WAVE CHALLENGE THE BLAST BEFORE RETURN HOME; MILWAUKEE HOST AMBUSH ON 80’S NIGHT.

By Henry Amini. 

The 7-Time Champion Milwaukee Wave have another jam-packed weekend of Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) beginning on Saturday. 

The last weekend for the Wave saw them split games, with a win against the Tacoma Stars before losing to the Empire Strykers in Ontario, California the following day. 

Sunday afternoon saw a hard fought battle against the Stars brought all the way down to the wire in a 7-6 victory. The Wave’s performance was well rounded, six players contributed points and young standout players Oscar Flores and Alex Steinwasher recorded three points apiece. They protected their first place position for another week and their  win streak was extended to four games that night, the longest streak of their season. 

The Milwaukee Wave looked deflated in the first half against the Empire Strykers on Monday, struggling to score a goal in the first half despite generating some seriously dangerous chances. The Wave rallied in the second half—they shrunk the deficit to just one goal on two separate occasions—but the Strykers were able to stiff arm the game to beat the Wave 7-8.

“We want to win every game we’re playing in, we have high expectations,” Head Coach Marcio Leite said. The schedule for the Milwaukee Wave gets harder before it gets easier. They’ll travel to challenge the Baltimore Blast’s home turf on Saturday as the start to another back to back weekend. 

The rivalry between the Milwaukee Wave and the Baltimore Blast is one of the most colorful in the world of indoor soccer. Three members of the Wave’s coaching staff (Marcio Leite, Jonathan Greenfield, and Marcel Feenstra) played in the 2012 Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) championship series between these two teams, which resulted in the Wave winning their sixth championship. Marcio Leite won the finals MVP against the Blast that season and has a deep understanding for the rich history and rivalry these two teams hold. 

As it stands, the Milwaukee Wave have the leading Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) point scorer and goal scorer, Alex “Saucy” Sanchez. He’s proven to be a superstar in this league with an astounding 36 points through 16 games. The Wave’s talent doesn't stop there, and they employ two of Week 12’s players of the week in Mario Alvarez and William Banahene. Alvarez has 15 assists and stands top five in the League’s point scorers with 31. Banahene has been the rock in the foundation of Milwaukee’s defense and has one of the most feared goalkeeping presences in the  league’s history. 

“Playing in front of our fans really gets the guys that extra motivation,” Leite said. The Milwaukee Wave’s return home to host the St. Louis Ambush will be their fourth and final meeting of the season, and this kicks off the final stretch in which, out of their final seven matches, they’ll play six at home. 

The last time the Milwaukee Wave met the Ambush was in January in an overtime victory when Sanchez netted the game winning goal for the home team. The Ambush have quietly made their way into a competitive spot in the league table. They’re three points behind first place, only separated from the third place San Diego Sockers on a tie breaker. 

The Milwaukee Wave will face the Baltimore Blast at SECU Arena in Baltimore, Maryland on Saturday, February 21 at 5:00pm CST. 

The following day, the Milwaukee Wave will host the St. Louis Ambush at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin  on Sunday, February 22 at 3:05pm CST. ###