Chicago Riot Hosts Milwaukee in Sunday's Home Opener at the Odeum
December 4, 2010 - Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL)
Chicago Riot News Release
CHICAGO -- The Chicago Riot is holding its first home match of the 2010-2011 Major Indoor Soccer League season at 6 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 5, at the Odeum Sports and Expo Center in Villa Park. Chicago's first home opponent is its neighbor to the north, the Milwaukee Wave.
"Milwaukee's a good team," Riot Head Coach Jeff Kraft said. "They're coming in trying to go 4-0; we're trying to give them their first loss. It'll be a challenge."
This match and all Riot home games are available through a webcast at ChicagoRiotSoccer.com. Andy Lippert and former Chicago Sting great Rudy Glenn provide the English-language commentary, and Enrique "Tico" Fernandez of LaMaquinaDeportiva.com handles Spanish commentary.
The Riot also announces the signing of midfielder Dorin Oprea. Per team policy, terms of his agreement are not released. He is available for Sunday's game against Milwaukee. Oprea tallied a goal during the Riot's 10-7 exhibition victory over Costa Guerrero on Nov. 28. Oprea most recently played for the College of DuPage soccer team.
"He's a young kid who's willing to learn and listen to our veterans," Kraft said. "He has speed and athleticism, and is going to be a great asset. I love giving a guy the chance to play at this level and work hard."
The Riot is coming off a 10-6 road loss against the Baltimore Blast on Nov. 19. In the Riot's first MISL match, Chicago native and rookie forward Edward Santeliz led the way with two goals, including the organization's first goal that gave Chicago a 2-0 lead over Baltimore within the first 2 minutes. Fort Wayne, Ind., native Jeff Richey manned the net, making 15 saves for the Riot. Richey also surpassed 700 saves for his career (currently has 712).
One component missing for the Riot in the opener was a target presence. Vladimir Knezevic, who tallied two goals in last week's exhibition, will be available for Sunday against Milwaukee.
"The target is such a vital part of the indoor game," Kraft said. "You just need a big body up there. Vlade is a big guy, and deceiving, too. He has a way of scoring goals and playing well defensively."
Despite dropping the road opener, the Riot technically is in third place among the league's five teams -- two games behind the first-place Wave. The Omaha Vipers and Missouri Comets have played four matches and sit two and a half games behind Milwaukee. The Baltimore Blast sits in second with a 2-0 record, a half game behind the Wave.
Milwaukee is coming off an 8-6 road win over the Omaha Vipers on Thursday. The Wave (3-0) has posted a strong start, outscoring its opponents by a 52-26 margin. Marco Terminesi leads the Wave with three goals, three assists and 10 points.
Notes:
- Chicago indoor roots: Nine players on the Riot's first-year roster have ties to the Chicago Storm, which played in the MISL for four seasons (2004-05 to 2007-08) and the Xtreme Soccer League for one season (2008-09): defender Chris Brisson, midfielder Fred Degand, defender Will Kletzien, forward Vladimir Knezevic, defender Eric Lukin, midfielder Novica Marojevic, midfielder Semir Mesanovic, goalkeeper Jeff Richey and forward Zlatko Zebic.
- Familiar faces, local ties: Riot midfielder Semir Mesanovic started his professional indoor career with the Wave, playing for Milwaukee from 2003-2004 to the early part of the 2005-2006 season. In 33 games with the Wave, Mesanovic had 11 goals and three assists. ... Wave midfielder Matthew Stewart is a familiar foe, having played for the Rockford Rampage and Chicago Storm. This season he signed with Milwaukee, where he played during the 2003-2004 season and set a personal career high playing in 34 matches. ... Riot midfielder Alex Megson was traded from the Wave to Chicago for future considerations. Megson played in one match with Milwaukee's first-team squad in 2009-2010.
- Wave honored: Wave midfielder Marcio Leite and goalkeeper Nick Vorberg already have earned MISL Player of the Week honors this season. Leite had a five-assist, one-goal effort during a 20-9 win over Missouri on Nov. 12, and Vorberg had an 18-save effort during a 24-11 win over Missouri on Nov. 26.
- Milestone watch: Riot midfielder Semir Mesanovic is one assist away from 50 for his career and one goal away from 75.
About the Riot's opponent: The longest-running North American professional soccer franchise, the Milwaukee Wave, is in the midst of its 27th season of indoor soccer. Milwaukee has earned four championships, all between 1997-1998 and 2004-2005. Also during that stretch, the Wave reached three other championships, meaning in an eight-season span, Milwaukee only missed the finale once. The Wave is guided by head coach Keith Tozer, who has coached for Milwaukee in 18 previous seasons. Heading into the 2009-2010 MISL season, Tozer had 617 regular-season wins and 51 postseason victories. The Wave was the 2009-2010 MISL regular-season champion with a 14-6 record, but fell to La RaZa de Monterrey in the title game. Tozer earned 2009-2010 MISL Coach of the Year. The team consists of midfielder Marcio Leite, who missed the past two seasons with torn knee ligaments, and 2009-2010 MISL Goalkeeper of the Year Nick Vorberg.
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Major Indoor Soccer League Stories from December 4, 2010
- Chicago Riot Hosts Milwaukee in Sunday's Home Opener at the Odeum - Chicago Riot
- Chicago Riot Agrees to Terms with Former Chicago Fire Defender Krol - Chicago Riot
- Mexican National Team Match with Vipers Rescheduled - Omaha Vipers
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