Big game brewing in Milwaukee

From the USA Today

For the next seven days, the epicenter of U.S. soccer activity isn't
the new Home Depot Center outside L.A. It's not Columbus, home of the
other soccer-specific cathedral to house an MLS team. It's not
Washington, New York or Chicago.

It's Milwaukee, which is giving U.S. fans a rare opportunity to see a
true "derby" match — a meaningful game between two local teams.

The Milwaukee Bavarians, an amateur team in the USASA, have earned
their way to this meeting, working through several layers of
qualification before upsetting PDL powerhouse Des Moines and the Pro
Select League's Reading Rage in the U.S. Open Cup. Next up: the A-
League's Wave United.

"This game has drawn a lot of local interest in town," said Wave
United coach Art Kramer. "There's a certain buzz around the area
about this one."

The matchup is an oddity, but it's no fluke. Milwaukee has a thriving
soccer community. The Bavarians have three things most U.S. pro clubs
would envy — reserve squads, insightful coverage from the local
newspaper and a lighted, full-size field with seating for roughly
3,000. The Wave United have A-League and MISL (indoor) squads under
the same umbrella, and they call Uihlein Soccer Park home.

With an enthusiastic town and good facilities, players tend to hang
around. And that creates some interesting subplots for the city's big
game.

Start with the brother-vs.-brother matchup, with Scott Dombrowski on
the field for the Bavarians and younger brother Chad playing for the
Wave United. But that's just the beginning. The Bavarians are only a
couple of players away from being able to field a lineup of players
who played for the indoor Wave or the outdoor Rampage, the Wave
United's predecessor. Joe Hammes, a defender for the Wave United,
started for the Bavarians in 2001.

"They know us as players, so I don't think they're going to take us
lightly at all," said Bavarians player Steve Provan.

The Bavarians may be amateur, but they're no strangers to big-time
soccer. Dan Stebbins, who scored the goal that eliminated Reading,
played 26 MLS games with Dallas, Miami and Chicago, scoring six
goals. Chris Jahr also saw time with the nearby Fire. Provan played
seven years of professional soccer and was once a Rampage teammate of
future World Cup stars Brian McBride and Tony Sanneh.

In fact, the Open Cup isn't the only prize the Bavarians will be
chasing in the next few days. This weekend, they'll play as many as
four games in the final four of two tournaments — the U.S. Amateur
Cup and the U.S. Open Cup's amateur division. The Open Cup derby is
drawing the attention, but Bavarians coach Tom Zaiss is in no way
looking past those games at nearby Uihlein.

"I'm hoping for 8-9 overtimes each game this weekend," Kramer joked.

The weekend games give the Bavarians two chances to add to a trophy
case that already includes the last two U.S. Amateur Cups. They
advanced to the 1994 U.S. Open Cup final before being knocked out by
the San Francisco Greek-Americans, a team that included future MLS
players Mark Semioli and John Doyle. The coach was one-time national
team coach Lothar Osiander.

The Bavarians, who trace their history back to 1929, can also claim a
U.S. national coach among their alumni — Bob Gansler, who coached the
U.S. in the 1990 World Cup and led the Kansas City Wizards to the
2000 MLS title.

"You can attribute the success of Milwaukee soccer to the coaching
over the past 15-20 years," Kramer said. Players come up through the
local clubs, gain experience at various levels, then stick around to
coach.

Yet there are a few drawbacks to being an amateur side at this level
of competition. The Bavarians train twice a week, far less than the
full-time pros they'll be facing Wednesday. For the first-round match
against Des Moines, Stebbins was among several missing starters. The
players weren't hurt, nor were they suspended. They had to work.

Against Reading, the Bavarians had a home game under the lights in
Milwaukee. Their guys didn't have to miss work. Perhaps the amateur
side's win was no upset.

In addition to local bragging rights, the Bavarians and Wave United
will be playing for the right to play the MLS' Chicago Fire in the
next round, quite possibly at home in Milwaukee.

"Some say it's a no-win situation for us," Kramer said. "But it's
a 'win-win.' If we win, we play the Chicago Fire. And it's an
opportunity for us to play against tremendous former professionals."

The Bavarians met the Wave United in a preseason scrimmage, with the
pro club taking a comfortable win. But both coaches discounted that
meeting. The weather had been playing tricks on the players, and the
atmosphere wasn't quite the same as they'll face Wednesday.

"They actually have the more experienced team," Kramer said. "You
wouldn't think that would be the case. Our oldest guy is 30. They
have 6-7 guys in their mid-30s."

"(The Wave United) haven't been together that long as a group," Zaiss
said. "They've only played 14 games together. Some of our guys have
probably played 1,400 games together. They'll be fitter."

That's the key question: Can the Bavarians' experience overcome a
team that is playing high-level soccer every day?

"We know we can play at a high level," Provan said. "We've played
professionally, and it's nice to play at this level again. It should
be a really good game."

Kramer knows he'll be facing a dangerous team with the extra
motivation of a "final hurrah." Many of them had great moments with
the Wave or at Uihlein, and they'll be playing before a crowd that
could exceed 6,000.

"I'd be very surprised if they didn't come out and play the game of
their lives."