The Kansas City Wizards stadium project cleared its final hurdles on Tuesday night after funding for the project was approved by the Unified Government of Wyandotte County, Kansas.
The vote clears the way for construction to begin today on a stadium that will be the crown jewel of a $400 million development project in Kansas City, Kansas. The Wizards expect to be playing in their new stadium at some point during the 2011 season. The stadium will be the 10th built by an MLS team.
On the field, the identity of one of the two international players we have linked to moves to Kansas City was revealed. The Back Post reported that Guadeloupe national team captain Stephane Auvray will be joining the Wizards. A tenacious central midfielder who can provide bite as well as attacking elements, Auvray should help bolster a Wizards midfield that includes Jack Jewsbury and Davy Arnaud.
So who is the second international player slated to join the Wizards? Sources have told SBI that Colombian defender Pablo Escobar will be joining the Wizards upon receipt of his international clearance. Escobar was one of three Colombian defenders signed by Major League Soccer last month.
Here are some other stories to get your Wednesday going:
Fire set to make international additions
Fresh off a strong performance at the MLS Draft, the Chicago Fire looks set to bolster its roster even further with the addition of two foreign players. Reports out of Poland have linked the Fire to a loan move for Polish fullback Krzysztof Król while the arrival of Salvadoran midfielder Julio Martinez is expected in the coming days.
Krol is projected to take over as the Fire's starting left back, replacing Cyprus-bound Gonzalo Segares, while Martinez is expected to take over on the right wing for Denmark-bound Chris Rolfe.
The Fire isn't done. Reports have linked Chicago to Dutch striker Collins John, a former strike partner of Brian McBride at Fulham. Sources tell SBI that the Fire is in serious talks with John, who would not count as a Designated Player.
Chivas USA extends loans on Padilla, Cuesta and Santos
New Chivas USA head coach Martin Vasquez is likely to shake up his roster, but three players who won't be leaving just yet are forwards Jesus Padilla and Maicon Santos and defender Yamith Cuesta. All three had their loan deals with Chivas USA extended on Tuesday.
All three players served key roles in helping Chivas USA overcome a mid-season slump to reach the MLS playoffs.
One player who is leaving is Paulo Nagamura, who moved to Mexican side Tigres on a free transfer after three seasons with Chivas USA. Nagamura's departure was no surprise to Chivas USA, which drafted midfielder Blair Gavin to help compensate for Nagamura's departure.
Clarifying the Philly-D.C. United trade
There was a bit of confusion regarding the details of the Philadelphia Union's deal with D.C. United last week that gave D.C. the Union's top spot in the MLS Allocation order. While it was not mentioned in the details of the deal, Philadelphia did, in fact, swap Allocation Order places with D.C. United in the trade. Philadelphia now holds the No. 6 spot in the MLS Allocation Order.
Why is this significant? The Union has been linked to a move for defender Michael Orozco and sources have told SBI that if Orozco does sign with MLS he will go through the Allocation Order process as a U.S. national team pool player.
Orozco isn't the only American player who could be selected via the Allocation Order in the coming days and weeks. Midfielder Lee Nguyen has been linked to a move to MLS, with FC Dallas the team most likely to sign the former PSV winger (UPDATE- According to Nguyen's Twitter account, he is heading back to Vietnam after failing to reach an agreement on a deal with MLS).
As for D.C. United? It holds the last place in the Allocation Order until another team selects a player via the allocation process.
Here is the current Allocation Order:
1. New York Red Bulls
2. San Jose Earthquakes
3. Kansas City Wizards
4. Toronto FC
5. FC Dallas
6. Philadelphia Union
7. Colorado Rapids
8. New England Revolution
9. Chivas USA
10. Seattle Sounders
11. Columbus Crew
12. Chicago Fire
13. Houston Dynamo
14. Los Angeles Galaxy
15. Real Salt Lake
16. D.C. United
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What do you think of these developments? Can you believe MLS will be building a 10th soccer-specific stadium? Impressed with what the Chicago Fire is doing with its roster? Wondering when Vasquez will make some new additions to the Chivas USA squad?
