MILWAUKEE -- While Greg Howes might not be in the lineup for the season opener against the Edmonton Aviators Friday night at Uihlein Soccer Park, the 27-year-old central midfielder figures to play a large role for the Milwaukee Wave United this year.
Wave United coach Art Kramer said Wednesday he wasn't sure if Howes, a 2003 second-team A-League pick, would be ready to start Friday because he has had very little practice time outside after completing the indoor season less than two weeks ago.
But once Howes gets on the field, don't expect Kramer to take him out very often.
"He should be in the MLS, he should be one of the top players in the MLS," Kramer said of Howes. "The reason he's here in Milwaukee is the ownership went out and they offered him a great contract that, quite frankly, he would be hard-pressed to get in the MLS. He needs to be an MLS-caliber player with us, and we expect him to play at that level."
Howes was fourth in the A-League in scoring last season with 34 points, and tied for the league lead with 12 assists. Over the winter, he was the Major Indoor Soccer League MVP and leading scorer as he led the Milwaukee Wave to the MISL finals.
"I think he's one of the top American players, and not just indoors," Kramer said. "His quick release with both his right and left foot, he's got an 81 mph shot … He's got the ability to go at you 1-on-1 and beat you off the dribble to both sides. And when he brings it defensively, it just brings out his whole game, because he is a very physical presence as well."
Here's Johnny: Offseason acquisition Johnny Torres also will be a key player.
He is expected to add another dimension to a Wave United attack that led the league with 61 goals (2.18 per game) last season - and Kramer is excited about pairing him alongside Digital Takawira up front.
"Johnny's got great speed and is very crafty, and Digi's got great technical ability, as does Johnny. But Digi's very technical with the ball," Kramer said. "They complement each other well. Certainly, Digi benefits from speed guys around him.
"I'm hoping that our speed does cause a bit of a distraction and forces other teams to make a few adjustments. And through that, Digi may find himself some more time and space to play."
Torres, 28, ended Milwaukee's season last summer by scoring both goals in Minnesota's 2-1 overtime aggregate victory over the Wave United in the first round of the A-League playoffs. Now he has joined his former foes, and is impressed with his new teammates.
"It's very exciting," said Torres, who had 19 goals and 12 assists for 50 points for the Thunder over the last two seasons. "There's a lot of talent, a lot of depth, which I think is a good thing as well. You'll be competing with one another week in and week out, which I think makes you a better player."
Take it easy: Like Howes, Torres is one of Wave United's 16 players who have had limited training time outdoors because of the Wave's run to the MISL finals.
He acknowledges the first part of the season may be tough, but said that he and his teammates just need to keep it all in perspective.
"I think it s a transition that can be done," said Torres, who had totals of 3-1-4 in 10 games for the Wave last season. "Obviously the physical part of it takes a little bit … but I think we can definitely do it. Everyone seems fit and ready to play. Mentally, I think the transition is actually a little easier, because indoor is so quick.
"As games go along, four or five games, we'll get sharper and sharper, which is good. So we come out knowing that maybe things won't go exactly how we want them in the first two, three games, but to stay focused and not get frustrated and just let it happen."
From the captain: Veteran goalkeeper Jim Larkin is the Wave United's captain, and he - like everyone else in the organization - has high expectations for this season.
"You look at last year, the way we ended, we were all disappointed with it. We all thought we could have done better," said Larkin, who played for the Cleveland Force over the winter. "I think we all have that expectation again of getting back there, especially with an organization like the Milwaukee Wave, which is so used to success.
"The key to any team's success … is they keep the core of their group together. The 13 guys who are coming back are pretty much the core of the team. You look at it, we didn't really lose a whole lot, but we gained a bunch with guys like Johnny, Semir (Mesanovic), Giuliano Oliviero, so it's really exciting for this team."
Wave United allowed 36 goals (1.29 per game) last season, tied for the sixth-best total in the A-League, but Larkin wants to see that number drop even lower.
"That's the challenge for us: We have to keep the ball out of our net, because we know we have the offensive power to score some goals on the other end," he said. "That's what we've been working on the last couple weeks, is solidifying the defense, because we know the offense will pretty much take care of itself."
Friday's probable starting 11: Larkin - Lovelace Ackah or Matt Schmidt, Steve Lawrence, Joe Hammes, Chad Dombrowski - Nick Walls, Oliviero, Schmidt or Howes, Sean Reti - Takawira, Torres.
Preseason recap: Wave United finished the preseason 5-0 last month, outscoring their college opponents 21-3. Milwaukee knocked off Northwestern (3-0), UW-Parkside (6-0), Wisconsin (5-1), Marquette (4-0) and UW-Milwaukee (3-2).
None of the team's players from the Wave played in the preseason matches. Takawira scored 11 of Milwaukee's 21 goals.
Corner kicks: Defenders Chris Morman and Todd Dusosky will miss the season opener, as both are getting married this weekend. … Howes, Torres, Ackah and goalkeeper Nick Vorberg were named to the U.S. national futsal team for next week's two-game, preliminary round CONCACAF qualifier against Honduras, which will be played at U.S. Cellular Arena in Milwaukee. Keith Tozer, the organization's vice president of soccer operations and the Wave coach, is the U.S. national team coach. … The Wave United announced a few schedule changes concerning games in July and August. A home game against Edmonton that had been announced as July 17 will instead be July 22; a home match against Calgary was moved from July 11 to August 6; and road games at Edmonton and Calgary August 15 and 17 reversed dates.
