Priorities for Sporting KC

I've spent much time over the last few years being critical of some of the opinions on the Cauldron Facebook page, including mocking some opinions there with the hashtag #CFBLogic. The page can be a dumpster fire after any loss, like I would think many fan pages for teams all over the internet are. Occasionally though it actually brings some interesting conversations, and while the conversation that led to this post hasn't been overly interesting, the premise of it has been. The idea is the priority of the US Open Cup over Sunday's league game against the Seattle Sounders, and vice versa.

In last night's game, both Matt Besler and Benny Feilhaber picked up suspensions due to yellow card accumulation. The two will now miss Sunday's game against the Seattle Sounders. Feilhaber's yellow was particularly interesting as he seemed to be arguing to receive a yellow card from referee Sorin Stoica, who did after Feilhaber walked away and proceeded to kick the ball away. With Feilhaber one game away from an accumulation suspension it almost seemed that he was intentionally trying to get that yellow card and miss Saturday's game against Seattle. Almost like he knew he wouldn't be playing so he wanted to get his suspension cleared out so he didn't have to worry about missing another game later in the season.

This leads to the question of priorities between a league game that has turned into a very important match Sunday against the Seattle Sounders and the US Open Cup final on Wednesday against the Philadelphia Union. When Kansas City beat Real Salt Lake 3-1 to make the US Open Cup final, KC looked to be in fantastic shape, a Supporters' Shield favorite and looked to be cruising to a playoff berth at the least. Since that game though KC has gone 1-5-1 in league play, picking up just four points, and dropping in the standings to fifth place, just four points above the playoff line.

This makes Sunday's game against Seattle all the more important. A win and KC can solidify their playoff spot; a loss and they will root themselves deeper into the fifth or sixth place spot and by the end of the weekend could see themselves just one point above the playoff line. Three points are almost a must for KC at this point. Unfortunately KC has a game that is just as, if not more, important on Wednesday against Philadelphia. In a normal league situation, Peter Vermes would likely just do a little rotation to give a few guys a break, but keep the majority of the starting lineup available. With a cup final in the middle of the week though KC likely has plenty of attention turned toward that game and more substantial rotation seems a good possibility for the game Sunday at home.

The question fans ask is where should their priorities lie? On the one hand you have a cup final, another chance to "paint the wall," to win their third trophy in the last four years, to get back into the CONCACAF Champions League, and to get that extra allocation money that comes with the spot in the 2016-2017 version of the competition.

On the other, the US Open Cup is still a fringe competition that doesn't have mass appeal to the majority of fans. This is especially true in the US and KC where you have a large number of "young" soccer fans who are not used to leagues that have multiple competitions going on at one time. Those fans see the league as being a much, much more important priority for KC and see the playoffs as being more important for KC to focus on at this point. This view point is helped by the fact that the final still has no announced televised schedule for the game just six days before the final (although there are current reports the game will be on ESPN2).

With that first view point, it's easy to see why the Besler and Feilhaber suspensions aren't a huge deal. Fans that subscribe to that view point were hoping and expecting that Vermes would sit the two anyway, along with other players to get them rest for the final. Many fans that subscribe heavily to this view point wouldn't be disappointed if KC threw out a completely different 11 from the one that eventually takes the field on Wednesday against the Union. They understand that they're sacrificing this game to have the team better ready for the final.

With the league priority, it's all about getting that playoff spot. The form over the last month has been horrible for KC; the drop in the standings has many people on both sides of the priority line concerned, at least a little, about the playoffs. The main feeling is that KC really needs to right the ship that is their season, and get the opportunity to win the bigger trophy, MLS Cup. Some also point to Vermes' tactics of playing guys multiple times in a week as proof that KC could do something similar on Sunday against Seattle.

I personally lean towards the priority of the US Open Cup, but I understand the frustration on the other side, especially with Sunday's game at home. People don't want to go to a game to watch a bunch of "second teamers" run out there, its part of why so many fans leave NFL preseason games early once the starters are out. You especially don't want to see it at home in a competitive game when you've paid money to attend the game. You go with the expectation of a certain level and some people I've already seen state their frustration in Sunday's game if KC does indeed field a weakened side to face the Sounders.

If KC does field a weakened team, as weakened as some want, those on the USOC side of priorities have to be ready for the consequences, should the Sounders walk all over a weakened SKC team. On the other side of things, this is MLS we're talking about, where a San Jose Earthquakes team that looked dead in the water walked into a stadium where a team hadn't lost all season, and put five goals past them in route to a 5-0 win.

Besler, the US Senate, and Me Not Ready to Let Go

Just some quick news today about Sporting KC.

The big news on the net today was this Tweet from Sporting defender, Matt Besler.