Share your thoughts below.
it would just be too much depth to have on an MLS team since cap room is such a big deal in this league
NY needs midfielders more than defense now guys….they did their Defensive shopping
I think this will be how the defense looks next year….
RB-Johnson,RCB-Albright,LCB-Goldthwaite(or petke, whoever is playing better at the time),LB-Miller(yes, he can play left back)
i honestly think they could have used Nguyen
nguyen needs mls more than mls needs him.
Major league baseball outdrew the EPL by about 6-1. Same amount per game, but baseball plays 162 games a year.
MrDot said…
“You could always be Baltimore United.” -Mr.Dot
I just read that Baltimore approved a $100,000 feasibility study to see if they could lure DC there. Not a joke, serious. As a person who lost his SuperSonics to the middle of nowhere I would be nervous.
I also saw that Raul is seriously thinking of coming to the MLS, with interest from NY and LA. It is like the MLS teams already know the DP will expand from one to two. (Why don’t I hear the Sounders interested in anyone yet ?)
I think you are going to see more and more of this. Guys who can definitely play well in a Major first division, but don’t want to play for the other loser 15-18 teams and aren’t in need of money, coming to MLS.
MLS may have very limited money, but at least we don’t have a joke of a league.
Good for us and great for US soccer.
Because playing in a minor league baseball is much better for fan support than a SSS for the city and state of KS & MO and their soccer club.
In related news: the glass is always half-empty and despite it being sunny out, it isnt sunny enough, etc.
I’m absolutely elated you aren’t affliated with any MLS brass in anyway shape or form.
” This stadium is a step back for MLS “….wow, this kid has jokes.
Same with Toronto, my friend, in the meantime they play in front of 20,000 with 10,000 begging to watch a game.
I drive around the same distant for to see the Fire… I’d love it if I only had to drive 30min… They don’t draw a crowd because they are not well supported… no because people can’t drive 30 mins from Dallas.
Ives – I don’t know about dominating MLS, but wouldn’t Orozco be an immediate upgrade at CB for the Red Bulls? Surely no two CBs from their mix are both better than Orozco…
I mean I agree, there might be much more valuable players coming back down the road so it’s probably wise not to use the spot on Orozco, but I still think he’d help the Red Bulls.
FWIW, the Union has said that the stadium could be expanded to about 30,000, if needed, down the road. That is how you plan for the future and the present, my friend.
Despite being worse than the Royals the Nationals still consistently outdraw DCU on their best nights.
I’m a DCU supporter and am appalled by the stadium issues, but have never bought into this line of reasoning. Economically, DC stood to make a lot more money on a Nats Stadium then they did on a DCU stadium…
Is he serious? Have fun back in the Vietnamese league, racked with corruption and match-fixing…
Well said…being a former KC native… I am so excited that this is happening for you all you old die hard KC Wiz fans… Wish the Bannister Mall site would have worked but this may be better in the long run and get some of the hispanic population out to the games.
Hardly think he is being idiot… he was not comparing the lenght the sport has been around… I know guys that are just as serious about their MLS teams as guys I know who support an NFL team… If you love the sport and your team… driving 1 hour+ is not that big of a deal… try living in a city with traffic… we sit in our cars for 2 hours a day just to go to and from a job we hate… hardly much to ask when going to something they enjoy…
Fulham have Billy Badger… so I beg to differ but I do see your point… I am the guy sitting in the supporters sections not the sidelines with soccer moms and snot mose kids…but I do realize that those moms and kids pay for tickets which is what is needed to keep me afloat… I will agree that a great “Euro like” atmosphere can go a long way towards building a follwoing but I think the Dallas front office thought they would get the best of both worlds as the hardcore fans would go anyways and then they would get all the concessions and ticket sales form the “family day out” crowd…
Also I am far from an idiot and was not comparing NFL to MLS… I was saying that the truly passionate go no matter how far the inconvinient drive is when they love the product… perhaps the product is the real problem?
does anyone else think the dumbass MLS allocation system is totally retarded? MLS should just let the teams sign their own players already. they already have a salary cap, what do they need allocations for???
The NASL Sounders would have been limited in a SSS, not helped by it.
They drew close to 30k, and have crowds of 50k plus many times.
