Milwaukee’s Week in Wichita
Thirteen hours is the time it takes for the bus to leave Hartman Arena on its way to US Cellular Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Wings have made three of their scheduled four trips to play the Milwaukee Wave this season and before they venture into the Champions house again, the Wave will play in Wichita three times in one week. The duration of time it takes to get from Milwaukee to Wichita is more than twice as long as it takes any Eastern Division opponent to get to one another’s arena. A little over six hours is what it takes to get from Baltimore to Rochester out East, that is longest between any of the four teams. Pending the Wave do drive to Wichita, by the end of the season over 180 hours of bonding time on a bus will be spent by the two teams. It is not the most ideal method or distance of travel, but some Wings players have admitted that the sleep missed on these busses is unfortunate but they do enjoy the quality time spent with their teammates.
This weekend Wichita will host the current MISL champions Friday and Saturday night at Hartman Arena, then they will return Thursday for the same fixture. The Wave look to continue their dominance over the Wings as they have taken the first three games over the Wings all in Milwaukee. The first two games were highly contested and were decided by two and three points. The Wave were stifling in the third as Marcel Feenstra and Co. allowed only two Wings goals. They took the game easily, 15-4. I think it is safe to say that this weekend has become much more important for the Wings as their playoff hopes continue to hang in the balance. Winning two out of six against Missouri has hurt them but the Wings have put themselves in a position to disrupt what looked to be an easy glide into the playoffs for the Comets. With four games in hand on Missouri the Wings can really apply some pressure if they go on some sort of win streak, doing it will be quite a challenge against the league’s top club. Milwaukee is going to win the Central Division and have had the Wings number this year. When they enter Hartman Arena on Friday, things will be different.
There will be a vast difference in the matchup this weekend between the Wings and Wave. These next three games for both teams will include something that the first three only saw for about twenty minutes of play, that being the rejuvenated and incredibly entertaining Tijani Ayegbusi. The Nigerian’s knee injury that left him out of the action for almost two months happened during the second quarter of play in the Wings first trip to Milwaukee. He made his wonderfully triumphant return on January 7th in a 13-10 home loss to the Comets. In that game he was the driving force, and despite the loss he was the man of the match. He picked up his first goal of the season as well as three assists. An overworked TJ saw him limp off the pitch in the fourth quarter. He was rested for the Wings win over the Comets this past Saturday at the Sprint Center, but I think he will be primed for another stellar performance when the Wave come to Wichita. If his fitness is good and he can put in regular shifts for the entirety of the game, he will be the difference maker for the Wings.
The Wings have brought in a new player, but head coach Lebaron Hollimon has made it very clear that he is NOT Carlos “Chile” Farias’ replacement. Of course, Chile and the Wings parted ways a few weeks back and Chile now gets his paycheck from Rochester. New signee, Kareem Yearwood, is now with the club but will not see any game time until Lebaron is convinced he is ready for the speed and technical ability required for the indoor game. Kareem is a 6’2” 180 lb native of Trinidad and Tobago. He graduated from the College of Charleston in 2010 and was the last player Hollimon chose not to keep after the Wings Black and Orange scrimmage before the season began. The most important thing about bringing in Yearwood is that it symbolizes the final move to the end of Farias in Wichita. I am not saying that Chile’s departure has been tough for the team because it hasn’t. Nine games with Chile only resulted in three wins against lesser teams. Without Chile, the Wings have won two of four against top opposition. Yearwood is a player for the future, but his presence and the Wings previous victories over the Comets lets the Wings fan base know that there never was a reason to dwell on Chile’s exit. The club is more functional without him. For the remainder of the season they will need to be functioning at the highest level if they want to continue their season into the post season.
My prediction: A large crowd will be very beneficial for the Wings this weekend. Hearing the raucous Wichita fans through a headset as I do every game has become a very welcomed and exciting sound. The louder the fans are the more confidence I have that the opposing team is having trouble sticking to their game plan or setting up a free kick. Disrupting the Wave’s rhythm will be key for the Wings the weekend. I predict the fans show up in great numbers. The other professional team in town, The Wichita Thunder, doesn’t play at home until Sunday. That means professional athletics can only be found at Hartman Arena both Friday and Saturday night. If The Wings can attack early and stay off the back foot, getting behind their adoring fans should see them in a very good position to be the night’s winners.