Just found out that #SKCNation got a hold of my wedding registry and completely cleaned it out. That's incredible. Wow. Thank you!
— Matt Besler (@mbesler) December 12, 2013

Besler gets married this weekend and Sporting fans found their registry online. And Sporting KC fans picked up 95% of the things on the registry. It's not a huge story, but it shows the growth and fever of the support for the team. Also, congrats to Besler and his fiancé, Amanda.

Senator Moran's Resolution

Kansas senator, Jerry Moran has put Sporting KC, the Cauldron, and the rest of KC's supporter's groups into a resolution on the floor of the Senate. Moran, with Pat Roberts introduced a resolution extending the Senate's congratulations to Sporting KC for their MLS Cup victory.

And because I'm not ready to let go yet.

Because I want to continue enjoying the MLS Cup win, here are some videos from MLS and Kick TV that I really enjoy. The Matchday 360 from last year's US Open Cup final is still one of my favorite videos and we got a similar one this year.

Ticket "Fun"

With Sporting Park hosting MLS Cup on December 7th the process for purchasing tickets started fairly early. Just an hour after the game ended, season ticket holders who had purchased the three game playoff package could purchase their ticket for the final using their credit for the play-in game that was not used. Other season ticket holders had to wait until today to begin the purchasing process. And today is where the fun started.

First, the KC Cauldron put up their allotment of tickets for the Members' Stand up for sale at 10am. Just before 10am, their site started to move slower. Right at 10am, according to the Cauldron, 3,000 carts were initiated with tickets, well over the 500 that they'd been allocated. From reports that I read from friends on Twitter, it took minutes to navigate a single page. By 10:30 all the tickets were gone, although it seemed like if you hadn't been on right at 10am you were not getting tickets.

This lead to a loud gnashing of teeth from many members of the Cauldron, some who had tickets in their cart for check out, only to be told that the tickets were all gone as they attempted to check out from the site. So much so that the Cauldron felt that they needed to put out a statement regarding the issues today (linked above).

Then at noon today, the season ticket holder pre-sale started. This was for all season ticket holders that had not purchased the playoff package, giving them a chance to purchase their ticket(s) for the final. That code, given to Season Ticket Holders was unique for each ticket account. As the day went on, another code was posted on the net that allowed a number of fans to go in and get tickets. Fans were apparently able to use that code to make purchases, even if they didn't have season tickets and allowed them to purchase anywhere in the stadium. This included a number of Real Salt Lake fans that were able to buy tickets using the code.

Since then, the code has been declared invalid and ALL tickets purchased using the code have been canceled with refunds being distributed.

#RSL fans :: if you bought @MLS Cup today via Ticketmaster, the leaked code was declared invalid by SKC/TM & your tix will be cancelled
— Real Salt Lake (@RealSaltLake) November 27, 2013

To be clear, ALL tix bought today with that code are invalid, regardless of where/how/who bought them
— Real Salt Lake (@RealSaltLake) November 27, 2013

This announcement throws a giant wrench into a number of people's plans, including RSL fans who had already gone and purchased these tickets. It could also cause a number of problems with the secondary market, where a number of the tickets purchased today using that code are already up for purchase. The question remains though where originally the code came from and how it was valid. As I mentioned earlier, the sale today was only for Sporting KC STH.

So with under two weeks to go, the ticket situation has turned into a giant, confusing, cluster f*ck, not just for Cauldron members, but for season ticket holders, RSL fans, and other KC fans as well.

Taking a Look at the Sanctions to the Dynamo Supporters

I don't particularly like the Houston Dynamo. Outside of them beating Sporting KC in last year's Eastern Conference finals, I even don't really like them. Their fans as well aren't my favorite MLS fans in the league. A couple of KC fans who went down there for the Western Conference finals a few years ago were told to stay away from their supporters because they didn't really get along with opposing supporters. That being told to a group that has prided itself on being welcoming to away supporters when they come to KC was certainly enough to raise some ire with some people. That said I'm keeping an eye on the situation in Houston now due to the actions of their supporters groups. Because it sets a precedent that could come into effect for Sporting KC supporters and the Cauldron on away trips.

For those that missed it, Dynamo supporters have been banned from bringing banners, drums, flags, etc. to a away games until their stadium's opening on May 12th. These things are normal allowances for away supporters to bring to games as a way to support their team on the road. But due to the actions of some of their fans in 3 specific games last year, a regular season game at Dallas, the Eastern Conference finals against KC, and the MLS Cup finals at the Home Depot Center. After their home opener, the situation will be reassessed. No matter what though, even after the reassessment, Houston fans will not be allowed to bring those items into LSP on July 7th when the Dynamo travel to KC.

The 3 incidents saw the Dynamo fans travel in great numbers to see their team play. Also during the game were reports, and sightings, of smoke bombs, abusive language, and throwing objects onto the field, along with other things.

The Dynamo supporters groups were informed of this via an email from the league. This is a new response from the league, which in the past has seemed to let a lot more slide. But I think the final straw may have been the throwing of batteries, flashlights, and other hard objects in the direction of LA Galaxy players, specifically Landon Donovan and David Beckham after the cup final last year.