Agreed, plus you forgot the most important element of the SSS. They need to house 20k or less. Philly only holds 18,5000.
So basically Philly has said that the average team can draw around 15k and afford a salary of about $2.5 million and we want that to grow about 20% or so and be done.
It is a stepping stone and people say these stadiums are expandable, the revenue is much better, but it seems to me to be shooting so low MLS teams are going to fail even if they succeed.
Wizards sell out a lot of their matches. Maybe just over 10k but it’s still a sell out.
You noticed that KC consistently “sells out” their games at the baseball stadium which is just down the block from the Wizards stadium site right? It’s also across the street from Kansas Speedway, I’m having a hard time believing this location that “nobody wants to visit”.
Good for the Wizards. Now I’ll have a legit reason to visit Kansas someday…
please explain why it will be colorado 2.0, as you clearly seem to know what you’re talking about.
they aren’t going to draw LESS than 10k ( last years attn ) are they ?
IF not, and they have their own stadium it is a plus right ?
You could always be Baltimore United.
Is there anything that DC United didn’t give Philly in that deal? Will they be sleeping with anyone’s wives? Were there any first borns involved? WOW! We didn’t even keep our allocation spot? Fred, 1st pick, allocation money, and our allocation spot. That is a lot!
LOL the NASL sold out stadiums, it wasn’t stadium problems that wrecked the NASL, it’s that the NASL brought over aging stars, paid them way too much money and ran it financially into the ground before the sport even started to maybe grab a mainstream audience.
Best. Soccer. Specific. Stadium. (next to New York of course). From what we’re hearing in KC this place will be a state-of-the-art fan experience and a desirable place to play professional. To bad I can’t make it magically appear Sim City style.
FTR, I feel bad for DC supporters. The District doesn’t want a stadium built for MLS’ historically most successful club yet they build one for a baseball team that is actually worse than the Royals. Only in DC.
Another idiot comparing America’s most popular sport that’s been around for almost a hundred years to MLS. It never gets old.
doesnt take much to respond to ignorance….
It’s gonna be Colorado 2.0 – Another team with very poor support building a stadium far away from anywhere anyone wants to be. Don’t kid yourselves. This stadium is actually a step back for MLS. It will fall in line with Colorado and Frisco.
Must be the Vietnamese lifestyle, or he didn’t like the allocation order.
I’m sorry, exactly when did the Vietnamese League start becoming wealthier than MLS?
FCD’s location in Frisco is a bit of the exception that proves the rule. Red Bull Arena is located just outside New York on a subway line from midtown Manhattan. Bridgeview borders the political limits of Chicago. BMO Field is adjacent downtown Toronto and on a rail line.
I agree that location really matters. However, the SSS’s aren’t the problem. Some of their locations might be problematic but controlling your own schedule/revenue and having a stadium with a field with proper dimensions for soccer is not something to sneeze at.
Also, RFK and the land underneath it is owned by the federal government. Anything that you want to do there would require and Act of Congress to allow it. Good luck getting that passed.
Im surprised with such passionate responses considering how little fans go to the game.
It worked for DC (Raul Diaz Arce, el Diablo, Jaime) bringing out the Bolivians and Salvadorans in the early days.
Well, I am a “real fan” then. In the Dallas area, I cheered my heart out for the Sidekicks in the 80’s, the Burn in the 90’s, and FC Dallas today.
The move to Frisco changed the atmosphere so much. It’s like a playground.
Maybe I should hedge my complaints on management, but I can imagine fans like myself feel the same elsewhere.
Might want to call them the Frisco Burn, or FC Frisco. I think FC Yuppie would also fit the bill. As for youth soccer…to rely on this crowd, is a problem. If this league wants to grow, then its fan base needs to be accommodated as it ages. F’in dancing mascots will not be found in the EPL, nor will brats that run endlessly up and down the stairs. You wont find them in the Colaship, league1, France, Italy, Scandanavia, Portugal, ANYWHERE. Maybe in the Bundesliga, but they are mocked there. MLS wants a different fanbase than the rest of the world and wants to grow. pipedream.
