Wizards Announce 2009 Schedule01/30/2009 9:21 AM - The Kansas City Wizards announced Wednesday the 30-game 2009 Major League Soccer (MLS) regular-season schedule. For a third consecutive season, every Kansas City Wizards game will be televised. Games not shown exclusively in English by a national broadcast partner will be shown live locally on Metro Sports. Metro Sports is available on Time Warner Cable (Channel 30), Comcast (Channel 258) and Sunflower Cable in Lawrence, Kan. (Channel 37). Metro Sports will also televise Wizards games in Spanish on Time Warner Cable Channel 5, the Around Town Channel. The Wizards open the season Saturday, March 21 at 7:30 p.m. CT against Toronto FC at CommunityAmerica Ballpark. CommunityAmerica Ballpark will host its first-ever ESPN2 broadcast on Thursday, April 23. Kansas City will face the New York Red Bulls 30 minutes earlier to accommodate ESPN2's national broadcast window. On July 4, the Wizards host the 2006 and 2007 MLS Cup champion Houston Dynamo at 8 p.m. CT. Fireworks celebrating the United States' Independence Day will immediately follow the game. The Wizards schedule includes a break from MLS play in the second half of June to alleviate schedule congestion associated with Kansas City's qualification for SuperLiga. SuperLiga is a tournament that runs concurrent to the MLS regular-season between teams from the United States and Mexico. In 2008, SuperLiga included a group phase and a knockout phase with all games held in U.S. venues. Eight clubs - four each from the top-flight leagues of the United States and Mexico - played to determine a singular champion of North America. Last year, the New England Revolution (MLS) defeated the Houston Dynamo (MLS) and took home $1 million in prize money, the largest purse in North American soccer history. The 2009 SuperLiga schedule will be announced at a later date. For more information, please visit the SuperLiga website. Season ticket packages for 2009 are still available, starting as low as $180. Contact the Wizards at (913) 387-3400 for tickets or visit www.kcwizards.com. Individual tickets go on sale through Ticketmaster on Thursday, Feb. 19. Contact Ticketmaster via phone at (816) 931-3330 or online at Ticketmaster.com. Call for details on how to get the limited tickets available at CommunityAmerica Ballpark to see the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday, July 25. Schedule Highlights • Wizards appear on national television 6 times. • Seattle Sounders FC makes first appearance in Kansas City on Oct. 17. • Defending MLS Cup Champion Columbus Crew visit Kansas City June 6. • Wizards conclude regular season at home for 5th time in 14 seasons Oct. 24 vs. D.C. United. • Kansas City opens season at home for 10th time March 21 vs. Toronto FC. • Wizards are 7-0-2 all-time in season-opening home games. • Kansas City plays D.C. United and New England Revolution 3 times. • D.C. United is the only team to visit CommunityAmerica Ballpark twice in MLS play. • The Wizards will play at Gillette Stadium twice, where they are 6-1-4 all-time. • MLS is in active discussions with HDnet to continue broadcasting games on the first all-high definition national television network. HDnet has partnered with MLS since 2003. • Please check kcwizards.com in the coming weeks for game promotions, themes and events. • All Metro Sports broadcasts will feature 30-minute pre-game and 30-minute post-game shows. • Sean Wheelock will serve as the voice of the Wizards for the 11th season. • Zoran Savic will be the color commentator for the 2nd season. |