Dynamo supporters have said that the club has already passed down punishments to the below that they believe threw things onto the field based on video evidence, including half and full season bans this year. But the league felt they needed to step in and impose their own sanctions on the team. Honestly I can't really fault the league for doing it, throwing things like batteries and flashlights is stupid and immature, if one of the Galaxy players had actually gotten hurt it could have been very bad, similar to the Jimmy Nielsen bobble head incident.

But the thing to pay attention to is the potential implications for the future, not just for the Dynamo, but for all supporters groups. Houston isn't the only supporters group that has done the things that are being pointed out by the league. Let's take a look at some specific points while taking a look at Kansas City this past year.

1. Multiple illegal smoke bombs were brought into the stadium, ignited and thrown onto the field (MLS Cup, Houston Dynamo vs. LA Galaxy at the Home Depot Center (November 20, 2011), Houston Dynamo vs. Sporting Kansas City at LIVESTRONG Park (November 6th, 2011), and Houston Dynamo vs. FC Dallas at Pizza Hut Park (September 24, 2011))

While I haven't seen an incident of a smoke bomb being thrown on the field, they have been set off inside the Cauldron. Most of the ones that I've seen in the section have been illegal ones, usually with the consequence of the person that lite them getting thrown out. In the Chivas Guadalajara game last year I was standing next to someone else who was confronted by security and told they'd lit one when they had not.

I've seen legal ones that have been given to Cauldron capos by security as well. In 2010 when the team was still at CAB, the Cauldron got assistance in requiring a proper fire permit to set off smoke bombs in the section by certain people. I myself set off of a few of them and placed them in coffee cans filled with sand while they burnt out. So the smoke bombs are something that the Cauldron has started to see with some regularity.

It is also a little hypocritical of the league to come down on a supporters group for smoke bombs when quite a few teams and advertisements have had video of smoke bombs being set off in them.

2. Various objects that presented a safety risk thrown onto the field in the direction of players and stadium personnel (MLS Cup, Houston Dynamo vs. LA Galaxy at the Home Depot Center (November 20, 2011)).

There were two big moments this past year that saw items thrown onto the field that struck or almost struck a player. One was an isolated one off incident, the other was done in mass. Firstly the one most people think of when they think of stuff thrown onto the field, the Omar Bravo bobblehead incident. For those living under a rock, that was during the Portland this year. After KC took the lead through Graham Zusi's first goal, Jimmy Nielsen got hit right under the eye by the head of an Omar Bravo bobblehead that was handed out before the game.

The other incident, the one that I think more matches the situation referenced in the letter to the Dynamo supporters, was opening day. After Omar Bravo got upended in the box by Bratislav Ristic and no penalty was given. While Bravo laid on the ground well over 100 bottles and other things got thrown onto the field. That situation almost matches exactly what happened with the Dynamo supporters in MLS Cup.

3. Obscene language and gestures by multiple supporters (MLS Cup, Houston Dynamo vs. LA Galaxy at the Home Depot Center (November 20, 2011)).

All supporters groups have obscene language, either in an organized form or by individuals shouting stuff out. The fact that this is an item is probably the one that many fans should be concerned about. If MLS is going to be sticklers to this point things could get interesting with sanctions. Of course from the game here that the Dynamo supporters are being sanctioned for, this happened:
Again, I'm not forgiving the actions of the Dynamo supporters, in fact I think they're down right pathetic, but it'll be interesting to see how these sanctions play out now as the season goes on. The league has set a precedent now with these sanctions and if they don't follow them as the season goes on, then they'll be called hypocritical for not giving the same sanctions for another group.

Definitely something to keep an eye on, because as I pointed out above, each of the things that Dynamo fans are being "charged" for, are things that have happened in the Cauldron. If similar things happen in the Cauldron this year, what's to say that the Cauldron doesn't get similar sanctions?

This is also something to keep an eye on, because from comments from some of the leadership of the Dynamo groups, the league is apparently looking at Sporting KC because of racist chants being directed at the Dynamo fans when they were in Kansas City for the Eastern Conference finals.

Live For It

That's the campaign for Sporting KC this season, "Live for It". The team debuted their commercial last night during the Grammy Awards. The team will be advertising with the commercial (another that will debut during the season opener), along with online, outdoor, print, and radio. The team will be doing billboards around the city, the billboards will include two of Sporting KC's newest national team players, CJ Sapong and Graham Zusi. Later ads that will go up will include Matt Besler and Jimmy Nielsen.



The big conspiracy that's popped up with the announcement is the fact that Teal Bunbury is not being included in the ads. There's likely nothing in the conspiracy, but it is interesting that two guys that had been part of last year's campaign (and are still with the team) are not involved in this year's campaign as both Bunbury and Kei Kamara are not featured. Again, there is likely little to nothing to it, but it's certainly gotten plenty of people talking like it means something.

