Tanna Kinnaman/DN
Kansas City Wiz forward, Vitalis “Digital” Takawira, right, beats out a New England Revolution player in a race for the soccer bail
Saturday. _
ML!)
Continued from Page 7
Takawira.
The 23-year-old forward from Zim
babwe is now leading MLS in shot
percentage, scoring on 88 percent of
his shots on goal.
He is also a local soccer hero in a
market that boasts a youth fan group
that is more than 48,000 strong.
Takawira took a risk coming to the
new league, a risk many players from
around the world have not been will
ing to take.
“Most of the players that play in
Europe want to come here, but don’t
because they heard the league
wouldn’t succeed,” he said, standing
in the Wiz locker room.
Takawira, who has played profes
sionally in Europe and Africa, said
MLS could not compete with the Ital
ian Premier League or the German
Bundesliga — the best leagues in the
world.
But the man they call Digital for
his precision and quick skill said the
day when MLS is at the top of the
world is coming.
And for the Samba Club, this sea
son is also only the beginning.
Gilbert Teixeira, a Kansas City resi
dent and Samba Club member, sat
grinning behind the big bass drums
and pounded out a rata-tatta on his
snare drum.
It was late in the second half and
the Wiz was winning. It was 4-2 now,
and the Revolution was having trouble
getting anything started on offense --
a relief for the Wiz defense, which has
needed the most help this season.
The Samba Club had been pound
ing out its collection of beats for the
whole game, only taking a break for
halftime.
Teixeira has been out for all the
home games this season. And, he said,
Mami Speck/DN
Wiz forward Alan Prampin (23) jumps into the crowd Saturday
night for a victory hug.
has been satisfied with the turnout.
“For the first year, it’s been good,”
he said, shouting over the droning of
the drums. “It’s probably going to do
better next year.”
The crowds aren’t the only thing
that is going to improve, Teixiera said.
As the season wears on, sports writers
learn more about the sport new to
most of them, and coverage improves.
“Those guys are afraid to talk about
soccer because they don’t know the
game yet,” Teixiera said. “That’s the
feeling we (the Samba Club) got.”
And the Samba Club itself is think
ing bigger — about a van for road
games and helping other teams.
“Our inside joke is if the (Major
League baseball’s Kansas City) Roy
als keep doing this bad, we’re going to
move next door (to Kauffman Sta
dium, home of the Royals),” he said.
Mami Speck/DN
Wiz forward Frank Klopas (14) and Revolution midfielder Peter
Woodring (8) fight for control of the ball.
_ .uJRai
Tanna Kinnaman/DN
Attending every Wiz game, rain or shine, Kevin Adkins,left, Joe
Phillips and Tony Alonzo, all of Kansas City, tailgate Saturday.
Loyal fans tailgate before the Kansas City Wiz game Saturday.
