10B SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2007
COMMENTARY
Wizards fanfare reaches fever pitch
Fans for the Kansas City Wizards cheer after a goal against Chivas USA during an MLS Western Conference Semifinal match on Oct. 27 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. The Wizards won 1-0.
BY ANDREW WIEBIE KANSAN SPORTSCOOLUMNIST AWIEBEKKANSAN.COM
For half an hour Saturday night, Lawrence freshman Anthony Frei and the other soccer diehairs in sections 102 and 103 of Arrowhead Stadium sang, chanted and danced to the beat of bass and snare drums to support the Kansas City Wizards, who were in the midst of a fierce battle to take control of their first playoff game in three years.
In the 35th minute Davy Arnaud audacious free kick found its way past a diving Brad Guzan and rippled the back of the Chivas USA net. The 450 fans in the section of Arrowhead known as the Cauldron sent trash bags full of confetti and 120 blue-and-white checkered flags to the sky. They were rejoicing what would be the decisive goal in a 1-0 Wizards victory.
"Whenever a goal is scored it's pandemonium," Frei said. "There's a huge amount of joy. In football, basketball and other sports your team scores at regular intervals. It's all of that packed down into the one moment you are all waiting for."
After his strike, Arnaud made his way toward the blue and white concentration of Cauldron supporters among the sea of empty orange seats. He joined in celebration with the fans who have supported the team throughout an incredible start to the season and a nearly disastrous finish.
Regular fan support for the Wizards outside the Cauldron has been hard to come by, making its contributions even more valuable. While Chiefs games pack an average of 72,969 fans into Arrowhead stadium, the Wizards managed to attract only 11,586 per game in 2007. The pitiful crowds gave the team the unenviable distinction of being the worst draw in MLS.
Jimmy Conrad, who recognize the Cauldron's supporters on a regular basis.
Arnaud is one of a group of players, including midfielder Kerry Zavagnin and defender
PRE-GAME FESTIVITIES
"You know they mean a lot to us," Arnaud said. "They have a smaller core group of fans maybe than other markets, but they're passionate. They come out every week and support us, and we try and show some love back to them sometimes."
For the Cauldron, preparations began more than three hours prior to game time. George Hanson and the other members of Wings of a Sparrow, the group that organizes the Cauldron tailgate, gathered around Hanson's RV and tents in Arrowhead lot C10 to fire up two huge grills.
Before each home game, the group provides traditional tailgating offerings like chili and racks of ribs, as well as entrees based on Kansas City's opponent, for $5 a person. On Saturday that entree was roasted goat in honor of Chivas USA. But most fans seemed content to knock back solo cups full of Guinness and Mac's Beer, which are on tap courtesy of Kansas City's Embassy Bistro, while enjoying more time-honored foods.
The diversity and welcoming nature of the group was apparent as fans welcomed anyone and everyone drawn in by the smell of smoked meat. From grizzled veterans of the team's inaugural 1996 season, to high school and college-age fans, to parents with children, the wide range of Wizards fans was obvious.
second leg info
Kansas City defeated Chivas USA 1-0 in game one.
In game two, the Wizards will travel to Los Angeles.
>> Gametime is 9:30 central time on Saturday.
The game will be televised on Metro Sports, Sunflower channel 37.
>> Kansas City advances with a tie or victory.
The game goes into overtime with a one-goal Chivas USA victory.
If Chivas USA wins by more than one goal, it advances to the MLS semi-finals.
Hanson said it didn't matter if fans came from Iowa or Johnson County or Raytown, Mo., like he did. "We all get together we all have one thing in common and that's to see our team."
As kickoff approached, fans clad in blue and white jerseys and team scarves abandoned barbecue and beer for checked flags, banners, chants and drums. Spurred on by the resounding beat of a bass drum, Cauldron members — young and old, male and female, wielding flags
— marched into the stadium, chanting (in between drum beats) in unison: "We are *boom, boom* KC Wiz *boom-boom, boom-boom*
THE THRILL OF VICTORY
The Cauldron prides itself on the level of noise it generates in support of the Wizards each game. On Saturday, members of the Cauldron belted out a nearly constant stream of comical, and many times vulgar, chants and songs. They proclaimed their unquestioned status as Wizards fans and derided opposing players and referees for shortcomings, imagined or not.
