MLS Sporting Kansas City

Kansas City Wizards Weekly Update

November 23, 2009 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release


WIZARDS ANNOUNCE PROTECTED PLAYERS AHEAD OF WEDNESDAY'S EXPANSION DRAFT:

Monday, the Wizards announced the group of 11 players protected from selection in Wednesday's expansion draft by the Philadelphia Union. Philadelphia will select ten players off the rosters of the 15 current MLS clubs. The Union can select no more than one player from each team, so ten existing MLS teams will lose one player, and five teams will be unaffected. Current Generation adidas players are exempt from the expansion draft process, so midfielder Roger Espinoza and midfielder/defender Chance Myers will also remain on the Wizards roster.

The Philadelphia Union will enter Major League Soccer as the League's 16th team for the 2010 season. The 10-round MLS Expansion Draft will take place on Wednesday, November 25.

Kansas City Wizards Protected Players

M Davy Arnaud

D Jimmy Conrad

D Michael Harrington

M Jack Jewsbury

F Kei Kamara

D Jonathan Leathers

M/F Claudio Lopez

M Kevin Souter

F Josh Wolff

M Graham Zusi

F Zoltan

2009 MLS Expansion Draft Rules

Senior Roster

* Teams may protect 11 players between their Senior and their Developmental Roster.

* If the Player's contract expires at the end of 2009, he will still be considered part of the Team's Senior Roster.

* If a Team protects a player, it is not obligated to exercise the player's option. It may renegotiate a new budget number for the player as in previous years.

* If a player retires, he will not be a part of the Senior Roster, but his Team will lose its right of first refusal to him should he ultimately decide to play.

Developmental Roster

* Players on a Team's Developmental Roster, other than Generation adidas players who have not been graduated at the end of the 2009 season and Home Grown Players, will be part of the expansion draft.

* Generation adidas players (who have not been graduated at the end of the 2009 season) and Home Grown players are automatically protected (teams do not have to use a protected slot on them)If Philadelphia selects a Developmental Player it must offer him a Senior Roster position and he must be on Philadelphia's Senior Roster as of Roster Compliance Date.

International Players

* Teams are restricted in the number of International player(s) that they may make available per the table set forth below.

* For purposes of this expansion process, for US-based teams, any non-domestic US player would count as an International and for Toronto FC, any non-domestic US player or non-domestic Canadian player would count as an International.

Designated Players

* Designated Players do not have to be protected unless the player has a no trade clause in which case he must be protected.

Maximum Player Loss

* Once a player has been claimed from a Team's non-protected roster, that team is eliminated from the expansion draft and may not lose any further players.

Right to Renegotiate

* Philadelphia will have the right to renegotiate a drafted player's salary (either up or down) without having to place such player on waivers or giving his previous Team a right of first refusal.

Priority

* On the first day of the Discovery/Allocation Period, Philadelphia will have priority over players who played professionally in the USL First or Second Division in 2009, subject to another MLS team's right of first refusal.

Rounds

* The expansion draft will be 10 rounds.

INTERNATIONAL PLAYER PROTECTION REQUIREMENT TABLE:

* Teams may make available a number of international players equal to their total number of international players minus 3, provided that if a team has 3 or less international players it may make available not more than 1.

ESPINOZA, MYERS TO JOIN GENERATION ADIDAS TRIP TO SOUTH AFRICA:

Two Kansas City Wizards will take part in an upcoming trip to South Africa by some of Major League Soccer's top young players. Midfielder Roger Espinoza and midfielder/defender Chance Myers, members of the Generation adidas program, will join 16 other MLS players on an 11-day trip that will feature three friendlies against reserve sides from the Premier Soccer League, South Africa's first division. The trip takes place from Nov. 27 - Dec. 8.

Espinoza was drafted 11th overall in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft out of Ohio State. He has played in 38 games (18 starts) over two seasons, scoring one goal and adding five assists. Espinoza became a regular member of the Honduras National Team in 2009, playing nine games and scoring two goals. He was named the Wizards Rookie of the Year in 2008 and took part in last year's Generation adidas trip to England for matches against the reserves of Chelsea FC, Aston Villa and Reading FC.

Myers was the 1st overall selection in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft out of UCLA. Myers has battled various injuries through his two professional seasons. He played in 10 games in 2008 before missing the second half of the season due to a bout with mononucleosis. Myers then suffered a broken metatarsal just before the start of the 2009 season, eventually playing six games down the stretch for Kansas City and registering one assist.

