Wisconsin Soccer Central

The fields for the 10 age groups that will take part in group play at the Wisconsin State Championships over Memorial Day weekend should be finalized this weekend, as the last play-in games of the competition are scheduled to be played Sunday.

Fifty-six teams have been seeking the final 28 spots in the Boys Under-13, Under-14 and Under-15 divisions in the one-off, play-in games over the past few weeks. View schedule (pdf)

Group play for Boys Under-13 through Under-19 divisions and Girls Under-13, Under-14 and Under-19 divisions at the State Championships, commonly referred to as the State Cup, is scheduled for May 28 to 30 – though some Under-18 boys matches could be played May 27 to avoid conflicts with high school graduation ceremonies.

Semifinals are set for June 4, with the finals June 5. All group play and playoff matches will be played at Scheels USA Youth Complex in Appleton.

Champions of the Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association event advance to the U.S. Youth Soccer Region II Championships, which are June 25 to 29 in Westfield, Ind. The state competition in the other four girls age groups, Under-15 through Under-18, was held last fall to avoid conflicts with the WIAA high school season in the spring.

• Andre Wangard (Brookfield), who plays for Shattuck-St. Mary's (Minn.) in the U.S. Soccer Development Academy, was invited to a U.S. Soccer Federation Training Center next Wednesday in Minneapolis. Wangard was the only keeper born in 2000 invited to the event, which will be his sixth USSF Training Center.
• The Milwaukee Kickers Academy team, featuring Under-14 and Under-16 boys players and coach Michael King, spent nine days in England in late March and early April. The squad played three matches, tying the Woking FC Academy 2-2, beating Orange FC 4-0 and dropping a 4-2 decision to a Liverpool County Select side that included players from the Everton and Liverpool academies. The team also had training sessions with coaches from Fulham, Chelsea and Manchester United and one with René Meulensteen, the former Manchester United assistant manager and Fulham manager. King, the leading scorer in Milwaukee Wave history, is a London native. Additionally, the group toured six Premier League stadiums, attended three matches and got to watch Chelsea's first-team training.
• Lew Dray, a founding member of Milwaukee Kickers SC in 1968, died March 4 after a brief battle with cancer. He was 79.