Wave United Beats Galaxy in Exhibition
May 20, 2003 - A-League (A-League)
Milwaukee Wave United News Release
(Milwaukee, WI) Milwaukee Wave United, the Wave's A-League (outdoor) team opened its inaugural season this past weekend at Uihlein Soccer Park by dropping a 2-0 decision to the Minnesota Thunder on Friday (5/16). Milwaukee then bounced back to beat the defending Major League Soccer (MLS) champion Los Angeles Galaxy 1-0 at Uihlein on Sunday (5/18). Midfielder Matt Schmidt's goal in the eighth minute of Sunday's game held up as the game-winner and enabled Wave United to finish the weekend on a positive note following Friday night's frustrating opener in which Milwaukee was forced to play the final 65 minutes short-handed. "There were a lot of positives to draw on in our first weekend together," said Wave United Coach Art Kramer. "We created five or six good scoring opportunities in the first ten minutes of the opener against Minnesota. On Sunday, we were able to get a result against last season's defending MLS Champions. Virtually all of our players were able to get quality playing time which will benefit us in the long run."
Kramer's club will now look ahead to this upcoming weekend in which Milwaukee will host the Charlotte Eagles on Friday (5/23, 7:05 PM) at Uihlein Soccer Park before traveling to Minnesota on Saturday (5/24, 7:05 PM) for a rematch with the Thunder. Both games will air on 540 AM, WRRD ("The Word") broadcast time for each match set for 6:45 PM.
Tickets: All Wave United home games are played at Uihlein Soccer Park, 7101 W. Good Hope Rd. on Milwaukee's northwest side. General Admission tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for kids under 12. Reserved seating at Uihlein Soccer Park is limited to season ticket holders â call the Wave / Wave United Office at 414-224-WAVE (9283) for more information. Tickets for all Wave United home games are available at the Wave / Wave United Office, 1040 N. Water St. in downtown Milwaukee, the Uihlein Soccer Park Ticket Office, all TicketMaster outlets, and through phone charge at 414-276-4545. Groups of 10 or more should contact the Wave / Wave United Group Sales Dept. at 414-224-WAVE for group rate discounts.
Wave Camps: The 2003 Milwaukee Wave / Wave United Summer Soccer Camp program kicks-off June 16 with 58 sessions in 34 locations throughout Southeastern Wisconsin. Highlighting this year's schedule is the Wave's first European Academy, which will be held in London, England July 18-27 in conjunction with Queens Park Rangers. Call the Wave Office at 414-224-WAVE for a camp brochure and registration form, or register on-line at www.milwaukeewave.com.
The first regular season game in Wave United history ended in disappointment as Minnesota defeated Milwaukee 2-0 before a crowd of 3,019 at Uihlein Soccer Park. Following a controversial 25th minute red card ejection to Wave United's Anthony Maher, the Thunder was able to capitalize on the man-advantage when former Marquette University star Marshall Morehead scored on a 10-yard volley off a pass from Don Gramenz in the 31st minute. The same combination produced Minnesota's second goal in the 72nd minute as Morehead scored on a header from six yards out on a cross from Gramenz. Although Wave United produced some scoring chances when the sides were evened up, Milwaukee did little when it was shorthanded, finishing the night with just four attempted shots. Minnesota âkeeper Joe Warren stopped both shots faced to record the shutout â his third of the season â while Wave United âkeeper Jim Larkin stopped four-of-six faced, including a penalty kick by the Thunder's Johnny Torres in the seventh minute. Minnesota improved to 18-7-2 lifetime against Milwaukee in the A-League, including nine-wins-in-fourteen outings in the Brew City. Friday's game was the first of six between the clubs this season.
