WIZARDS RETURN TO THE ROAD TO FACE PHILADELPHIA UNION ON SATURDAY:

The Kansas City Wizards will travel to Philadelphia on Thursday in preparation for their match against the Union at 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, September 4 at PPL Park in Chester, Pennsylvania. The Wizards have moved into fourth place in the Eastern Conference with victories in their last two games, and now sit three points out of the final playoff spot with nine games remaining.

The Wizards are amidst a late-season resurgence, going 4-1-2 in their last seven MLS matches. The run began with a 1-0 road victory over Eastern Conference leaders Columbus on July 14 and continued last weekend with a convincing 2-0 win in Los Angeles against the first-place Galaxy.

Philadelphia is coming off a road win of its own, after earning a 2-1 comeback victory at New England on Saturday. It was the first victory in seven games for the expansion Union, who sit in seventh place in the East with 20 points from 21 games played. For the second straight week, the Wizards will be up against one of the league’s best attackers as Philadelphia forward Sebastian Le Toux is in the midst of a breakout season with nine goals and ten assists. Both marks rank in the top five in MLS.

Prior to hosting Kansas City on Saturday, the Union play an international friendly with Chivas Guadalajara at 7 p.m. CT tonight at PPL Park. Chivas Guadalajara striker Omar Bravo, signed by Kansas City earlier this month as a Designated Player for the 2011 season and on loan to Chivas through the remainder of the 2010 Apertura, is among the 24 players available for Chivas. Galavision will air the match on a one-hour tape delay in the United States, beginning at 8 p.m. CT.

Kansas City will be without its leading goal scorer, Kei Kamara, on Saturday due to international duty. Kamara was selected by Sierra Leone for an African Cup of Nations qualifier on Sunday, September 5 against defending continental champions Egypt. Following Saturday’s game, Wizards defenders Shavar Thomas (Jamaica) and Roger Espinoza (Honduras) will report to their respective national teams for upcoming international fixtures.

Saturday’s game will be held at the newly opened PPL Park in Chester, Pennsylvania and will be broadcast live and in high definition in both English and Spanish on KCWE Channel 29. It will also be available over the airwaves on La Gran D 1340 AM.

WIZARDS SEPTEMBER 11 GAME MOVED TO SEPTEMBER 22:

The Kansas City Wizards announced Monday that the team’s next home game, originally scheduled for Saturday, September 11th, has been moved to Wednesday, September 22nd against the Houston Dynamo due to CommunityAmerica Ballpark availability.

The Wizards and Dynamo mutually agreed to the schedule change, with the match time remaining at 7:30 p.m. CT. All tickets issued for the Houston match, including season ticket packages, will be valid for the new, September 22nd date. Tickets can be purchased by visiting KCWizards.com or by calling 888-4KC-GOAL.

Local broadcast details for the match on September 22nd have not been finalized, and will be publicized at a later date.

The Wizards have nine matches remaining in the 2010 regular season, four of which will be played at CommunityAmerica Ballpark where Kansas City is 5-3-3 this season and 18-11-13 all time.

WIZARDS SIGN FIRST EVER HOME GROWN PLAYER, GOALKEEPER JON KEMPIN:

The Kansas City Wizards announced Tuesday that they have signed goalkeeper Jon Kempin as the first Home Grown Player in club history. The 17-year-old product of the Wizards Juniors youth developmental academy signed as a Generation Adidas player, becoming the youngest signing in team history and the first Home Grown Player to receive a professional contract from the club since the initiative’s inception in 2007.

Kempin, a Leawood resident, will begin training with the senior squad immediately and will not participate in high school or collegiate soccer. He is an active member of the United States Under-18 National Team player pool, having twice been invited to the team’s training camps in 2010, and is considered one of the top young prospects at his position.

Kempin worked his way through the top ranks of the youth soccer system in the United States while a member of the Kansas City Wizards Juniors youth system. In addition to being selected to state and regional teams within the Olympic Developmental Program, Kempin was chosen as one of four goalkeepers for the Fall 2008 and Spring 2009 semesters at the U.S. Soccer Under-17 Residency Program under head coach Wilmer Cabrera at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

Kempin attends top-ranked Blue Valley North High School in Overland Park, Kansas where he recorded nine shutouts as a freshman, allowed only two goals, and won a state championship prior to entering the Under-17 Residency Program. He was named Gatorade’s Kansas State Player of the Year in February and was selected to Parade Magazine’s High School All-American Team in June.

