'07 Preview: Wizards look to regain magic under Onalfo

Soccer Betting Lines

03/25/2007 - Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Major League Soccer's Kansas City Wizards have missed the playoffs the past two seasons and, as a result, have a new head coach heading into the 2007 season.

The new man in charge is Curt Onalfo, a former U.S. National Team and MLS assistant coach.

"It is extremely enjoyable, I have prepared myself for this moment for a long time," Onalfo said of his first professional head coaching job. "I am embracing it and enjoying it."

"Our research concluded that Curt Onalfo is considered by many as one of the brightest young minds in U.S. Soccer," Wizards President Robb Heineman said after Onalfo was announced as the new head coach late last year. "After a lengthy and dutiful search, we are confident that Curt is the right choice for the Wizards and we are anxious for him to get started."

While Onalfo lacks professional head coaching experience, he is well respected in the U.S. soccer world.

"Curt Onalfo is an up-and-coming coach and I was fortunate to have spent time with him while with the U.S. National Team," Kansas City and U.S. National Team defender Jimmy Conrad said after Onalfo was announced as head coach. "The team is excited to be under his regime and we are ready to take on the challenges that lay ahead."

One of the many challenges that lay ahead are improving on the 10-14-8 record the Eastern Conference squad put up last season.

"Our team goal is to make the playoffs," Onalfo said. "I have inherited a team that hasn't made the playoffs in two years and my job is to instill a winning mentality and a championship mentality in the group that we have. That is something that doesn't happen overnight. Our goals are realistic. Our main goal is to produce a team that makes the playoffs in 2007."

That will be a touch task, considering Kansas City has done little to improve itself this offseason. It acquired veteran goalkeeper Kevin Hartman from the Galaxy for drafts picks and gave up veteran midfielder Dave van den Bergh to Red Bull New York for draft picks. The team also lost forward Josh Wolff, who signed with the German Bundesliga II's TSV 1860 Munchen.

Hartman should be an upgrade over last season's 'keeper, Bo Oshoniyi, but losing Van den Bergh and Wolff will hurt the team's attack, where there are still battles going on for starting positions.

"It is a very similar team to last year," Onalfo said. "Certainly Jimmy Conrad is our captain. He has done a great job leading the group as have Kerry Zavagnin, Kevin Hartman and Eddie Johnson to name a few."

Those players are going to have to lead the way for a young team this season that will look for steady improvement through 2007.

"Throughout preseason we have played out of a 4-4-2 (formation) with a diamond in the midfield," Onalfo said. "We feel like we have made tremendous progress in the six weeks of preseason we have had. We feel that we are going to be a good team that is going to get better every day."

The team plans to build from the defense on out, with the defenders being set for most of the preseason. In front of Hartman, Conrad and Nick Garcia will play in the middle while Jack Jewsbury and Jose Burciaga Jr. will play the fullback roles. In front of them it is still a mystery.

"Primarily in the midfield and forward positions there is lots of competition for starting positions," Onalfo said. "Our competition is fierce and we don't have our starting 11 determined at this point."

Last season's leading scorer Scott Sealy and the U.S. Nation Team's Eddie Johnson will certainly be in the mix up front as well as Zavagnin in the midfield, but other than that, positions are up for grabs.

For the team to be successful this season, it is going to need to see dramatic improvement from its first game on April 14 at D.C. United to its final game Oct. 20 at FC Dallas.

"That is the task we have in front of us," Onalfo said. "Steady improvement."

NOTES: On Friday, the Wizards traded defender Shavar Thomas to the Los Angeles Galaxy for a conditional second-round pick in next year's MLS SuperDraft. Thomas, 26, has three goals and one assist in 91 career games. The defender from Jamaica played one season for the Dallas Burn and the past three with the Kansas City, where he started 70 games and played in 76 matches total.

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