Future of Milwaukee Wave in doubt

[yoshii8]

utdfan,

Undoubtedly, you're correct about this. Millions of soccer fans worldwide can't be wrong. It's gotta be me.

I agree, it must be you.

Sorry if I wasn't clear, but I was being sarcastic.

[utdfan]

Is there a place to play outside in the Milwaukee area?

The Rampage mostly played at Uihlein soccer park until they moved to a place on the south side for there last few years. Uihlein is terrible in terms of parking and the playing field isn't as good as it used to be. I don't remember the name of the place on the south side but it seemed decent for what an outdoor team would need.

[yoshii8]

The place on the southside I believe is now called the Milwaukee County Sports Complex. It is located off Ryan Rd. in Franklin, and it was probably a better pitch than Uihlein, but I don't think it had as much bleacher room.

 

I don't think there is a legit soccer stadium in Milwaukee. If they built a nice soccer stadium I believe an MLS team would do much better than a USL or indoor team in Milwaukee. There is a very big soccer community in Milwaukee and Wisconsin, and I think people would have an easier time shelling out some money when they've heard of some of the players before.

[Godspeed]

Tangent, can someone phonetically spell out 'Uihlein' for me? Every time I pass the park on Good Hope I wonder how it's pronounced.

[NeedMoreFans]

Tangent, can someone phonetically spell out 'Uihlein' for me? Every time I pass the park on Good Hope I wonder how it's pronounced.

I think it's either U-Line or E-Line.

 

Back to the Wave...why do they need new ownership? I just figured they would be able to join any new league if they wanted. They are a long standing franchise with a solid following, I'd think ownership wouldn't be an issue. I think the larger issue is every indoor league fails, and the Wave ends up in a new league every year. I thought the Wave would run out of leagues to play in before they folded.

[Nottso]

It is pronounced E-line. The Uihlein family owned Schlitz Breweries and they named the beer Schlitz because it sounded "more German."

[foamboy1]

The Wave is actually one of the stronger teams in their league in terms of attendance. The problem is their leagues keep folding and ownership is now tired of underwriting losses of $500,000 or so a year. It might be a bit less than that today, but my figure is the "old number" from the previous ownership group.

I believe it's too late at this point. The franchise can be "had" for virtually no money, but the new owner(s) need the capacity to pay $500K a year for the benefits of owning the team. It's a poor value proposition!

 

[whizkid]

More OT but it is pronounced e-line and the Uihlein family gained control after Joseph Schlitz died. The Brewery was founded by August Krug but Schlitz renamed it after he got control when Krug died in 1856.

[yoshii8]

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/soccer/51596682.html

 

The Wave have reached a tentative agreement w/ a new owner.

[trwi7]

That's good news. The minor league teams in Milwaukee provide great entertainment value (Wave, Bucks, etc.)

[jlau20]

That's good news. The minor league teams in Milwaukee provide great entertainment value (Wave, Bucks, etc.)

Probably meant Admirals, but funny nonetheless.

[trwi7]

Probably meant Admirals, but funny nonetheless.

Yes I did. I was also looking at a Bucks message board while I was posting this and the fact that they've been bad for so long and you can see how I made that mistake. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif