skip navigation

Remembering one of Wisconsin's best: Wiesner passes away at 31

07/07/2014, 7:30pm CDT
By ERIC ANDERSON
Brett Wiesner

Tributes have poured in from across the Wisconsin soccer community – and the country – as friends, teammates, coaches, players and fans mourn the late Brett Wiesner.

The 31-year-old Wiesner, a former Brookfield East High School star who played six seasons with the Milwaukee Wave, died Saturday after an early-morning swimming incident on Oconomowoc Lake.

News reports indicated that Wiesner was on a pontoon boat with seven friends following Independence Day celebrations when the group went swimming around 4 a.m. He was reported missing around 4:40 a.m., and his body was recovered by the Waukesha County Sheriff's Dive Team on Saturday afternoon.

"Brett was one of the best local soccer players to come out of Milwaukee and even more of a great person," Wave assistant coach and longtime goalkeeper Nick Vorberg said in a news release issued by the team. (Read full release) "I will miss him greatly and the Milwaukee Wave will never forget him."

Indeed, Wiesner was one of the most accomplished players in Wisconsin soccer history.

The forward was the Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association Player of the Year, the Gatorade Wisconsin Player of the Year, a National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-American and a Parade All-American as a senior at East in 2000, scoring 34 goals and adding five assists. Wiesner, who played on the U.S. Under-16, Under-18 and Under-20 national teams, was considered one of the nation's top recruits in 2001.

"Sending love and prayers back home to Brett's family and loved ones. Tragedy. We shared so many great memories together," former U.S. women's national team midfielder Leslie Osborne (Brookfield/Waukesha Catholic Memorial) – the Gatorade Wisconsin girls honoree in 2000 and '01 – wrote on her Facebook page.

Wiesner went on to play at the University of Washington from 2001 to '04, earning All-Pacific-10 Conference honors in 2002 (second team) and 2003 (honorable mention). He scored a team-high seven goals in 2002, and the Huskies qualified for the NCAA tournament three times in his four seasons.

"Rest in peace Wiesner," tweeted Houston Dynamo defender Mike Chabala, a Washington teammate for three years. "Deepest sympathies to my college teammates friends and family."

The Wave selected Wiesner in the territorial portion of the Major Indoor Soccer League draft in 2005, and he ended up playing with the team through the 2010-11 season – they won the MISL title in his final season. Wiesner finished with 35 goals and 17 assists in 107 games for his hometown team.

He also played with the U.S. Futsal National team at the 1998 FIFA Futsal World Cup in Brazil, appearing in all three of the Americans' matches.

"The shocking news of hearing about Brett Wiesner passing away yesterday has hit all of us very hard!" former Wave coach Keith Tozer wrote on Facebook. "I was very proud to have coached him both with the Milwaukee Wave and the U.S. Futsal National Team. Brett always had a smile on his face and very much loved by all who played with him, all those players who he coached and for all who knew him!"

He also played two seasons of pro outdoor soccer: Wiesner was part of the Seattle Sounders' USL First Division championship team in 2005, making 11 appearances, and scored four goals in 18 matches for the Harrisburg City Islanders in USL PRO in 2008.

He had a memorable performance for Harrisburg in the first round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup that season, scoring one goal and assisting on three others in 5-1 rout of the USL Premier Development League's Yakima Reds.

"Hadn't talked to him or heard from him since he played here, but that doesn't make it any easier. He was a good kid. Good player. Hard-working," City Islanders coach Bill Becher told PennLive.com. (Read full article) "Young guy. You hate to get that news at any point, especially with somebody you know. Just hard to hear that kind of thing. ... Very quick, liked to go at people. Exciting player. Scored some goals for us that year. Started a lot of games, was a big part of our team that year."

Wiesner was still playing amateur soccer, alongside some of his former Wave teammates with North Shore United in the Wisconsin Soccer Leagues First Division.

The team plays host to the United Serbians Reserves in a quarterfinal playoff match at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Port Washington State Bank Park in Cedarburg – the team considered whether it was appropriate to play the match as scheduled, and decided to play in Wiesner's honor.

“We will play with the same work rate, focus and intensity that Brett brought to the field for every single game he played,” NSU coach David Moxom said in a club news release. “We will dedicate our championship to him and toast to his memory once the cup is won in his honor.”

Wiesner, who held a U.S. Soccer Federation "D" coaching license, coached at North Shore United and its predecessor Cedarburg SC for several years, but recently moved to the Brookfield Soccer Association in anticipation of the 2014-15 season.

"RIP Brett Wiesner. Big part of Wisconsin Soccer lost today," tweeted Loyola (Ill.) forward Andrew Raymonds (Brookfield East).

Recent Articles

Soccer ball on field
Soccer ball on a field
Soccer ball
Soccer ball
Soccer ball

Tag(s): Home  Prep Boys  Clubs  Pro  News  News  Milwaukee Wave