MLS Wizards praise Qwest atmosphere, Sounders soccer

One Major League Soccer club got a preview of summertime playing conditions at Qwest Field last month, thanks to scheduling for the U.S. Open Cup tournament.

The Kansas City Wizards, one of 14 MLS teams that will be joined by next year's entry, Seattle Sounders FC, lost a tournament quarterfinal match July 8 to the United Soccer Leagues First Division Sounders. The Wizards will come through Seattle and Qwest at least once next season when Sounders FC plays its inaugural MLS campaign.

The Wizards got a feel for Qwest's FieldTurf surface, in all its lushness amid thousands of bits of black rubber to keep it settled. They faced at least one Sounders FC player-to-be, forward Sebastien Le Toux, and likely a few others, depending on who is offered a contract with the MLS club at season's end. They played in the stadium in front of 4,674 fans, though perhaps five times that number will be in the lower bowl when they play next season.

"The stadium will be electrifying because of the way it's situated with the ceiling," Kansas City coach Curt Onalfo said after the match. "They'll be able to create a real nice atmosphere here."

Qwest Field won't be the only artificial surface in MLS. New York, Toronto FC and Real Salt Lake currently use synthetic turf, though Real Salt Lake will move to a new natural-grass stadium next season.

"It's one of the best turf surfaces we've played on," Onalfo said of Qwest.

Wizards goalkeeper Eric Kronberg also came away with a rave review of the Qwest atmosphere.

"It's a lot of fun playing in front of a crowd that knows what they're talking about. They chant. They know when to cheer. They know when a good play happens," Kronberg said. "Seattle's a big soccer town. The atmosphere's going to be great here next year."

Jimmy Conrad, one of the Wizards' stars, got his first U.S. national-team appearance at Qwest Field in July 2005 in a Gold Cup match against Cuba — on natural grass that had been laid down.

Conrad said the addition of Sounders FC, with its big-name ownership group and knowledgeable fan base, will strengthen the reputation of MLS.

"I've always thought that the Sounders were the class of the USL," Conrad said. "I thought it was just a matter of time before they got included in the MLS. I think the majority of their players could play in MLS."

Conrad has no problem with an annual trip to the Northwest, saying he'd come out here "any time, any day of the week."

"I'm glad they kept the name," he said. "They didn't fix what wasn't broken."

José Miguel Romero: 206-464-2409 or jromero@seattletimes.com