A-League

Champion Milwaukee Rampage folds, but is replaced by Wave United.

MILWAUKEE (Saturday, January 25, 2003) -- The A-League champion Milwaukee Rampage is no more. The city, however, will not be without a franchise with the Milwaukee Wave United, an extension of the Major Indoor Soccer League Wave, granted admission into the A-League on Thursday.

The Rampage, which won the 1997 A-League title as well as the 2002 crown, was also the runnerup in 2001, but could not match its on-field prowess with financial success. The Rampage was founded in 1994 and joined the A-League in 1997.

The A-League is the second tier of professional soccer in the United States, one step below Major League Soccer.

"It's tough when you're the best team in the league the year before and you don't even have a chance to defend your title the next year," Rampage midfielder Steve Bernal told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. "But this is definitely an opportunity. The good thing is there still is a professional outdoor team in Milwaukee."

The Wave organization acquired the A-League's territorial rights relinquished when Rampage owner Nick Schimpf recently surprised the league office by ceasing operations, citing health and financial concerns.

Contracts of 12 Rampage players are still in force and re-assigned to the Wave United which will take the Rampage's place in the 2003 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The team will return to Uihlein Soccer Park where the Rampage played from 1995-2000 before moving to Rampage Soccer Complex.

The Wave has been successful in the MISL, both on and off the field, one of the league leaders with an average attendance of nearly 8,000 at the Bradley Center. Over the past five years, the Wave won the league title three times and finished second once.

Keith Tozer, the Wave head coach and vice president of soccer operations, will now oversee the combined operation of indoor and outdoor teams. He will answer to Tim Krause, Wave president and chief executive officer.

"This only made sense if we were prepared to go to the next level as an organization," Krause told the Journal-Sentinel. "The (Wave) staff is experienced. We looked at the total number of (indoor and outdoor home) games, and it would be about 38 for the entire year."

Wave assistant Art Kramer was named head coach with his top assistant being Bob Spielmann, the coach of Marquette High School in Milwaukee.

"This is great for the soccer community," said Spielmann who will continue as Marquette's coach. "By bringing it back to Uihlein, I think people will be coming out like crazy."

The Rampage team policy of not signing indoor players will obviously be abandoned, though Tozer told the Journal-Sentinel he expected ony three-to-five current Wave members to be candidates for the outdoor side. "This is not where we're going to take our whole indoor team," Tozer said. "This is going to be a great chance for us to build a team using players on either side and making this the most attractive franchise in the country."

A top candidate from the indoor team to play for the Wave United is forward Greg Howes who was A-League rookie of the year in 2000 for the Seattle Sounders who then played two seasons for the Portland Timbers.