Milwaukee bounced back from Friday's setback to beat the defending MLS champion Los Angeles Galaxy 1-0 in front of 1,533 fans at Uihlein Soccer Park. Matt Schmidt's goal in the eighth minute was the only goal of the contest. John Ball sent a pass from midfield over the top of the Galaxy defense to a streaking Schmidt scored as he came in one-on-one against LA goalkeeper Dan Popik. Milwaukee's defense was able to make the goal stand up despite the fact that Wave United played the final 15 minutes shorthanded after Dino Delevski received his second yellow card in the 75th minute. Jim Larkin and Jeff Richey combined on the shutout for Wave United while Popik, Milwaukee's regular goalkeeper the last three seasons went the distance for the Galaxy. It was the first meeting of any kind between Milwaukee and Los Angeles and the result evened Wave United's exhibition match record against MLS teams to 1-1 for the season. (Wave United lost to the Chicago Fire 3-1 on 5/7.)
Injury Report: Wave United has no one listed on this week's injury report.
Notes:
*Milwaukee is now 4-3 in A-League season openers (2-1 home / 2-2 road)
*Milwaukee is now 5-2 in A-League home openers having lost its last two (both to Minnesota) after winning the first five. Milwaukee is now 4-1 in home openers at Uihlein Soccer Park.
Previous A-League Experience: All Wave United players except for indoor veteran Dino Delevski, forward Anthony Maher, and rookies Chad Dombrowski, Nick Walls, Steve Lawrence, Keith Segovia, and Joe Hammes have played in the A-League prior to this season. 10 players appeared in the A-League last season including: Digital Takawira, Jeremy Aldrich, Steve Bernal, Angel Rivillo, Dennis Fadeski, Matt Bobo, and Jeff Richey (all with the Rampage); Matt Schmidt (Minnesota); Greg Howes (Portland); and Jim Larkin (Vancouver). John Ball last played in the A-League in 2001 with Charleston, while the Dusoskys were last seen in Milwaukee (Todd in 2000) and Cincinnati (Troy in 1999). Like Todd Dusosky, Josh Timbers also made his last A-League appearance in 2000 with the Rampage.
Wave Players Re-United: The 2003 Wave United roster currently includes five players who played on the Wave indoor squad this past season. The list includes Todd and Troy Dusosky, Greg Howes, Matt Schmidt, and Jeremy Aldrich. Josh Timbers, who did not play professionally the last two seasons, was a member of the Wave's indoor side from 1998-2001.
Indoor Influence: Aside from the aforementioned Wave players, four other Wave United members took part in the recently completed 2002-03 Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) campaign. Dino Delevski earned his second straight MISL MVP award as a member of the Kansas City Comets, while Jim Larkin, John Ball, and Anthony Maher all played for the Cleveland Force. In addition, Wave United Coach Art Kramer makes his professional outdoor coaching debut in 2003 after six indoor seasons as an assistant to Wave Coach Keith Tozer, who is also the Vice-President of Soccer Operations / Director of Player Personnel for the Wave and Wave United.
Local Influence: The Wave United roster includes six Milwaukee area natives. They are: Matt Schmidt and Joe Hammes (Cedarburg); Dennis Fadeski and Steve Lawrence (Brookfield); Chad Dombrowski (West Allis); and Nick Walls (Wauwatosa). It should also be noted that Schmidt, Hammes, and Lawrence all played at Milwaukee Marquette High School under current Wave United assistant coach Bob Spielmann.
Coaching Prowess: Although nobody on the Wave United coaching staff has any previous professional outdoor coaching experience, all three have been coaching icons in the Milwaukee soccer community. Head Coach Art Kramer captured three state championships as Boys Soccer Coach at University School Milwaukee (1993-2000), while assistant coach Bob Spielmann has won 18 state titles, including a current streak of nine-in-a-row as Boys Soccer Coach at Milwaukee Marquette High. Steve Morris, a former Wave star from 1992-2001, has also distinguished himself one of the state's top youth coaches with the Brookfield Soccer Club.
Milwaukee: The City of Soccer Champions â With the possible exception of Rochester, NY (where the Rhinos have won three A-League titles and a U.S. Open Cup crown since 1998) no other American city has distinguished itself in professional soccer more than Milwaukee has in the past six years. Including three indoor titles for the Wave (1998, 2000, 2001) and two outdoor titles for the Rampage (1997, 2002), the Brew City has become one of the nation's foremost soccer markets.
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