Wings Practice Yesterday

Kim Røntved Interview

Here is the Kim  Røntved Interview from the very first game.  The interview was done with Kim and and I before the Wings first game VS the Comets.  It was played during halftime of the game.  This is the full version, the version played during the broadcast was shortened by about a minute and a half.  Enjoy and Thanks to Kim  Røntved and Jeff Husted for setting this up for me.

Great Weekend

Let’s talk.  The Wichita Wings are on a bit of run.  They have won two straight and have won three out of their last four, with their only loss coming in a confusing game against The Wave in Milwaukee.  The game consisted of the Wings being held scoreless for three plus quarters until they fired off 10 PTS in the 4^th to make it a 13-10 loss.  They even killed a 5 on 3 disadvantage in that same quarter.  The Friday before that they won their first game beating the struggling Norfolk SharX 16-11 at home.

            This past weekend was possibly THE turning point in the season for the Wings as they showed no mercy against The Syracuse Silver Knights on Friday night.  They rolled over the very poor Knights 20-4.  Every time my color commentator, Cliff Brown, and I went to commercial during this game, we would discuss how appalled we were at Syracuse.  Once a 3-0 team they now looked like a reserve side.  Cory Elenio scored the first goal of the game within the first 12 seconds.  At that point there was a bit of an ‘Uh-Oh’ feeling inside Hartman Arena.  Once The Wings settled down and equalized through the now MISL player of the week, Jamar Beasley, it was easy business from then on.  The Wings ran things in the middle, didn’t allow Sanaldo to do much as their defense took some great pride in defending their goal that night.  Their shots were on target, which has been an issue in the past, they showed confidence to take on players 1 on 1, and killed off every power play the Knights had.  A major change to LB and Sammy’s game plan that made things flow much better for the team was dropping Chile back in the midfield to run things.  I could talk all day about Chile and his fantastic vision, but I will just say this; the more of the field Chile sees, the better the entire squad is.  Runs made off of him are found by him, the team’s shape is better, and even though he isn’t scoring as much he would like, he is simply a goal creator.  He leads the MISL in assists right now with 12. 

            The next night, battered and beaten Norfolk came to town.  They jumped off their plane that morning, having been plowed through by Rochester just two nights before 16-2 at home.  Having just signed two new Brazilian players being the only positive thing they had to look forward to, they, like Syracuse, scored the opening goal but then proceeded to completely throw away any moment that provided them with.  They scored only one more goal the entire game as The Wings rolled 17-4. 

            Important Weekend Notes: 

·      Freddy Moojen finally came alive and single handedly destroyed Syracuse with 4 goals and an assist to triple his total PTS for the year in one night.  He scored 2 more the next night as well.

·      Jamar Beasley scored a weekend total of 13 PTS to overtake the leagues scoring lead.  He leads Geison by 4 PTS and is 2^nd in the MISL assisting only behind his teammate, Farias.  He is this week’s MISL player of the week.

·      Brian Cushing continued his good form at home has he scored in both of the weekend games and had an assist against the Silver Knights.  His rambunctious and elongated celebrations will definitely keep the fans coming back to Hartman Arena.

·      Larry Inlow, although no PTS this weekend, had a top-notch couple of games.  His defense was stifling and as we are still without TJ Ayuegbusi, Larry has become the defensive Muscle for the Wings.

·      Daniel Villegas had his first day of full training today and hopes to be considered for the squad that travels to Milwaukee for next Friday’s game.

Keith Tozer Interview

Also, here is the Keith Tozer Interview that was played at the HT of the 2nd Milwaukee game. Big thanks to Keith Tozer and Leah Toohey for setting up this interview.

Lebaron Interview: 11/30/11

Here is the LB Interview he graciously did with me that was played during the HT of the Syracuse game last Friday. Check it out.

Sorry for the wait, But here's an update.

