Kevin Hartman interview 7/9/09

Talked with Kevin yesterday about a variety of topics. Of course the first subject was the PK in Seattle. We also talk about the defense without Jimmy and Roger Espinoza with the Honduran National Team.

Aaron Hohlbein interview 07-9-2009

I talked with Aaron yesterday. We discuss him stepping up to help lead in Jimmy's absence and of course we have to mention "Dive-Gate".

Rauwshan McKenzie Interview - 7/9/09

I talked with Rauwshan yesterday. The first part of the audio is not very good for the first 30 seconds or so because of the wind. It get much better after that first 30 second or so.

Zoltán Hercegfalvi: A Kansas City Wizard

Zoltán Hercegfalvi training today with the Wizards. Looks like he will be wearing the number 20.


He participated in a small side scrimmage.


Walking in after talking with one of the trainers...


He was headed in to get a photo taken in uniform. Think the deal might be done?

Coach Onalfo press conference - Open Cup game with Seattle comments

Coach Onalfo normally discusses the previous and upcoming games at his weekly press conference. This week the loss at Seattle on a controversial late PK call obviously still angered him.

I cut out just the Seattle game comments for people to hear.




At one point he refers to Montero as a punk. He later says the player can not be blamed but I think his first instinct is correct.


I have some interview with Wizards players who were there and I will post those later tonight.

Kansas City Wizards 0 - 1 Seattle Sounders FC

The Wizards lost the Open Cup game with Seattle Tuesday night. You can read Mike's write up or Hillcrest Road's post for some details. The key play that night was a PK awarded to Seattle for Kevin Hartman tripping Montero in the box. Since there was not a lot of video there (why?) we only have 1 or 2 angles to review the play. There is a great photo here that shows how close it really was. Ironically most KC fans think Montero DOVE and most Seattle fans think Hartman CLEARLY tripped Montero.

Wizards fans think the photo shows there is space between Hartman's arm and Montero's foot and Montero is already in mid-swan before being touched.

Sounder fans think the photo shows Montero already in a locked up by Hartman's armpit position like it was pro-wrestling. Of course pro-wrestling is not exactly real either.

I have taken enough photos and looked at enough photos to say that you can not conclude the exact location based on one image. We need more evidence to see if Montero is ankle deep in Kevin's pits or 2 feet away by his hand.

I can see enough to know that Montero iniated the contact (if there was actual contact) and was already falling before the contact. His leg was pulled back instead of striding forward towards the ball that he probably could not get to anyway.

Even Montero's comments after the game fuel the controversy.

"I got a pass from Stephen King. My intention was to bring the keeper out. He left the goal, I think you know the standards a South American player has, and in the last minute that was the best choice to get a goal. And thank God we got the good fortune to get the goal."

Sounders fans with 'rave-green" glasses on think nothing of that comment, Wizards fans think he just admitted to diving.

Yes I think Montero dove, but the Wizards gave him the opportunity to make that dive.

I know diving is part of the game but it is one of the worst parts of the game.

I hope Seattle remembers we will always be their first loss?

Foreign player practicing with the Wizards

There was a new face with the Wizards in practice today. I believe they are working on signing him and I think we will hear something soon (the next 48 hours). My understanding is he is European and a striker.

(Yes I do know his name but I was asked to not reveal it yet)

I will add a photo a little later today...

Chance Myers Interview - 7/2/09

Chance Myers and Rauwshan McKenzie received the most votes this week. I was able to talk to Chance after practice and before he went for another run.

Rauwshan McKenzie Interview - 7/2/09

Rauwshan McKenzie and Chance Myers received the most votes this week. Rauwshan stopped to talk after practice was over.

Wizards and the Open Cup

How seriously will the Wizards take the Open Cup from here on out? With Seattle beating Portland, the Wizards will travel to the Northwest to play the Sounders on July 7th. Since Kansas City plays Houston in a league game at home on the 4th, will they take the first team to Seattle? If they do, will they play the first team?

If they do not take and play the first team, how does that reflect upon the teams desire to win the Open Cup? Vote in the poll on the side and let the team know what the fans think. I will run it right up till mid-day Tuesday, the day they play Seattle.

How serious should the Wizards be about winning the Open Cup?

• Go all out to win even if it means not going all out in 1 or 2 league games
• Semi-Serious, win the hardware if they can but league is more important
• Who care about the Open Cup? Send the reserves...

Mike over at Down the Byline will be running the same poll so you can vote in both places.

Random shots - 7/2/2009

After the United States surprising success in the Confederations Cup, they move up to 12th in FIFA rankings, Spain drops to 2nd and Brazil moves up to number 1. Best of all is Mexico is 33rd, behind Costa Rica at 30.

So DC United beat he Ocean City Barons 2-0, but it sounds like DC struggled with the amateur side. MLS certainly did not show up well the first night, did it? Pair of MLS teams Score US Open Cup upsets...

Richard Jata resurfaces with the Fire. He was the player with the great speech at the MLS Draft.

Really? I so often think of Michael Jackson and US Soccer in the same thought, or not...

Matt Besler's weekly column: Across the Midwest Pitch #4

du Nord interview with Kevin Hartman

Chivas trades Alecko Eskandarian to the Galaxy for allocation money and a draft pick. I'm sure this will go better than it did with his previous 4 teams.

Open Cup game tonight

Just a reminder, the Wizards start Open Cup play tonight when they play the Minnesota Thunder. The Wizards are coming off of the loss on Sunday to Santos Laguna so they only have 1 day of rest, and that was spent traveling.

With Davy Arnaud and Jimmy Conrad flying off to join the National Team today and most of the normal starters having played the entire (or a big chunk) of the game on Sunday, you can expect a mostly reserve team lineup. Mike predicts the lineup and I think he is pretty close. I am hoping to see Chance Myers play some minutes. He has looked good in training but players need game minutes to really show their progress.

The Thunder are not very good this year but you can never count them out or dismiss USL teams, they have too much to prove and too much to gain to just roll over for MLS teams.

You can watch the game at this link.

Also tonight DC United plays the Ocean City Barons, an amatuer team from New Jersey. That is one of the great things about the Open Cup and similar tournaments around the world, true amateur teams can play their way in and end up facing the top teams. Most of the Barons are college players that out of school at the moment. Go Barons!!!

Tomorrow Seattle plays their regional rival (and future MLS) team Portland Timbers. Got to root for the Timbers in that match.