Kansas City, Kan. ? How to spend the final summer evening, that was the crucial question Wednesday.

Take in a movie? Negative. With a heaven-sent climate, this night had to be spent outdoors. Besides, where is the suspense in most movies? In the end, the pretty girl almost always ends up with the righteous, sensitive, good-looking, ripped guy. Don’t need to see that.

Sit out back on the deck, hit the repeat button on Neil Young’s “Nowadays Clancy Can’t Even Sing” from Sugar Mountain Live for a few hours? Nope. Unlike some tech-savvy types, I never figured out how to wire outdoor speakers. Trying to catch up on a 40-plus-years-old song I somehow missed would have to wait until the ride home.

The answer beckoned 30 minutes east, where two hours of pure enjoyment and one stunning conclusion awaited.

The beauty of a sporting event, as we were reminded in the first two weeks of Kansas University’s football season, is that nobody knows who will win when they take their seats.

To the delight of the crowd, the Kansas City Wizards won this one against the Houston Dynamo, 4-3, when World Cup veteran Josh Wolff headed in a corner kick from Michael Harrington in the match’s 97th minute. Wolff doesn’t start anymore, but he remains a fan favorite.

When Wolff scored, KC’s Danish goalkeeper, Jimmy “The White Puma” Nielsen, leaped over the fence behind his net to whoop it up with the team’s most hardcore fans.

An epiphany struck me: Soccer will make it in the United States. It’s happening. Major League Soccer has rooted, and there’s no tearing it apart. It happened right before my very eyes Wednesday night in CommunityAmerica Ballpark, where a fan section known as “The Cauldron” and the players from the Wizards connected in a way that has become so rare in this age of e-mails and texts.

The cranes in the distance reminded that an even better home, a soccer-only facility seating 18,500, is due to open in June. By then, Omar Bravo from Mexico will wear Wizards blue and will pack them in.

For now, CommunityAmerica Ballpark makes a far cozier home than Arrowhead Stadium.

“The key to the growth of the sport in the U.S. has been soccer-specific stadiums,” said Wizards executive vice present/revenue Andrew Steinberg, former marketing director for the KU athletic department whose fine-tuned ear for public relations is missed in Lawrence.

Down 3-1 at the half, the Wizards changed the match by sticking to their high-energy, attacking style favored by Wizards manager (coach) and technical director (general manager) Peter Vermes. The comeback made the Wizards 7-1-3 in their past 11 matches. They are inching closer to playoff contention.

Trying to translate the sport foreign to me into terms I could understand, I challenged myself to identify the Wizards’ point guard and scoring star. It took about a minute. Ryan Smith, an amazing dribbler who magically splits traps and doesn’t shoot enough, is the point guard. Kei Kamara, so big, fast and agile, so driven to please the crowd and blessed with such a strong foot, is the scoring star.

Watching the Wizards proved the perfect choice for bidding summer farewell.