I apologize for the delay in the updates.  I have underestimated how busy things become during the season.  Since I last posted the Wings have enjoyed their first win.  It took a sloppy performance at home against Baltimore for the team to get back to scoring goals.  Baltimore came in to Hartman Arena and controlled the game very well.  They didn’t pile it on as they didn’t need to.  They ran out 12-6 winners on a seemingly desolate Wings attack.  Jamar Beasley put away two more on the night and continued his fine form in the early stages of the season.  He has now scored in five of the team’s first six games and has three multi-goal games as well.  He currently leads the team with 9 total goals and 23 points.

The ensuing weekend brought the struggling Norfolk SharX to Hartman Arena.  The SharX were a team that had been destroyed in it’s two opening games as a franchise.  They had allowed 20 plus points in their first to games and had only scored 14 of their own.  On paper it looked to be a very winnable game for the Wings.  Many of the players called it a must win game as they were now 0-4.  The game ultimately ended in a win for the Wings as they won in front of their home crowd for the first time this year.  They held off a late SharX surge to win 16-11.  It wasn’t the prettiest of wins as many times it seemed as if they should have broken the game open and killed it off.  But it is a job done, first win of the new Wings era.  The only negative about the final buzzer sounding was that it meant the team, including me, had to immediately get on a bus and drive 13 hours through the night to go back to Milwaukee for a rematch against the Milwaukee Wave.  The Wings fell to the defending MISL champs only three games ago 13-15.

Maybe it was the long trip up to Milwaukee, and the two games in three days, or that Milwaukee hadn’t played a game in over a week and were very well rested.  Whatever we want to blame the first half performance on we can, but the fact is a few defensive slip-ups and a very big 4 minutes at the beginning of the second quarter resulted in a lead big enough for the Wave to hold us off in the fourth.  Gradually the Wave built a sturdy lead, including 6 points from 3 goals in under 4 and half minutes to start the 2^nd quarter.  By the beginning of the 4^th quarter it was 13-0 and the thought of the Wave shutting the Wings out loomed large.  We would have been the first team to be shutout all year.  Two minutes into the fourth Bryan Perez quelled our worries as he tapped in a great nutmegged pass from Victor Quiroz to make the score 13-2.  So a bit of relief as the 0 was wiped off the board, and also the slightest bit of hope that a rally was on its way.  That bit of hope provided from Perez was enough to urge the boys on and really start believing they could get something from this game.  They scored all five goals of the quarter and even killed a 5 0n 3 disadvantage half way trough the period.  They did come up three points short and they were beaten 10-13.  The comeback really was brilliant though, I told the guys after the game it was the most exciting 15 minutes of Wings soccer I had called all season.  They showed us that they are team that can come from behind and compete with a top team once again.  Now the final element of that equation is for them to find the final element that pushes them over the hump.  Competing is good and everything, but winning that competition is what ends the day with a feeling of satisfaction.  I know this for sure, the feeling after the game was not satisfaction.  The ‘almost’ comeback was not satisfying in the locker room.  It probably did however provide the post-game talk with a bit less negative feel. 

As they move forward they see an expansion weekend.  Tomorrow the Syracuse Silver Knights then Saturday the Norfolk SharX enter the 1-2 home record fortress of Hartman Arena.  I won’t give a preview because not having seen much of Syracuse I don’t want to give my two cents when it is probably only worth half a penny right now.  All I will say is that Slavisa Ubiparipovic is the league’s leading scorer.  He is young and had a trial with the New York Red Bulls.  He sounds like the real deal, and with the Wings defense still in some injury trouble he might have a big night, so I think containing the team’s other threats will be key.  I won’t say anything about Norfolk because I believe the score line should and will be about 19-8 Wings.  Adios

