Out of the Pouch

By: Dan Stroud

Posted: 4/14/08

As most UMKC soccer fans were painfully aware during the fall season, the keeper of the pouch is not the most informed man about the world's most popular international sport.

Spending days and nights devouring the Baseball Encyclopedia and pouring over the pages of Pro Football Digest during his adolescent years left little time for other endeavors.

Of course, there has always been a general knowledge of the great players. As an avid purveyor of all things ESPN, one can't help but pick up a little information.

Pele was among the greatest players of his time and came to America as the first highly promoted player in the now defunct North American Soccer League (NASL) comes easily to mind.

Diego Maradona and his flashy play in world cup action was also well publicized. In the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) the Kansas City Attack and the St. Louis Steamers were great rivals as the sport began to thrive in North America.

That players such as Preki, Tony Meola and Alexi Lalas have starred with the Kansas City Wizards seems common knowledge to most sports fans in this sports town.

Attending two Wizards games in what were dismal crowds of 20,000 plus fans in a 75,000 plus seat Arrowhead Stadium admittedly didn't inspire much interest either.

But watching the Kangaroos play from a much closer vantage point, coupled with a bit of school spirit, offered a bit more intrigue. To witness the rough and rugged play of athletes who unlike football and hockey players have no pads to protect them from bodily injury does have a tendency to get one's attention.

So at the behest of UMKC Sports Information Graduate Assistant John Roushkolb, it was time to give professional soccer another look. Oh what a look it was.

For those who aren't aware, the Wizards no longer reside at the Truman Sports Complex. The squad now makes its home in Community America Ballpark in Kansas City, Kan.

Though the venue is temporary until the team's new soccer specific stadium is built in the area around the now defunct Bannister Mall, it seems far more conducive to an exciting and fan friendly experience than its predecessor.

Originally built as the home of the Kansas City T-Bones, an independent minor league baseball team, Community America has experience so much of a transformation that it seems hard to picture just where the baseball diamond was originally positioned.

The closer proximity of the game to its fans has the appeal of a much more intense brand of soccer than this writer last experienced. Even with the threat of poor weather conditions, the Wizards' faithful came in droves to cheer their team to victory.

The rain began just minutes into the action. This stimulated crowd would not be moved. The drums sounded and the chants seemed to increase.

Wizard Middle Infielder Jack Jewsbury scored a pair of goals in the early going, one for his team and one for the other. Note: Scoring a goal for the other team is called an own goal. Anyone who believed Soccer to be predictable was most assuredly proven wrong on this night.

At halftime, the Revolution led 3-1, a high scoring affair in the Major Soccer League. As the second half began, the rain started coming down harder.

The downpour didn't subdue the crowd, in fact the drums got louder. The players were soaked head to toe, with their fans sopping wet right along with their beloved Wizards.

This was no ordinary rain either. Wind gusts and temperatures in the 40s made conditions miserable.

Time passed, the cold precipitation continued, and for Kansas City and a shivering, wet crowd, the Revolution continued to lead.

It would seem that loyalty of this ilk would be, should be rewarded. It didn't seem fair that all the suffering, all the pain, all the sogginess that our fandom had to endure might not garner a victory.

It was simply too cold inside the stadium for these fans to go home on the losing end of the spectrum. But in a scoreless second half, that's exactly what happened.

All things considered, the experience was a good one and it's recommended as a premium entertainment choice for UMKC students. This writer gives it five kicks!

One other thing not mentioned to this point; the new digs include an incredible climate controlled press box. Indeed, not a bad place to catch a game!

dstroud@unews.com