Kansas City Wizards Weekly Update: November 10, 2010
November 10, 2010 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Sporting Kansas City News Release
Kansas City Wizards forward Kei Kamara was announced as a finalist for MLS AT&T Goal of the Year on Tuesday. His game-winning goal on June 10th against the Philadelphia Union came on a blast from the right corner of the penalty area that beat goalkeeper Chris Seitz into the upper 90 of the far post. The 9th minute strike earned Kamara Week 12 AT&T Goal of the Week honors and now fans can vote for the goal as the best of the 2010 MLS season. Voting ends at 10:59 p.m. CT on Thursday.
Wizards color commentator and former MLS veteran Sasha Victorine called the goal "a tremendous strike" and an "unbelievable finish," one of many highlights in 2010 for the Sierra Leone National Team member who recorded 10 goals and six assists this season, both personal bests. Kamara, named the team's 2010 MVP and Golden Boot award winner, also scored the game-winning goal in Kansas City's 2-1 upset of English powerhouse Manchester United in July.
The five goals that receive the most votes will be revealed day-by-day, beginning on Saturday, November 13. The leading vote-getter will be announced on Wednesday, November 17.
JIMMY NIELSEN BOASTS SIX ENTRIES FOR MLS NAPA SAVE OF THE YEAR:
Kansas City Wizards goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen leads all MLS players with six nominations for MLS 2010 NAPA Save of the Year. The League revealed the list of finalists on Tuesday and Nielsen has six saves among the 30 choices for fans to vote for until the online voting ends on Thursday at 10:59 p.m. CT.
Nielsen won MLS NAPA Save of the Week honors on six occasions in 2010: Week 9 against the Crew's Eddie Gaven, Week 13 on New York's Seth Stammler, Week 14 for a foot save to stop MVP finalist David Ferreira, Week 16 against Emmanuel Ekpo of Columbus, Week 22 against the Galaxy's Chris Birchall and Week 23 denying Philadelphia's Sebastien Le Toux .
Nielsen started and played every minute of the Wizards first 29 games this season and was named an MLS All-Star, one of only two MLS newcomers to earn the distinction in 2010. The Danish native recorded 80 saves and posted 10 shutouts in compiling a 1.17 goals against average.
The five saves that receive the most votes will be revealed day-by-day, beginning on Saturday, November 13. The leading vote-getter will be announced on Wednesday, November 17.
NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR 2010 BEST OF U.S. SOCCER AWARDS:
The U.S. Soccer Federation is now accepting nominations for the annual Best of U.S. Soccer Awards in four categories: Best Soccer Bar, Best Soccer Blog, Best Soccer Specialty Store and Best Fan Costume.
Nominations will be accepted through Friday, November 19 and voting will begin on Monday, November 22.
The Kansas City Wizards official blog, Hillcrest Road, was one of 10 finalists in 2009 for Best Soccer Blog and the only finalist to represent an MLS team-affiliated blog. Now in its ninth year, the "Best Of" series awards accolades in a total of 12 categories. The full list of categories will be announced on Monday, November 22, and fans will have nearly three weeks to vote. Winners of the 2010 Best of U.S. Soccer Awards will be announced in the middle of December on ussoccer.com .
Voting for U.S. Soccer's Athletes of the Year will also begin on Nov. 22, allowing fans to vote for the most deserving player. As in years past, votes registered at ussoccer.com will be tallied and equivalent to 50 percent of the votes, while the other 50 percent will be represented by votes compiled from members of the media and U.S.
WIZARDS LOOK AHEAD TO HISTORIC 2011 SEASON: Following a 4-1 win over San Jose in the season finale last month, the Kansas City Wizards enter the offseason with high expectations for the 2011 season. Kansas City will welcome Mexican international Omar Bravo as the team's second-ever Designated Player and will move into a state-of-the-art soccer stadium, currently under construction at Village West in Kansas City, Kansas.
The Wizards are accepting initial payments for season tickets for the 2011 season, beginning at $14-per-seat for the Member's Stand and ranging to $40-per-seat for the West Stand, with additional club and suite options also available. Fans can reserve their spot in the seat selection process by placing a $50 payment per seat, which will be applied to the cost of 2011 season tickets, by visiting KCWizards.com or calling 888-4KC-GOAL.
The 2011 season will feature 34 regular season games, with MLS First Kick scheduled for March 19 and regular season action continuing until October 22. The 16th season of Major League Soccer will feature the introduction of two new teams, the Vancouver Whitecaps and the Portland Timbers, with an expansion draft held on November 24th. The annual MLS SuperDraft will then take place on January 13th at the NSCAA National Convention in Baltimore.
The 2011 soccer season will also feature the CONCACAF Gold Cup in June, with the winner qualifying for the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil. The United States is an automatic qualifier for the 12-team tournament. Shavar Thomas, Roger Espinoza, Jimmy Conrad, Davy Arnaud, Stephane Auvray and Omar Bravo all participated in the 2009 edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
WIZARDS ANNOUNCE 2010 TEAM AWARDS: The Kansas City Wizards announced the team's annual awards in a special pre-game ceremony held prior to the season finale against San Jose at CommunityAmerica Ballpark. The awards were voted on by Kansas City Wizards players, coaches and media members:
* Kansas City Wizards 2010 Most Valuable Player: FWD Kei Kamara
* Kansas City Wizards 2010 Budweiser Golden Boot: FWD Kei Kamara
* Kansas City Wizards 2010 Defensive Player of the Year: GK Jimmy Nielsen
* Kansas City Wizards 2010 MLS W.O.R.K.S. Humanitarian of the Year: DEF Jimmy Conrad
* 2010 Bob Gansler KCW Juniors Player of the Year: DEF Konner Knoll
Please visit KCWizards.com for more information on each award winner.
