~ Biggest news of the day: Rookie Jonathan Leathers was named to the 22-player roster for the US U-23 team that will compete in the Toulan Invitational Tournament in France.  The US will play Turkey, Italy and Ivory Coast later this month — all on FSC.  The team arrives in Toulon on Thursday, so Leathers will be unavailable for the Wizards next two matches: Saturday at New York and next week at LA.  Leathers has appeared for KC in four games this season (three starts), but has not played in the team’s last two games and was not on the 18-man roster at Columbus.

    ~ Former Wizards Amir Lowery and Yomby William, both waived last month to allow for the addition of open tryout participants Kevin Souter and Nelson Pizarro, are training with other teams in MLS.  Yomby is in Salt Lake where he took part in their reserves match versus Dallas yesterday.  And Amir has played for both New York’s reserves on May 2nd and San Jose’s reserves on May 4th. 

    ~ Following New York’s 2-1 victory over LA on Saturday night, an MSG network anchor previewed the Red Bulls next game: Saturday, May 17th against the Kansas City Lizards.  Hmm.

    ~ Finally, Kansas City’s partner squad, Atlas AC in Mexico, advanced to the quaterfinals of Copa Libertadores with their 2-2 draw against Argentina’s Lanus last week, but will miss out on the Clausara league playoffs after drawing 0-0 yesterday in their two-leg series with Necaxa and losing out on the regular season record tiebreaker.  Atlas faces Argentine superpower Boca Juniors on Wednesday in Copa Libertadores action.

Against the top team in the league and on the road, the Wizards couldn’t make many mistakes if they expected a positive result.  The boys in blue made several on Saturday, the first coming in the 4th minute of the game as Columbus opened the scoring on a Guillermo Barros Schelotto freekick.  Tyson Wahl hacked down the Argentine 30 yards from goal after being nutmegged, and then was beaten by Chad Marshall on the ensuing service to the backpost.  Marshall’s high arching header looped across the goal mouth where three Wizards (Jimmy Conrad, Jack Jewsbury, and Michael Harrington) were outjumped by Adam Moffat, whose header beat a hesitant to come out Kevin Hartman. 

The Crew’s lead was then doubled through a cheeky bicycle kick through ball played by Alejandro Moreno.  Miscommunication between Hartman and rookie Chance Myers allowed the speedy Robbie Rogers to tap the ball into the open net in the 34th minute.  Two minutes later, Myers’ fellow first round draft pick Roger Espinoza complicated matters when he was sent off for a deliberate forearm to the chest of Frankie Hejduk.

Lucky to be at the half only down two, the Wizards second-half performance was sparked by the halftime insertion of Scott Sealy.  The Trinidadian drew a soft penalty when he went down after a Danny O’Rourke shirt tug was whistled instantly in the 78th minute.  Claudio Lopez converted it for the Wizards, hitting it hard and low down the middle.  Why didn’t Jewsbury step up to the spot, as he did in the Wizards only other penalty attempt of the season?  Listeners to Thursday’s Jimmy Conrad Show know that there was some gamesmanship going on between Jewsbury and former Wizard and current Crew keeper Will Hesmer.  The two bantered about their confidence facing a familiar foe should the situation arise on Saturday.  Sure enough it did and Hesmer — 2 for 2 on pk saves this season prior to Saturday — was forced to face newly acquired and therefore unfamiliar El Piojo.  

Video highlights here.  KC Star and Columbus Dispatch both with separate stories by Shawn Mitchell.  On Sunday, the Wizards reserves tied Columbus reserves 1-1.  Ryan Pore missed a pk in the match.

The Wizards are off next week before returning to action at New York on May 17th.  After starting 2-0, Kansas City has gone 1-3-1 in its last five, scoring just three goals in the stretch (two from the pk spot). 