Cauldron Tickets Sell Out

The Cauldron sold out of their allotment of tickets to the home opener in about 25-30 minutes. An amazing feat for the section. I'm still absolutely amazed at the growth of the section over the past few years. Hell when I joined in 2004, only about 8 years ago, the section was 25-30 people, 100+ was a really good night. Now the section is 2000 every single game without a problem. Selling the 300 that they had tonight in a span of 30 minutes is just a huge sign of the growth.

Tickets are currently on sale for season ticket holders to get extra tickets to the first 8 games. Sporting members get their shot later this week. And Friday they go on sale to the general public.

Disgraceful

The worst thing about tonight's game was not the Michael Kennedy no-PK call, it was the response by the Cauldron. I've been in the Cauldron since it was in the corner of Arrowhead, section 114 and I've never really felt ashamed of being there. Tonight I did. Seriously disgraceful crap by multiple fans who felt it was alright to throw shit on the field after Kennedy blew the penalty call. This is how you treat a $200 million facility? By throwing shit onto the field? Yes is frustrating watching Kennedy once again job us out of a result, but you make the rest of the fans in the section look like drunk assholes, not just to the rest of the people in attendance, but to the people all over the US that were watching the game. Thankfully ESPN apparently spent most of the bottle throwing time showing replays of Kennedy's call so KC was spared a little embarrassment. But seriously, grow up, you look like idiots. And you make the rest of us look like idiots by association.

To the Fans of Sporting KC

The season is just over a week away from starting. Seriously, containing my excitement for the season is getting hard to do. While I still have my questions about the team, I'm so ready for this season to start. I mean a week from now I'll be in LA for the opener against Chivas USA. Trips to LA and Chicago to kick off the season will certainly help with my excitement for this season.. Speaking of Chicago, if June 9th is too far away for you to see the Wizards play live, get on the bus and go to Chicago. The first bus is filled, but a second bus is filling up now so get on. It's $80 for the bus, and then a hotel room, so when it comes to road trips it's a fairly cheap one for KC fans. Read about that and other events that the Cauldron has set up for this important season here. And read their letter to the fans below.

To the fans of soccer and SKC:

The season is a blink away, and through this long off-season, we’ve been fortunate to see our club grow and cultivate something more than the status quo when speaking about what our soccer club is. Our home has been christened and the seeds have been sown. The Cauldron, the people of Kansas City who support this club and soccer - it’s time to reap. From the Northland to JoCo, Lee’s Summit to The Dotte, and from Waldo to the River Market, we all come together for one cause. This cause has spread and has multiplied, with sightings and smoke signals from Wichita, Columbia, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Denver, Omaha, Tulsa, Des Moines, Dallas, the Twin Cities and beyond. Since 1996, this group has grown, evolved, suffered through the horror of losing our most prized possession, and learned to live as nomads. Wild men and women we are, and most definitely will continue to be. But now it’s 2011. Can you see it? Can you see the summer air and taste the cool green grass? Can you see us standing together in our bright cathedral chanting, swaying, and willing as one?

Before we get to open Livestrong Sporting Park in June, we are RALLYING for our club at Johnny’s Tavern in P&L (1310 Grand), on Monday, March 14th - with a Cauldron flare. We have invited many of our Sporting KC players to come out and meet with us, not as an official “team” event, but as an event for the players, by the fans. They have responded with exuberance, and can’t wait to mix it up with the faithful on Monday evening. This is a great chance to meet some of the new signings, catch up with fan favorites, and have a ridiculous good time.

Sporting Kansas City, as you may know, faces a road trip in proportion to Homer’s Odyssey. It won’t be ten years, but ten straight road games in hostile environments, scrapping for points, and just trying to get home. This has never been attempted in MLS history, though some clubs have attempted ‘lesser’ away excursions (all waiting for their new stadium to be completed) with very little, if any, success. But where other clubs have failed, we will be ninja.

There can’t be a better way to show support for the players of SKC than to shower them with encouragement, nachos, and beer burps. Make no mistake, we MUST RALLY at 6 PM on Monday, and send our players off to Los Angeles ready to do the work, and the dirt.

One last note on this event: it’s a Cauldron fund raiser, but is OPEN TO ALL FANS OF SKC AND SOCCER. A portion from all the food and drink we tab is going right back into the Cauldron coffers. This money will be used to create you a better, brighter, and wilder Cauldron. Essentially, the money you generously spend is going to return to you in some form. We’re not looking to make any sort of profit.

You’re awesome, and see you at Johnny’s!


Sincerely yours,

The KC Cauldron Hype-Machine

Cauldron on Saturday

I've held off on this post waiting to see if there would be some comment from the front office, but doesn't look like one is coming. Saturday against Seattle, something was up with the Wizards front office staff in response to the Cauldron.

