I could not help it. As 2009′s dismal season drew to a close I was almost thankful, that for the next few months I would not have to endure Major League Soccer or the Kansas City Wizards. Two months from the start of the 2010 season I find myself optimistically looking forward to a new start and no matter how hard my inner cynic struggles with the concept that this is truly a new dawn, I cannot help but believe it.

Within the space of a few short weeks, the Wizards finally obtained approval to start building a new stadium. Earth movers started the long process of preparing the site the very next day. Pre-season camp opened and we signed players we appear to actually need, got Kei Kamara to ink a new deal. I purchased my cheap 2010 season tickets, and looked at the calendar. Eight more weeks until I get to see what Stéphane Auvray our new midfield destroyer can do. I am looking forward to seeing Teal Bunbury. I am hopeful that Roger Espinoza can finally have a breakout year and I am looking forward to having stalwarts Jimmy Conrad and Davey Arnaud regaining the kind of form they showed prior their US Mens National Team duty last summer.

Optimism. Suddenly the future for the Kansas City Wizards is bright and shiny.

The line between success and failiure in MLS is so fine, and while everything in me screams caution, the fan in me is yelling back Playoffs Biatch! Crazy I know. But how crazy? Can we be two wins and two measily draws better than the team that failed to score from open play for most from June 30th to September 5th last year? Sure, and if we had been Real Salt Lake would have been sitting at home watching some other team winning their MLS Cup Trophy.

Real Salt Lake, MLS Cup Winners and Champions had seven points more than the Wizards.

So yes I am optomistic, and I have every right to be because it will only take a small improvement to see us jump from near the MLS basement to the upper third and once in the playoffs, anything can happen.

This feeling is encapsulated perfectly by this website, an optimistic and overly ambitious attempt to do as a fan what sports teams so frequently fail to do. To provide not only stats, and facts and the mundane trivia which so many sports fans crave, but also a place where opinion is not the company line, where media and information is shared freely and where anybody gets to have their say. Part community site, part portal and entirely free of advertising.

There is much to do and I have left it to late to finish in time for the season so we’ll be starting with the basics and building. Rather than checking in, subscribe to out twitter feed now and we’ll tweet our initial updates.
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The good news is that great Wizards websites exist. Mike Kuhn’s ‘Down the Byline’ and Thad Bell’s Backpost.net should keep you current. If you are not subscribed to the Official Kansas City Wizards Blog you probably should be!