• Greg Lalas featured KC in his April wrap-up piece earlier this week.  His “Five Reasons to Watch KC” has some solid points and this particularly poignant line: “Claudio Lopez is the most exciting thing to hit KC since barbecue sauce.”  He also credits Chance Myers, CommunityAmerica Ballpark, Bruce Arena, and the attacking mentality as deserving attention.
• Reports out of Columbus say the Crew’s Argentine defender Gino Padula will not play tomorrow because of a knee ligament strain; he will likely be replaced by veteran Ezra Hendrickson.  Also, goalkeeper and former Wizard Will Hesmer (2004-06) will be a gameday decision after suffering a dislocated shoulder last week against Houston.  His backup is local boy Andy Gruenebaum (Overland Park, Blue Valley North HS).  
• Adding some spice to the Sunday reserves game, the Crew were interested in new developmental signing Kevin Souter but were under the impression he was ineligible.  The Wizards waited until the new waiver order was set following week 4 and, due to Columbus’ hot start, had priority over the Crew.
• Hillcrest Road links to a write-up on Ryan Pore in his hometown paper.  Mansfield, Ohio is 65 miles from Columbus and the article says Ryan will have 600 supporters in attendance for the match — which could be his 50th MLS appearance.  Ryan is returning from a broken nose.  
• The game is also a homecoming of sorts for rookie Roger Espinoza.  The Ohio State product spent his junior year in Columbus, reaching the national championship before signing with Generation Adidas and entering the draft.  
• On a related note, Kevin Hartman was born in Athens, Ohio, approximately 75 miles from Columbus.
• The matchup also features a reunion with former player and assistant/interim coach Brian Bliss, now in his first season as the Crew’s technical director.  
• And last but not least, let us all wish David Beckham a happy 33rd birthday today.  MLS’ poster child gets to celebrate in, of all places, Salt Lake City.  

Kansas City’s partner club, Atlas AC, won 1-0 yesterday in the first leg of the Copa Libertadores round of 16.  The Mexican side was away to Lanus (Argentina) but secured the victory through Bruno Mariani’s cheeky first half finish. Highlights below.

UPDATED: The team blog has confirmed the signing.  Kevin Souter will take Yomby William’s roster spot.  

A brief update on prospective player Kevin Souter.  The Graceland product does not appear on the team roster on the Wizards website, but today in an interview with the newest signing, Nelson Pizarro, Wizards PR man Dave Borchardt comments: “Nelson, an open tryout guy, we’ve got two of them now on the roster with you and Kevin…”  Also, several contacts at Graceland have indicated that the word is spreading that he signed a contract.  

Kevin was not listed for the last reserves game in Toronto on Saturday, but has been pictured at practice throughout the season.  Emails sent on Thursday to Kevin and Wizards press officer Kyle Rogers were not responded to.  

In related news, Kevin’s coach at Graceland, Ivan Joseph, resigned last week after 11 seasons to become an athletic director at Ryerson University in Toronto.  Joseph was named NAIA National Coach of the Year in 2006 after winning the Yellow Jackets their first national championship.

A few more news and notes… 

In a Soccer America article evaluating MLS’ international imports published Tuesday, one gets the impression Houston head coach Dominic Kinnear isn’t impressed by El Piojo.  He says, “No offense, but Claudio Lopez ain’t exactly lighting it up.”  Which led to today’s article clarifying the comments, explaining that Kinnear feels it takes some time for foreign acquisitions to get comfortable and make an impact.  Not quite bulletin board material and I’d imagine it will be long forgotten by the time the two teams meet again in September. 

US U-23 coach and former Fire captain Peter Nowak was a noteworthy observer at Sunday’s match in Chicago.  With the Olympics set to start in August, the Wizards’ Chance Myers is listed in the 2008 player pool and participated in camps prior to qualifying.  His goalline clearance in the 54th minute proved to be a pivotal moment in the shutout, and he also put himself in position for a good scoring chance in the 65th minute only to see his header go over the bar.  Fellow Olympic prospect Chad Barrett didn’t fare so well, missing an absolute sitter in the 40th minute.  KC coach Curt Onalfo touches on the possibility of losing players to the Olympics and/or World Cup qualifying in this interview earlier this week. 

Lastly, while on the topic of Chicago, a tremendously touching story today by former Fire President and GM Peter Wilt.  Mr. Wilt was a fan favorite in many of the same ways that OnGoal and Robb Heineman have become in Kansas City before he was replaced by the recently ousted John Guppy.  Wilt’s recap of Sunday’s game also gives us some interesting, albeit trivial information on the Wizards 2000 MLS Cup victory over his Fire.   

One interesting difference. Despite long and loud protests by Fire leadership (me), MLS refused to let us wear our red uniforms in the championship game. MLS broadcasting executive Michael Cohen would not permit the red uniforms, because the contrast between the red and blue was not enough on the camera operators’ black and white monitors and it would cause them confusion when receiving direction in their headsets.  At least Sunday, fans were able to watch two colorful sets of uniforms on the same field.

Kevin Hartman gets quote-of-the-week honors for this gem in responding to the bottle of beer thrown at him during Sunday’s win:

I’m not really sure what the security set up that they have is but I was actually going to have a sip if it was in the 89th or 90th; but since it was around the 85th, I decided to hold off and just throw it in goal.

