Wave United preparing for crucial match against Vancouver Whitecaps
August 9, 2004 - USL First Division (USL-1)
Milwaukee Wave United News Release
(Milwaukee, WI) Despite a heartbreaking 4-3 overtime loss to the Calgary Mustangs this past Friday (8/6) at Uihlein Soccer Park, Milwaukee Wave United, the Wave's A-League (outdoor) team, is still very much alive in the Western Conference playoff race heading into the final quarter of the regular season. Coach Art Kramer's club is currently fifth in the conference with a record of 6-4-2 home / 2-6-1 road / 8-10-3 overall for 27 points, just six points behind the fourth place Minnesota Thunder (10-8-3, 33 points) and seven points behind the third place Seattle Sounders (10-10-4, 34 points). The top four teams in both the Eastern and Western Conferences will qualify for the A-League playoffs beginning in September.
Wave United wraps-up a three-game home stand this upcoming Thursday, August 12, 7:35 PM at Uihlein Soccer Park when it hosts the Vancouver Whitecaps. The Whitecaps enter this week's action in second place in the Western Conference with a record of 6-3-2 home / 6-3-2 road / 12-6-4 overall for 40 points, six points behind the conference-leading Portland Timbers (15-7-1, 46 points). Milwaukee will be looking to claim its first win of the season against Vancouver, having dropped the first two in the four-game season series against their British Columbian rivals (2-1 on 6/4 @ Mil, 4-0 on 7/23 @ Van). The Whitecaps, who are in the midst of a four-game road swing, will be in Minnesota tomorrow night (8/10) to battle the Thunder.
Tickets for Thursday's game ($12 adult, $8 children under 12) are available at the Wave / Wave United Office, 510 W. Kilbourn Ave, Suite B (414-224-WAVE), the Uihlein Soccer Park Ticket Office (7101 W. Good Hope Rd.), all TicketMaster outlets, or by phone charge at 414-276-4545. Groups of 10 or more should contact the Wave / Wave United Group Sales Dept. at 414-224-WAVE (9283) for group rate discounts.
Thursday night's match is also Milwaukee's second-last regular season home game. Wave United will play its final regular season home game on Thursday, August 19, 7:35 PM v. Edmonton at Uihlein Soccer Park. The August 19 game is make-up date for the originally scheduled 5/14 season opener v. Edmonton that was postponed due to wet grounds at Uihlein. Call the Wave / Wave United Office at 414-224-WAVE for more information, or visit www.milwaukeewaveunited.com.
All Wave United games home and away can be heard live on 540 AM, WRRD ("The Word") with air time for each contest approximately 20 minutes prior to kick-off.
Upcoming Schedule: HOME GAMES in CAPS
Day Date Opponent Time (CDT) Venue Broadcast
THU. 8/12 VANCOUVER 7:35 PM UIHLEIN SOCCER PARK 540 AM, WRRD
Sun. 8/15 Edmonton 7:05 pm Foote Field, Edmonton, AB 540 AM, WRRD
Tue. 8/17 Calgary 8:05 pm McMahon Stadium, Calgary, AB 540 AM, WRRD
THU. 8/19 EDMONTON 7:35 PM UIHLEIN SOCCER PARK 540 AM, WRRD
Thu. 8/26 Calgary 8:05 pm McMahon Stadium, Calgary, AB 540 AM, WRRD
Fri. 8/27 Vancouver 9:05 pm Swangard Stadium, Vancouver, BC 540 AM, WRRD
Sun. 8/29 Portland 7:05 pm PGE Park, Portland, OR 540 AM, WRRD
(end of regular season)
Injury Report: Pos. Player Injury Status GM â DLP
M Giuliano Oliviero calf questionable 5 â 7/17
F Digital Takawira hamstring questionable 3 â 7/23
* probable = 75% chance of playing; questionable = 50%; doubtful 25%; out = will not play
**Games Missed due to current injury â Date Last Played
Suspensions: Pos. Player Date(s) Reason
D Chad Dombrowski 8/12 yellow card accumulation
Recent Transactions: 5/26 Signed MF Nino Marcantonio
5/27 Signed F Neil Krause
6/4 Acquired D Ibrahim Kante on loan from Baltimore Blast (MISL)
6/11 Acquired F / MF Jamar Beasley on loan from Kansas City Comets (MISL)
Released F / MF Sean Reti and F Neil Krause
7/15 Signed MF Andrew Rosenband
Upcoming Opponent: Vancouver Whitecaps (12-6-4, 40 pts. entering 8/10 @ Minnesota)
@ Mil @ Van Overall
All-Time â Regular Season 5-2-0 1-4-1 6-6-1
All-Time â Playoffs 2-0-0 1-1-1 3-1-1
2004 Schedule / Results Fri. 6/4 @ Mil Van 2, Mil 1
Fri. 7/23 @ Van Van 4, Mil 0
Thu. 8/12 @ Mil 7:35 PM
Fri. 8/27 @ Van 9:05 PM CDT
Last Week's Recap:
8/6 @ Milwaukee Mustangs 4, Wave United 3 (OT) Attendance â 2,195
Midfielder Mesut Mert scored 16 minutes into overtime to enable the Calgary Mustangs to defeat Milwaukee Wave United 4-3 Friday night (8/6) at Uihlein Soccer Park. A stunned crowd of 2,195 saw Mert convert on a header from eight yards out off a serve from Gert Brusselers that began with a counterattack following a Milwaukee turnover at midfield. The Calgary win extended the Mustangs unbeaten streak to a season high three straight games (2-0-1) while Wave United saw its own winless streak extend to four straight outings (0-3-1).
