The Milwaukee Wave is an American professional
indoor soccer
Indoor soccer or arena soccer (known internationally as indoor football, fast football, or showball) is five-a-side version of minifootball, derived from association football and adapted to be played in walled hardcourt indoor arena. Indoor socc ...
team based in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...
. Founded in 1984, they have been the oldest continuously operating professional
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
team in the United States and are seven-time league champions, most recent being the
2018–19 champions of the
Major Arena Soccer League
The Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) is a North American professional indoor soccer league. The MASL features teams playing coast-to-coast in the United States and Mexico.
MASL is the highest level of arena soccer in North America. MASL players ...
.
The team plays their games at the
UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena
The UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena (originally the Milwaukee Arena and formerly MECCA Arena and U.S. Cellular Arena) is an indoor arena located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The arena, which seats as many as 12,700 people and offers of floor space, is ...
. The team colors are black and yellow.
History
The team was founded on August 3, 1984, as a member of the
American Indoor Soccer Association
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, p ...
and played in every season and incarnation of that league (see
MISL
The Misls (derived from an Arabic word wikt:مثل#Etymology_3, مِثْل meaning 'equal') were the twelve sovereign states of the Sikh Confederacy, which rose during the 18th century in the Punjab region in the northern part of the Indian ...
). They have also played in the
Xtreme Soccer League
The Xtreme Soccer League (XSL) was an indoor soccer league that began play in December 2008. Four teams from the former Major Indoor Soccer League participated in the first XSL season: the Chicago Storm, Detroit Ignition, Milwaukee Wave, and Ne ...
and the third version of the
MISL
The Misls (derived from an Arabic word wikt:مثل#Etymology_3, مِثْل meaning 'equal') were the twelve sovereign states of the Sikh Confederacy, which rose during the 18th century in the Punjab region in the northern part of the Indian ...
. The team is currently a member of the
Major Arena Soccer League
The Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) is a North American professional indoor soccer league. The MASL features teams playing coast-to-coast in the United States and Mexico.
MASL is the highest level of arena soccer in North America. MASL players ...
. Milwaukee also hosted the 2003 and 2006 MISL II All-Star Games.
Keith Tozer
Keith Tozer is a retired American soccer player who played professionally in the Major Indoor Soccer League, American Soccer League and American Indoor Soccer Association. He is currently the commissioner of the Major Arena Soccer League.
Play ...
was the team's coach for 21 years before leaving to become
United States national futsal team
The United States national futsal team represents the United States at international competitions. It is governed by the United States Soccer Federation and affiliated with CONCACAF. The U.S. Futsal Federation was founded in 1981 and the first ...
head coach. While with the Wave, he was the all-time winningest coach in North American indoor soccer, with six league championships and more than 700 wins.
The Wave played in the first season of the
Xtreme Soccer League
The Xtreme Soccer League (XSL) was an indoor soccer league that began play in December 2008. Four teams from the former Major Indoor Soccer League participated in the first XSL season: the Chicago Storm, Detroit Ignition, Milwaukee Wave, and Ne ...
in the 2008 – 2009 season, but moved to the new
Major Indoor Soccer League for the 2009–2010 season.
After the 2013–2014 season, the team announced that it was leaving the MISL along with five other teams and join the MASL.
In 2014 the ownership group ROC Ventures, headed by Mike Zimmerman, became a partner in the team's ownership.
Just before the 2014–15 season began, the Wave replaced their traditional green
artificial turf
Artificial turf is a surface of synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass. It is most often used in arenas for sports that were originally or are normally played on grass. However, it is now being used on residential lawns and commer ...
with a black turf to match the team's colors and marketing strategy. Reception by fans and the press was mixed but generally positive.
Players
![Chad Vandegriffe jumping by Kyle Sykes](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Chad_Vandegriffe_jumping_by_Kyle_Sykes.jpg)
:''
''
Active roster
Inactive roster
2022–23 transfers
Transfers in
Transfers out
2022–23 matches
Wave Hall of Fame inductees
Retired numbers
* 5 –
Peter Knezic
* 11 –
Steve Morris
* 27 –
Victor Nogueira
Victor Nogueira (born July 17, 1959 in Mozambique) is a retired American soccer goalkeeper. Nogueira spent six seasons in the North American Soccer League, but gained his greatest recognition in over twenty seasons in three indoor leagues, the Ma ...
* 13 –
Michael King
* 17 –
Todd Dusosky
Todd Dusosky (born May 12, 1976 in Anoka, Minnesota) is a retired American soccer forward who spent most of his career with indoor teams. He also played a handful of seasons in the USL A-League.
Soccer
Dusosky graduated from Anoka High School i ...
* 19 –
Troy Dusosky
Other notable former players
*
Brian Loftin
*
Jimmy Banks
Jimmy Banks (September 2, 1964 – April 26, 2019) was an American soccer defender. After a standout career at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Banks spent six seasons playing indoor soccer with the Milwaukee Wave. He also earned 35 cap ...
Year-by-year
* Regular season ended early due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Head coaches
* Keith Tozer missed parts of the 1997–98 & 1999–00 season coaching the
US Futsal team. Both times,
Art Kramer
Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas.
There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...
filled in.
Owners
*
Luis Antonio Ramos - Tony (1984)
*
Ron Creten, Wayne Lueders, Dr. Christiansen (1985–87)
*
Michael H. Bazelon
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name "Michael"
* Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...
(1987–2002)
*
Charles Krause (2002–09)
*
James Lindenberg
James Lindenberg (December 20, 1921 – April 28, 2009) was an American-born Filipino engineer and businessman. He moved to the Philippines in the 1940s. He is credited for his founding of Bolinao Electronics Corporation (BEC), the precursor of ...
(2009–2013)
*
Sue Black (2013–2014)
*
Mike Zimmerman (2014–present)
Arenas
*
MECCA Auditorium
Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow va ...
1984–1988
*
Bradley Center 1988–2003
*
UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena
The UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena (originally the Milwaukee Arena and formerly MECCA Arena and U.S. Cellular Arena) is an indoor arena located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The arena, which seats as many as 12,700 people and offers of floor space, is ...
2003–present
See also
*
Milwaukee Wave United (former sister outdoor
A-League
A-League Men (known as the Isuzu UTE A-League for sponsorship reasons) is the highest-level professional men's soccer league in Australia and New Zealand. At the top of the Australian league system, it is the country's premier men's competiti ...
squad in the early 2000s)
References
External links
*
{{Wisconsin Sports
1984 establishments in Wisconsin
American Indoor Soccer Association teams
Association football clubs established in 1984
Indoor soccer clubs in the United States
Major Arena Soccer League teams
Major Indoor Soccer League (2001–2008) teams
Major Indoor Soccer League (2008–2014) teams
National Professional Soccer League (1984–2001) teams
Xtreme Soccer League teams
Soccer clubs in Wisconsin