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Kansas City Wizards
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Year founded | 1995 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| League | Major League Soccer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname | Wizards, The Wiz, KC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | CommunityAmerica Ballpark Kansas City, KS |
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| Coach |  Curt Onalfo |
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| Owner | OnGoal, LLC. |
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| First Game Kansas City Wiz 3–0 Colorado Rapids (Arrowhead Stadium; April 13, 1996) |
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| Largest Win Kansas City Wizards 6–0 MetroStars (Arrowhead Stadium; June 20, 1999) |
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| Worst Defeat Kansas City Wizards 0–7 Chicago Fire (Arrowhead Stadium; July 4, 2001) |
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| All-time Top Scorer Preki (71) |
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| Supporter Groups The Cauldron |
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| MLS Cup | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| US Open Cup | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 2004 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Supporters' Shield | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Kansas City Wizards are a professional soccer club based in Kansas City, Kansas that participates in Major League Soccer. The Wizards won the MLS Cup in 2000 and the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in 2004. The name "Wizards" is an allusion to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, as the main character is from Kansas. The team colors are blue and white.
The team's official supporters' group is referred to by the name of their seating area, "The Cauldron". They are accompanied in this section by another supporters' group, "La Doce", who come from supporters of the Argentinian Club Atlético Boca Juniors. The two groups are nearly synonymous within the Cauldron and have a good relationship.
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The Wizards were known as the Kansas City Wiz during the 1996 season but changed names due to a copyright dispute. From 1995 until 2006, they were owned by Lamar Hunt, who also owned the Kansas City Chiefs, FC Dallas and the Columbus Crew.
In the 2000 season, the Wizards captured both the MLS Supporters' Shield and the MLS Cup. In the previous two seasons, they had failed to make the playoffs.
On July 19, 2006, head coach Bob Gansler resigned and general manager Curt Johnson selected assistant coach Brian Bliss as the new interim head coach[1]. Curt Onalfo was announced the new permanent head coach after the end of the 2006 season.
On August 31, 2006, the Wizards held a press conference to announce the sale of the team to a local ownership group consisting of Cerner co-founders Neal Patterson and Cliff Illig, Rock Island Capital’s Robb Heineman, Greg Maday and David French, and Pat Curran, founder of C3 Holdings.[2] On December 9, 2004, Lamar Hunt had announced that he was looking to sell the team after the 2005 MLS season.
- Arrowhead Stadium (1996-2007)
The Wizards play their home games in Arrowhead Stadium, the American football stadium mainly utilised by the Kansas City Chiefs. The Wizards have been seeking sites for a soccer-specific stadium, with the most likely location initially considered to be across the state line in Johnson County, Kansas. The Wizards' new ownership identified a site at 159th Street and U.S. 69 in south Overland Park, Kansas as its preferred location for a stadium,[2] but this plan has met with numerous difficulties, most recently the decision of the town's mayor to pull his support for the financing of the stadium.[4]
Wizards management kept the west end of Arrowhead tarped off for the first 10 years of play, limiting seating near the field. In 2006, fans could sit all the way around the field, but in 2007 seating is only available along the sidelines.
Due to renovations of Arrowhead Stadium, the Wizards were expected to play at a temporary stadium beginning in 2007, while planning and awaiting the construction of a new facility. Yet on January 31, 2007, it was announced the Wizards would continue to play in Arrowhead in the 2007 season. Opening day was Wednesday, April 25, 2007, against expansion side Toronto FC. [5]
The reasons given for the return to Arrowhead were the difficulties in expanding other facilities in the area (the KC Wizards played an exhibition in the beginning of the 2007 season at the District Activities Center owned and operated by the Blue Valley School District in Overland Park, KS) and the delay in the Arrowhead renovation plan.
The current target date for completion of construction for a new facility have been stated as the beginning of the 2010 MLS season. Team owners are currently collaborating with architecture firm 360 Architecture on the design of the new stadium. Rendering of the proposed stadium were released in March 2007. For 2008 and 2009, the Wizards will play home games at CommunityAmerica Ballpark, home of independent baseball team, the Kansas City T-Bones.
