GO Indoor

Howes and Schmidt Making r eg Howes arrived in Milwaukee amidst great expectations. M a t t Schmi dt arrived pretty much the same way he originally left Milwaukee; that is, a talented player who was somewhat anonymous. Regardless of the fanfare, or lack thereof that surrounded each's arrival, both have gone on to become key players for the M i l wa uk e e Wa v e. In Howes' case, the former Or eg on St a te star was coming off a sensational rookie season in 2000 with the A-League's S e a t t l e S ou nd e r s . Not only did Howes, a forward, earn "Ro ok i e - of - t he -Yea r " honors for his 17-goal season with the Sounders, he was also in the running for league MVP. To say that expectations G Young MISL Talent Spaw in the were high for Greg when he signed with the Wave might be an understatement. However, Howes was up for the challenge. After a brief transitional period to adjust to both the indoor game and his teammates, who were the defending league champions, Greg went on to have a fine 2001 rookie indoor season. He tallied 64 points in 37 games and played a key role in helping Milwaukee win another league title that year. He was also runner-up to K a ns a s Ci t y 's Ni no Da Si l v a for the league's " Rook i e- of the -Yea r. " Greg continued his rise to stardom last season as he scored 91 points to help lead the Wave to another appearance in the league championship series. This season, the Tacoma, WA native is off to another good start, scoring 28 points in his first ten games (second on the team, fourth in the league) to help Milwaukee to a league-best record. Meanwhile, defender M a t t Schmi dt has quietly developed into one of the Wave's top young players. The Milwaukee area native, who was an all-state player at M a r q u e t t e Un i v e r s i t y Hi gh S chool, returned to his hometown last season after a fine career at Ya l e Uni v er s i ty and one season outdoors with the AM i nn n e s o t a League's Thunder. Although he didn't start the season as a regular defender, Schmidt gradually became one of the regulars in the Wave's backline rotation. Despite being hampered by a hamstring injury struggling with Shamu Leads game losing skid.a sevenBut Patrick is no Next stranger to perseverance Generation of midst ofin the he 2002-2003 Sidekicks season seems to be a transitional season for the team. What happens when players like Michael Powers, Rusty Troy, Tatu, and David Doyle leave the field for good? Well, with every ending is another beginning. Introducing the next generation of Sidekicks players…led by Patrick Shamu. He might not have been around to wear the original Sidekicks green and white, but he's been here for eight seasons and he's ready to leave his mark on indoor soccer. Patrick has started this season as he would modestly put it "decently." But he's one of the top scorers on the team and is a leader in the league in points. The MISL named him Offensive Player of the Week after scoring a hat trick with two assists against the Harrisburg Heat in October. All of this while the team is T 16 • Dec.-Jan. 2002 • G O A L In d o o r struggles. When he was just a baby he moved from Zaire to France where h e grew up with his aunt a n d uncle, while his parents lived in the Dallas Sidekicks' United States. He became established in France and played soccer professionally for the Milwaukee Wave's Matt Schmidt Paris Saints Germain when he was only a teenager. At the age of 18, he left the security of the country he grew up in and the sport he loved to play and moved to Dallas to live with his parents. "It was such a tough and difficult transition. I was all set and playing soccer professionally in France, and when I moved here, I had to Patrick Shamu start all over." He said the first three years were the hardest, mostly because of the little things that most people take for grant- ed. He had to learn English because he decided to learn Spanish while he was in school in France. And he had no way of getting around, so he bought a bike, and that's how he got to school, work and back home again. He didn't play soccer the first few years he lived in Dallas, mostly because the transition was so troublesome, and he didn't have the time or the energy to focus on soccer. But once he established himself, and became comfortable with the city, he began to play again. "Some of the guys said, 'You should just try out for the Sidekicks.' So I went on my own, and here I am. Bottom line, the Lord knows, and he has a plan. I am just starting to understand that. I couldn't see it for the first few years I was in Dallas, but his plan is working for me, and I'm all right." "All right" might be an understatement, especially when it comes to this season. He started this season considerably better than the last and could be on track to have one of the best seasons of his career. And the one thing he says has helped him become a better player is, ironically, coaching club soccer.

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