Wichita WIngs @ Milwaukee Wave

It took the team a little over thirteen hours to get from Wichita to Milwaukee, and it is a trip that they will make twice more before the year is over.  During those thirteen hours on the bus the guys slept, listened to music, scanned the internet, but mostly they either watched game film or the two MISL matches that were happening that day.  They game-planned all week for the attack heavy Milwaukee Wave and didn’t stop their preparation until the kick-off whistle blew.  The squad knew that conceding position on the field and packing in the defensive end with light pressure to the midway line would force the Wave attack to dissect the Wings D with creativeness and organization.  Overall this strategy worked as the Wings held the Defending MISL champs to only 5 points in the first half as we went into the locker room with our largest lead of the year.  The 9-5 tally was an encouraging score line going into the break.  Encouraging it might have been but frail is the most appropriate word to describe the Wing’s short-lived lead.  It took the Wave little time to regain the lead after scoring four unanswered goals in just over six and a half minutes.  With the lead lost and the momentum with the home side the Wings looked to be in a bit of trouble. 

            While the Wave looked to be on their way to extending their lead the Wings fought back as Victor Quiroz sent a beautifully weighted lofted ball down field to a streaking Chris Lemons who did well to fight off a defender and loop a shot over Wave keeper Marcel Feenstra.  Wichita looked to be in serious danger again when Kevin Ten Eyke was shown blue for tripping with three minutes to play in the third.  A broken power play right after a goal was sure to shift some momentum towards Wichita for the fourth period, despite being down two points.  Ten Eyke’s penalty turned out to be a blessing in disguise.  The Wings broke the Wave power play and as Ten Eyke returned to the pitch he found Jamar Beasley in need of some assistance on a one on one break.  Kevin swiftly exited the penalty box and six seconds later slotted home a left footed shot underneath Feenstra to equalize for the Wings.  So on to the fourth the two sides went, drawn at thirteen a piece.

            The fourth was littered with a foul here and there but really nothing in it until Greg Howes scored the winner with under three to play.  Howes is a former 3-time MISL MVP and the Wave captain.  The Wings played the rest of the fourth with Quiroz as a sixth attacker and Sanaldo watching from the bench.  They had a few chances and an extremely rare chance to equalize as Jonatan Santos handled the ball to receive his second blue and eventual red card ejection.  The Wings had the last 1:10 to play 6 on 4 against the Wave defense.  Some good time consuming defense resulted in the final buzzer being heard without a Wings tying goal.  It was another heartbreaker for the boys. 

            Like their home opener there was many positives to take away from this game.  Their defensive aspect of the team looked improved, even after losing Daniel Villegas to a knee injury for 4-6 weeks and Tijani Ayegbusi picking up an injury in the second period that kept him out for the rest of the game.  Once again the Wings looked potent in their attacking third.  Mulai looks like he will be a great signing for the club as he scored twice more, and Kevin Ten Eyke had his best game yet as he added a three and two point goal.  The trip overall was disappointing due to the loss.  No matter how badly we want the guys to succeed and how badly they themselves want to succeed, any expansion team takes time.  Just feel lucky we are not the Norfolk SharX who look to be in serious trouble as they only suited 12 players for their home opener.  I promise you Wings fans, they are almost there.  Despite their 0-3 start they will do well this year and be right in the mix for a playoff spot.

Link to MISL recap of the Game  Wichita Wings @ Milwaukee Wave--Box Score

    

