MILWAUKEE - Sunday was a pretty good day for the Beasley family.
DaMarcus Beasley had two goals and was named the Man of the Match in the United States' 3-0 victory over Grenada Sunday afternoon in Columbus, Ohio, in the first game of a home-and-home World Cup qualifying series. Then Sunday night, older brother Jamar made his debut for the A-League's Milwaukee Wave United.
Jamar Beasley was acquired by Wave United on loan from the Kansas City Comets of the Major Indoor Soccer League. The midfielder came on as a substitute in the 68th minute of Wave United's 2-1 loss to Seattle on the Pat Jones Field at Uihlein Soccer Park.
"I felt all right," the 25-year-old Beasley said. "There are some things I want to work on as far as my fitness. … I just want to get up and down a little more. The first couple runs, I was like, (taking big, deep breaths), kind of tired. It'll come."
Beasley played for the New England Revolution and the Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer from 1998 to 2001, totaling seven goals and eight assists for 22 points in 59 regular-season games. He also has played for Puteolana in Italy, and was with the Charleston Battery and the Indiana Blast in the A-League last summer.
"He brings pace, he brings the ability to go 1-on-1, he draws fouls, he serves a good ball," Wave United coach Art Kramer said after Sunday night's match. "I thought in the 25 minutes that he was in there, he did quite well.
"To me, he's a mirror image of his brother. His brother is a very good defensive player, and I know that Jamar is very good attacking player. I think time's going to tell whether he is as good defensively as his brother, but certainly from the offensive side, you're looking at a mirror image."
Beasley also brings a fresh perspective to the Wave United's early-season struggles.
"The surroundings are great," he said. "We've just got ourselves in a little hole here … we're going to be a good side."
"I just think - I don't mean to make excuses - but outside looking in, I think we've been unlucky. They have been in every game. I think once we all kind of gel together, and everybody knows their strengths, I think we can be very successful."
Time to talk: Goalkeeper Jim Larkin, Wave United's captain, waited by the locker-room door after Sunday's game, shepherding players into a team meeting.
"It's difficult," Larkin said of the team's 1-5-1 start. "I don't know, we've got a lot of passengers on this team right now. I don't know what it is, guys are strolling through. It can't happen. I know the situation here for some of the guys is great - they're year-round players (with the Wave indoors in the MISL). At the same time, it's not the same for me.
"This is my last year under contract. I don't know, this could be my last shot. I might not be able to play anywhere next year. … So there's a little bit of desperation for me personally, and I wanted everyone to know that. I think we're going to turn this around; there's so much talent. But we're wasting ourselves right now, and it's difficult.
"Like I said to the fellas, 'Everybody has to go home and look at themselves, and ask what they can bring tomorrow that is better than what they brought today?' "
Larkin said Sunday night's loss was particularly frustrating because the Sounders are one of the teams Wave United is targeting in the Western Conference standings. Portland and Minnesota lead with 21 points, while Seattle and Vancouver are tied for third with 16 - only the top four teams from the conference make the playoffs.
"We knew tonight was a huge game for us," Larkin said. "Now we're 0-2 against these guys, and we're going to have to catch them. With Portland and Minnesota off to the starts they're off to, if we let Seattle and Vancouver get too far ahead of us, then we're going to have a long road. And it's going to be difficult."
Higher calling: Seattle forward Roger Levesque, on loan from San Jose of MLS, missed the loss at Minnesota Saturday because he was recalled by the Earthquakes.
He didn't see action in San Jose's 3-1 home win over the MetroStars. With him on the Earthquakes' bench was Tighe Dombrowski, younger brother of Wave United defender Chad Dombrowski. Levesque returned to the Sounders Sunday and assisted on Welton's game-winning goal in the 54th minute.
Likewise, Milwaukee midfielder David Wagenfuhr was called back by his MLS team, the Dallas Burn, and didn't get into their 3-1 home win over New England Saturday. He was not in the Wave United lineup Sunday night.
The MLS teams were short of players because of World Cup qualifying matches.
Corner kicks: Wave United released midfielders Sean Reti (one shot in 101 minutes in four games) and Neil Krause (16 minutes in one game). … Sunday's game was played on the Pat Jones Field because the adjacent main field was deemed unplayable after yet another week of heavy rain. … It was the third straight 2-1 game for the Sounders - six of their 10 games this season have finished with that score. They beat Milwaukee 2-1 on May 28 in Seattle. … Friday's game at Virginia Beach will be the first of two Wave United games televised on Fox Sports World this season. The other is July 2 against Seattle in Milwaukee. … Attendance update: 6,085 in four dates, 1,521 per game.
The last word: "The final three quarters needs to be better than the first quarter." - Kramer, on his team hitting the quarter pole of its 28-game schedule with a 1-5-1 record.
