Normally, Art Kramer loves to see green. As in the green grass of the soccer field.
But too often this week, the Milwaukee Wave United coach saw green and cringed. As in the green that indicates rain on the radar screen.
One week removed from having to postpone their A-League season opener because of a water-logged field at Uihlein Soccer Park in Milwaukee, the outlook isn't much better as Wave United tries again to open its home season Saturday night against Minnesota.
It rained several times this week, including Friday, and the forecast for Saturday night called for more storms.
"It's not surprising," Kramer said. "This is Wisconsin."
While it might not be a surprise, it has become a concern.
"We really cannot afford to reschedule any more games," said Kramer, whose team is set to open the season Friday night against the Thunder in St. Paul, Minn. The game also is the first leg of a U.S. Open Cup qualifier; the second game is Saturday.
"So am I concerned? Yeah, but it's nothing I can control. I always preach that - 'Don't get upset about things you can't control.' "
Kramer and team spokesman Tom Wynn said that if Uihlein's main field is again deemed unplayable that Saturday's game could be played at the Pat Jones Field, which is adjacent to the main field at the multi-field complex. That field was also unplayable last week.
Taking out a loan: Wave United thought enough of David Wagenfuhr that they took the defender-midfielder from Creighton with the seventh pick in the first round of the A-League draft last December.
But it took until Thursday for the team to get him on their roster, as they acquired him on loan from the Dallas Burn of Major League Soccer.
"David was our No. 1 draft choice, so obviously he was a player that we coveted," Kramer said in a news release. "His ability to get up and down the left side should prove valuable, especially in the short term."
Wagenfuhr, 21, was a fourth-round pick in the MLS SuperDraft (31st overall), had a strong preseason for the Burn and made their opening-day roster. However, he was bothered by a hamstring injury, and had not yet seen action for Dallas.
"This loan will certainly help David's development," Burn coach Colin Clarke told the Web site 3rdDegree.net. "We've got a very deep squad this year and right now everyone is fit so this move is the best for David. He'll get some games there instead of sitting on the bench on game days here."
Looking back: Kramer stressed that he was very disappointed that last week's game against Edmonton was postponed.
"I was dying to play Friday," said Kramer, citing a number of reasons. "I 100 percent wanted to play that game."
Topping his list was that the rescheduled game against the Aviators will make Wave United's jam-packed schedule even more crowded. Milwaukee will now play its 28 A-League games in a span of just more than three months.
"Trying to squeeze in another game is the last thing I wanted to do," he said.
Additionally, Edmonton would have been without forward Jaime Lopresti because of a suspension. Instead of missing the game against Wave United, Lopresti sat out the Aviators' 2-0 loss to Minnesota last Saturday night.
Kramer also said that while there might have been a slight bonus to having his players train together for another week before their first game - 16 Wave United players have had limited practice time outside because their indoor season with the Milwaukee Wave lasted until May 1 - that advantage was minimized because six players were gone for most of this week because they were with their national futsal teams.
"It's definitely a game we wanted to play," Kramer said. "It would've given us a game to prepare for Minnesota, for U.S. Open Cup competition. And now we've got three of our first four on the road instead of two of the first three at home."
Representing their country: The U.S. national futsal team dominated Honduras in the countries' two-game CONCACAF qualifier this week, winning 5-1 and 2-0 at U.S. Cellular Arena in Milwaukee to claim a 7-1 aggregate victory.
The U.S. team, which included Wave United defenders Lovelace Ackah and Pat White, midfielder Greg Howes, forward Johnny Torres and goalkeeper Nick Vorberg, earned a berth in the CONCACAF championships July 23 to 31 in Costa Rica.
Milwaukee midfielder Guiliano Oliviero is not available for this weekend's games because he is with the Canadian futsal team for its two-game qualifier against Panama Friday and Saturday in Panama City.
Corner kicks: A rescheduled date for the postponed game against Edmonton has not been set yet, but should be within the next two weeks, Wynn said. … Wave United needs to win this weekend's two-game, total-goal series against the Thunder to qualify for the U.S. Open Cup, but the same isn't true for Minnesota. The Thunder earned a berth in the national tournament thanks to its appearance in the A-League final last season.