MISL Story About the Wing's Opener

http://misl.uslsoccer.com/home/578164.html

Opening Weekend

           If the opening weekend of the new look MISL was an indicator of successes to come then we, as fans, are in for a promising season, as well as seasons in the future.   Close to 13,000 people attended the three MISL games last weekend.  The sellout we had at Hartman Arena for the Wings home and season opener was the largest total out of the games.  Hartman was filled with 4,695 fans that had either been waiting ten years for their Wings to return, or new supporters enthralled at the idea of something new to Wichita.  No matter a fan’s reason for attending the game the only disappointment they left the arena with was the final goal being scored by the Comets, robbing the Wings of a dream return as a professional soccer franchise.  As Geison netted his fifth goal of the night four and half minutes in to the overtime period, Wichita was disappointed only for a moment.  The end result was a loss but the overall feeling of the team’s sincere accomplishment left everyone with a positive sensation.  The crowd did not know it yet, but the Wings were the only team to sell out their arena in the opening weekend and the Wings squad assembled was clearly capable of exciting.  Thursday night’s game saw fifteen goals scored and a final tally of 16-14.  The Wings were less potent on the offensive end the ensuing night when they played the Comets again in their building in Independence, MO.  They only managed to score twice as they were beaten easily 14-4.  Six of the points came during Omar Quiroz’s last four minutes as a sixth attacker, while Sanaldo watched from the bench.

Game 1: Home VS Missouri Comets

            The fans were there and the players were clearly enthused by their support.  The Wings did go down 2-0 due to Geison’s score.  Though the first points of the MISL season did not light up the Wings side of the scoreboard, the equalizer made everything okay.  Local hero and former Wing Larry Inlow struck a beautiful low, tucked in to the corner shot that left Comets keeper Danny Waltman helpless.  I was broadcasting the game but when he scored it was like I blacked out.  I couldn’t tell you what I said or what my first goal call ever was.  The excitement that was relayed from Larry to the fans to me had me buzzing.  I continued to describe the event even though I know the crowd noise made it difficult for our listeners to understand what had happened.  After the celebrations ended and I had regained my composure was when I knew the Wings return was a true success.  Directly after the restart I received numerous messages from listeners and my producer requesting I dial down the volume of my crowd mic.  When I reached for the dial to lower the crowd sound, there was no room to turn it down.  The crowd mic was completely off, the noise the fans created was coming solely through Cliff Brown (My color commentator) and I’s headsets.  The release of anticipation from the crowd after Larry’s goal ensured us that the love and passion for this team was not lost, a decade absent of soccer in Wichita had just suppressed our adoration for the game. 

            For the remainder of the night we saw a Wings squad that had no trouble scoring as five different players tallied goals for Wichita.  Their reaction to their goals is what troubled the team.  It is an age old theory that you are most vulnerable to get scored on in the ensuing minutes after you have scored.  This game proved that theory very true.  No team lead by more than two points for the entire night and the Wings surrendered two fourth quarter leads, one within the final two and half minutes.  Less than half of a minute later the Wing’s defense was unorganized and Bryan Harris found himself behind out of position Sanaldo as the ball rolled through Wichita’s D and all Harris had to do was slot home from a few feet.  The Wing’s defensive lapses hurt them all night, and in to the overtime as Geison finished off a career night as he finished off a mishandled clearance with 10:29 left in the OT.  It was Geison’s fifth goal of the night and it was the golden goal.  The Comets leaped over their bench to join the others on the field in celebration.  A disappointed gasp echoed in the arena as the almost prefect evening had been tainted by some unfortunately miscommunicated defensive efforts.

Game: Away VS Missouri Comets

            The next night, the Wings had the opportunity to travel to the Independence Events Center in Independence, Missouri.  The Comets crowd was decent but far less impressive than the Wing’s large and rambunctious opening night spectators.  The crowd was less but the team is fortunate their performance on this night was away from home.  As Jamie Harding said in his post-match interview with me, “Things just were not clicking tonight.”  He said it correctly; the team lacked offensive potency and very rarely looked to be threat in front of goal.  Our build up through the middle was decent but creativity and finishing in the final third was disappointing.  Bryan Perez scored the second night in a row and Carlos ‘Chile’ Farias netted his first of the season.  The 14-4 score line is a bit misleading due to the six points the comets scored while we were playing with six attackers.  Before the final four minutes when Sanaldo exited and made way for Omar Quiroz to take on goalkeeping and attacking duties, the Comets had only mustered 8 total points.  Sanaldo had had a very decent game just needed some work done for him on the other end. 

