Wizards Face Santos Laguna This Wednesday
Published on April 22, 2002 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release
The Kansas City Wizards will face Santos Laguna of Mexico this Wednesday night at Arrowhead Stadium. The second game of the Champions Cup Quarterfinals series will mark the second time the two sides have squared off in Kansas City. They last met at Arrowhead on a chilly night last November, the eve of Thanksgiving in the final game of the first round of the 2001 Copa Merconorte, a game which Kansas City lost 1-0.
Kansas City lost the first game of this two-game series 2-1 in Torreon, Mexico on April 10th. Santos forward Eduardo Lillingston scored both goals for the Mexican squad with his first coming in the 2nd minute of the match. Kansas City got on the board with a goal in the 81st minute by forward Gary Glasgow to keep within one goal of Santos Laguna in the aggregate total.
With Santos leading 2-1 in aggregate goals, the Wizards must win by two goals or more in order to advance to the Semifinals. If Kansas City wins by just one goal, the game will move into two, 15-minute "Golden Goal" halves. If neither team scores in the overtime halves, then the winner will be determined in a penalty kick shootout.
Kansas City Renews Old Conference Rivalry With Dallas on Saturday
When Major League Soccer transformed from a three-division format to a two-conference format in January of 2002, the Dallas Burn made the transition from the former Central Division to the Western Conference. The move allows the Wizards to renew a conference rivalry they shared with Dallas in the first four years in MLS. The Wizards (1-1-1) will face the Dallas Burn (1-1-1) on Saturday, April 27th at the Cotton Bowl in the first of four meetings during the 2002 season.
The Wizards are 4-5-1 in the Cotton Bowl against the Dallas Burn and trail the all-time series 8-11-1. In their last trip to Dallas, the Wizards were shutout 3-0. Kansas City will look to shake their recent bad luck in Dallas as they unveil their new road white uniforms.
Dallas' offense is led by Omaha, Nebraska native Jason Kreis, who has scored a goal in three straight games. His six points ranks him 3rd in the league in scoring in 2002 and have moved him into 3rd all-time on the MLS scoring charts with 195 points (69g, 57a), trailing Wizards forward Roy Lassiter (211) and midfielder Preki (203). Joining Kreis on the Burn attack is newcomer Ronald Cerritos. Cerritos was acquired in an offseason trade with San Jose for forward Ariel Graziani. Cerritos' 149 career points (55g, 39a) rank him 7th on the all-time MLS scoring charts.
Nineteen-year-old Joselito Vaca will patrol the midfield for the Burn along with veterans Jorge Rodriguez and Oscar Pareja. Vaca scored two goals and added four assists in his rookie season last year while Rodriguez's 18 points in 2001 (6g, 4a) and Pareja's 16 points (2g, 12a) ranked them fourth and fifth on the Burn scoring list a year ago. Also adding to the Dallas scoring threat is St. Louis native Bobby Rhine. Rhine had a breakout season in 2001 with 17 points (5g, 7a) can be used both as starter and off the bench.
Anchoring the Dallas back line are 2001 Rookie of the Year candidate Ryan Suarez and former Queens Park Ranger defender Steve Morrow. Morrow, a Senior International from Northern Ireland, played for Arsenal of the English Premiership prior to joining QPR. In net for Dallas will be Matt Jordan who currently ranks fourth all-time in MLS with 27 shutouts.
Bruce Arena to Unveil U.S. Roster for World Cup Live on ESPN Today
U.S. Men's National Team head coach Bruce Arena will unveil his 23-player U.S. roster for the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea/Japan tonight, April 22nd, live on ESPN's SportsCenter. The announcement will be made live at 5:00 p.m. CT on SportsCenter and will be followed by a 6:00 p.m. CT media conference call. Media members who wish to participate in the conference call should dial 1-800-324-5531 and ask for the U.S. Soccer conference call. Wizards Goalkeeper Tony Meola is a possibility to fill the third goalkeeper slot on the roster, joining Kasey Keller and Brad Friedel in net for the Americans. If selected, Meola will take part in his unprecedented third World Cup as a goalkeeper, having started in the 1990 and 1994 World Cup's. Meola's 1990 squad was coached by current Wizards Head Coach Bob Gansler and was the first U.S. team since 1950 to qualify for the World Cup. In 1994, Meola led the U.S. to the Quarterfinals in front of the home crowd as the United States hosted its first ever World Cup.
KC Kicks to Air Wednesday Night on Metro Sports
KC Kicks, a weekly half hour show devoted to the Kansas City Wizards, will air this Wednesday, April 24th live from Arrowhead Stadium on Metro Sports. The show is hosted each Wednesday evening at 5:00 p.m. CT by the "Voice of the Wizards" Sean Wheelock and Wizards goalkeeper Tony Meola. Usually filmed in the studio, KC Kicks will take to the road for the first time in the 2002 season. Wheelock and Meola will be at Arrowhead Stadium to preview the Wizards Champions Cup match against Santos Laguna that will take place later Wednesday night beginning at 7:00 p.m. CT.
Soccer Saturday on ESPN2
This week's "Soccer Saturday" match will feature a Western Conference match-up between the Colorado Rapids and the Los Angeles Galaxy at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA. The match will be shown live on ESPN2 with kickoff scheduled for 3:00 p.m. CT.
This Week with the Wizards
Sunday, April 28th - Dynamo and Kid's Trolley Run Wizards one and only, Dynamo the Dragon and over 3,000 children and adults will be running in the Kid's Trolley Run benefiting the Children's Center for the Visually Impaired on Sunday morning from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Children can meet Dynamo at Mill Creek Park located on the Country Club Plaza prior to the race. For more information please call 816-920-4739.
Wizards Training Schedule for the Week of April 22, 2002 (All times CT, subject to change): Monday, April 22nd Off
Tuesday, April 23rd 9:30 - 11:00 a.m. at Arrowhead Stadium Field
Wednesday, April 24th WIZARDS vs. Santos Laguna, Arrowhead Stadium, 7:00 p.m. CT
Thursday, April 25th 9:30 - 11:00 a.m. at Arrowhead Stadium Field
Friday, April 26th 9:00 - 9:45 a.m. at Arrowhead Stadium Field
Saturday, April 27th WIZARDS at Dallas Burn, The Cotton Bowl, Dallas, TX, 7:30 p.m. CT
Wizards Injury Report
Player Status Injury
D - Jose Burciaga Out Torn Left ACL
M - Eric Quill Questionable Strained Left Hamstring
Major League Soccer Stories from April 22, 2002
- Cobi Jones Named to U.S. World Cup Roster - LA Galaxy
- 12 MLS Players Named to U.S. World Cup Team - MLS
- Crew Notes/vs. D.C. United Preview - Columbus Crew SC
- Wizards Face Santos Laguna This Wednesday - Sporting Kansas City
- MetroStars Weekly Report - Red Bull New York
- Eddie Pope Named to United States World Cup Team - D.C. United
- Crew's McBride Named to 2002 U.S. World Cup Team - Columbus Crew SC
- Chicago Fire Weekly - Chicago Fire FC
- Landon Donovan, Jeff Agoos Named to the 2002 United States World Cup Roster - San Jose Earthquakes
- Dallas Burn Weekly Update - FC Dallas
- San Jose's Graziani Named Player of the Week - MLS
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.
