A B737 CAPT DID NOT CATCH HIS FO'S MISTAKE; IN ZKC'S AIRSPACE; WHEN HE USED THE WRONG IDENT FOR ALAMOSA IN THE FMC; CAUSING A TRACK DEV.

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I WAS CAPT AND PF. I WENT 'OFF' TO TALK WITH DISPATCH SO I XFERRED ACFT CTL AND RADIOS TO FO. WHILE OFF; WE RECEIVED A NEW RTE FROM CTR CTLR. NEW RTE WAS DIRECT TO ALAMOSA VOR; DIRECT GALLUP VOR; THEN A PUBLISHED ARR TO DEST. FO PROGRAMMED FMC AND ACKNOWLEDGED NEW RTE. AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME; I 'RETURNED;' THE CTLR ASKED US WHERE WE WERE GOING. FO REPEATED CLRNC. IT WAS AT THIS TIME WE REALIZED HE HAD PUT THE WRONG VOR IDENT INTO THE FMC. WE PUT THE CORRECT POINT IN AND PROCEEDED UNEVENTFULLY. NO CONFLICT RESULTED. I ASKED THE FO ABOUT THE WRONG POINT; AS TO WHETHER HE HAD MIS-TYPED OR JUST USED THE WRONG IDENT. HE STATED THAT HE THOUGHT THAT THE IDENT WAS ALM (WHICH IS ALAMOGORDO NDB) AND BECAUSE THE DISTANCE AND HDG LOOKED CORRECT; HE DID NOT VERIFY THE IDENT ON THE CHART. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: 1) ALAMOSA VOR (ALS) WAS NOT ON OUR ORIGINAL FLT PLAN. WHEN GIVEN THIS CLRNC; WE WERE STILL SOME 900 MI AWAY; STILL USING THE HIGH 3/4 CHART; NOT THE 1/2 CHART. 2) OBVIOUSLY; WE STILL SHOULD HAVE VERIFIED THE IDENT; BUT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN VERY HELPFUL AND WOULD HAVE PREVENTED THIS SIT IF THE CTLR HAD GIVEN US THE IDENT AS WELL. IE; 'CLRED DIRECT ALAMOSA; ALFA; LIMA; SIERRA;' ETC; WHEN THE NEW RTE WAS ISSUED AND NOT ON OUR FLT PLAN. SOME CTLRS USE THIS EXCELLENT TECHNIQUE. 3) OUR FMC DOES NOT DIFFERENTIATE BTWN A VOR AND AN NDB WITH A 3 LETTER IDENT. 4) THE FACT THAT THESE STATIONS ARE FAIRLY CLOSE TOGETHER BECAUSE OF THE FACT THE RTE CHANGED LITTLE AND DISTANCE APPEARED CORRECT; NO 'RED FLAGS' APPEARED. A LARGE HDG/DISTANCE DIFFERENCE WOULD RAISE THEM.