            A team groove will grow as the season continues.  Cohesiveness between the guys will become more evident I am sure.  Lebaron has added team building and communication trips and drills to the Wing’s practice schedule this week.  The team is full of veterans that know how to bounce back and revive a struggling team.  An 0-2 start might not be considered struggling, but our experience on the team gives us piece of mind that the guys can and will fight through any situation that they are presented with this year. 

            Injury Report:  Daniel Villegas had a decent first two outings during his first two games as a professional indoor soccer player.  But due to a knee injury he is said to miss 4-6 weeks.  Although if you follow him on Twitter his optimism about an early return makes his followers feel good.

2011-2012 Kits Revealed; Along With Final 6 Roster Spots

Hey Wings fans, the team announced the final six players to fill their roster this morning at Sports Zone.  As you can see they released their 2011-2012 kits to the world.  Jamar Beasley, Sanaldo, and Frederico Moojen show them off.  The front sponsor will be Jimmy's Egg and the arm sponsor will be the Clarion Inn.

The Final six players that were granted a spot on the team are goalkeeper Nic Martinez who played his college soccer at Sterling College.  Kevin Ten Eyck and Alex Moseley, both made it all the way from open tryouts back in late August.  They are both from Wichita and played their college soccer at Friends University.  They will be playing defense for the Wings this season.  Edvin Worley played his collegiate soccer at Boston College and has a very interesting and experienced soccer background I will tell you more about when I get to his player introduction.  He will see time in the midfield and up front for the Wings.  Another great talent is Brazilian, Fausto de Casa Deus.  He will also see time in the middle and up top.  The last but not shortest, biggest player on the squad is Mulai.  Mulai played collegiately at Boston University.  He was born in Gambia and has a Swedish passport.  He is 6 foot 7 inches tall and will be playing forward for the team this season.

Only two days until the season kicks off.  Make sure to look for more player introductions as the season continues.  You might be wondering why I didn't introduce everyone of the guys before the season started.  It wasn't for lack of effort, I want to make sure I know the way each of them play and get to know them better in order to better provide you all with the best information about them.  Leave your mark if you have any questions!

Carlos "Chile" Farias

After the first three I’ve talked about some of you might be wondering why I haven’t introduced Carlos “Chile” Farias.  It isn’t because I assumed you all knew enough about him, being the Wings big name signing.  It was only because I was waiting to see what he was capable of outside of a training session.  The Black and Orange Scrimmage, which was held on Wednesday the 26^th, provided me and the other 3,000 spectators a chance to view his immense ability.  Before I give you a taste of ‘Chile’, (Weird) here is the story from the BLACK AND ORANGE SCRIMMAGE.

Carlos “Chile” Farias is somewhat of a household name when it comes to indoor soccer in the United States.  He did have two appearances in the MLS for the San Jose Clash, now the San Jose Earthquakes, but his mark has been made on the soccer world from his years of success in the indoor game.  He has played in the CISL, USISL, NPSL,WISL, and MISL.  These are all past or present professional indoor leagues that you can do your own research on.  Chile is a prominent goal scorer.  As the Wings top signing he will be expected to produce and from I see he will always create a spark when needed and finishes his opportunities well.  He has a beautifully weighted touch on the ball.  Every touch he has seems crisper than anyone else’s.  His passes are fluid on the carpet and arrive at their intended target’s feet rolling, not bouncing.  His experience is ever-present; he makes it all look so easy.  He’s one of those players who do more by doing less.  I know it’s a confusing phrase but when you see Chile play you will understand.  He doesn’t force the play when he gets into trouble, he doesn’t leave the defense frantically tracking back after he failed a fancy trick in the corner.  When he does choose to display his foot skills and get a little crafty he usually succeeds and glides by the prospective defender.

