Wizards game notes
March 21, 2002 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release
The Kansas City Wizards open the 2002 Major League Soccer season this Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium. The Wizards will host division rival Colorado Rapids at 7:00 p.m. CT. The Wizards ended the 2001 season with an 8-4-1 mark at home while Colorado was just 2-7-4 on the road.
Colorado used the offseason to add a number of top players in MLS. U.S. National Team defender Pablo Mastroeni makes his debut for the Rapids after being selected as the first overall pick in the 2002 Allocation draft. Mastroeni anchored the Miami Fusion backline last season while leading them to the semifinals of the MLS Cup Playoffs. He is a two time All-Star and was selected to the "Pepsi Best 11" squad for the first time in 2001.
Also joining Mastroeni on the Rapids roster are former Wizards midfielders Mark Chung and Chris Henderson. Chung, who ranks 10th on the MLS all-time assist list, joined the Rapids in a SuperDraft day trade with the MetroStars. Henderson returns to Colorado after being drafted in the 1st round of the Dispersal Draft from Miami. Henderson began his MLS career with the Rapids in 1996 before being traded to Kansas City in 1999.
Scottish forward John Spencer remains the most lethal player in the Colorado lineup. The 31-year-old ranked third in the league in scoring last season, registering 35 points (14g, 7a) while playing in just 23 games. Spencer will likely team with the young Chris Carrieri at forward. Carrieri came to Colorado in a midseason trade with San Jose in 2001. Carrieri was the first overall pick in the 2001 SuperDraft. He led the Rapids in scoring during the 2002 preseason, notching 7 goals in eight games.
The Wizards begin the 2002 season with a number of new additions and a few familiar faces as well. Wizards all-time leading scorer Preki returns to Kansas City, the team with which he helped capture the 2000 MLS Cup, as well as local college standout Diego Gutierrez. Preki, who ranks second on the MLS all-time scoring list, joins all-time leading scorer Roy Lassiter in the Wizards lineup.
Both Gutierrez and Preki filled the Wizards need for left-sided players. They also acquired the left-footed Eric Quill in the Dispersal Draft and Stephen Armstrong in a trade with D.C. United. The slew of lefties added with the power of Gary Glasgow, Francisco Gomez, and Chris Klein on the right give the Wizards a nice balance at midfield.
Kerry Zavagnin and Matt McKeon will again roam the middle while Peter Vermes, Nick Garcia and Mike Burns all return to the Wizards back line. In net, Meola will look to prove he is still the best goalkeeper in MLS. The Wizards experience, coupled with their offseason additions of young talent will have them geared for another Championship run in 2002.
Preseason Notes
The Wizards finished the 2002 preseason with a 6-0-2 record in Florida and Argentina. Kansas City outscored their opponents 21-5 in eight preseason matches.
The Wizards shutout W Connection FC of Trinidad twice in March, 1-0 on March 3rd and 2-0 on March 16th, to advance to the Second Round of the Champions Cup.
Vs. Opponent (3/23 vs. COL)
Kansas City owns a 12-8-3 record all-time against Colorado and is 9-2-0 at Arrowhead Stadium. Kansas City is 5-1-0 in Home Openers, outscoring their opponents 13-9
The Wizards were 1-0-2 against the Rapids in 2001, winning once in Kansas City and collecting both ties in Colorado.
The Wizards are unbeaten in their last ten games against Colorado (6-0-4) including the regular season and playoffs. The Wizards last loss to the Rapids came on September 25, 1999, a 1-0 shootout loss at Arrowhead Stadium.
The final match between the two clubs in 2001 was cancelled due to the September 11th incidents. Just one player in Colorado's starting lineup (Spencer) was in the starting lineup for the Rapids in the 2001 season opener. Only seven players on the Rapids 2002 opening day roster were on the roster for the 2001 season opener.
Colorado midfielder Mark Chung played for Kansas City from 1996 to 1998. Midfielder Chris Henderson played for Kansas City in 1999 and during the MLS Cup Championship season of 2000.
Wizards defender Peter Vermes and midfielders Matt McKeon and Kerry Zavagnin have all spent time on the Colorado roster during their MLS careers. Vermes and McKeon came to Kansas City in a trade prior to the 2000 season. Zavagnin was originally drafted out of college by Colorado, but was traded to the MetroStars before appearing in a match.
These two teams squared off in the season opener in 1996, the inagural match for both clubs (April 13, 1996). Preki, Diego Gutierrez and Matt McKeon all appeared for Kansas City in that match (Preki and McKeon started, Gutierrez came on as a sub). Chris Henderson was in the starting lineup for Colorado for that game.
Individual Marks
Kansas City forward Roy Lassiter enters this game as the all-time leading scorer in MLS history with 211 points (88g, 35a). Preki ranks second all-time in MLS with 199 points (58g, 83a). Preki needs one point to become just the second player in MLS history to reach the 200-point plateau Roy Lassiter). Matt McKeon will make his 150th career MLS appearance on Saturday.
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