As had become a regular occurrence, the team brought down streamers to be thrown during allowed times during games. And like what always happens when streamers are handed out, some were thrown at times that were not appropriate. Unlike previous games when that's happened and verbal warnings have been given, those fans were immediately pointed out by Wizards staff and security and thrown out of the stadium. Instead of just calmly walking up to the person and telling them to stop, a menacing finger was pointed at people by 3-4 people in front of the section and people were escorted out. With that happening, it only led to more streamers being thrown in defiance of the Wizards staffers in front of the section. I spoke with one of the head security guys at half time from the top of the section. He told me he'd gotten tired of what the Wizards staff was doing. Post game I found out that security had pulled his people out of the front of the section because of what staffers were doing.

So what led to the hard line stance by the Wizards staff? The rumor going around is that someone from league headquarters was at the game apparently observing the Wizards' game day operations. In all honesty, I don't have a problem with the hard line stance. My problem was their lack of communication with the section AFTER what they'd been allowing all season up to that point. As I stated, up to that point, streamers thrown onto the field had gotten people a stern talking to, and on a few occasions, kicked out, but it'd never been as bad as this. A 5 minute conversation with one of the leaders of the section, giving them a heads up could probably have avoided the majority of the problems that came from the game. In the end, it all amounts to a lack of communication.

Cauldron News (Games and Roadtrips)

With the Wizards having this coming weekend off, there isn't a whole lot of Wizards news. There is, though, news coming from the Wizards supporter's group, the Hillcrest Syndicate. The Syndicate has news about the upcoming "Beckham game" as well as plans for a road trip down to Dallas to watch the Wizards play.

First, the Beckham game, coming up a week from Saturday.

Hillcrest Syndicate has some discounted Cauldron tickets available for the LA Galaxy game, on Saturday, July 25th. HS will be offering single game tickets, as well as a two game package which includes the August 29th game against Real Salt Lake. Anyone interested in more information can visit www.kccauldron.com/store or send the Syndicate treasurer an email at treasurer@kccauldron.com.

The other news is the road trip the Cauldron is playing for the weekend of August 1st down in Dallas to watch the Wizards take on FC Dallas. For more information on that trip, see this flier (click on it for a bigger image).

Season Tickets are Here!

I was a little worried whether the tickets would get here on time, but today on my front porch in a Priority Mail package, were this year's Wizards' season tickets. With it being only 3 days until the first game, I was ready to write a scathing write up about the lateness of the Wizards in getting the tickets out to Season Ticket Holders. Still, to an extent, I am upset that it took the Wizards this long to get the tickets out. Many of the teams have already sent their tickets out to fans, and sending them out the week of the first game is just begging for multiple fans to be calling the Wizards front office frantic wondering where their tickets are.

Overall, though, I'm happy with the look of this year's tickets. Not only did they come with my parking passes, they came with a folder with an electronic media guide and fact book, and while I'm a fan of the paper versions, this will still get plenty of use. Season Ticket Holders also got their membership card. Also included were pocket schedules, a pamphlet that has a picture of the stadium from the 3 Trails website and other bits of information on tickets, the 2008 season, and 2009 season.

As for the tickets, the Wizards did a cool think this year. While last year the team had put together a collage that spanned across tickets, this year the Wizards gave each ticket it's own theme. Each ticket has a picture representing the theme and included in the package was a sheet explaining each of the themes. Here is the list of the themes in order.

vs Toronto - OnGoal - The Wizards owners
vs San Jose - The Trails - The future home of the Wizards
vs New York - Human Tunnel - Prematch team walk out
vs DC - KCSoccerStore.com - Largest selection of Wizards merchandise
vs Chivas USA - MLS Cup 2000 - The Wizards first and only MLS Cup win
vs Columbus - World Cup Wizards - 19 current or former Wizards have been in the World Cup
vs New England - KC Soccer Foundation - Charitable arm of the Wizards and OnGoal
vs Houston - National Team Wizards - 27 current or former Wizards have represented the full US national team
vs LA - Starting XI Girls - The Wizards dancers/hospitality girls
vs Chicago - Swope Park Training Facility - The Wizards home facility
vs Salt Lake - Boot Room - "A symbol of the professional atmosphere encouraged within the training facility."
vs Dallas - Lamar Hunt - Wizards founder and first owner
vs Colorado - KCW Juniors - The Wizards youth system has so far been successful locally and some national success as well.
vs Seattle - Hillcrest Road - The Wizards official blog
vs DC - Cauldron - Home to the Wizards supporter's section.
Special Game A - KC Soccer History - Celebrating the history of the Comets, Attack, and Spurs, the city's previous pro soccer teams.
Special Game B - MLS History - The league enters it's 14th season.
Special Game C - Wizards History - History of the boys in blue.

