MILWAUKEE - Art Kramer didn't need to say much during his post-game news conference Friday night. The Milwaukee Wave United coach captured the meaning of his team's 2-1 A-League loss to the Vancouver Whitecaps in a matter of seconds.
"We have to get a result," Kramer said after Wave United lost their third straight game and fell to 0-4-1 on the season.
"You can talk about improvement, you can talk about lack of preseason, you can talk about we've got a lot of great players, you can talk about whatever you want to talk about, but the bottom line for us right now is we have got to get a result."
On a beautiful night that brought a crowd of 2,214 out to Uihlein Soccer Park, Wave United had a good chance to collect their first victory, outshooting Vancouver 15-6 and controlling play throughout.
However, the Whitecaps (4-2-1, 13 points) made the most of their limited opportunities, getting goals from Alfredo Valente and Steve Kindel as they snapped a two-game slide and extended Wave United's streak of one-goal losses - all of Milwaukee's defeats this year have been by the slimmest of margins.
"I think we had most of the possession," said Wave United defender Chad Dombrowski, who scored the lone goal for Milwaukee. "They countered us on both goals. If we turn the ball over, we're going to give away goals. They really didn't have that many clear-cut chances, but they just finished the two chances."
That included their first shot of the game, which came in the 37th minute after Valente gathered in a long ball from Davide Xausa. Valente got behind two Wave United defenders, forced Milwaukee goalkeeper Jim Larkin to come out and commit, then calmly put the ball into the right side of the net for his first goal of the season.
Wave United, which had fired shots high, wide and into the side netting of the goal in opening 30 minutes, finally broke through in the 40th minute. Johnny Torres took a corner kick from the right side and swung it into the box, where Dombrowski got up and put a header past Vancouver keeper Alex Marques high to the right side to tie it 1-1.
"We've been working real hard on set pieces in practice, and we said that's one of our goals: To get a set-piece goal every game," Dombrowski said of the goal, his first of the year and sixth in two professional seasons. "Johnny played a great ball and I finished it with the goal."
Dombrowski figured that would be just the start of things for the Wave United offense, which led the A-League last season with 61 goals (2.18 per game). "I always thought we were going to get a couple more goals," he said. "At least one more."
Instead, Wave United remained stuck on one - they have now scored just four goals in five games (0.8 per game) - and it was the Whitecaps who added to their total, doing it on an impressive sequence in the 75th minute.
John Sulentic led a counter attack down the left side, then played a great ball to teammate Kevin Harmse deep on the right side. Harmse quickly sent a pass to Kindel alone on the left doorstep, and Larkin had no chance as Kindel scored his first of the year.
Kramer used his full complement of five substitutions in an attempt to take advantage of his team's fresher legs - Milwaukee hadn't played since Saturday, while Vancouver lost at Minnesota in overtime Wednesday - but it was to no avail.
Down 2-1, Wave United had a handful of chances, with the best opportunity coming in the second minute of added time. Dombrowski controlled the ball near the end line on the right side and sent a high, arcing cross that got over Marques, but Whitecaps defender Nico Craveiro cleared the ball before Digital Takawira could get to it on the left side.
Wave United won't have to wait long to take another shot at their first win: They face the Syracuse Salty Dogs Sunday night at Uihlein as their three-game homestand continues.
"It will come," Dombrowski said. "It's still early on in the season. We've been in every game we've played. We've played well; we've had our chances. We've just got to keep working. It's a long season, and we're going to get results and we're going to be a good team."
New face: Ibrahim Kante was added to Wave United's roster earlier Friday, and it didn't take long for the defender to see his first action for Milwaukee. He came on as a substitute for left back Troy Dusosky in the 44th minute.
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound native of Mali, West Africa, was with the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer as a developmental player last season, getting on the field for a total of 65 minutes in two games.
Kante, 22, played at Essex Community College in Maryland and Mercer Community College in New Jersey, and also spent time with the Chesapeake Dragons in the Professional Development League and is a former member of the U-17 Mali National Team.
Kante, whose older brother Daouda is a defender for the Revolution, was acquired on loan from the Baltimore Blast of the Major Indoor Soccer League. His comments about his Wave United debut fit right in with the theme of the night for Milwaukee.
"It was very nice," he said, "but if we won, it would have been great."
To make room for Kante, Wave United removed midfielder Semir Mesanovic from their roster. Mesanovic's only appearance this season was May 22 against Minnesota, when he came on as a sub and recorded one shot in 65 minutes in a 0-0 tie.
Corner kicks: Five players have played all 495 minutes for Wave United this season: Larkin, defenders Dombrowski and Steve Lawrence, midfielder Matt Schmidt and Torres. Defender Joe Hammes has played 490 minutes. … Milwaukee's Neil Krause, a rookie from Boston College, made his pro debut, replacing Nick Walls in the 73rd minute. … Takawira made his first appearance for Wave United since the season opener, coming on for Todd Dusosky in the 60th minute. … Carlo Corazzin, Vancouver's leading scorer (3-1-7) did not dress for the game. … Milwaukee's game against the Edmonton Aviators postponed May 14 because of unplayable conditions at Uihlein has been rescheduled for Aug. 19. … Attendance update: 3,592 in two dates, 1,796 per game.
June 4, 2004 - Uihlein Soccer Park
Vancouver Whitecaps 2, Milwaukee Wave United 1
Att.: 2,214
Weather: Sunny, 70 degrees.
Vancouver 1-1 - 2
Milwaukee 1-0 - 1
Vancouver - Alfredo Valente 1 (Davide Xausa) 37
Milwaukee - Chad Dombrowski 1 (Johnny Torres) 40
Vancouver - Steve Kindel 1 (Kevin Harmse) 75
VANCOUVER: Alex Marques - Jeff Clarke, Nico Craveiro, Justin Thompson, Nick Dasovic - Steve Kindel, Oliver Heald, Dave Morris (Martin Nash 82), John Sulentic - Alfredo Valente (Winston Griffiths 65), Davide Xausa (Kevin Harmse 46).
MILWAUKEE: Jim Larkin - Troy Dusosky (Ibrahim Kante 44), Joe Hammes, Steve Lawrence, Chad Dombrowski - Nino Marcantonio (David Wagenfuhr 82), Greg Howes (Chris Morman 68), Matt Schmidt, Nick Walls (Neil Krause 73) - Johnny Torres, Todd Dusosky (Digital Takawira 60).
Saves: V - Marques 1; M - Larkin 2.
Shots: V 6, M 15. Fouls: V 16, M 13. Corner kicks: V 1, M 4.
Discipline: V - Craveiro (caution), 60; M - Hammes (caution), 87.