Wave United initially took charge of the match when it scored twice in the first 15 minutes. Johnny Torres took a lead feed from Greg Howes to bury a shot past goalkeeper Lutz Pfannenstiel in the 13th minute, while teammate Todd Dusosky (from Howes) converted from the top of the penalty area just two minutes later to make it 2-0.
However, the Mustangs battled back to tie it up (2-2) before halftime, getting goals from Brusselers (27th minute) and Conrad Smith (36th minute) to even the score.
Dusosky tallied again on a turning shot from the top of the area in the 59th minute to put Milwaukee on top 3-2. But the Mustangs responded again, with Nick Zuniga scoring in the 80th minute to make it 3-3.
Pfannenstiel finished the night with nine saves on 22 shots faced, including a brilliant stop on a six-yard volley by Dusosky in the 79th minute that would have put Wave United ahead 4-2. Milwaukee âkeeper Jeff Richey suffered the loss as he finished with just one save on eight shots faced. The season series between the clubs is now even at one-game-apiece, with the final two games of the series slated for Calgary's McMahon Stadium Tuesday, August 17 and Thursday, August 26.
Linescore 1-2-OT-OT=F Shots Fouls Off. CK GK (W/L/T, Rec.) SF-SA
Calgary 2- 1- 0- 1= 4 8 15 2 3 Pfannenstiel (W, 4-14-4) 22-9
MILWAUKEE 2- 1- 0- 0= 3 22 15 4 14 Richey (L, 0-2-0) 8-1
Calgary: Pfannenstiel, Pavicic, Richer (Sestito 73), Peszneker, Gillespie, Brusselers, Holdt, Mert, Kolomiets-Raad (Reyes 80, Frazao 100), Jesic, Smith (Zuniga 75)
MILWAUKEE: Richey, Lawrence, Morman, Hammes, Kante (Beasley 100), Schmidt, Marcantonio, Walls (Fontana 67), Torres, Howes, Todd Dusosky
Scoring: MILWAUKEE â 13 â Torres (8) from Howes
MILWAUKEE â 15 â Todd Dusosky (7) from Howes
Calgary â 27 â Brusselers (2) from Mert
Calgary â 36 â Smith (6) from Kolomiets-Raad
MILWAUKEE â 59 â Todd Dusosky (8) from Hammes
Calgary â 80 â Zuniga (1)
Calgary â 106 â Mert (4) from Brusselers
Cautions: Calgary â Jesic (41), Sestito (78), Holdt (78)
MILWAUKEE â Todd Dusosky (32), Schmidt (84)
Wave United Notes:
*The originally scheduled May 14 season opener v. Edmonton which was postponed due to wet grounds at Uihlein Soccer Park has been rescheduled for Thursday, August 19, 7:35 PM at Uihlein. Fans with tickets for the May 14 game may exchange them for that game, or any other 2004 Wave United regular season contest. Call the Wave Office at 414-224-WAVE (9283) for more information.
*Both Greg Howes and Todd Dusosky missed four games (7/22-7/31) while participating with U.S. National Futsal Team in the CONCACAF Championship at Heredia, Costa Rica. The U.S. squad, coached by Wave Coach Keith Tozer, claimed the CONCACAF title to qualify for the FIFA Futsal World Championship November 21-December 5 in Chinese Taipei.
*Wave United's club record eight-game unbeaten streak (7-0-1) ended with a 4-0 loss @ Van on 7/23. That streak came on the heels of a 1-7-1 start, the slowest nine-game start in Milwaukee A-League history (1997-2004).
