Wizards Face Santos Laguna in Houston

KANSAS CITY, MO (Wednesday, June 11, 2003) - Kansas City Wizards General Manager Curt Johnson announced today the Wizards will participate in two unique soccer events with storied Mexican club team Santos Laguna. The Wizards will first face Santos in an exhibition match in Houston, TX at the new Reliant Stadium on Tuesday, July 8th. On July 12th, Kansas City will then host a doubleheader at Arrowhead Stadium on Budweiser Hispanic Heritage Night with Santos squaring off against MLS’ Columbus Crew at 4:15 p.m. CT. That match will be followed by the Wizards regular season contest against the Dallas Burn at 7:00 p.m. CT.

“We are thrilled to bring Mexican League soccer back to Arrowhead,” said Johnson. “The Santos Laguna vs. Columbus Crew match-up will pit one of Mexico’s top clubs against the U.S. Open Cup champions. We invite all fans of MLS and Mexican League soccer to come out to Arrowhead and get two games for the price of one.”

On July 8th, Kansas City will travel to Houston’s Reliant Stadium to play just the second ever soccer match in the state of the art facility. The U.S. National Team battled Mexico to a 0-0 draw in front of a sold out crowd of 69,582 fans on May 8th. The Wizards and Santos match will be part of a doubleheader, presented by the Houston Texans, and will be followed by an international friendly match between Guatemala and El Salvador.

“Santos Laguna is one of the top point-getters in the Mexican First Division over the last five years, and won the championship in 2001,” said Rudy Ybarra, match representative for Santos Laguna. “It is an important thing in the United States and the city of Kansas City to host a team of this caliber with National Team players such as Jared Borgetti, Hector Altamirano, both currently with the Mexican National Team and Rodrigo ‘Pony’ Ruiz, a former member of the Chilean National Team. It brings international flavor to Kansas City, it brings top notch soccer from the Mexican First Division and it brings excitement from the world of soccer to the United States.”

The Wizards and Santos are no strangers, having met four times in the past two years. The first meeting took place in 2001 as part of the Copa Merconorte tournament with the Wizards on the losing end of both matches. The two sides met again in 2002 as part of the Champions Cup tournament with the Wizards taking revenge. After falling 2-1 on the road in the first leg of the two-game series, Kansas City won 2-0 at home to advance to the Semifinals of the prestigious CONCACAF tournament.

Santos Laguna has been a tremendous success story in Mexican Soccer. Having ascended from the Second Division in 1988, Santos went on to win First Division championships in 1996 and 2001 while finishing second in 1994 and 2000. They continue to finish in the top of the Division year in and year out.

On July 12th, Santos Laguna and the Columbus Crew will kick off at 4:15 p.m. CT at Arrowhead Stadium. The international exhibition match will be immediately followed by the Wizards regular season match against Western Conference rival the Dallas Burn and will feature the top two scorers in MLS history. Wizards midfielder Preki currently leads the league with 238 career points (71g, 96a) while Dallas Burn forward Jason Kreis sits second all-time with 228 points (83g, 62a).

Tickets for the Wizards game in Houston will be available through TicketMaster outlets in Houston by calling 713-629-3700. Ticket prices at Reliant Stadium are $25, $32 and $40. Group tickets are available for groups of 20 or more by calling 1-866-GOTEXANS.

Tickets for the doubleheader at Arrowhead on July 12th are available by calling TicketMaster in Kansas City at 816-931-3330. Ticket prices at Arrowhead are as follows: Club Level - $20 for adults, $14 for youth; Field Level - $17 for adult, $13 for youth and General Admission in “The Yard” - $12 for adult, $8 for youth. Wizards Season Ticket Holders may use their July 12th tickets for both matches. As with every Wizards home game in 2003, this will be an “Official Zard Card Event”. Wizards fans 15 years and younger with a Zard Card can present it at the Wizards Box Office on the day of the game to receive discounted tickets for them and each accompanying family member.

The Wizards also offer a discounted group rate for groups of 20 or more as well as Wendy’s Family Packs for the July 12th doubleheader. To purchase group tickets or Wendy’s Family Packs, please call the Wizards office at 816-920-9300.