Kings in Playoffs

I haven't talked much about the Kansas City Kings this season, but they've had a successful sophomore season, again winning the regular season Midwest division title. Saturday at the KC Soccer Dome, the Kings will play the Springfield Spirts in the Midwest division playoffs for a shot at the national championships in Las Vegas in early March. The game is at 7pm, and like last year, the KC Cauldron is planning a get together at the game for that night.

Also part of the event that night will silent auction/raffle to help pay the medical bills of local soccer player Kori Quinn, who was recently diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma. So if you can, make your way out to the Soccer Dome Saturday night to cheer on the Kings and help a good cause.

Wizards Philanthropy News

The coming weeks are going to be very active for the Wizards and their supporters, the Cauldron, in regards to their work in the community. The first event will take place this coming Saturday, as the Cauldron will be participating in the Alzheimer's Memory Walk, in Corporate Woods in Overland Park. Put together by Community Outreach Chair, Kathie Thomas, the Cauldron has a team that will be doing the walk from 9-11am on Saturday. The team's website for the walk is here. If you are interested in donating to this cause, you can go to the website, on the left side of the page, click donate to a Walker, and write in the name of one of the Cauldron walkers.

Sunday at the game against Chicago, the Wizards will be working to help out the former coach of Davy Arnaud and Lance Watson, Brian Arendale, whose house was destroyed during the storm surge of Hurricane Ike. The Wizards will be holding a raffle on Sunday where half the proceeds will go to help Mr. Arendale, and the other half will go to the winner of the raffle. So look for the people selling tickets on Sunday in the stadium.

Finally, on October 11th against New England, the Wizards will be honoring Breast Cancer Awareness month. The team has a few different events set up for the game. The main beneficiary of the even will be the Young Survival Coalition (YSC). The first thing fans can do to get involved in is with the purchase of pink soccer balls and pins at the game on the 11th. For the game, Wizards keeper, Kevin Hartman, will be wearing a pink jersey for the match, which will be auctioned off after the game. The final sale price will be matched by American Family Insurance, with all proceeds benefitting YSC. There will also be a "Kicks for Cancer" contest at halftime with money donated to YSC for evey kick made.

American Family Insurance is also donating 50 tickets to YSC to attend the game. Other Breast Cancer Awareness organizations can get involved in this game as well, by participating in a special ticket promotion. Through the deal, a portion of proceeds of tickets purchased through an organization will be donated by the Wizards to help fundraising efforts.

Soccer Equipment Drive

The Cauldron has done some work this season to start a reaching out to the community. One of the things the section is doing, is collecting new and gently used soccer equipment for the Don Bosco Center in Kansas City. This will help to promote youth soccer in the area. The big date to get all of this in, is this coming Saturday, June 14th. Just inside Gate C, between the bleachers and the berm, there will be a stand collecting the equipment. As you drop off your items, you will also get a Cauldron/Passback t-shirt as a thank (as supplies last).

If you have any questions about the drive, please contact the Community Outreach contact of the Cauldron leadership, Kathie Robison, outreach@kccauldron.com

Random News Day

No real big news today, but there were some small bits of info that I'm going to touch on today.

First is that we know what cities will be hosting the first group round of World Cup Qualifiers after the first round against Barbados. Chicago, DC, and Denver are the 3 lucky cities. Chicago and Toyota Park will have the US vs either Trinidad or Bermuda Wednesday September 10th. Saturday October 11th, the US will host Cuba or Antigua & Barbuda in DC at RFK. The final home game will be Wednesday November 19 in Commerce City, Colorado at Dick's Sporting Goods Park against Guatemala or St. Lucia. The sad thing about all this is that the two sites within driving distance of the KC are on Wednesday nights. If either of the Chicago or Colorado games had been on a Saturday, I know I would have gone, with it on a Wednesday it's a lot harder.

In Wizards news, All star voting is up and going. Twelve Wizards are up for selection to the all star game. The list of the twelve players are listed on Hillcrest Road.

Included in the Hillcrest Road post is the new Wizards commercial involving Jimmy Conrad and the Cauldron.

It's Game Day

In the immortal words spoken by Jimmy Conrad to his napkin, it is most certainly game day. My preview of the match is already up, but for those of you that don't know, you can come over to the Cauldron tailgate before the game. I'll be there wearing my new Wizards jersey, so come say hi. Should be a good one if not a bit chilly.

Some bad news to report this morning, though. The latest injury report lists Chance Myers as being out with a foot strain for this game. So it looks like the rookie will not make his first start of the season. To update my lineup from yesterday then here you go.

Hartman
Jewsbury - Wahl - Conrad - Harrington
Zavagnin
Colombano - Marinelli - Pore
Trujillo - Lopez

Our attack gets an extremely international feel with Myers being out. Pore is the only American in the "attacking" part of the lineup.

Big Ass Jersey

The Cauldron announced today on their website that they will have a new addition to the section this season. A giant jersey. The jersey, made by Adidas will be a replica of the new Wizards kit. It will be about the size of the Rapids jersey in this picture provided by George Shook over on the Kansas City Soccer Review.

