The Wizards white team beat the Wizards blue team 5-2 last night. You can check the Wizards or Mike's live bloging for details but I wanted to post some photos and thoughts.I would be happy if the white team was the opening day team. Both Smith/Espinoza on the left and Myers/Harrington on the right worked well together. Click to continue reading...

In the Wizards press box getting ready to watch the Wizards closed door scrimmage. Play-by-play will be in this thread.
Lineups
White
Nielsen
Harrington - Conrad - Besler - Espinoza
Myers - Diop - Auvray - Smith
Wolff - Arnaud
Blue
Hercegfalvi - Bunbury
Zusi - Hirsig - Jewsbury - Kamara
Aiyegbusi - Hohlbein - Leathers - Kraus
Kronberg
Game is on, white is controling most of play. Click to continue reading...

The practice was split so that the two teams that will be playing an inter-squad game tonight could practice together and practice preparing for a game. The morning session team looks like they will line up: Nielsen (Horwath backup keeper)Harrington - Conrad - Besler - EspinozaMyers - Diop - Auvray - SmithArnaud - BunburyIn both sessions the coaches split up the defensive half and the offensive Click to continue reading...

**Updated** Wizards won an abbreviated match 4-0 today in Arizona before returning to KC Sunday night. The team is scrambling right now to get back to KC. We'll get you the details of the last two goals shortly.
Today, the Wizards face a pair of amateur sides in a 90-minute match down in Phoenix. Click to continue reading...

**Updated** Kansas City came from behind to tie Columbus 1-1 today in Phoenix. Brian Carroll scored a first-half goal for the Crew, with Graham Zusi answering after the break. Kansas City's final test of the Arizona trip comes Sunday with a game split between the Arizona Sahuaros and Grand Canyon University. Click to continue reading...

Training went well again this morning. We broke up into 3 teams and played 11 v 11 full-field (12 minute games). This was the first time that we've gone full-field this year. It was a good opportunity to get the guys moving together and getting used to playing in a full-sided atmosphere as we build towards our first game tomorrow night. Click to continue reading...

First day of practice for 2010 was all about fitness testing. Beep tests, speed tests and all manner of running took place at the Indoor Practice Facility.The dreaded beep test was rn in two groups. Harrington won the first group with Hohlbein a close second. Kraus and Souter both went out at together to win the second group. Click to continue reading...

The Beauty: My favorite number is eleven, so it is fitting that my favorite English WAG, Amanda Harrington, is being honored on PLTO on November 11th (11/11). As the pic to the left displays, Amanda is about as ridiculously hot as they come. Thus, her resume predictably contains the following jobs: (1) beauty queen (Miss Liverpool), (2) model (duh), and (3) actress (but of course).

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Harrington at practice with bandage on his head...I talked with Michael about his collision with Jimmy, playing on the left side again and Peter being coach... Click to continue reading...

Jimmy just can not seem to keep his head out of danger. As you can see, he is sporting a bandage on his much abused noggin. He collided with Harrington in practice yesterday and both needed a few stitches. Both practiced today so it seems there was no lasting issues for either player...In the interview I ask Jimmy about his new injury and about the last game. Click to continue reading...

Real Salt Lake comes into town this weekend after trouncing Chivas USA on Wednesday. That's a perfect recipe for disaster for a team like the Wizards that has scored ONE goal in it's last 6 games (7 if you count the loss vs. Seattle for the US Cup).

I didn't go out to Swope Park to watch practice this week so my lineup prognostication will probably a bit off (vs.

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The Wizards are running out of time to right the ship and try to make a run up the table. They visit the Earthquakes in a match between teams that certainly had higher expectations for the 2009 than what they have been able to achieve up to now.

I liked the effort and the passing from KC last weekend (they tried to get away from "everything is a long ball" style of play) but their finishing let them down and they got shut out once again.

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On Sunday the Wizards will take on the Fire at the CAB. It will mark Peter Vermes' first game as a coach after taking over the position when Curt Onalfo was fired. From watching some of the practices and reading the reports from their friendly against a PDL team last week, it seems that unless Mr.

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The team did a full field scrimmage today. Starters versus the reserves, starters included Hartman, Besler, Hohlbein, McKenzie, Harrington, Lopez, Jewsbury, Gomez, Hirsig, Wolff and Thompson. The reserves were Pardo (Kronberg), Leathers, Marquess, Watson, "guest player", Myers, Zusi, Morsink, Kraus, Cristman and Zoltán. Click to continue reading...

Columbus and KC battle it out this weekend at the CAB. KC is coming from giving up a tie vs. a 10 man Galaxy team while the Crew tied its away game vs. a 10 man Seattle team.

The big story this weekend, as the Crew try to sweep the season series, is if the Crew will be able to overcome the international absences of Alejandro Moreno (Venezuela), Duncan Oughton (New Zealand) and Frankie Hejduk (USNT) for this game at Community America Ballpark.

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Do not forget to vote!!!Should we interview Davy for having the lone Wizards goal in the last game? Or should we talk to Souter for getting his first start this year, or maybe Harrington about his start?Remember you can vote here and at Down the Byline and both votes count. Click to continue reading...

The Wizards are back in action again on Saturday when they travel to Columbus to take on defending MLS Cup Champions, the Columbus Crew. The Crew, though, have had a rough go of it to begin the season as they are currently winless with 5 points (0-2-5) through their first 7 games. They will be getting a few players back from suspension and injury it would appear though. Click to continue reading...

Swope Park Rangers and MSU pose for pre-game picture.
Abe Thompson plays a cross between his two goals.
Kurt Morsink poses as teammate Jack Jewsbury snaps a picture during the first half.
If you were following along via our Twitter account, you already know this, but the KCW Reserves/Swope Park Rangers defeated a well-organized Missouri State team 3-0 today on the strength of first-half goals from Abe Thompson and a second-half strike from Kurt Morsink. Click to continue reading...

In case you were wondering, last year's Missouri State Champions Incarnate Word defeated last year's Kansas State Champions St. James Academy 4-0 in today's doubleheader opener. We're about 30 minutes to kickoff, and the stands are starting to fill in nicely. It seems that plenty of people decided to arrive early for the bobbleheads. Click to continue reading...

Great night for soccer! The pre-game stuff was great. The B-2 bomber flyover was impressive. The weather could not have been better. The crowd was great. The soccer game itself was horrible. It made me forget our last ESPN game, the 3-3 offensive display at Columbus last year.

Recap: 2nd minute, Johnson was slow to react to a ball and a Wizards player beat him to it; Johnson trips him up with a slide and it resulted in a penalty and harsh red card.

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Stopped by practice on Wednesday to watch the scrimmage. I arrived a little after it started but I think I saw all the goals. Last Sundays starters were the blue team, the green team was everyone else. Harrington was back practicing and was playing on green. The green team scored first on a PK. Did not see the foul but Abe put it away to take the lead. Click to continue reading...