The Generation adidas squad will play in three friendlies against Premier Soccer League reserves, attend the World Cup 2010 official draw in Cape Town and tour Nelson Mandela's House. The team will also take part in the opening of the first ever FIFA Football for Hope Centre. Generation adidas is a programming allowing the best young players in the country to become professionals before the completion of college. Players receive stipends from adidas to continue their college education and do not count against MLS senior rosters.

Generation adidas 2009 Tour Participants:

Patrick Nyarko (Chicago Fire), Baggio Husidic (Chicago Fire), Ciaran O'Brien (Colorado Rapids), Rob Valentino (Colorado Rapids), Rodney Wallace (D.C. United), Chris Pontius (D.C. United), Brek Shea (FC Dallas), Josh Lambo (FC Dallas), Bruno Guarda (FC Dallas), Eric Avila (FC Dallas), Peri Marosevic (FC Dallas), Daniel Cruz (Houston Dynamo), Chance Myers (Kansas City Wizards), Roger Espinoza (Kansas City Wizards), Kevin Alston (New England Revolution), Jeremy Hall (New York Red Bulls), Anthony Beltran (Real Salt Lake), Stefan Frei (Toronto FC)

Generation adidas 2009 Tour Match Schedule:

Date Opponent

Nov. 30 Orlando Pirates Reserves

Dec. 3 TBD

Dec. 6 AJAX Cape Town Reserves

KCW JUNIORS BEGIN LIFE IN U.S. SOCCER DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY WITH WINS:

The KCW Juniors U-16 and U-18 squads both won their first-ever U.S. Soccer Development Academy matches Saturday outside of Houston with victories over teams from Texas Rush. The U-16s won 1-0, while the U-18s twice came from behind to win 3-2. The U-16 team then registered a come-from-behind 1-1 tie Sunday against Dallas Texans Houston, while the U-18 team lost 2-0 to a team from the same club. Jordan Rideout scored both goals on the weekend for the U-16s, including the first Developmental Academy goal in KCW Juniors history. Rodney Mays, Mbulunji Mhango and Michael Oakley each scored one goal for the U-18s.

The KCW Juniors are one of five clubs to join the Development Academy program for the 2009-10 season. Joining the KCW Juniors in the Academy in 2009-10 will be California Development Academy (Sacramento, Calif.), Houston Dynamo (Houston, Texas), McLean Youth Soccer (McLean, Va.) and NJSA 04 (Holmdel, N.J.). The five Academy clubs were selected from a pool of 250 applicants. Clubs were selected based on their potential to generate future national team players as determined by geographic location, coaching staff, administrative capabilities and national team coach site visits and evaluations. U.S. Soccer has limited the number of clubs admitted into the Academy each year to maintain the highest quality of competition in the program.

2010 SEASON-TICKET PACKAGES NOW ON SALE:

The Kansas City Wizards are now accepting renewals from current season ticket holders and new season ticket deposits for the 2010 Major League Soccer season. The Wizards will begin the 2010 campaign with a home match on Saturday, March 27, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. CT against D.C. United at CommunityAmerica Ballpark. Kansas City, a charter member of Major League Soccer, will play its 15th season in 2010.

Fans who renew their season tickets or purchase new season-ticket packages will retain an early priority number that will determine seat locations in Kansas City's new stadium. To renew season tickets or place a deposit for new season tickets, call the Wizards locally at 913-387-3400, toll free at 1-877-828-7222 or visit www.kcwizards.com.

Prices for the 2010 Kansas City Wizards season at CommunityAmerica Ballpark will remain unchanged, with the exception of some premium seating sections. Season tickets start at just $180 for an 18-game schedule that includes 15 regular-season MLS contests and three "Special Game" tickets. The Wizards will offer FREE parking for all matches at CommunityAmerica Ballpark again in 2010.

After the season opener, the Wizards will travel to face the Houston Dynamo on Saturday, April 3 at 7:30 p.m. CT. The full 2010 MLS schedule will be announced in January of next year, and Kansas City's broadcast schedule will be announced leading up to the start of the 2010 campaign.

