16 Jason Lamb - WDAF Fox 4

Wizards White Team: (Coach Darcy Blake - KUDL 98.1)

Draft Order

1 Shawn Roney - Dos Mundos

2 Mike Benyo - KSHB 41

3 Ryan Gosling - KSHB 41

4 Aaron Swarts - 810 WHB

5 Juan Ramirez - Univision

6 Ed Reyes - La Playa

7 Justin Unell - KSHB 41

8 Matt Stewart - KCTV 5

9 Gary Lezak - KSHB 41

10 Todd Leabo - 810 WHB

11 Meredith Hoenes - KSHB 41

12 Jake Gutierrez - 810 WHB

13 Steve Brisendine - Associated Press

14 Nate Bukaty - 810 WHB

15 Rochy Meneses - La GranD

16 Paige Heyward - KSHB 41

Wizards Remain Active in Community

As they are every month, the Wizards have a busy month of July in the Kansas City community. Check out the NEW Wizards community page here for information about the following events and photo galleries of past community outings.

Wizards Bartending Tour Kicks Off Thursday

On the 2nd-to-last Thursday of each of the next three months, the Kansas City Wizards will provide players to local bars as bartenders for the Kansas City Wizards Bartending Tour. The first installment of the program comes this Thursday, July 19, at Cheeseburger in Paradise in Leawood.

Who: D Tyson Wahl, GK Eric Kronberg

When: Thursday, July 19; 6:00-8:00 p.m.

Where: Cheeseburger in Paradise, 5041 W. 135th Street, Leawood, KS

What: Join the Kansas City Wizards players for great food and great drinks at the Leawood Cheeseburger in Paradise. Tyson Wahl and Eric Kronberg will be bartending, meeting new people in the Kansas City community, and helping raise money for the Kansas City Soccer Foundation.

There will be two additional installments of the Wizards Bartending Tour. On Thursday, August 23, the Wizards will be at the Yardhouse inside the Legends in Kansas City, Kansas. On Thursday, September 20, the Bartending Tour wraps up with an event at the Plaza 810 Zone.

Burciaga, Konopka Help Out Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

Who: D Jose Luis Burciaga Jr., GK Chris Konopka

When: Saturday, July 21; 4:00-5:30 p.m.

Where: Entrees Made Easy, 12250 W. 135th Street, Overland Park, KS

What: Entrees Made Easy is putting on a day of fun to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Jose Luis Burciaga Jr. and Chris Konopka will be on hand to hang out with families and sign autographs for the children. Stop by to see the players, win raffle prizes, and see The Peabodys perform.

Check out the Sporting Kansas City Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Major League Soccer Stories from July 16, 2007


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.

OurSports Central