Tag Archives: Colorado Rapids

KC Wizards Opening US Open Cup Play At Home April 13th

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The Kansas City Wizards will play fellow MLS side Colorado Rapids on Tuesday, April 13th at 7:30 p.m. CT in a qualifying game for the 2010 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The game will take place at the Stanley H. Durwood Stadium on the campus of the University of Missouri-Kansas City, which is located at the intersection of Cherry Street and East 51st Street.

The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is the oldest soccer competition in the United States, having started in 1914 as the National Challenge Cup. Today, the competition involves teams from all levels of the American soccer pyramid, from semi-pro sides in the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) to teams in Major League Soccer.
The Kansas City Wizards’ 2009 run in the cup was cut short in the quarterfinals with a 1-0 away loss to Seattle Sounders FC. The team suffered a similar fate in 2008, falling 6-5 in a penalty kick shootout to the then-USL1 Seattle Sounders in the quarterfinals.

The Wizards have won the U.S. Open Cup once, defeating the Chicago Fire 1-0 in 2004 at Arrowhead Stadium off an overtime goal from Russian forward Igor Simutenkov.

In the event of a tie the match will go to two 15-minute overtime periods. If the match remains tied after overtime, penalty kicks will be used to determine a winner. The winner of this game will advance in the U.S. Open Cup qualification process to play the winner of a three-team pool that includes the New England Revolution, New York Red Bulls and Philadelphia Union at a date to be determined in May. The winner of that game will then enter into the round of 16 in the U.S. Open Cup.

Wizards season ticket holders and UMKC students, staff and faculty will be able to purchase tickets for $10, and tickets will be available to the general public for $15 each. Tickets will go on sale this Friday morning at 10 a.m. CT, and can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com/opencup or by calling the Wizards at (913) 387-3413.

Stanley H. Durwood Stadium has approximately 1,000 stadium and bleacher seats, so fans are encouraged to buy early to make sure they get the best seats available. Standing-room only/grass berm seats will also be made available after all of the stadium and bleacher seats are sold.

Parking for the event will be available in the garage located on Cherry Street, right across from the stadium. Parking is free, and will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Lance Parker To Face Matt Pickens During Saturday’s Chivas vs Rapids Game

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College Soccer: Missouri State Bears vs Bradley BravesAccording to an email sent by Coach John Leamy at Missouri State, it looks like Zach Thornton’s injury during the MLS All-Star game will in fact lead to recent Missouri State graduate Lance Parker getting his first start in a league match for his Chivas USA squad. Coincidentally, he’ll be facing Colorado which will also feature an MSU Bear between the pipes!

I just wanted to share the news that Missouri State University Soccer will have two starting goalkeepers facing off against each other this Saturday night when Chivas USA travels to Colorado and takes on the Rapids. Lance Parker will be starting for Chivas, as regular starter Zack Thorton was injured in last week’s MLS All Star game. Matt Pickens will once again be tending the nets for Colorado. The game is scheduled to kick off at 8:30PM Central Standard Time. Please check out the team’s websites at cdchivasusa.com and coloradorapids.com .

On a somewhat related note, the 23rd Annual Missouri State University Auction Benefiting Athletics will take place on Friday, August 14th for the first time in the new JQH Arena! Doors open at 5:00pm with the live auction taking place at 7:30pm. Additional information can be found at missouristatebears.com. Looking forward to seeing you there!

According the MLS preview, this is a crucial matchup in the Western Conference at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park as the Colorado Rapids and Chivas USA, tied for fourth place in the division. Both teams come into tied for what would be the final spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs. Thornton is listed as questionable with a quad strain while Dan Kennedy is out due to knee surgery. The game is on Direct Kick so find someone with satellite!

Weekend Opportunities – World Cup Qualifiers, MLS, Snow?

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Sorry, knowing the quality of our weather prognosticators around here I probably shouldn’t even bring up the Winter Storm Watch that flashed across Twitter yesterday afternoon. Any bets there won’t be any in Springfield?

World Cup 2010 logoWhile pondering the weather and it’s impact on your schedule, have you added these quality options?

US Men at El Salvador – Saturday 8pm, ESPN2

Some history lessons from the US MNT blog, including the fact that the last visit to El Salvador in 2004 was only the 2nd win ever in Central America. Here’s the Salvadoran roster and players to watch. The Villanova vs Pitt game should start around 6pm so the conflicts will be limited by then.

KC Wizards Logo KC Wizards vs Colorado Rapids – Saturday 8:30 pm, Direct Kick

The KC Wizards are in Colorado on Saturday for a game against the Rapids. The Wizards may be without Arnaud and Wolff for the game. The Wizards haven’t won in Denver since June 9, 2004, a span of five league matches. The Rapid’s should have Matt Pickens (Missouri State Bears) in net yet again.

St Louis United Waits To Join Major League Soccer

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St Louis Soccer UnitedYou missed a good game on Thursday if you were wrapped up in the NCAA early round games. The Seattle Sounders clobbered the NY Red Bull 3-0 which is a nice introduction to the league. They’ve got a 21 y.o. Columbian kid by the name of Freddy Montero you’ll be seeing a lot of this season.

Meanwhile, MLS Commission Don Garber was in Portland on Friday inviting them to join the league in 2010. It’s hard to hold it against them, they have a heck of a fan base. Pitch Invasion features a story on the Timbers Army that’s worth a read. Of course, the lack of a stadium was supposed to disqualify them. We’ll see how that plays out…

I’ll be drowning my sorry in St Louis this weekend, and plan on enjoying the Chivas USA vs Colorado Rapids match at 9:30 pm CDT. Both teams have goalies on the roster that are Missouri State Bear alum’s, maybe we’ll get to see one or both of them. The MSU website has a nice roundup on the two of them.

And of course, the Wizards game at 7:30 pm is also available, on Direct Kick for those with access. I also added the MLS National TV Schedule to my Soccer Calendar, so for those with ESPN-only, we can keep up there.

Represent SGFsoccer in Major League Soccer

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With the opening of the Major League Soccer season coming this weekend, it’s time for me to get caught up with the comings and goings on the MLS rosters. In particular, what’s up with the goalkeepers that Missouri State has sent to the major leagues. But before I dive into those details, a quick update on a new prospect.

Justin Alford (Poplar Bluff/Springfield SC) has been invited to tryout with Chivas USA for five days next week. It’s Spring Break for Justin and he’s ready to measure himself at the next level. I was fortunate to catch up with him Sunday after the Bear’s late afternoon practice.

I neglected to ask him but I’m guessing he has former Poplar Bluff classmate Tyler Hansbrough’s UNC team at the top of his March Madness brackets. How about you?

Lance Parker – Lance is now officially a member of the Senior Roster at Chivas USA, albeit with 0 years of experience. You may recall the Reserve League was eliminated which meant 100 players across 15 clubs were not re-signed. Lance played in the preseason game against the Fire, winning a 1v1 battle with Blanco I understand, and has also found a new place in LA that’s a mile from the beach. All excellent signs for the #3 keeper behind Zach Thornton and Dan Kennedy.

Matt Pickens – Matt returns to the MLS to play for the Colorado Rapids. We last saw him at the Chicago Fire before his short stint with Queens Park Rangers in England. The Rapids website notes that he’ll battle for the 1st team position with Preston Burpo who was 3-0-1 in September 2008.

Matt’s joined on the roster by another St Louis native, John DiRaimondo, who begins his second year on the senior roster after two years on the Reserve roster. DiRaimondo played at SLU/SLUH.