The Team Wisconsin tryout weekend couldn't have been any better, as 24 youth state teams were selected last weekend at the Uihlein Soccer Park.  Over 300 excited boys and girls competed to represent their home state of Wisconsin in their own birth year divisions.  The State Wars Soccer staff was at the facility from 7am to 10pm each day over the weekend but it was impossible to get tired as the adrenaline and excitement brought out by all of hte players and families was intoxicating.  National Director Dan maxwell commented "Wisconsin definitely set the bar this opening weekend and now it is up to each and everry state to raise their game and step it up a notch!"

 

Teams from 2003&younger through 1993 were formed in both boys and girls divisions with some age groups fielding AAA and AA teams.  Some divisions were so difficult to make final decisions on rosters, as many players not selected for the AAA team could have been, but there was just so much talent out on the field.

 

This was the first time National Director Greg Thompson had been to Uihlein and actually his first time in the state of Wisconsin, he was overly impressed.  "The minute I walked into Uihlein I knew this was the perfect home for this event, the facility is just perfect for our event.  I believe that teams will really enjoy coming to Milwaukee, the airport was so clean and not too busy, there is hardly any traffic on the roads, and there are tons of hotels in the area.". 

 

Obviously the weather was brutally cold this past weekend, with temperatures at roughly around 4 degrees as we left the hotel in the early morning.  But the summertime is also a perfect time to be in Milwaukee as the temperatures never get too high and uncomfortable.  Also, SUMMERFEST the laregst outdoor concert series in the country is being held during State Wars and we are currently working on packages for our players and their families.

 

Check out some team info below and some of the players you need to watch out for this summer from Wisco!

 

BLOGS, PHOTOS, VIDEOS from the Wisconsin tryout weekend are posted online as well, if you haven't checked them out...click here 

 

Check Out Team Rosters ONLINE

All Wisconsin team rosters are now available online at WI Team Rosters  We are in the process of finalizing some teams and still adding some player profile pictures but you can check out the majority now online.  Team and player stats will be tracked live during State Wars this summer! 

What a great turnout for our youngest division at tryouts, as our favorite division to watch the 2003 & younger had so many excited players and parents on hand.  We were able to field two Wisconsin state teams in this age group, which is awesome to see as these kids are the FUTURE of our sport!

 

The 2003 AAA team was full of great players but a few stood out immediately to our staff.  Tommy Meyer has terrific speed and great foot skills, Alex Kaplan is also fast with great ball control, Alex Gall has terrific speed as well, and Will O;Connor showed great presence all over the field.

 

The 2003 AA team looked very solid as well, as our staff was extremely pleased with the level of talent overall in this division.  Quinn Meece showed good speed and a big foot, Anna Francheschi showed very good speed, and Ian Staresinic showed great aggressiveness and speed!

 

Overall every player in this division did a great job and all players should be very proud of themselves, if the rest of the country looks this good at this age group than the future looks bright!

The 2002 boys group had a ton of players at tryouts and was a very difficult group to make cuts in.  With so many great players, we were happy to be able to field two state teams and not have to send too many players away unhappy.

 

Austin Seidel stood out immediately with his great scoring touch as did Sam Jaworski who also showed tremendous hustle.  Nelson Phillips was clearly one of the fastest players of the day, as was Connor Leffler who also seems to have a great mind for the game as well.  Jonah Rindfleisch played very solid in the net as well!

 

The 2002 AA squad was also filled with many talented young men, leading the way was Jack Oswald who seemed to have a knack for finding the back of the net.  Mason Johnson also had a strong leg and Conall Lynch showed great speed on the field as well.

The 2001 girls tryout was also a very tough one as there were not enough players to make two full teams so many solid players had to be sent home without an invitation to State Wars.  As word continues to spread in Wisconsin about State Wars, we are pretty positive this wont be the case next year.

 

Grace Wellnitz is every goal keepers dream, someone that stays home and plays terrific defense.   Not that goal keeper Lauren Freeck needs the help, as she is an incredible keeper and great all around player.  Vanessa Peterson will score a lot of goals as will Harper Johnson using her incredible speed.

Arguably the strongest birth year in the state, the 2001 boys group was very fun to watch.  So much speed, strength and field presence was displayed during this groups tryout.  Early on you could see close friends hanging together but by the end of the tryout every man was on his own competing for the last few spots on the exclusive AAA roster. 

 

Caden Etzel was simply a stud out on the field, showing striking ability and great passing, Brandon Manzo was also very impressive showing off blazing spped, Nicolas Saldana showed great quickness and great soccer intelligence.  Ethan Burczyk looked unbeatable at times in goal.  Overall every single player selected for this team showed awesome talent, I can't wait to watch this team compete at State Wars.

 

The 2001 AA Wisconsin team also showed much promise and will be a team to wacth in their bracket as well.  Joshua Teplin will be counted on to use his strong leg and play solid defense.  Brett Braaten has very good speed and will need to use it in the open field.  Noah Harrington also showed signs of brilliance at times and could be a big factor for his team as well.

The 2000 girls division was one of the largest of the weekend and also produced some very strong talent.  Kassidy Lange stood out right away to our entire staff and is the ultimate "complete player".  Emma Torres is right there with Lange, as these two could be a dynamic duo in this division.  Mikaila Briglevic has speed and strength, not a bad combination to have.  Selena Esten could score a bunch of goals as well, showing off some nifty moves at tryouts.

 

Look for the 2000 girls AA team to do well in their division as the talent definitely ran deep in this birth year for Wisconsin.  Reece Hooker plays very tough and shows great speed.  Elizabeth Murphy is a very smart player who knows her way around the net and Ellie Decker has good ball skills and strength as well.

The 2000 boys tryout was the largest of the weekend with over 30 players in attendance.  This group had both quality as well as quanity, as the boys all showed tremendous heart and hustle.  Max Censky was one of many standouts for this group, but Max proved to be a triple threat: speed, strength, and smarts.  Jackson Bogli is a powerful striker and should score plenty of goals, Brian Holdmann also showed unbelievable speed, and Jared Holan will also add a big powerful foot for the 2000 AAA team.

 

The 2000 AA team is also very deep as this truly was one of the toughest teams to select over the weekend.  Adam Larson will be a leader and standout for this squad and is a very well rounded player.  Ian Williams and Patrick Flynn will both need to use their good speed to help get the offense going.

There weren't a ton of girls trying out in the 1999 division but we did come away with a solid team representing the state.  Erin Benson led the way at tryouts and showed exceptional skill on the field in all aspects.  Gwen Schad proved to be a very solid goal keeper and possesses a strong foot.  Bryana Niecyzski showed great ball skills and vision on the field.  Alaina Nash will also be a key ingredient to this teams success and is a very strong all around player.

The 1999 boys tryout was also an extremely competitive and tough group to select.  Unfortunately many top players went home upset by not being selected to the AAA squad.  Players need to be reminded that yes in their club they may be the top dog, but that doesn't guarantee you a spot on Team Wisconsin, every player needs to earn their selection during the tryout.  Our staff though there were possibly 18 players that could have made the AAA squad, but we do have to make tough decisions and can't take everyone.

 

Logan Block is the perfect name for this young player, he could also be called Logan Score or Logan Pass, as he does it all well and will be a shining star for the '99s.  Dominic Mandella is also a big, strong, fast player who will do wonders on the field.  Mark Orlowski is also very quick and a very good defender.  Joel Kaswan looked very solid in the net as well.

 

Cole Bogenschuetz will be solid in net for the AA team and Jeremy Erickson will be a strong defender.  Look for Max Lepper to be a leader on this team as well.

As you move into the older divisions, smart play and positioning become the key to winning soccer matches.  The Wisconsin '95s have a solid group of players with these type of characteristics and leading the way is Kristen Hesselbach.  Kristen will play great on both sides of the ball and should score some big goals.  Caitlin Hauser  and Colleen Barnstable should be key parts of the teams offense as well.

It was a ton of fun watching the older boys scrimmage for the 1995, 1994, and 1993 age groups.  For two hours these guys just played hard and had terrific attitudes.  There were some very creative plays made on the field and some great saves on both ends.