Season Prediction:  For the Wings comeback campaign Chile is definitely the favorite to be the team’s top point man.  The strikers for the Wings all have different skills they use to find the back of the net, Jamar Beasely leaks into open space beautifully, and Freddy Moojen puts his back to goal and creates for himself and others.  Chile kind of does it all, he poaches but likes to match up against a defender.  He likes to lead the attack but will definitely expect a return pass if he makes the correct run.  Chile will most likely lead the team in goals, but for total points, my vote goes to Freddy Moojen.

Daniel Villegas

Our third spotlighted player will be the most wicked left foot on the squad, Daniel Villegas.  I experienced Daniel’s ability during the Wing’s open tryouts in late August.  He came to tryouts with previous professional outdoor experience having played in the USL and PDL.  His talent level was clearly higher than the others at Hartman Arena on the first day and he was pulled from the gobs of hopefuls and given a contract. 

As I have already mentioned, Daniel’s left foot has some serious power.  He is a defensive player, whether he is in the back or in the middle, but has a knack for creating offense as well.  Watching tape of Daniel shows me isn’t afraid to attack down the flank and provide support to the offense when needed.  All tape I have seen of him, of course, has been of his outdoor game.  He will have to make the transition to the indoor game and I think once he has comfortably made the transition he will be a fine player.  At the Wings open tryouts he was never hesitant to shoot.  Most of his shots were coming from a defensive position so they are a bit against the run of play but surprised the opposing defense and their keeper. 

Season Prediction: Daniel is still young, at the age of 21 he will among the youngest on the team.  Being a rookie to the professional indoor game it might take him longer than some would like to become accustomed to the line changes and constant change in possession.  One thing that will benefit the Wings immediately is his ability to force the game on the other team.  He can hit it from anywhere and as long as the other field players are aware when he is shooting, crashing the box will result in some sitters for the poachers on the team.  Carlos “Chile” Farias, the team’s most experienced goal scorer will benefit from Villegas’ power from the back.

Tijani Ayegbusi

           The start of the season grows near.  All the players are finally in Wichita, living, becoming acquainted with the city and training camp has started.  I finally was able to get my first look at a full practice yesterday during the team’s afternoon training session.  I have been waiting to write my second player introduction until I was able to witness the new players I was less familiar with play.  After watching a scrimmage heavy two hour training session I immediately knew the player I wanted to introduce.

            Your player intro for today is a man his teammates call ‘TJ’.  The 6’2” 190lb frame of Tijani Ayegbusi is supported by a pair of massively muscular legs that are actually quite nimble.  Tijani is not a rampant goal scorer by any means.  He is however a fantastic defender with qualities not usually found with a man of his stature.  He is patient on the ball and never pressures a move unless there is help and time for his intended target to control and make a decision.  During the team’s scrimmages he almost toys with some of the new boys trying to take the ball off of him.  He pulls the ball back with ease and redirects his motion out of trouble and into space beautifully.   His intentions on the pitch are always to feed his teammates and protect his goalkeeper.  As I mentioned he doesn’t look to score much but having a force as solid like TJ at the back gives the other players on the pitch the freedom to press forward and attack. 

            Season Prediction: Tijani will be the team’s enforcer.  He will rarely get muscled off the ball and is a decent distributor of the ball.  Attacking runs from TJ will be few but his relief support on failed jaunts forward by others will be unmatched.  When TJ does score expect the arena to go wild.  He might nick two or three this campaign and it will be an exciting event when he does, for the fans and the other Wings players.  Tijani is sure to be a crowd favorite and I’m positive he will embrace our city and the fans that come out to see him.

Sanaldo Freitas de Carvalho

As promised, here is my first player introduction.  What separates the indoor game from the outdoor game is boards to play off of and jam your opponent into, Penalty boxes, a smaller pitch, but most of all SHOTS.  Any given indoor game can easily see sixty shots rifled at the goals.  Because of the barrage of shots each team takes during an indoor game, the team who is willing to defend and willing to put their bodies in front of these goal bound strikes is usually the team that celebrates in the end.  Of course not all players have defending as their first priority, that is why the most important player on the pitch is the team’s last line of defense, their goalkeeper, and the Wichita Wings have sure signed a fantastic one.  Sanaldo Freitas de Carvalho has been playing professionally since he was 17 and has been playing professional indoor soccer since 2003.  The 34 year old it touted as one of the best keepers in the MISL over the last ten years.  You can see all of his MISL statistics and honors by clicking on his name above.

