Year End Wants and Wishes Review

Back in December, I posted my wants and wishes for 2007. Then in June I made a midyear review of those wants and wishes. Here we are in December again and I'm ready to go through these one last time to see how well my wants and wishes were fulfilled this year.

1. The Wizards Announce 2007-2008 home. - The Wizards played the 2007 season in Arrowhead due to delays in the renovations. The Wizards announced in early November, though, announced the team's home for the 2008 and 2009 season. The team will be playing at Community America Ballpark, home of the T-Bones.
2. Announcement of Plans to Build Wizards SSS. - It was late in the year, but the Wizards did announce plans for a SSS in Kansas City. All year rumors had swirled about the possibility of using the Bannister Mall site, which closed in May. The site passed the city council on December 13th, and is now awaiting state approval for the Super TIF. While there is still opposition, the team is still positive about the plan.
   
3. Return to the Playoffs for the Wizards. - A trip to the Western Conference finals is a good way to get back into the playoffs. While the team didn't seem to show up for the final game against Houston it was definitely a plus to get back to the playoffs. Next year let's get ourselves some hardware.
4. Return to form for Eddie Johnson. - I'd say that this came through pretty nicely. 15 goals, 6 assists, MLS Comeback Player of the Year, team MVP. A nice year for Johnson, even though he did fade a bit down the stretch unfortunately. If he's here next year I'd hope he can be more consistent.
5. Jamie Trecker Exposed for the Pompous Ass He is to the Entire World. - The Wizards are staying, Trecker was wrong, that's enough for me to prove he's a pompous ass.
6. US Men's National Team Gold Cup and Copa America Success. - This one was half right, the USMNT won the Gold Cup in dramatic fashion thanks to Benny Feilhaber. Unfortunately, the team didn't seem to show up for the Copa America, going 0-3 down in South America, only scoring 2 goals.
   
7. The Wizards Bring in an Attacking Midfielder. - At the midpoint of the season, it certainly seemed like Carlos Marinelli was the answer to this want. As the season wore on, it became apparent why Marinelli has been on so many different clubs. I'm willing to give him another season, and a full preseason this year to get worked in more with the team. But another performance like his second half of the season performance this season, and I think it will be time for KC to look elsewhere.
8. A Friendly Against a European Team for the Wizards. - The one want/wish that didn't come true at all, in any form this year. There were plenty of teams over here for preseason training, but the Wizards didn't play one of them. At the least I had hoped for a friendly against our new partners, Atlas.

I'll be back later this week with my Wants and Wishes for the year 2008, so stay tuned.

Update on 2007 Wants and Wishes

We are about half way through the year 2007, so I thought it was due time to review my wants and wishes for 2007 that I posted back in December.

1. The Wizards Announce 2007-2008 Home. Well this was partially filled. We found out in February that the Wizards would play 2007 in Arrowhead. That still leaves the question of 2008 and probably 2009 since the Wizards haven't started work on a soccer specific stadium yet. So this want has been half way filled.

2. Announcement of Plans to Build Wizards SSS. Still waiting on this one, although the news continues to be positive. Robb Heineman recently said plans are for a 18,500 seat stadium. There are also apparently 4 possible locations for the stadium, 2 each side of the state line. I still have hope that we'll hear an announcement before the end of the year. The fact that the Wizards training facility is built already gives a major kick in the crotch to those that think the Wizards will move.

3. Wizards Return to the Playoffs. We'll we're not half way through the season yet, but the Wizards are in a good position right now to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2004. Hopefully the recent lack of results does not continue, and the Wizards can get back on track to challenging for the MLS Cup again.

4. Return of Form for Eddie Johnson. Well so far this is an emphatic yes. 9 goals so far this season, including 2 hattricks. Eddie has looked a lot better this season then last season or the season before. The Wizards though will have to live without him for at least 3 more games though as he's with the US at Copa America.

5. Jamie Trecker Exposed for the Pompous Ass He is to the Entire World. Still waiting on this one, but he has been fairly quiet when it comes to sticking his foot in his mouth in his articles.

6. US Men's National Team Gold Cup and Copa America Success. Well I'd call a win over your rival in the finals of the Gold Cup a major plus. Copa America is getting ready to start, the US's first game is tomorrow against Argentina, but the younger roster that the US is putting out for the tournament will probably lead to an early exit.

7. The Wizards Bring in an Attacking Midfielder. This can be answered with 2 words, Carlos Marinelli. He's been a great central midfielder so far this season, giving the Wizards a stronger midfield then they've had in years. Hopefully his continued play will help lead the Wizards in the midfield in a way we haven't seen since Preki.

8. A Friendly Against a European Team for the Wizards. This hasn't been fulfilled, which is kind of sad with teams like Aston Villa, Benfica, Celtic, Chelsea, Cracovia (Poland), and I'm sure there are others. Other teams are playing Mexican league competition. Yet still the Wizards sit, not having had a home friendly since 1997 or so. There is still talk of a friendly with new Mexican League partner, Atlas, but there has not been news on that since the deal was signed.

I'll visit these wishes at the end of the year to see how these have gone after a year. Hopefully they'll all be fulfilled.

2007 Wants and Wishes

So it’s almost time to say goodbye to 2006 and hello to 2007. Normally at this time of year, people put out their wishes and wants for the coming year. Naturally, I’m gonna do that as well. So without further ado here are my hopes and wishes for the new year in the realm of soccer and the Wizards.