I would have to agree. He probably felt he deserved more money because of how “well” he did in Vietnam. He also feels he deserves a call up to the Nats. He is a bit disillusioned with all of this. He was the same way when he was training with Arsenal. He honestly felt they were going to sign him.
The allocation business — Frankly, I don’t understand the confusion. MLSnet’s piece announcing the deal did say the teams swapped allocation spots.
More importantly, it’s an inconsequential part of the trade. Getting Perkins with an allocation was awesome. He will be, by far, the best USA player signed thru allocation this year. Philly isn’t likely to get anyone very good, with the 7th allocation slot. DCU isn’t missing out by not having that slot. What was costly was giving up hte draft pick, but Philly needed an inducment to swap the allocation picks. That was their price.
SSS’s will kill MLS? Just because SSS’s don’t produce instant sell-outs now doesn’t mean they won’t be packed ten year from now. It takes time to build a real fan base. “Bandwagoneers” come and go – real fans take time, but once you have them you’ll have to beat them off with a stick.
“Fair-weather” fans aren’t worth their weight in junk. By all means, take their money, but don’t count on them for any real commitment.
10 years from now MLS will be just fine, thank you very much.
Because they might not want to be stuck with the player, or they might actually want to hold on to their slot in the allocation order, in case a player they actually want comes back home. When you use your allocation, you move down to the bottom of the list.
for sure, not having them really helped the NASL………. lol
im sorry, but for me, DC United did an AWFUL job in the draft and now with this allocation order business, i’m really bummed.
i think we have a good core, but we need more depth, depth that isn’t 30+ years old. perkins is great and all, but i’m starting to think we overpaid for him…
even if you’re right, he won’t be nearly as highly paid, and Denilson didn’t have a Brian McBride or CJ Brown on the team. You can rest assured that any slacking will be swiftly and thoroughly dealt with by two of the toughest and hardest-working locker room leaders ever to grace MLS. The Fire have a strong, united and experienced clubhouse, which FC Dallas lacked for the last few years.
Great news for MLS & the KC Wizards. Now to get that Houston stadium built.
Who else is left that needs to a SSS? New England, DC United, & San Jose?
DC got hosed in that trade, IMO.
There’s a reason why Dynamo are looking to put their stadium downtown, not in Sugarland or Katy or the Woodlands. Houston looks at Dallas’s half-empty stadium with soccer moms and snotty-nosed kids running around, and we laugh! I’ll never forget going to a PLAYOFF game at PHP where there were almost as many Dynamo fans as Dallas fans in the house. Pathetic support, but almost understandable when you look at the stadium location. Cotton Bowl was great atmosphere. You North Dallas suburban dorks dropped the ball. LOL
It does seem like Hyndman was counting his chickens a bit early. Also seems like Nguyen has probably burned his bridges here. Hope he’s cool with a career in Vietnam.
Ives, any idea why RB would pass on Michael Orozco? Wouldn’t you agree he would be a good addition and add depth to a weak position?
(SBI-Depends on whether you think he can play CB in MLS. As far as I can tell, Philly would play him at right back. New York has Carlos Johnson and Chris albright who can play right back, with Roy Miller and Jeremy Hall also capable of slotting in there. Orozco is a promising young player, but anyone who thinks he’s going to dominate MLS because he started as a defender in Mexico is mistaken. Mexico has great attacking talent, but the quality of individual defenders in Mexico is a notch below the attackers. All that said, I also think the Red Bulls would rather wait and see who else might come along, either now or in the summer. If someone like Beasley or Bocanegra comes to MLS, that top spot suddenly increases a TON in value.)
Hmmm. Maybe he wanted to play for Dallas, but Hyndman couldn’t swing a deal with NY? Or, maybe it’s the money. If it’s the latter, I suspect Dallas is kinda pissed. It was my sense that the draft day trade of the 6th pick for allocation money was meant to make the Nguyen signing. Bye-bye, Lee….
They are called the Dallas Burn not the Fort Worth Burn…. The Colony and Denton have some of hte highest youth soccer pops in the country… Dallas front office is the problem…not the stadium local…
Lots of stadiums are well outside the “city” ask the New England Patriots or Phoenix Cardinals…somehow they are always filled…