            Everyone within the Wings organization I’ve spoken with has been ecstatic about his experience and his quality.  The one thing that avoided the Wings during their first tenure as a franchise was a league championship.  Sanaldo has a championship to his name along with a championship game MVP honor.  He won his championship with the Baltimore Blast in 2006.  Clearly he has the mentality of a winner and the stamina a keeper needs to maintain solidarity through a long season and a postseason run.  A keeper with Sanaldo’s credentials gives his outfield players a piece of mind.  It allows them to take more chances to score more goals.  It allows players to make a line change comfortably knowing if their keeper is in possession he will have the presence of mind to either hold up play long enough or put the ball out of danger to allot them the appropriate amount of time to recover and get organized.  With our new keeper we know mistakes will be limited.  There is a huge amount of trust that not only the players feel towards him, but the fans can also feel reassured without ever having seen him play a game. 

Season Prediction: The team does not have an incredibly long preseason to train and get to know each other.  So a defensive groove between the players might not be seen until a few games into the season. If a defensive cohesiveness is hard to come by early then expect Sanaldo to be the most talked about Wings player during the first few weeks of the season.  He’ll most likely win plenty of man of the match awards, most of them coming early.  Look for him to be vocal with his new team.  There is plenty of other experienced players on the squad but the keeper sees the entire field at all times.  Expect him to take on a serious leadership role right from the get-go.  He will be one of the top keepers in the MISL again this year, I can assure you that.

We Should Be Thankful, For Our Coaches

When looking at the Wings already impressive roster, we have to feel grateful that we have such an experienced and willing to recruit staff behind the club. Let’s look at another expansion team entering the league this year, such as the Rochester Lancers.  When clicking on the team section of their website we are treated to a wish list of players that the club have given unnecessarily long nicknames to in order to perhaps persuade them to re-sign with the team. (Last year they were the Rochester Rhinos)  The list consists of one player that has actually signed with the team.  That player being the 42 year-old Doug Miller whom the club has dubbed “The Franchise.”  Miller’s twenty plus years of professional experience provides Rochester with a decent start to the creation of an MISL squad, but when compared to what LeBaron Hollimon, Sammy Lane, and the managerial staff have put together for us in Wichita, we should all be very thankful.   LeBaron and the staff have signed an MISL MVP, an MISL Championship Game MVP, an MISL Rookie of the Year, and considerable bag of mixed talent and experience that I believe makes the Wings a playoff team at the very least. 

With this post I aimed to spotlight my favorite pre-season signing, but instead I have very possibly highlighted the most important element of the new Wichita Wings, the coaching staff.  There are just two of them but both Hollimon and Lane have the Wings experience and most importantly of all they have the passion for not only the indoor game but the indoor game in Wichita.  Having Roy Turner’s soccer mind and contacts aiding them doesn’t hurt either.

Player Introductions

With less than a month left before the Wings and MISL season opener on November 3^rd at Hartman Arena, I think it is appropriate to start introducing the players and giving you my take on each of them.   The first player to present will be……  In the next post!  I will give you a hint, in my opinion he is the Wings best off-season signing.  Here is the Wings Current Roster so you can begin guessing.

Welcome Wings Fans

As an introduction I will say how thrilled I am to be a part of Sports Radio 1410 KGSO and the Wings return to Wichita.  I have been a life-long Wings supporter and their return has led me back to Wichita to continue to be a part of the team.  There is much more to come including player news, schedule and league changes, and everything else in relation to the Wichita Wings.