1. The Wizards Announce 2007-2008 home. We know the team will be in KC next season, and with the renovations to Arrowhead, playing there is not an option. At the season ticket holder Christmas Party back on December 20th, season ticket holders were told that the location should be announced in January. Get it announced soon we're all ready to know where we'll be playing next season. The final 3 locations seem to be Ray-Pec High School, College Boulevard Atletic Complex, and Rockhurst High School.
2. Announcement of Plans to Build Wizards SSS. The whole thing with 159th and 69 highway is over, time to look towards other things. Here's to hoping that in 2007 we get to hear the great news that the Wizards will be building a Soccer Specific Stadium. OnGoal LLC has continued to work since the failure of the youth soccer complex initiative back in November to find a location for an SSS. Here's to hoping it's announced early in the year and possibly even a ground breaking later in the year.
3. Return to the Playoffs for the Wizards. Two years in a row now the Wizards have failed to make the playoffs. In the parity that is MLS, that is unacceptable. Definitly don't want to make it 3 years in a row without a playoff appearance. The Wizards have made 1 change that I feel will definitly help with this. The trade for Kevin Hartman is a major upgrade of the keeper position for the Wizards. For the past 2 seasons, Bo hasn't seemed like a starter, he is a good back up and can play well when called upon that way, but when he's named the number 1, as he was from MLS Cup 2004 on, he showed he wasn't a true starting keeper.
4. Return to form for Eddie Johnson. For the Wizards to be successful this season, Eddie needs to get back into form. With Josh Wolff gone, Eddie becomes the focal point of the attack, and here's hoping he responds in kind. With Scott Sealy and Dave van den Bergh, an in form Johnson could make the Wizards offense extremely potent. Course this was what was expected last season and we all saw what happened. So here's to a return to form for Eddie Johnson along with some making up with teammates over his attitude late in the season that led to his suspension at the end of the season.
5. Jamie Trecker Exposed for the Pompous Ass He is to the Entire World. Not just for getting all of Americas hopes up by saying that Klinsmannas US Men's National Team Coach was a done deal, but for years of being probably the stupidest soccer journalist I have ever read. Then his latest column, where he continues his hate for Kansas City and his crusade to have the team moved. You can read it here, if you dare. WARNING, this is linked to a Trecker article, BEWARE.
   
6. US Men's National Team Gold Cup and Copa America Success. I want the US team to get back on it's feet after a very lackluster 2006 World Cup. The team has 2 federation tournaments they are competing in this year, a chance to find some redemption. That said, I don't want them to do too well. The hiring of Bob Bradley was a huge mistake in my opinion, and I fear a good run in both tournaments would turn Bradley into the permanent coach, which would be terrible for the US team. Bradley is in the Arena mold, he's worked under Arena and has a similar style, he's not the one to take the US to the next level.
7. The Wizards Bring in an Attacking Midfielder. The Wizards have had a lack of creativity out of the midfield since Preki retired. At times Davy Arnaud has shown flashes of creativity, but not enough. With Coach Curt Onalfo's attacking style that he says he's bringing to the team, the Wizards will need someone in the middle of the park that will distribute the ball. Here's hoping Onalfo and Peter Verme's trip to South America was productive and they found a player that can fill that spot who will come to KC.
8. A Friendly Against a European Team for the Wizards. At the season ticket holder party on the 20th, Wizards season ticket holders were told that the Wizards are working on getting a European team to come to Kansas City next year to play a friendly against the Wizards. As well as setting up a possible home-home series with said European team. Here's to the Wizards finally getting a game against a foreign team in Kansas City.

So those are my main wishes and hopes for the coming year in MLS and US soccer.

Happy New Year everyone.

Klinsmann, Trecker Wrong, and the Wizards

So today it was announced that Juergen Klinsmann has taken his name out of the running for US National Team Coach. This is a bit of a shock considering just a few days ago, it was reported that he was gonna be excepting the position. This is a blow to US soccer, as it seems that this was all ready to be signed and delievered. I thought this would have been a good move if the US had been able to get Klinsmann to become the next coach. It just seemed a good match, considering he already lives in the US. He also proved at the World Cup he has the ability to coach. True some of his early moves left some Germans a little perplexed, and the results did not immediately fall their way, but that was all forgotten when the German team which many expected to underachieve (by German expectations) over achieved, taking third place, losing only 1 game, to eventual champion, Italy in extra time. I felt it was time for the US to go to a foreign born coach, no Sigi Schmidt, no Bob Bradley. It's time to get some different ideas in the national team, Bradley is a Arena protege, and Schmidt has coached the national team at the youth levels, it's time for some new blood. And apparently, SI.com is reporting that Bradley will now be the interim coach with an option to be made the full. Just what the US needs a guy that worked under Arena quite a bit running the national team. This move is not one that I'm happy about as a US fan, Bradley isn't an improvement, at best it's a level move, at worst it's a big step back.

Onto the Wizards...

Seen in an online interview with new Wizards coach Curt Onalfo, Wizards starting goalkeeper the past 2 years Bo Oshoniyi, was waived. Combine that with the move of Will Hesmer to Toronto FC in the expansion draft, he was then traded to Columbus, and the Wizards are left with 1 goalkeeper on their roster, Eric Kronberg, who spent part of last season on loan with Miami FC of USL-1, where he did fairly well. I would think though that the Wizards are looking to bring in a more experienced keeper to lead the team. The lead option now might appear to be Kevin Hartman. "El Gato" as he's been called in LA seems to have become expendable after LA's acquisition of Joe Cannon from Colorado. Personally I've never thought much of Hartman and his frosted hair, and while he would probably be an upgrade over Bo, he wouldn't be much of one.