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SuperLiga Preview: Kansas City Wizards
The Kansas City Wizards will be looking to keep the consistency which has benefited them in MLS as the team approaches its first SuperLiga tournament.
Jun 20, 2009 3:14:29 AM
MLS record: 5 wins, 5 draws, 4 losses
2008 SuperLiga: The Wizards have no previous SuperLiga history, as they are making their debut in the competition.
Leading scorer: Josh Wolff, 6 goals
Key Additions: Santiago Hirsig, Matt Besler
Key Losses: Kerry Zavagnin, Sasha Victorine
Update: The Kansas City Wizards are reaping the benefits of stability. They kept most of their 2008 roster intact, and even retained Kerry Zavagnin, the team's steady midfielder, after his retirement, in a coaching capacity. In that way, the team was able to keep some of the leadership and team chemistry that Zavagnin offered the team for many years on the field.
The Wizards also scored a coup in signing Argentine Claudio Lopez to a reduced contract, removing him from the list of designated players. Lopes was apparently content enough with his situation in Kansas City that the lower salary didn't matter to him as much. It seemed that Kansas City was primed to make a move, signing a marquee acquisition to the designated player spot, but that never happened.
Instead, coach Curt Onalfo has forged a cohesive unit where the scoring load is shared among midfielder Davy Arnaud, veteran forward Josh Wolff, and Lopez. The team's other pacy forward, Herculez Gomez, has yet to get on the scoresheet this season, though he has three assists.
The team will need to depend on Gomez more partly because Arnaud will be absent for a stretch of games that includes SuperLiga action while he participates with the U.S. national team in the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Though it rarely shows up on the scoresheet, the backbone of the squad lies in the reliable defense, which keeps the team in a number of games. Anchored by the experienced Kevin Hartman in goal and led by the charismatic team captain Jimmy Conrad in the center of the defense, the backline of the Wizards smothers numerous attacks and frustrates opponents. Rookie Matt Breslin and Argentine Santiago Hirsig have clicked right into this group. In the 2009 MLS season, the Wizards have proven themselves as solid contenders, if not quite the cream of league.
Despite all the history the Wizards have as one of the original founding teams of MLS, their one great moment of glory came years ago, in 2000, when they claimed the MLS title. The squad is hungry for more renown, which should make them feisty competitors in their first SuperLiga action.
Andrea Canales, Goal.com
For more on Major League Soccer visit Goal.com's MLS page.
2008 SuperLiga: The Wizards have no previous SuperLiga history, as they are making their debut in the competition.
Leading scorer: Josh Wolff, 6 goals
Key Additions: Santiago Hirsig, Matt Besler
Key Losses: Kerry Zavagnin, Sasha Victorine
Update: The Kansas City Wizards are reaping the benefits of stability. They kept most of their 2008 roster intact, and even retained Kerry Zavagnin, the team's steady midfielder, after his retirement, in a coaching capacity. In that way, the team was able to keep some of the leadership and team chemistry that Zavagnin offered the team for many years on the field.
The Wizards also scored a coup in signing Argentine Claudio Lopez to a reduced contract, removing him from the list of designated players. Lopes was apparently content enough with his situation in Kansas City that the lower salary didn't matter to him as much. It seemed that Kansas City was primed to make a move, signing a marquee acquisition to the designated player spot, but that never happened.
Instead, coach Curt Onalfo has forged a cohesive unit where the scoring load is shared among midfielder Davy Arnaud, veteran forward Josh Wolff, and Lopez. The team's other pacy forward, Herculez Gomez, has yet to get on the scoresheet this season, though he has three assists.
The team will need to depend on Gomez more partly because Arnaud will be absent for a stretch of games that includes SuperLiga action while he participates with the U.S. national team in the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Though it rarely shows up on the scoresheet, the backbone of the squad lies in the reliable defense, which keeps the team in a number of games. Anchored by the experienced Kevin Hartman in goal and led by the charismatic team captain Jimmy Conrad in the center of the defense, the backline of the Wizards smothers numerous attacks and frustrates opponents. Rookie Matt Breslin and Argentine Santiago Hirsig have clicked right into this group. In the 2009 MLS season, the Wizards have proven themselves as solid contenders, if not quite the cream of league.
Despite all the history the Wizards have as one of the original founding teams of MLS, their one great moment of glory came years ago, in 2000, when they claimed the MLS title. The squad is hungry for more renown, which should make them feisty competitors in their first SuperLiga action.
Andrea Canales, Goal.com
For more on Major League Soccer visit Goal.com's MLS page.
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