*Wave United's season-high output for goals scored in one game has been three, which Milwaukee has done twice against Calgary (3-2 win on 7/14 @ Mil, 4-3 (OT) loss on 8/6 @ Mil)
*Wave United's 2-1 win v. Por on 6/23 was Milwaukee's first this season when allowing the initial score. Wave United is now 1-6-1 when the opponent scores first after going 1-8-0 in similar circumstances last season.
*The five goals surrendered by Milwaukee in the 5-2 loss @ VB on 6/18 were the most yielded by a Wave United team, and the most given up by a Milwaukee A-League squad since the Rampage dropped a 5-2 decision at Portland on 8/30/01.
*Wave United has trailed just three times at halftime (1-0 v. Sea on 6/13, 1-0 @ Van on 7/23, and 2-0 v. Por on 7/31) so far this season.
*Milwaukee is now 7-4-1 when scoring first while last season's squad was 17-2-0 when scoring first.
*Jim Larkin's shutout on 7/22 @ Edm was his fifth this season, the 28th of his A-League career, and the 12th in his two years with Wave United.
*Johnny Torres' goal on 8/6 v. Cal was his eighth this season, and the 27th of his three-year A-League career.
*Greg Howes' goal (GWG) on 7/9 v. VB was his fourth this season, and the 44th of his five-year A-League career.
*Todd Dusosky registered Milwaukee's first multi-goal game this season when he scored two (including the GWG) on 7/14 v. Cal. Dusosky, who also scored two on 8/6 v. Cal, now has 25 goals in his four-year A-League career.
*Digital Takawira's goal (GWG) on 7/22 @ Edm was the 45th of his five-year A-League-career. Takawira is Milwaukee's all-time regular season A-League scoring leader with 117 points (45 goals + 27 assists).
*The two shutouts suffered by Wave United 5/21 and 5/22 were the first back-to-back shutouts in team history. Wave United was shutout six times in 2003, three of which occurred at Uihlein Soccer Park.
*The scoreless draw v. Min on 5/22 was also the first tie in Wave United history. Milwaukee did not have any ties when it posted an A-League best 18-10-0 (54 pts.) record in 2003. Coach Art Kramer's team played just three minutes of overtime during the regular season, that coming in a 1-0 (OT) win at El Paso on 6/22/03.
*In stark contrast to last season, Wave United has now played eight overtime matches this season. Milwaukee has played 122 combined overtime minutes and is 2-3-3 in such contests.
*Minnesota's 1-0 aggregate goal victory over Wave United on 5/21 and 5/22 denied Milwaukee a chance to participate in the 2004 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup tournament. It's the first time since the 2000 season that a Milwaukee A-League club has not qualified for the U.S. Open Cup.
*Wave United's season-opening five-game winless streak tied the longest winless streak in Milwaukee A-League history. The '97 Rampage squad also went winless in five straight (all losses) from 5/25/97 thru 6/20/97.
Wave / Wave United Camps
The 2004 Wave / Wave United Soccer Camp Program continues this week with camps at five different locations. All told, the 2004 Camp Program includes 57 different sessions in 32 locations throughout Southeastern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois. Call the Wave / Wave United Office at 414-224-WAVE (9283) to request a camp brochure and registration form. Campers may also register online at www.milwaukeewaveunited.com. Walk-up registrations for day-camps are accepted every Monday starting at 8:30 AM.
Sessions this week: (August 9-13) Sessions next week: (August 16-20)
Camp# City Location Camp# City Location
42 Overnight Academy* Camp Whitcomb-Mason 47 Racine Score Soccer Complex
43 Pewaukee Wagner Park 48 Mequon Rotary Park
44 Lake Mills Rotary Park 49 Brookfield Brookfield Soccer Park
45 New Berlin** Valley View Park 50 Muskego Denoon Park
46 Hartland** University Lake School 51 Madison Reddan Soccer Park
* Open Camp (August 8-14) in Hartland, WI
**Select Camp (9 AM â Noon)
Wave Indoor Season Set to Begin October 23rd / Home Opener at U.S. Cellular Arena on Friday, October 29th
The Milwaukee Wave indoor team (Major Indoor Soccer League) will begin its 21st campaign on the road October 23, with the home opener at U.S. Cellular Arena scheduled for Friday, October 29th at U.S. Cellular Arena. The entire MISL schedule is expected to be released in mid-August. Season ticket packages, including the new VIP Elite seating packages with waiter / waitress service are available through the Wave / Wave United Office at 510 W. Kilbourn Ave., Suite B in downtown Milwaukee. Call 414-224-WAVE for more information, or visit www.milwaukeewave.com.
USL First Division Stories from August 9, 2004
- Thunder match at Stillwater High School on Tuesday - Minnesota Thunder
- Wave United preparing for crucial match against Vancouver Whitecaps - Milwaukee Wave United
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