Kansas City Wizard Preseason Analysis

"Kickstart My Heart" - Motley Crue
Kansas City Wizards 2007 Championship season

Upper Management: OnGoal

OnGoal has shown that it is committed to winning. I have seen first hand the involvement of the OnGoal Team. Their staff sings their praises, and with a complete overhaul of stagnant staff, a reorganization of positions, and an injection of positive vibes and a breath of fresh air, this may be the biggest variable that no one has taken into account. I saw them firsthand, sitting and chanting in the Mystic section, the Cauldran!, acting like buffoons (I would say this is the ideal ownership for a rec. league like the MLS).

Technical Director: Peter Vermes

Peter Vermes is one of my favorite players of all time. He was a fantastic defender, led our squad to its most successful season (the Cup), and anchored one of the best defenses ever seen in the MLS. If you have any doubts, Meola got the MVP as a GK. Vermes was a very big reason for that. He was not the fastest player, but he was smart enough to give that assignment to someone like Brandon Prideaux, and Pete wouldn't be afraid to mix it up. He was integral in molding Nick Garcia into a top defender. So how will he be as technical director? I honestly don't know. What does he even do? Who cares? Like our assistant coach, he was a fantastic player, a complete professional with a winning mentality. He can spot a winner, and he can coach a defense. I like it.

Head Coach: Curt Onalfo

Curt Onalfo is important for a number of reasons, but like the ownership, he represents a well-qualified, first timer. Think Billy Donovan getting hired at Florida. Curt has also coached for the National Team, giving him a Bill Self/Rick Pitino type aura where players want to succeed under him cuz he's "hooked up." They know he is able to make a phone call to get them a Nats tryout. And he has a personal relationship with Eddie Johnson, which might be the reason he was hired. Eddie represents one of the fastest, most talented youngsters the national team has ever had, and from all accounts he is a really upbeat guy (Unlike a certain forward from last year that refused interviews…quick tangent: “Hello Josh Wolff, you play soccer in the United States! You’re not good enough to refuse interviews, unless you want to be known as a DBAG!!”). If we can see a connection between Curt and Eddie being made, I think it will be seen on the field...hence Eddie's dominating performance in the season opener.

Assistant Coach: Chris Henderson

Yes he had long blond hair that I ruthlessly made fun of when he was with Colorado. Yes I retracted all my statements when he later joined the Wiz and became an icon of hustle and success. I once had an assistant lacrosse coach, who got us all worked up, told inspiring stories, and then was man enough to shed a tear to get the team really fired up. Does Chris Henderson not fit that mold perfectly? One of the worst MLS trades of all time, think Vin Baker-esque, was when we traded this warrior for that punk ass biatch Roy Lassiter (like Randy Moss- same first initial, coincidence? I think not!) Hendo was a winger with perfect crosses, a huge heart, and a level of fitness Lance would appreciate. Take this into account: Have you ever heard of a team having their players wear fitness monitors during pre-season? Well now you have, our Wiz did it this preseason, and I'd have a hard time believing this wasn't Hendo's idea. I don't know how this directly translates into our performance Sat. night, but our team showed very good pace, which undoubtedly caught United totally off guard.

The Wizards management represents a unique blend of savvy businessmen and world-class athletes. They have both dominated their respective arenas. They also believe that soccer can succeed in Kansas City (which it can: see Kansas City Comets circa 1990), but in order for this to happen, it has to have a winning product. The problem with successful Wiz teams in the past is that we had a great D, Preki, and Miklos Molnar’s one-season career, which was good enough to get us a title. But we have never really had any fluidity or creativity on offense (Hence the ill-fated Lassiter Project). The reason this has to change is that for Americans, and Kansas Citians in particular, is that goals put the butts in the seats. I think the combination of the businessmen and former players will give us a solid combination of a winning product, and a marketable product.