On July 27 (2007), the Kansas City Star has reported that Lane4 Property Group, a developer hired by the Wizards, is moving closer to making plans final for a massive redevelopment of now-vacant Bannister Mall that will probably include a new 20,000- to 22,000 seat stadium for the Wizards, 12 to 18 tournament soccer fields and much more. Under Lane4’s plan, the Bannister Mall and Benjamin Plaza shopping centers and the adjoining Benjamin Ranch property would be demolished and replaced with a mixed-use project with retail, office and residential components in addition to a possible Wizards stadium. Wizards president Robb Heineman acknowledged that plans for the Wizards to play in a new stadium in 2009 may not occur after all for reason that MLS stadiums have taken at least 18 months to be built. Nevertheless, the whole issue will take center stage September 12, when a public hearing is scheduled before the Tax Increment Financing Commission. Unless the date is moved back, Lane4 Property Group plans to present its proposals of the new Wizards stadium at that meeting. According to MLS.net on December 14, 2007, the Wizards plans for a new stadium were approved by the Kansas City council.
Wizards matches are broadcast on Metro Sports (except for nationally broadcast matches), with Sean Wheelock doing play-by-play. The Metro Sports feed is also simulcast on ESPN 97.3 KCXM in Kansas City.
- MLS Cup:
- Winners (1): 2000
- Runners-up (1): 2004
- MLS Supporters' Shield:
- Winners (1): 2000
- Runners-up (2): 1997, 2004
- US Open Cup:
- Winners (1): 2004
- MLS Reserve Division:
- Runners-up (1): 2006
As of December 6, 2007 The players in bold have senior international caps
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In
Out
Edson Elcock Waived
A.J. Godbolt Waived
Willy Guadarrama Waived
Chris Konopka Waived
Davy Arnaud (2002—)- Jose Burciaga Jr (2001—)
- Mark Chung (1996–1998)
- Jimmy Conrad (2003—)
- Nick Garcia (2000-)
Richard Gough (1997)
Diego Gutierrez (1996-1997, 2002-2005)- Kevin Hartman (2007—)
- Chris Henderson (1998–2000)
- Eddie Johnson (2006—)
- Mo Johnston (1996–2001)
- Chris Klein (1998–2005)
Frank Klopas (1996–1997)- Alexi Lalas (1999-2001)
- Tony Meola (1999–2004)
Miklos Molnar (2000)
Uche Okafor (1996-2000)-
Preki (1996–2000, 2002–2005) 
Paul Rideout (1998) 27 apps 4 goals
Refik Šabanadžović (1997-1999)
Igor Simutenkov (2002-2004)
Scott Sealy (2005-)- Mike Sorber (1996)
Vitalis Takawira (1996-1999)
Shavar Thomas (2004-2006)- Peter Vermes (2000–2002)
- Josh Wolff (2003–2006)
- Kerry Zavagnin (2000—)
- Ron Newman (1996–1999)
- Ken Fogarty (1999; interim)
- Bob Gansler (1999–2006)
- Brian Bliss (2006; interim)
- Curt Onalfo (2006-)
- Tim Latta
- Doug Newman (1997–1999)
- Curt Johnson (1999–2006)
- Peter Vermes (2006–Present) -- Technical Director
- Greg Cotton (2006–Present) -- Director of Business Operations
- Robb Heineman (2006 - Present)[1]
- Games: Preki, 218
- Goals: Preki, 71
- Assists: Preki, 98
- Shutouts: Tony Meola, 37
MLS regular season only, through 2006 season
- All-Time regular season record: 151-154-64 (Through Oct. 21, 2007)
| Year | Reg. Season | Playoffs | Open Cup | CONCACAF Champions' Cup |
SuperLiga |
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| 1996 | 3rd, West | Semifinals | Quarterfinals | Not qualifed | Started in 2007 |
| 1997 | 1st, West | Quarterfinals | Round of 16 | Did not qualify | |
| 1998 | 6th, West | Did not qualify | Round of 16 | Did not qualify | |