Kempin will not count against the 24-player roster and fills one of two roster spots available for Home Grown Players identified and developed by the club. Per team policy, details of the contract will not be disclosed.

The Kansas City Wizards launched the Juniors youth development academy in 2007 to provide a professional-level environment for aspiring players to participate in. Tryouts are held annually for the U13, U15, U16, and U18 teams.

THREE WIZARDS CHOSEN TO REPRESENT NATIONAL TEAMS:

Kansas City Wizards players Kei Kamara, Shavar Thomas, and Roger Espinoza all received invitations this week to represent their countries in upcoming international matches.

Kamara arrived in Sierra Leone on Tuesday ahead of the country’s September 5 African Cup of Nations qualifier against Egypt in Cairo. Kamara has made five appearances for the Sierra Leone National Team, most recently in 2010 World Cup qualifying, and lived in the West African nation until he was a teenager before coming to the United States.

Thomas was selected to the Jamaica National Team for the second time this month, after playing 89 minutes in the Reggae Boyz’ 3-1 win over Trinidad & Tobago on August 11. Jamaica hosts Costa Rica Sunday, September 5 in Kingston, before traveling to Fort Lauderdale, Florida to play Peru on Tuesday, September 7. Thomas has 28 career appearances for Jamaica.

Espinoza will also be on international duty with the Honduras National Team for their match against Canada on Tuesday, September 7 in Montreal. Espinoza has 14 appearances for Honduras, including two starts at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

Thomas and Espinoza will both be available for Kansas City’s match Saturday, September 4 at the Philadelphia Union.

2011 DESIGNATED PLAYER OMAR BRAVO PLAYS PHILADELPHIA TONIGHT:

Omar Bravo and Chivas Guadalajara will play the Philadelphia Union in an international friendly tonight at 7 p.m. CT at PPL Park in Chester, Pennsylvania. The match will be broadcast in the United States on a one-hour tape delay on Galavision, beginning at 8 p.m. CT. Galavision is channel 170 on Time Warner Cable digital in Kansas City, channel 404 on DirecTV and channel 273 on DISH Network.

Bravo’s season is off to a strong start with the 11-time Mexican champions, scoring in back-to-back matches last month. He scored in stoppage time of the final leg of the 2010 Copa Libertadores championship against Brazilian club Internacional on Wednesday, August 18 and then scored 16 seconds into an Apertura match verse Atlante on Saturday, August 21. He started and played the full 90 minutes against Pumas last Saturday in a 0-0 draw.

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 for the remainder of the 2010 Apertura, Mexico’s 17-game fall season, 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 107 goals and counting in league competition for Chivas Guadalajara, second most in club history. He has also been a mainstay on the Mexico National Team with 16 goals, including two at the 2006 World Cup, in 65 appearances.

KANSAS CITY UP FOR PEPSI REFRESH GRANT TO BUILD LOCAL SOCCER FIELDS:

Kansas City defender Jimmy Conrad is representing the Wizards bid to build and improve youth soccer fields at Belvedere Park, as part of the recently launched Pepsi Refresh Project. Beginning August 20, every Major League Soccer team outlined an idea that will vie for fan votes and an ultimate $50,000 Pepsi Refresh grant to fulfill the project. Fans can cast their votes at www.MLSsoccer.com/PepsiRefresh thru Monday, September 20 at 10:59 p.m. CDT.

Conrad and the Wizards’ goal is to develop soccer fields at Belvedere Park in urban Kansas City, MO, which will provide a facility to keep kids engaged, build self-confidence and avoid negative influences. Over 600 youth currently play soccer on these fields from diverse backgrounds, including over 45 ethnicities.

“The Pepsi Refresh Project allows for fans to make a positive impact on local communities,” said Kansas City Wizards defender Jimmy Conrad. “The Wizards want to make a difference here in Kansas City, and we hope our fans will go vote and help us win the $50,000 grant.”

