Weekly Update: Rapids visit Saturday

Headlines for the week of 4/5/2010:

• Wizards Defeat A.C. St. Louis in Exhibition
• Chhetri Nets Hat Trick in Reserves Victory
• April Fool Michael Harrington Makes SportsCenter
• Wizards Return to MLS Action Saturday Versus Colorado
• Wizards to Host Rapids in Open Cup Qualifier at UMKC
• New-Look kcwizards.com Now Online
• Zona Wizards To Air On La Gran D 1340 AM
• Wizards Youth Soccer Camps Now On Sale
• 2010 Season Tickets Still Available

WIZARDS DEFEAT A.C. ST. LOUIS IN EXHIBITION:
The Kansas City Wizards endured a physical outing against USSF Division II side A.C. St Louis on Saturday night, but managed to prevail 2-1 at the Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park in Fenton, Missouri.

Forward Zoltan got the Wizards started with a goal in the 31st minute, before A.C. St. Louis responded with a penalty kick midway through the second half. Midfielder Santiago Hirsig struck the winning goal for the Wizards in the 84th minute.

The Wizards started the first half brightly, controlling possession and doing well to put attackers in good positions to score. However, despite out-shooting St. Louis by a wide margin, Kansas City could not gain an advantage in the match early on.

Zoltan finally got the Wizards on the board with an opportunistic goal, taking advantage of a misplayed back pass by ACSL goalkeeper Alec Dufty. Zoltan took the ball off Dufty’s feet as he tried to control it, with the Hungarian finishing past two defenders on the goal line to give the Wizards a 1-0 lead.

St. Louis was able to even the score in the second half from the penalty spot, after goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen was adjudged to have brought down a St. Louis attacker in the box. Forward Elvir Kafedzic calmly netted the ensuing penalty.

More bad news for the Wizards came shortly after the penalty kick, as forward Zoltan went down due to a knee injury and was taken off the field on a stretcher. He will undergo an MRI in Kansas City today.

The Wizards would get the wining goal with just six minutes remaining through midfielder Santiago Hirsig. The Argentinean did well to fight through the ACSL defense to get on the end of a Craig Rocastle service from a freekick, sliding the ball into the back of the net for the winning goal.

The win marks Kansas City’s second triumph in two games against A.C. St. Louis. The Wizards prevailed 2-0 against ACSL in an exhibition match on March 19th at the Wizards' Swope Park Training Facility.

CHHETRI NETS HAT TRICK IN RESERVES VICTORY:
In the undercard to Saturday’s main event in St. Louis, the Kansas City Wizards reserves rode a second half Sunil Chhetri hat trick to a 5-0 victory over the University of Evansville.

After goalkeeper Eric Kronberg made a string of early saves to keep the scores level, midfielder Graham Zusi put the Wizards ahead with a blistering strike from the top of the box just before the halftime whistle. It was one-way traffic in the second half, with Chhetri netting the first of his three goals with a diving header off a Zusi cross.

Chhetri would get his second goal 18 minutes later, finishing a smart feed from the right by trialist Kyle Brown. The Indian striker would complete the hat trick on a breakaway, dashing through the center of the park and finishing past the Evansville goalkeeper.

Midfielder Mauro Fuzetti rounded out the scoring, bringing the game to its final score of 5-0 off a deflected freekick in the game’s waning moments.

APRIL FOOL MICHAEL HARRINGTON MAKES SPORTSCENTER:
Defender Michael Harrington certainly had an eventful April Fools’ Day. As part of a team-wide prank, the North Carolina native received a call on Wednesday evening informing him that he was set to be featured in Maxim Magazine as part of a photo shoot of professional athletes that support Pet Appreciation Month.

The next morning, on April Fools’ Day, Harrington showed up early to the Swope Park Training Center for the shoot, wherein he donned ridiculous make-up whiskers, a reddened nose and Mickey Mouse ears. Harrington gave the Maxim photographers (actually Amy and Chase Ashurst from The Rye Studio) everything they wanted for the shoot, including his best roar.