I'm unimpressed. I don't like these, things, I think they're gaudy and serve very little more then to advertise Adidas and the jersey. This is also besides the fact that the section now has multiple "big ass flags", as the section has come to call them, that are brought up over the heads of people in the section when a goal is scored as seen below. The section this year will actually be smaller size wise then the Cauldron was last year. Where is the space for all this stuff going to come from?

Photos c/o Kathie Robison

The Cauldron in 2008

Supporters of the Wizards that stand in the Cauldron will be back in action in a few weeks cheering the boys in blue. With the season on the horizon, I got in contact with the President of the KC Cauldron, Robert Houghton. I got the chance to ask him a few questions about the section and what is planned for the section. I want to thank Robert for taking the time to answer these questions in preparation for the season.

With the season right around the corner, I wanted to get an update on what the Wizards "most fervent supporters" are doing in preparations for the 2008 season.

As many people know, the left field berm at CAB is being replaced by bleachers specifically for the Cauldron. This will present a great opportunity for visibility of the section as well as allowing us to maximize our impact on the game. We will have more drums in the section and are loking to possibly add some brass as well. There will be a new energy in the Cauldron this year as we build on our size and impact, while looking forward to moving into our permanent stadium for the 2010 season. This is a great time for people to get in on the greatest group of supporters in MLS.

Recently on Oz City there was a post about how to improve the section, one of the things talked about, was a name change. Do you think that the name of the section needs to be changed?

I don't feel that the section needs a name change from "The Cauldron", it fits well with the team, has a history to it, and can work even if the team were to change to something other than the Wizards at some point. Now, as for our specific supporter group within the Cauldron, I suspect that there will be an effort throughout the 2008 season to identify a name for our supporter group and make a push towards an even more organized supporter group within the Cauldron for the 2009 season.

What do you think of the name "The Cauldron" in regards to how it relates to the team name, the Wizards?

As I mentioned in my previous answer, I think the name works great for the supporter section. It does tie well to the current team name, but I also don't think it would be limited by the teams name should that change.

I noticed that the Cauldron has a new logo that is on their website. How did the leadership come about choosing the new logo for the section?

Initially, the idea of a Cauldron logo was floated out on Big Soccer to solicit input from all members of the Cauldron. Unfortunately, as things seemed to do more often than not, the discussion on Big Soccer quickly "turned south". So, after a few really good ideas had been posted, the Cauldron Leadership group took the final decision internal. We discussed the pros and cons of the various proposed logos, and after having some changes implemented on a couple of them, we decided on a final logo to represent the Cauldron.

I've noticed a thread on bigsoccer about working on making the website better. What are some things that you think the Cauldron website needs to do to be a better place for information about the section?

Stu Bentley, our Communications Officer, can speak to this better than I can, but we are looking to make a few changes. One change is to remove the "People" page. This was added back when we were a much smaller group, and since the Cauldron averaged over 300 people per game in 2007, we have outgrown that page. It will be replaced with a mutli-media page that will have phtos, videos, and pod casts that will revolve around the Cauldron and the Wizards. We are hoping to work with the Wizards Front Office in 2008 to produce more in-game videos of the Cauldron that will be housed on the Cauldron website. We are also working on improving the Chant section to have more of our chants with audio as well as text. We also hope to get many of the Sudakas chants added to the Chant page.

I know that the group has done flyers before to little or no effect. But the cups seemed to be a bigger, better hit. What kind of recruitment tools is the Cauldron thinking of using now to get more people interested in the section?

We will have a new Cauldron scarf this season, utilizing the new official Wizards colors. Having seen the new scarf, I can tell you that it looks fantastic and should sell quickly to people in and out of the Cauldron. We are also planning on rolling out other new Cauldron merchandise this season. Another thing you will see, now that we are out of Arrowhead, is more information distributed within the Cauldron on game-days. This will give a greater opportunity to reach all of the people in the Cauldron, as opposed to only the members on Big Soccer and on our Cauldron mailing list. The biggest thing we can do to aid in recuritment is to make the section a "destination". Make people want to come to the Cauldron, as it will be the place to be at Wizards games.

With the new location at CAB that is much closer to the field, what are some of the groups plans for visiting teams?

The goal we have for the next two seasons is to make the corner of the field the most hated area in MLS for visiting teams to venture into. If we can get the opposing players and/or opposing coaches thinking about or complaining about the Cauldron, then their minds are not on the game...and we will have done our jobs! We are working on new banners and signage for the section as well as more tifo's this season. Confetti and streamers will play a big part as well (think Toronto and Houston).

Any specific plans/ideas for growing the section this coming season?

