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Chomping at the bit Wizards ready for Sunday's final
Goalkeeper Tony Meola leads the Kansas City Wizards into the MLS Cup on Sunday against the Chicago Fire. A veteran of the 1990 and 1994 World Cups, Meola was named MLS goalkeeper of the year for 2000 after setting an MLS record with 16 regular-season shutouts. Check back on CNNSI.com for more installments of Tony Meola's MLS Cup Diary. Saturday, October 14 Today was the last practice befor the MLS Cup, but it's not like our team will do anything different from our past 38 games. We are all chomping at the bit to get to 1:30 p.m. on Sunday. The RFK Stadium field was perfect. I hope it will be loud on Sunday, but I am sure it will be. At training, we did some self-help drills first, after a light jog. I worked on my footwork, punting, and some dives. Others did crossing, long passing, 5 v 2 games, etc. The mood is good around the Wizards camp. We are taking it as just another game, but we all know how big it is. Some athletes never get to a championship game, so we have to have that mentality. This could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and we will make the most of it. After practice everyone ran through a series of interviews, but first Mr. Lamar Hunt and Mr. Clark Hunt gave us a quick pep talk. Pure class. After practice I got a quick bite to eat and then the team went to watch film. We all watch and take what we want out of it, like other players tendencies, plan of attack, and more. I look to see which foot players like to use, how they cross the ball (how much bend is on it), corner kicks, set pieces, runs they make, etc. Coach Gansler and staff are excellent at seeing the little things and point them out to us. I grabbed a little lunch afterwards and got some treatment (quick massage). I will rest and watch a little football (watched my Yankees win last night) and then get ready for the MLS Gala Event tonight. I get to wear a tuxedo, and I hope the rental place doesn't read the latest Sports Illustrated article, because there is some information about my choice of underwear in it. After that, I will try and get some sleep, but I know that will be hard. We must wake up early tomorrow, go on a team walk, have a team meal, and then head to the stadium. Well, this is it. Thanks for reading and let's cheer for a good game tomorrow from the two best teams in Major League Soccer. Take care, --Tony Meola
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