"What we bring is the home field advantage, the constant barrage of noise, singing, chanting, clapping and drumming," Robert Houghton, Cauldron president, said. "It gets into the head of the opponents, hopefully throwing them off their game, while at the same time get-tine behind our team."
Those efforts were rewarded with a narrow, hard-fought Wizards' victory that gives the team hope for a prolong playoff run. As stoppage time ended, it didn't take long for blue-and-white smoke bombs to fill the air with the smell of sulfur as the Cauldron continued the string of chants barely broken for the previous 90 minutes. Supporters hoisted flags once more and reveled in the fact that their first playoff berth since 2004 was off to a nearly perfect start.
As to whether its antics directly contributed to the playoff win, Wizards coaches and players, including Arnaud and Zavagnin, made their way to sections 102 and 103 after time expired to reciprocate the Cauldron's support. Zavagnin even donated his sweat-soaked game jersey to one delighted fan in the front row.
oversized for the kind of crowds that we get," Zavagnin said. "Game in and game out, they are the most vocal of anyone in the stadium and their passion for the game shows. We have a good rapport with them. We appreciate their support and to share wins with them is a good feeling because they are there in the good times and the bad"
OUTLOOK
For now, times are most definitely good for the Cauldron and the Wizards. The MLS Cup is an attainable goal despite an inconsistent regular season. The Cauldron has grown exponentially this year. Signs suggest it won't slow anytime soon as a soccer-obsessed Hispanic fan base continues to warm to MLS.
Based on the efforts of dedicated soccer advocates like Hanson and Houghton, supporter groups like the Cauldron will continue to develop fans like Frei, who found an enthusiasm in something fresh and exciting. For Frei, the Cauldron's community of fans and provider of crucial stadium atmosphere is simple.
"We play in a stadium that is way
"it's sort of our own little paradise here in Kansas," he said.
>> NBA
- Edited by Rachael Gray
Spurs burn through Portland; 106-97
ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN ANTONIO - Tim Duncan had 24 points and 13
rebounds, and the San Antonio Spurs got their title defense off to a successful start with a 106-97 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night.
LaMarcus Aldridge led the Trail Blazers with 27 points. Martell Webster added 21 and Joel Przybilla contributed 13 points and 10 rebounds for Portland.
The game didn't have quite the excitement that was anticipated when it was announced that the Spurs would open against the Trail Blazers, who drafted Greg Oden with the No. 1 overall pick. Oden had microfracture knee surgery this summer, ending his first season before practice even began.
Brent Barry had 12 points for San Antonio. Travis Outlaw scored 11 for Portland.
The Spurs defeated the Trail Blazers 106-97. Tony Parker had 19 points for the Spurs, and LaMarcus Aldridge had 27 for Portland.
Tony Parker added 19
points for the Spurs and Manu Ginobili had 16 points and eight assists.
BASKETBALL Black team defeats Gold in annual Missouri game
COLUMBIA; Mo. — DeMarr Carroll scored 29 points and had 11 rebounds, Marshall Brown added 24 and the Black team came from behind Tuesday to win Missouri's annual Black and Gold Game 101-95. Brown, one of Missouri's five seniors.
had 11 points in the first half as the Black squad scored 10 points in less than a minute to overcome an eight-point deficit and take a 44-42 halftime lead.
Carroll, who sat out last season after transferring from Vanderbilt, didn't score his first basket until more than six minutes into the game and had just six points at halftime. The Gold team led for much of the
Missouri plays its first exhibition game Saturday against St. Louis. The Tigers open their regular season Nov. 12 against Central Michigan.
first half, led by sophomore guard JT Tiller, who saw sporadic playing time during his freshman season and never scored more than 12 points.
Associated Press
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