WAVE LOOK TO BOUNCE BACK; LAST ROAD REGULAR SEASON ROAD TRIP ENDS IN UTICA.

By Henry Amini. 

The 7-Time Champion Milwaukee Wave will travel to New York on Sunday to challenge Utica City FC in a one-off road game. 

The Wave have faced a difficult stretch of results since their recent four game win streak ended in Ontario, California. The loss against the Strykers sent them on a three game skid, and the St. Louis Ambush took the lead of the Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) following their win against the Wave in Milwaukee on Sunday. 

The Wave will play their final road game of the season against Utica City FC and, despite the away team’s recent streak of misfortune, have the opportunity to make up lost ground with five straight games at home and no remaining matchups against teams currently in any of the top four playoff spots. 

Utica City FC have undergone some significant changes since a poor start to their 2026 campaign. The partition of this team with their head coach, Hewerton Moreira, marks a shift in the program. Seated at the bottom of the league table, Utica City FC have little left to lose. The return of 2025 MASL All-Star Captain Kelvin Oliveira will be a significant boost to this team who, despite a poor record, are not short on talent. Oliveira scored 42 points through just 12 games last season, including a seven point game against the Wave in January 2025. 

“Focus on ourselves, on what the things are that we can do better, especially on the defensive side,” Head Coach Marcio Leite said. Within the constantly shifting environment of indoor soccer, the Milwaukee Wave own a heritage of winning. Leite’s team will be focused on their own adjustments in order to make a strong push for the regular season shield. 

Throughout the noise, the Milwaukee Wave’s offensive prowess has drawn serious attention. Following Sunday’s loss to the Ambush, Wave players led all three major offensive statistical categories. Alex “Saucy” Sanchez leads the MASL with 40 points and 26 goals through 18 games. The Defensive Player of The Year candidate Mario Alvarez led the league in assists as of Thursday with 17 assists to accompany his 18 goals in what has been his best statistical season to date. 

“We have shown the league that we can score. I think we might be the best offensive team in the league,” Leite said. The Wave have shown that their offensive arsenal is not limited and their depth is what has carried this team throughout the season. Rookie Oscar Flores has proven to be one of the most effective targets in the MASL having scored 16 goals thus far in his first season of indoor soccer alongside Alex Steinwasher who has been one of the Wave’s most quietly successful playmakers, contributing 24 points. 

“We need to give up less goals. That is our biggest goal this weekend,” Leite said. Travel for the Milwaukee Wave was heavily front loaded—11 of their first 18 games were played on the road—which has meant that injury recovery has been a serious focus for much of the season.  The Wave have the best goalscoring arsenal in the MASL, scoring 122 goals. However, they have also given up the second most goals in the league; 111 through 18 games. Goalkeeper William Banahene also faces the most shots per 60 minutes amongst goalkeepers who have played 500+ minutes, facing an average of 18.83 shots for every 60 minutes he plays. In part, this can be accredited to a fast end-to-end playstyle, in which transition causes significant chances on both ends. Leite is focused on efficiency, though, considering the importance of limiting poor defensive decision making. 

The return of Ricardo Carvalho and two time MASL MVP Ian Bennett from injury is indicative of the shift of the Milwaukee Wave’s scope throughout the rest of the regular season. They will have no more direct back to back games and significantly more time to focus on tactical adjustments.

The Milwaukee Wave will face Utica City FC at Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, New York on Sunday, March 1 at 2:00pm CST. 

Watch on the following platforms: MASL+, MASLtv, National Soccer Network, Victory+, Unbeaten Network, En Español; Fox Sports Mexico (Mexico only).