We are planning on having two or three "Grow the Cauldron" nights this season. The idea behind this, is get people in the Cauldron so they can see how much fun it is, and they will want to become a permanent member of the Cauldron. We did this a couple times in 2007, and along with a few other changes, it really boosted the average attendance of the Cauldron throughout the season. Another boost for growing the section is the pre-game tailgate. It has become the largest tailgate in the parking lot and shows no sign of letting up.

Any other things that the Cauldron is working on for the upcoming season?

As with every season, we are actively working on creating new songs and chants for the 2008 season. With the smaller confines at CAB, we are hoping to get more of the non-Cauldron fans involved in the chants and songs. We will also be planning one or two Cauldron road trips for away games this season. Many Cauldron members feel that if someone new to the section attends a Cauldron road trip, they will be hooked on the Cauldron for life.

Anything else that you'd like to say?

Just that I look forward to having the best on and off the field experience in the history of the Wizards. Everyone, feel free to swing by the tailgate before any game and make sure to come to the Cauldron to "Stand. Sing. Cheer" with the "most fervent supporters" in Kansas City. And if you see me, say hello.

Thanks again for your time Robert.

Where Will You Be?

It's been a while since I had a guest blogger, but I got an email today from a reader, and while I don't agree with them entirely, I feel they bring up some interesting points about the Cauldron, it's price, and the growth of the section. As with last time, I'll give just as much space for a rebuttal of this entry, if someone from the front office or another fan, wants to, much like Sam Pierron did last time I had a guest blogger.




I know that you haven't been wanting to post guest blogger entries, but I hope that you'd please consider posting this. This is something that I think is important for your readers to know.

As you've posted already, the Cauldron will be in what had been the left field berm. The berm will be replaced with bleachers for the Cauldron to stand on, instead of standing on the berm and it's grade. I've been to T-Bones games and sat in the berm, it's definitely steep. For doing all of this, the price for the Cauldron for season ticket holders will be $299. The raise in the price is to help to cover the construction cost of building the bleachers. If you're not a season ticket holder, and attend every game, then you'll be paying $324 for each game. Compared with the rest of the league and their seats behind the goal, the Wizards ticket price for that section puts it SECOND in the league, behind only the Galaxy (Thanks to Spoon on bigsoccer for that fact.). Call me crazy, but I don't think the Cauldron is worth that much.

Are high school and college students going to want to pay that much to stand in the Cauldron there? Unlikely, especially when they have the cheaper option of the berm on the other side of the field. The team has said that the berm will be like the rest of the stadium at Arrowhead in not allowing constant standing. How long will that last when many of the Cauldronites, La Porra, and all the high school and college kids move over to the berm because of the cheaper tickets? Especially when the tickets for the berm are going to be cheaper then the Cauldron.

I predict that by the second game there will be a large group standing, cheering, and celebrating, and the team will start to look the other way. While the Cauldron will be much smaller then the team is expecting. The reason the Cauldron was such a success last year, was because it was the cheapest ticket to be had. With that no longer the case, many of the fans are going to look for the cheap option in the stadium. What this all means, is that the team is going to end up losing money on the building of the Cauldron at CAB because season ticket holders will move. I already know of a few people that are moving their season tickets. Especially families, some of whom have been in the Cauldron for years. But without a child's priced ticket are being forced into the cheaper option to be able to come and still enjoy the game.

I worry that the entire growth from last season will be negated by the next two years because of the problem that will occur due to the price.

Thank you again for the chance to get this off my chest.

The Cauldron at CAB

The Cauldron location out at Community America Ballpark is now known. As I posted recently, there were two locations for where the Cauldron could go. The Cauldron will be in option A, the left field berm. But as this post from Sam Pierron on bigsoccer states, the berm will be made into bleacher seating for the section.

As someone with a bad knee, standing on the berm was going to be trouble. Thanks to this, I definitely feel more comfortable being in the section and feel like things will be safer as a whole in the section. Thank yous go out to those on the Wizards and T-Bones staff that worked to get this done for the section.

Love for the Cauldron

I've been a member of the Cauldron for about 4 seasons now. Starting back in 2004, I have not missed a game standing with friends cheering my lungs horse there. Finally after 4 seasons we finally have probably the best article ever written about the supporters group. Author Andrew Wiebe does a good job of capturing the group as a whole and what all goes into the game day atmosphere that the Cauldron creates. He gets a great quote from Anthony Frei about the sheer excitement that comes over you when a goal is scored.

“Whenever a goal is scored it’s pandemonium,” Frei said. “There’s a huge amount of joy. In football, basketball and other sports your team scores at regular intervals. It’s all of that packed down into the one moment you are all waiting for.”

He also gets great quotes from Davy Arnaud and Kerry Zavagnin on the team's perspective of the group, which is always great to hear.

This isn't Wiebe's first article on the Cauldron either, he wrote one a week ago chronicling the where the Cauldron got it's start, from the Mystics and moving into the present with the Cauldron. Growing from a hand full of people to the 450-500 that were at the game last Saturday night against Chivas.