2010 Season Ticket Prices

Seating Category

Full-Season Rate

Per-Game Rate

Gate Price

Field Side Reserved

$1,800

$100

$120

Terrace Table (4 Seats)

$3,600

$50

$60

Stadium Reserved

$396

$22

$25

Bleacher Reserved

$324

$18

$20

Cauldron

$252

$14

$20

Grass Berm/General Admission

$180

$10

$15

CONRAD PLAYS 20 MINUTES IN USA FRIENDLY:

Defender Jimmy Conrad played the final 20 minutes last Wednesday in the United States' 3-1 loss to Denmark to conclude the 2009 Men's National Team schedule. All three goals were scored before Conrad entered the match. Conrad has now appeared 27 times in a U.S. uniform, including two matches during the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The Wizards and Budweiser hosted watch parties for the Denmark game Wednesday at both area 810 Zone locations.

Former Wizards forward Eddie Johnson, now with Fulham FC of the English Premier League, also played in the match. Johnson has appeared for the United States 39 times, scoring 12 goals. Johnson played for Kansas City between 2006-2007. Johnson scored 17 goals in MLS play over that time, putting him in 9th place on the Kansas City's all-time goals list. Johnson set career highs in goals (15) and assists (6) in 2007 for the Wizards. Johnson then transferred to Fulham FC in January of 2008.

KANSAS CITY BID COMMITTEE LAUNCHES ONLINE PETITION TO SUPPORT FIFA WORLD CUP(tm) EFFORT:

The Kansas City / USA Host City Bid Committee announced last Monday that an electronic petition drive has begun to boost the city's chances of hosting FIFA World Cup(tm) matches in 2018 or 2022 should FIFA choose the United States as a host nation. Kansas City is one of 27 remaining cities in the running to be part of the USA Bid Committee's bid submission to FIFA. The USA Bid Committee is expected to include 18 cities in their bid to FIFA. Matches in Kansas City would be played at Arrowhead Stadium. To support the effort, Kansas Citians are asked to sign the petition at www.goUSAbid.com/kc and pass the petition along to their friends and family.

A series of emails will be sent from community leaders to their employees, patrons and clients in the coming days to support to the online petition effort. All Kansas Citians are encouraged to click through the email and sign the petition, then pass the message along to their friends and family members. The Kansas City / USA Host City Bid Committee is Co-Chaired by Kansas City Chiefs Chairman of the Board Clark Hunt and Cerner Corporation's Chairman and CEO and Kansas City Wizards co-owner Neal Patterson. The USA Bid Committee will select final cities to be included in the bid in December. The USA Bid Committee will then submit their bid to FIFA, world soccer's governing body, in May of 2010. FIFA will select host countries for the 2018 and 2022 events in December of 2010.

"On behalf of the Kansas City Bid Committee, I would encourage sports fans across the Midwest to sign the petition to bring the FIFA World Cup(tm) to Kansas City," Hunt said. "Hosting the FIFA World Cup(tm) at Arrowhead was a longtime dream of my father's. The time is right to bring the world's most prestigious soccer competition to the Kansas City community. The USA Bid Committee will soon make its final selections for cities to be included in the USA Bid. We need the community's help to ensure that Arrowhead and Kansas City will showcase the international excitement that is the FIFA World Cup(tm)."

A study released previously by the USA Bid Committee indicates that the total economic impact projected for any one host city ranges from approximately $400 million to $600 million at today's dollar value. That figure is based on 12 host cities staging five to six matches, along with ancillary venues such as the International Broadcast Center (IBC) in one city and FIFA Fan Fest(tm) in each city. The study also estimates 5,000 to 8,000 jobs would be created in each host city during the event's operation.

"It is not often that citizens from every walk of life have the opportunity to play such an important role in bringing a world-class event to their city," Patterson said. "This is one of those rare opportunities. I encourage all Kansas Citians to visit goUSAbid.com/kc and sign the petition. Hosting an event of this magnitude would showcase our fine community to the rest of the world and bring hundreds of millions of dollars to our local economy."

The Kansas City / USA Host City Bid Committee features members and expertise from a wide range of Kansas City metropolitan area public and private entities from both sides of the state line, including: The Kansas City Chiefs; Kansas City Wizards' ownership group OnGoal, LLC; the Kansas City Sports Commission and Foundation; the Kansas City Convention and Visitors Association; the City of Kansas City, Missouri; the Unified Government of Wyandotte County, Kansas City, Kansas; the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA); and POPULOUS, formerly HOK Sport Venue Event.

The full list of cities still in the running includes: Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New York City, Oakland, Orlando, Philadelphia, Glendale-Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Tampa, and Washington, D.C.

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