While he makes light of a serious situation, Chicago’s supporters group, Section 8, has made it clear they do not condone the fan’s actions.

This is our home and our field.  It’s very important, indeed essential, that we treat it with respect.  There will alawys be someone that screws up, but more of us must take action to ensure everybody understands such behavior is not accepted in our stadium.

MLSnet Extra Time’s Greg Lalas praises Kansas City’s designated player acquisition (4:35 mark of video). 

A guy who’s impressed me: Claudio Lopez.  The louse has a goal and he set up the winner for KC against Chicago on Sunday.  Mostly though, I love his work ethic.  He’s not here to retire which is so nice to see.  And KC’s Kerry Zavagnin told me how amazed he is at Lopez’s ability to bring other players into the game.   

Finally, a couple items from last week worth mentioning.  First, a sneak peak at the Wizards new advertising campaign.  Plans include 30-second television spots, two anthems, and viral videos throughout the season – sounds promising.  Secondly, a comment from Topeka Capital-Journal columnist Rick Dean. 

Q: Is there going to be much coverage on the KC Brigade this year?
A: The Brigade, like the KC Wizards, present an interesting dilemma for the Cap-Journal.  I’ve written about the Brigade several times in past years…But those stories were always met with indifference - by CJ editors and readers alike.  I stand ready to do more Brigade stories, but honestly there ain’t a lot of demand there. 

For what it’s worth, the Brigade are averaging 13,337 in their first five home games this season (just above their all-time average of 13,329).  Lest we forget, both are niche sports according to the Kansas City Star.

Unlike Oz City which was on a short-term sabattical (and yes, I’m shamelessly hoping the above picture permits a pardon), Jimmy Conrad is everywhere.  The Wizards veteran captain is the rock solid anchor in an inexperienced back line; that is, when he’s not going forward on set pieces en route to holding claim as the team’s leading scorer. Off the field, he’s on four billboards in the metro area and is the star of an upcoming Wizards commercial campaign.  He has his own radio show, blog, ESPN.com column, and is regularly featured on national publications’ websites like USA Today and The New York Times.  And then there’s this: publicity in Penthouse.  His q&a (squeezed around a whole lot of t&a) is part of the magazine’s MLS preview in which KC is picked to finish fourth in the East and suffer a first round playoff exit courtesy of eventual MLS Cup champions D.C. United.

Here is a transcript of Jimmy’s interview for those not wanting to convince your significant others that you only bought it for the article (been there, done that and at $9.99 for a single page out of the 150, I’m fairly certain she didn’t believe me).  He also gets a page-sized picture of an aerial challenge against Salt Lake’s Robbie Findley, but needless to say it pales in the context of — to steal from HillcrestRoad — photographic bliss exhibited throughout.  As for those wondering, the cover girl is Pet of the Month Alektra Blue.  With a last name like that, surely she’s meant to be a Wizards Starting XI girl, yes?

“A soccer game without goals is like an afternoon without sunshine.”  
– Argentine star Alfredo Di Stefano

Wizards fans suffered through both on Saturday.  I’ll be the first to admit I was expecting a much more entertaining affair.  Having been in the stands for the Western Conference Championship last November, I still had a sour taste from the 2-0 loss at the hands of Houston and I thought the Wizards would be out for a little redemption after being eliminated by the eventual champions.  Couple that with coming off Wednesday’s 3-1 defeat and the insertions of both first round draft picks into the starting lineups, and I would’ve predicted anything but a scoreless draw.  The Wizards best scoring chance is pictured above, a Sealy 1v1 with Dynamo backup Tony Caig in the 36th minute.  Nevertheless, the Wizards have the most points in the league (with an extra game played) while Houston sits with the second fewest.   

My musings from the match:

• Eddie Robinson: This tops the list, hands down (or should I say elbows up?).  Robinson’s cheap shot luckily only left Tyson Wahl with a gashed lip (though his extended treatment on the sideline allowed for at least one Houston scoring opportunity), but it went unpunished and presumably unnoticed by referee Baldomero Toledo.  He should have been ejected and if there is any justice, he will be suspended by the league’s disciplinary committee.  Even Houston fans are conceding as much.  Robinson has a history of such violent disregard for his opponents, having led the league in cautions the last two seasons and ranking second in fouls committed in 2005 and 2007.  Elbows appear to be a particular specialty, having twice targeted Carlos Ruiz; ejected for one incident in 2006 and cautioned for another last year.  He also received a red last year for a last-man tackle on Salt Lake’s Kyle Beckerman, and two in 2005 for violent conduct (a fist fight with Carey Talley) and serious foul play (a studs up challenge on the Revs’ Shalrie Joseph).  UPDATED: Dynamo beat reporter Glenn Davis had this to say on the incident: “The bad: Eddie Robinson throwing a forearm at Tyson Wahl which is sure to get him suspended unless that is no one watched the game on HDNET in the MLS office.”  Which elicited this comment from a reader: “Eddie Robinson is the best defender in MLS to me but his forearm/elbow was, unfortunately, a cheap shot. And as a Dynamo fan I love the guy but I actually rewatched the plays leading up to his elbow and it did not look like he was provoked. Usually there is some jostling and pushing/shoving, etc. in the box but he just blasted Wahl. It would not surprise me if he gets 3-6 games only because it really wasn’t in the run of play.”
• Offsides: KC’s 10 flaggings on Saturday was one short of the team record for a single game, as was the two team’s combined 15 offenses.  In context, the Wizards had more offsides than the Chicago-San Jose, Dallas-New York, and DC-Salt Lake games combined.  As a result, KC has three players in the top 10 for offsides in MLS this season, with Sealy leading the league despite his limited minutes.  
• Attendance: Needless to say, given the wintry conditions, there were not 9,500+ fans at CAB as the announced attendance suggests.  In the Wizards four-game homestand, fans were welcomed by a little bit of it all — rain, snow, and sun.  The only constant seemed to be the CAB’s trademark strong winds.  The team’s next four games could be as cold as the last four as the Wizards now travel northeast to play in Chicago, Toronto, Columbus, and New York. 
• Kerry Zavagnin: The veteran midfielder tied the mark for most appearances in a Wizards uniform (224).  Not bad for a player undrafted out of college, then taken in the last round of the next year’s supplemental draft, then played two seasons in New York (traded there for none other than current Wizards technical director Peter Vermes) before ending up in the A-League, and eventually selected in the third round of the 2000 SuperDraft by the Wizards — coincidentally, the same draft the Wizards picked Nick Garcia, the player Kerry is tied with atop the all-time appearances list.  Now in his 9th season with the team, it was ironically only his 6th appearance as a substitute. 
• Reserves: The Wizards reserves won 5-0 over the University of Memphis on Sunday morning at the team’s training facility.  Goals by Colombano (2), Trujillo, Pore, and McMahen.  The victory improves their record to 2-1-1 in all competitions.

Fan made signs which should make a showing at tonights game. All we know is that Joe’s wife made these.

Pack a poncho, streamers may not be the only thing raining down on the field tonight.

Match Previews:
     ~ Kansas City Star: Bob Luder’s game preview
     ~ Kansas City Star: Wizards playing an all-out assault
     ~ Boston Herald: Nicol, Revolution take optimistic approach
     ~ Boston Globe: Revolution’s depth will be tested 
     ~ MLSnet.com: Hot Wizards, Revs clash in KC
     ~ MLSnet.com: Game guide
     ~ Goal.com: Wizards look for third straight win
     ~ Associated Press: Game preview

Last year’s meetings:
     ~ 8/19: NE 1, KC 0
               ~ Video highlights 
     ~ 8/2: NE 2, KC 0
               ~ Video highlights
     ~ 5/26: KC 4, NE 3
               ~ Video highlights 

Notes on the matchup:

• After having played five Wednesday games last season (six with the US Open Cup qualifier), the Wizards will be well prepared for the challenges of a mid-week meeting.  Tonight’s game is their only Wednesday game of the season.  
• KC will be looking for its first 3-0 start in franchise history.
• Jimmy Conrad was on 810 WHB this morning.  Topics of talk included his father, his jaw, CAB, and, of course, tonight’s game against the Revolution.
• The Revs are on an extra two days rest, having played last Thursday.  
• The New England side that will take the field tonight is drastically different from the one the Wizards saw three times in 2007.  Steve Nicol’s squad will be without Taylor Twellman (knee), Andy Dorman (transfer), Pat Noonan (transfer), Steve Ralston (shoulder), Wells Thompson (bone spur) and Jeff Larentowicz (suspension).  Those six players accounted for 38 of the team’s 51 goals (74.5%) and 25 of the team’s 44 assists (56.8%).
• Of the 12 players who played in New England’s MLS Cup loss last season (their third such defeat in a row), only four will be available tonight.

Wizards 3, Rapids 2.  Wizards’ captain Jimmy Conrad joked on his radio show last month that Kansas City would win the MLS Cup if he scored 20 goals this season.  After Saturday’s brace, he’s off to a good start…and in good company atop the Budweiser Golden Boot standings.  