| 1999 | 6th, West | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Not qualifed | |
| 2000 | 1st, West* | Champions | Round of 32 | Did not qualify | |
| 2001 | 3rd, West | Quarterfinals | Round of 16 | Not held | |
| 2002 | 5th, West | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Semifinals | |
| 2003 | 2nd, West | Semifinals | Round of 16 | Did not qualify | |
| 2004 | 1st, West | Final | Champions | Did not qualify | |
| 2005 | 5th, East | Did not qualify | Quarterfinals | First Round | |
| 2006 | 5th, East | Did not qualify | Round of 16 | Did not qualify | |
| 2007 | 5th, East | Semifinals** | Did not qualify | Did not qualify | Did not participate |
* Won MLS Supporters' Shield
** Qualified in the Western Conference Playoff Bracket
- 2001 Copa Merconorte
- 3rd place in Group C
- 2002 CONCACAF Champions Cup
- First Round v. W Connection – 1:0, 2:0 (Wizards win 3:0 on aggregate)
- Quarterfinals v. Santos Laguna – 1:2, 2:0 (Wizards win 3:2 on aggregate)
- Semifinals v. Monarcas Morelia – 1:6, 1:1 (Morelia advances 7:2 on aggregate)
- 2005 CONCACAF Champions Cup
- First Round v. Deportivo Saprissa – 0:0, 2:1 (Saprissa advances 2:1 on aggregate)
regular season/playoffs
- 1996: 12,878
- 1997: 9,058
- 1998: 8,073
- 1999: 8,183
- 2000: 9,112
- 2001: 10,954
- 2002: 12,255
- 2003: 15,573/10,712
- 2004: 14,819/10,977
- 2005: 9,691/missed playoffs
- 2006: 11,083/missed playoffs
- 2007: 11,586/12,442
- ^ Luder, Bob (July 19, 2006). Gansler out as Wizards head coach. Kansas City Star
- ^ a b Luder, Bob (August 31, 2006). Wizards sold to local group, will remain in area. Kansas City Star
- ^ www.bigsoccer.com Thread showing weekly report stating logo change
- ^ Bullers, Finn; Cooper, Brad. "OP mayor pulls his support of stadium", The Kansas City Star, November 12, 2006, retrieved December 23, 2006.
- ^ Wizards set to face Beckham Sept. 27 Kansas City Star, 6 February 2007.
- Official Homepage
- Official Website of Supporters Section: The Cauldron
- Official MySpace Page of Supporters Section: The Cauldron
- Official Wizards board, courtesy of BigSoccer
- Oz City, Independent Wizards News Site
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1 Hartman • 2 Harrington • 3 Garcia • 4 Lowery • 5 Zavagnin • 6 Burciaga • 7 Johnson • 8 McMahen • 9 Victorine • 10 Marinelli • 11 Morsink • 12 Conrad • 13 John • 14 Jewsbury • 15 Hohlbein • 17 Movsisyan • 18 Godbolt • 19 Sealy • 20 Wahl • 21 Watson • 22 Arnaud • 23 Elcock • 24 Kronberg • 25 Groenwald • 26 Raybould • 27 Konopka • 29 Pore • 30 Kraus • 33 Guadarrama • Coach: Onalfo |
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| Baseball | MLB: Kansas City Royals · St. Louis Cardinals • TL: Springfield Cardinals • AA: St. Joe Blacksnakes • FL: Mid-Missouri Mavericks · River City Rascals |  |
| Basketball | ABA: St. Louis Stunners • UBL: Missouri Thrill · So. Missouri Splash | |
| Football | NFL: Kansas City Chiefs · St. Louis Rams • AFL: Kansas City Brigade • APFL: Missouri Minutemen · Springfield Wolfpack • UIF: River City Rage | |
| Hockey | NHL: St. Louis Blues • NAHL: St. Louis Bandits | |
| Soccer | MLS: Kansas City Wizards • PDL: Kansas City Brass · Springfield Demize · St. Louis Lions | |
| Rugby | RSL: Kansas City Blues · St. Louis Bombers | |
| Tennis | WTT: Kansas City Explorers · St. Louis Aces · Springfield Lasers | |
| College athletics (NCAA Div. I) |
Missouri • Missouri State • Saint Louis • Southeast Missouri • UMKC | |