As of Wednesday, Kansas City’s proposed project was in second place in the contest, behind Philadelphia.

NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR HOME DEPOT COMMUNITY MVP CONTEST:

Kansas City Wizards fans have the opportunity to nominate individuals in the local community who go above and beyond to make a difference in the lives of others as part of the Home Depot Community MVP Contest going on now through Friday, September 17. The league-wide contest launched in July and will culminate with one winner being selected to represent each market. The winner will receive VIP tickets and team merchandise, as well as recognition at a Kansas City Wizards home game in October and national recognition during halftime of MLS Cup 2010 in Toronto. The individual will also be eligible for the national prize package, an all-inclusive trip for two to MLS Cup 2010 in Toronto.

Individuals will be selected based on their efforts in one of the following areas:

Community Service for a local, national or international charity or community organization
Positive impact on youth
Environmental sustainability
Health, wellness and education
Military or Civic Service

Fans can submit their nominations online here. MLS W.O.R.K.S. was launched in 2007 as Major League Soccer’s community outreach initiative dedicated to addressing important social issues and serves as a platform for both League and club philanthropic programs.

NIELSEN NOMINATED FOR NAPA SAVE OF THE WEEK HONORS:

Kansas City Wizards goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen is once again nominated for Major League Soccer’s NAPA Save of the Week. The Denmark native was nominated for his save on Galaxy midfielder Chris Birchall in the 58th minute of Saturday’s 2-0 victory over first-place Los Angeles. Birchall fired a half-volley from the edge of the penalty area but Nielsen positioned himself expertly and dove to his right to stop the shot.

The 2010 MLS-All Star made three saves and earned his eighth shutout of the year in the victory, and it marked the second time this season that Nielsen kept a clean sheet against the league’s highest scoring offense. Nielsen is a four-time winner of Save of the Week in 2010, most among all goalkeepers in the League. Other Week 22 nominees are: Chicago goalkeeper Sean Johnson, Houston goalkeeper Pat Onstad, Dallas defender Zach Loyd, and Toronto goalkeeper Stefan Frei.

Fans can vote for Nielsen online here. Voting closes Thursday, September 2 at 9 a.m. CT.

JUNIORS DIRECTOR OF COACHING JON PARRY NAMED TO ROCKHURST HALL OF FAME:

Kansas City Wizards Juniors Director of Coaching Jon Parry is one of four members chosen to the Rockhurst University Athletics Hall of Fame class of 2010. The induction ceremony will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, September 24 at Bourke Soccer Field on the Rockhurst University campus.

Parry was a standout soccer player at Rockhurst University from 1988-1992, earning NAIA All-American recognition three consecutive years. Parry was part of three NAIA National Tournament teams, two of which reached the Final Four, and he was named to the NAIA All-Tournament Team in 1990. Parry led Rockhurst to 80 wins in four years and scored 33 goals during his senior season to bring his four-year total to 91 goals, second on the Rockhurst career goal-scoring chart.

Parry enjoyed an illustrative indoor soccer career in the NPSL and CISL before becoming a coach at the youth and college levels. He has overseen the Wizards Juniors youth development academy since January 2008, and serves as the Director of Juniors for Blue Valley Soccer Club.

Parry is joined by Don Carney (basketball and football), Norm Majors (basketball) and player Kelly Shay (basketball and volleyball) in the 2010 Hall of Fame class. All inductees were chosen by the Hall of Fame selection committee.

FANS ENCOURAGED TO SUPPORT U.S. EFFORT TO LAND WORLD CUP IN 2018 OR 2022:

Kansas City soccer fans are strongly encouraged to support the bid to bring the FIFA World Cup™ to the United States in 2018 or 2022. To date, nearly 995,000 people have showed their support, including over 27,700 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 Kansas City Wizards match against the Houston Dynamo has been moved from September 11th to Wednesday, September 22nd at 7:30 p.m. CT at CommunityAmerica Ballpark. Tickets can be purchased by visiting KCWizards.com or by calling 888-4KC-GOAL. The Wizards are also 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.

--www.KCWizards.com--