A few lingering thoughts on the victory:

• The Carlos Marinelli to Jimmy Conrad connection looks to be in full force on set pieces.  The two hooked up for the lone goal in the Saturn Cup against Real Salt Lake, and then twice on Saturday.
• Two games in, the Wizards are showing a knack for shooting proficiency.  The team’s 5 goals have come from just 8 shots on goal.
• The Wizards are off to a 2-0 start for the third time in franchise history (only the second if you exclude a shootout victory in 1997).  Both times the Wizards went on to finish first in their conference and the last time, 2000, KC was crowned MLS Cup champions.
• KC Star columnist Mike Hendricks gives the Wizards and CAB a shout out in a very good piece on KC’s identity as a sports town.  This guy has been a starch supporter of the Wizards through the years, especially in the team’s efforts to build a stadium.
• Saturday’s match was Kevin Hartman’s 275th MLS regular season appearance and Conrad’s 125th regular season start for KC.

Cliff Illig, part of the Wizards Ongoal ownership group, is an honorary co-chair with Royals legend George Brett at Kaufmann for opening day today.  It is part of Greater Kansas City Day to help support the Rotary Youth Club.

Lastly, former Wizard Chris Konopka has gotten a lot of media time yesterday and today — in all of which, he comments on his time in KC and how that compares to his new gig in Ireland.  Soccer365.com, Yanks Abroad, and IrishKC.com all with coverage.  Chris will also be on Fox Sports Radio today at 3:15; you can listen to The Locker Room with Kevin Williams online here.

A beautiful day for the beautiful game.  

Match previews:
     ~ MLSnet.com: KC host Rapids after strong debut
     ~ MLSnet.com: Game guide
     ~ MLSnet.com video:  Sean Kosednar
     ~ MLSnet.com video: Rapids All-Access (2:10 mark) 
     ~ Goal.com: Pat Walsh’s analysis and prediction
     ~ Associated Press: Wizards-Rapids Preview
     ~ From the Pitch with Marcelo Balboa: Curt Onalfo interview (1:37:35 mark)

Articles of interest:
     ~ Kansas City Star: “Burciaga’s return to Kansas City has one special fan excited”
     ~ Kansas City Star: Game preview
     ~ Denver Post: “Regis grad (Espinoza) eyes Rapids’ duel”

Last year’s meetings:
     ~ 7/22: KC 2, Colorado 2
           ~ Video: Eddie Johnson brace
           ~ Video: Mehdi Ballouchy cheap shot
           ~ Video: Jose Burciaga red card
           ~ Video: “We got robbed…I’m furious…Absolute disgrace.” (C. Onalfo)
     ~ 5/19: KC 1, Colorado 1 
           ~ Video: MetroSports highlights

Notes on the opposition:
     ~ Rookie and No. 5 SuperDraft pick Ciaran O’Brien (UCSB) is serving the first of a two-game suspension for a red card received last week. 
     ~ Scottish striker Tam McManus joined their squad this week.
     ~ English midfielder Terry Cooke was named MLS Player of the Week for his goal and 2 assists in their 4-0 win over LA.
     ~ Former MLS MVP Christian Gomez was acquired in the offseason from DC and will face fellow Argentines Claudio Lopez, Carlos Marinelli, and Eloy Colombano.
     ~ Earlier this week Martin Rogers called Senegalese goalie Bouna Coundoul the best shot stopper in the league, citing his reflexes and athleticism.
     ~ After spending his first six seasons in KC, left back Jose Burciaga Jr. was traded to Colorado in the offseason for a 2nd-round pick in next year’s SuperDraft.
     ~ Wizards Technical Director Peter Vermes played three seasons in Colorado (98 appearances).  Ironically, he was acquired by the Rapids in 1997 via a trade with NY for current Wizard Kerry Zavagnin.
     ~ Supporters from C-Firm and Class VI will be taking a 32-passenger bus here for the game and will be in the Corner Kick Deck next to the right-field berm.

Broadcast Info:
     ~ TV: Live on Direct Kick and MLSlive.tv; Delayed on MetroSports (7 pm)
     ~ Radio: Live on 1480 AM (English) and 1340 AM (Espanol)
     ~ MetroSports viewers and 1480 AM simulcast listeners will have the pleasure of hearing former US Men’s National Team Coach Bruce Arena in the broadcast booth with Sean Wheelock.  Wizards coach Curt Onalfo was a player and assistant under Arena.
     ~ Also, the main camera for television coverage has been adjusted after last week’s negative feedback and will be shooting from a higher angle.