SOCCER DOCUMENTARY PELADA PLAYING IN OVERLAND PARK:
Glenwood Arts Theatre in Overland Park, Kansas is showing Pelada, a documentary exploring the allure of pick-up soccer games across the world. The movie has three remaining showtimes: Wednesday at 7:00 p.m., and Thursday at 2:15 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. The movie sold out in advance for a special screening at Glenwood Theatre last Thursday, which raised money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and included special appearances by Wizards players Matt Besler, Graham Zusi and Korede Aiyegbusi.
Pelada has been showing at Glenwood Arts Theatre since last Friday, marking the first time the feature-length film has been available to audiences for consecutive days in the Kansas City area. Tickets are available online and range from $6.50 to $8.50.
Glenwood Arts Theatre is located at 9575 Metcalf Avenue in Overland Park, Kansas, on the east side of the Metcalf Shopping Center.
WIZARDS JUNIORS TEAM UP WITH LOCAL LATINO SOCCER PLAYERS:
The Kansas City Wizards welcomed some of the best youth Latino soccer players in the area to team up with their U13 and U15 Juniors on Sunday as part of an exhibition tournament held at the team's Swope Park Training Facility . The event provided a unique opportunity for the Wizards to incorporate a deserving group of players into the existing teams and broaden the program's identification of top talent from all across the metropolitan area.
The Wizards reached out to leaders of six local Latino youth soccer leagues over the past three months and together formed the Midwest United Sports Association (MUSA), an overarching organization to foster an ongoing partnership with the leagues, which include thousands of participants from the youth to semi-professional levels.
The Wizards Juniors have hosted multiple events in recent months for local Latino players to take part in activities at the Swope Park Training Facility and Sunday's event featured more than 35 of the most promising young players in the U13 and U15 age groups. Similar events will be held in the future for high school and under-23 players from the local Latino leagues.
KANSAS CITY WIZARDS U16 AND U18 JUNIORS TRAVEL TO DALLAS:
The Kansas City Wizards U16 and U18 Juniors will begin their 2010-2011 U.S Soccer Developmental Academy seasons this weekend in Dallas. Both teams will face the FC Dallas Juniors on Field 4 at Pizza Hut Park on Saturday and then take on Andromeda on Sunday at the Showcase Field at the Andromeda Training Facility.
This weekend's matches mark the U16 Juniors and U18 Juniors first competition since the close of the high school seasons in Kansas and Missouri. The Juniors will play 21 games in the eight-team Frontier Division of the Central Conference, matching up against some of the top youth clubs from around the Midwest. The two fully-funded academy teams are coached by Jon Parry and Paul Rideout.
Fans are encouraged to check KCWizards.com and the Juniors Blog for write-ups on all four games this weekend and to follow all the Wizards youth academy action.
WIZARDS 2011 DESIGNATED PLAYER OMAR BRAVO RETURNS FROM INJURY:
Kansas City Wizards 2011 Designated Player Omar Bravo, on-loan to Chivas Guadalajara for the remainder of the 2010 Apertura, entered in the 62nd minute of a 0-0 draw between Chivas Guadalajara and first place Cruz Azul on Saturday at Estadio Omnilife. Bravo received full medical clearance and returned to training last week to complete his comeback from an injury to his right quadriceps.
Bravo, Chivas Guadalajara's second all-time leading goal scorer, leads the club into their regular season finale on Saturday at group leaders Monterrey. The match will air live in the United States at 5:00 p.m. CT on Telemundo (DirecTV Ch. 406/407, DISH Network Ch. 835/836, Time Warner Cable Ch. 158, AT&T U-Verse Ch. 3007).
The Wizards signed Bravo in August as a Designated Player for the 2011 season. The 30-year-old striker and Mexico international will remain with Chivas Guadalajara through the end of the 2010 Apertura by the terms of a loan agreement reached between the two teams and Major League Soccer.
Kansas City and Chivas have also agreed to play home-and-home friendlies at their new stadiums in 2011 as part of the agreement. The Wizards will play at Chivas' new Estadio Omnilife during Kansas City's preseason, and Chivas Guadalajara will play in Kansas City's new soccer stadium after the venue opens next summer.
Bravo has 108 goals and counting in league competition for Chivas Guadalajara. He has also been a mainstay on the Mexico National Team with 16 goals, including two at the 2006 World Cup, in 65 appearances.
FANS ENCOURAGED TO SUPPORT U.S. EFFORT TO LAND WORLD CUP IN 2022:
Kansas City soccer fans are strongly encouraged to support the bid to bring the FIFA World Cup(tm) to the United States in 2022. Over 1.1 million people have showed their support by signing the online petition, including nearly 32,000 signatures from Kansas City.
In addition to signing the petition at www.goUSAbid.com/kc, supporters can register their interest by texting "Kansas City" to "22442". Kansas City is one of 18 cities still in the running to host games should the USA bid be successful. FIFA will select the host nation for both 2018 and 2022 on December 2, 2010.
The highly successful Summer of Soccer saw over 30,000 soccer fans gather for World Cup watch parties in the Kansas City Power & Light District and a new attendance record set for a soccer match in Kansas City when 52,424 turned out to see the Wizards upset English powerhouse Manchester United 2-1 at the New Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday, July 25.
Please note: The Wizards are now accepting initial payments for season tickets for the 2011 season, highlighted by the debut of Chivas Guadalajara star and Mexico international Omar Bravo, and the opening of Kansas City's state-of-the-art soccer stadium next summer. Visit KCWizards.com or call 888-4KC-GOAL to make an initial payment to reserve seats.
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