Milwaukee Wave Playoffs 2014 | Wave Stands The Test Of Time

The Milwaukee Wave indoor soccer team clinched a spot in the 2014 postseason over the weekend. The team, now with 11 wins and two losses, defeated the St. Louis Ambush to garner a half-game lead over second place rivals Baltimore, and secure a top-four seed in the upcoming March playoffs. Forward Carlos Munoz was named player of the week for his effort in helping the Wave to overcome a 10-6 Ambush lead at halftime, scoring the tying goal in the waning seconds of the third quarter. Pablo Da Silva would hit the go-ahead goal in the middle of the fourth, allowing Milwaukee to blow the game open with another five combined points from Judson McKinney and rookie and Wisconsin-native JC Banks.

Saturday's berth into the 2014 postseason is the 25^th time in the Wave's 30-year history that it will appear in the playoffs. Not since 1993 has the team failed to qualify. They have won nine division titles during that time, and are likely to add their 10^th this season if they can maintain a lead over the Blast. They won their first league championship in 1998 as part of the National Professional Soccer League, and have claimed six more since then. All have come under the helm of head coach Keith Tozer, who is in his 21^st season with the Wave. The team's most recent title came in 2012.

As the Wave's weekend playoff berth suggests, 2013 has been yet another successful year for the country's longest-running professional soccer franchise. Sue Black took ownership of the team during the off-season, and has helped maintaining the Wave's claim to one of the highest average attendances in all of the Major Indoor Soccer League. Black's leadership has also pulled the team out of a financial tailspin that saw the Wave lose over $1 million in 2009 under then-owner Jim Lindenburg.

Back on the field, the team has gone undefeated at the US Cellular Arena so far this season, with six wins at the venue. Their only losses have come at the hands of the Missouri Comets, who defeated the Wave in December and January to tie the season at two-apiece. The pair will play another two games in Milwaukee yet this year, including the season finale on March 2^nd.

Milwaukee Wave Remaining Regular Season Schedule

February

-        7^th @ Syracuse Silver Knights (6:30PM)

-        9^th @ Rochester Lancers (2:00PM)

-        13^th vs. TBD (10:30AM)

-        16^th vs. Pennsylvania Roar (2:00PM)

-        21^st @ St. Louis Ambush (7:35PM)

-        23^rd vs. Missouri Comets (2:00PM)

March

-        1^st vs. St. Louis Ambush (7:35PM)

-        2^nd vs. Missouri Comets (2:00PM)

Packers Lose Matthews For A Month | Upcoming Games All Must Win Contests For Green Bay

The Packers are coming off of a 22-9 victory at home against the Detroit Lions to even their record at 2-2. The Lions game began a stretch of play for the Packers in which I deemed they could win every game they play for the next several months. That will be much harder to accomplish now with the absence of all-world linebacker Clay Matthews who will miss the next month due to a broken thumb which leads me to my first point.

How will the defense play in the absence of Clay Matthews? In case you missed it, linebacker Clay Matthews broke his thumb on Sunday against the Lions. He had successful surgery early this week and will miss the next month as he recovers. This may not really be as doom and gloom as you may think. The Packers next three games are against Baltimore, Cleveland, and Minnesota, three teams that really don’t scare me at this point in time. Yes Cleveland has been playing well, but the main reason as to why they have been playing well, the play of quarterback Brian Hoyer, is all for not now as the Hoyer is out for the season with a torn ACL. Yes the Baltimore Ravens are the defending Super Bowl champions, but if you remember, they took apart their roster this offseason, and don’t look anything like the defending champions. I think the defense will be okay without Matthews for the next few games. But, other plays such as Nick Perry and Mike Neal need to step up.

Will Aaron Rodgers and the offense get it going again or was I right this offseason? This past offseason, I declared that the Packers days as the best offense in NFL history were behind them. Through the first two games of the season it looked as if I was wrong, but the last two games may change that, and it is the last two games that may be the true story of the current state of the Packers offense which would be just fine, but not what they were.

Can the running game keep it up? The one area of this offense that has seen vast improvement this season is the running game. The Packers have run the ball really well the last few weeks, and will be looking to continue that this Sunday against Baltimore. I do believe McCarthy needs to learn to trust this running game and actually use it on third and short instead of going downfield every time. I also think it is sort of funny that the Packers paid Rodgers 900 zillion dollars this offseason and decide that now is the time to run the ball. 

Milwaukee Wave Welcomes Sue Black | New Wave Logo Unveiled

Debuting as the Milwaukee Wave's new owner in February, former Milwaukee County Parks director Sue Black announced her inaugural changes to the team's appearance and structure last week. A new logo to go along with the 2013 uniforms was revealed at a press-conference at the U.S. Cellular Arena on Thursday, as was a new board of directors for the organization's charity.

Black has been widely accepted by fans and Wave personnel alike since taking over the team from Milwaukee-businessman Jim Lindenberg. Passing over an opportunity to become a parks director in Dallas following her dismissal from that position locally, Black has become a familiar face in the Milwaukee Wave system. She has worked closely with head coach Keith Tozer to define how to repeat the success the team found during the 2012 season, finishing the year with sixteen consecutive wins and a trip to the playoff semifinals. Fans who attended those games down-the-stretch last year may recognize Black, who will again make-time to greet patrons at the gate at most Wave home-games at the U.S. Cellular Arena.

The Milwaukee Wave's newest official logo captures a silhouette of the city's famous skyline imposed above a baseball diamond shape that features the team name and an animated wave underlining it all. Recognizable buildings in the logo include the Milwaukee Art Museum, the US Bank building, and City Hall. The team has not yet released colors for the 2013 home-and-away jerseys, though the uniforms are expected to be either black, blue, or white.

Also announced at Thursday's press-conference was the news that former Wisconsin governor Tommy Thompson would helm the “Wave of Hope” charitable organization starting this year. Thompson was one of many additions to the charity, which partners staff and team members of the Wave with local outreach programs focused towards youth. 

National Anthem Singing Contest At BMO Harris Bradley Center

Ever have the itch to perform in front of 15,000 people? The Milwaukee Bucks are looking to give a few lucky acts a chance to do just that at one of their home games at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in 2013. The organization is holding open auditions to sing the national anthem at the downtown arena for one of 41 games to be held there this season. The jobs will mostly fill weekday match-ups against other small-market teams, as the Bucks normally hire known acts for highlight and weekend games.

Auditions for the vacant openings will be held on September 14th at the Bradley Center. Performers should enter the complex at the Potowatomi Gate on the corner of 4th and Highland, where staff will assist in registration. Acts will perform on a first-come-first-serve basis starting at 10AM. Doors close at 5PM.

The Bucks encourage experienced vocalists to bring performance resumes, though any member of the public of any age is permitted to tryout. Contestants under the age of 18 will need their guardian to accompany them. Groups of any number of performers are also allowed. A full gospel choir earned a spot through 2012's audition process, as did an all-male quintet.