Only after a video of the shoot was shown to the rest of the team did Harrington find out the whole thing was a ruse. Soon enough, the whole nation found out about the elaborate prank. Harrington was featured on Thursday night’s edition of SportsCenter, alongside Mark Cuban, Pete Carroll, Shaq and other famous recipients of April Fools’ Day pranks in the world of sports.

See video of the prank here, with special bonus footage here.

WIZARDS RETURN TO MLS ACTION SATURDAY VERSUS COLORADO:
The Kansas City Wizards return to MLS action after a bye week as they host the Colorado Rapids at 7:30 p.m. CT at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.

The Rapids come into the game ranked second in the Western Conference through two games, having fought to a 2-2 home draw with the Chicago Fire in their most recent match. The Wizards defense will face a stern test in Rapids forward duo Conor Casey and Omar Cummings, who have three goals between them through two games this season. The team also signed former Wizards midfielder Claudio Lopez last week, though the Argentinean is not likely to feature in this weekend’s match due to visa issues.

The Wizards will look to continue their excellent start to the season, having defeated D.C. United 4-0 on the opening day of the season. The team will prepare for Colorado’s challenge with a busy week of training at the team’s Swope Park Training Facility. Media availability will occur after all practices.

TRAINING SCHEDULE

WIZARDS TO HOST RAPIDS IN OPEN CUP QUALIFIER AT UMKC:
The Wizards will face the Colorado Rapids again just a few days after Saturday’s game, as the two sides will meet in a qualifying game for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday, April 13th at 7:30 p.m. CT. The game will take place at the Stanley H. Durwood Stadium on the campus of the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC).

Wizards season ticket holders and UMKC students and faculty will be able to purchase tickets for $10, with tickets for the general public available at $15 each. Tickets can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com/opencup or by calling the Wizards at (913) 387-3413.

NEW-LOOK KCWIZARDS.COM NOW ONLINE:
This weekend saw the launch of the newly redesigned KCWizards.com, which will feature more exclusive content and greater interactivity with social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Head to the new site now to check out a Q & A with Wizards defender Matt Besler, recaps from the team’s games in St. Louis, the full story behind Michael Harrington’s April Fools’ Day prank and much more. Also, be sure to check out the KC Soccer Stadium webcam to follow the building of the Wizards’ new home.

“ZONA WIZARDS” TO AIR ON LA GRAN D 1340 AM:
Zona Wizards, the Wizards weekly Spanish-language radio show, will be airing weekly during the 2010 MLS season. The show, which features interviews with Wizards players and coaches, will air every Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. CT on La Gran D 1340 AM, which is also the Wizards Spanish-language flagship station.

WIZARDS YOUTH SOCCER CAMPS NOW ON SALE:
Registration to any of the Kansas City Wizards’ youth camps is now open, with nine different camps taking place at various locations around the Kansas City metro area this summer.

All camps will be managed and directed by full time Wizards employees, and include appearances by Wizards coaching staff and/or players along with a game ticket and many other benefits. The Wizards offer a variety of camps, consisting of Elite Camps for boys only, Fantasy Camps for the experienced male and female players at the team’s Swope Park Training Center and a handful of other camps in the Overland Park area.

For more information or to register for a Kansas City Wizards youth camp, visit www.kcwizards.com/camps, or contact Betsy Pollard at (913) 387-3883 or bpollard@kcwizards.com.

2010 SEASON TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE:
Fans who purchase new season-ticket packages will retain an early priority number that will determine seat locations in Kansas City’s new stadium. To purchase new season tickets, call the Wizards locally at 913-387-3400, toll-free at 1-888-4KC-GOAL 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 $170 for a 17-game schedule that includes 14 regular-season MLS contests and three “Special Game” tickets. The Wizards will offer FREE parking for all matches at CommunityAmerica Ballpark again in 2010.

2010 SEASON TICKET PRICES