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Amateur notes: Blast from the past as WSL brings back Challenge Cup

04/27/2016, 6:30pm CDT
By ERIC ANDERSON
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Wisconsin Soccer Leagues is looking to bring back a former staple of the state men's adult amateur soccer schedule.

The Wisconsin Challenge Cup is set for Aug. 5 to 7 at the FC Wisconsin Complex in Germantown, with five teams from across the state invited to what WSL officials hope will be the first such event since 2003. Teams from the WSL Major Division will be added to round out the eight-team field.

Green Bay Team Miller (Northern Wisconsin Soccer League), La Crosse Aris SC (National Premier Soccer League), Madison Fire (Madison Soccer Association), Madison 56ers (Premier League of America) and Racine's ACE SC are the five sides invited from outside the Milwaukee area.

The WSL Major representatives will be selected from Croatian Eagles, Bavarian SC, Milwaukee Brewers FC, United Serbian SC, Milwaukee Sport Club and North Shore United, depending on how many spots are left in the field.

The schedule calls for the teams to be split into two groups of four for round-robin play Friday through Sunday, with the two group winners to meet in the final late Sunday afternoon. Group matches will consist of two 30-minutes halves, with the final featuring 45-minute halves.

The Wisconsin Challenge Cup started in 1935, with Milwaukee's Vienna AC winning the first title, and was played every year through 1992. After a four-year hiatus, it returned in 1997 and was held through 2003.

Bavarian SC has won the tournament a record 14 times, followed by the Milwaukee Serbians and Milwaukee Brewers with nine titles apiece. Croatian Eagles sides have won the past five Challenge Cups (1999 through 2003), including the club's Under-23 team in 2002.

  • The WSL Majors 2015-16 season resumes Sunday with a full slate of matches kicking off at 3 p.m. The Croatians (6-0-1) lead the eight-team league with 19 points after the fall portion of the season, followed by the defending champion Bavarians (5-1-1) with 16 and the Brewers (5-3-0) with 15. The regular season ends June 19, with the top four teams contesting the playoffs. WSL Majors standings/schedules/results
  • WSL First Division teams have had three rounds of matches since the spring portion of the season started April 10. The Bavarians Reserves (9-2-2) remain atop the 20-team table with 29 points, one more than the Milwaukee Kickers Reserves (9-3-1). Those two sides have established a bit of cushion on the rest of the field, with places three through nine in the standings separated by just three points. The regular season runs through June 26, and the top eight teams will advance to the playoffs. WSL First Divison standings/schedules/results

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