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Milwaukee-area soccer fans are probably familiar with the Milwaukee Wave, the oldest and most successful franchise in professional indoor soccer. And they are likely aware of the Milwaukee Torrent, a semi-pro club based at Wauwatosa’s Hart Park since 2016.
But forgotten in the annals of Cream City soccer is the Milwaukee Rampage—the first professional outdoor soccer team to compete in Milwaukee.
The Rampage survived just nine seasons (1994-2002) in the lower leagues of American soccer, yet the team won two league titles, featured international-caliber players, and nearly earned Milwaukee a Major League Soccer franchise.
The club was founded by local businessmen Dan Doucette and Jim Hock in 1993 as part of a larger set of expansion teams across the country, with the goal to make soccer a “pre-eminent sport” in the US.
Sporting a decidedly local squad, the Rampage’s inaugural league match was played during a spring snowstorm on May 1, 1994, in front of 214 fans at Hart Park. Milwaukee defeated the Detroit Wheels 6-0.
League Champions
That opening day barrage was indicative of the triumphs the club would enjoy during its nine seasons. Playing against teams like the Albuquerque Geckos, and Columbus Xoggz, the Rampage won league championships in 1997 and 2002 and made eight playoff appearances.
Milwaukee also featured multiple athletes who would become notable figures in American soccer. United States Men’s National Team players Tony Sanneh and McBride both started their careers with the Rampage in 1994, combining for 31 goals before moving on.
Sanneh, a UW-Milwaukee grad, played in the MLS and German Bundesliga and even appeared in the UEFA Champions League—European soccer’s most distinguished competition.
McBride spent 15-plus seasons in the Bundesliga, English Premier League and MLS while making 95 appearances for the national side. The pair even teamed up to contribute a famous goal at the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Sanneh provided the cross which McBride headed home during the U.S.’ 3-2 upset win over Portugal.
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“We joked about it in the locker room, it is a play we have done a thousand times (at the Milwaukee Rampage)," McBride said. "I took a step in at the far post and lost my marker. He delivered a beautiful cross and I knocked it home.”
Ending in Anguish
In Milwaukee, the club’s finest season came in 2002 but ended in anguish.
The Rampage upset MLS side Chicago Fire in the U.S. Open Cup, then finished the year by defeating the Richmond Kickers in the USL A-League Final with 6,189 fans in attendance at the Milwaukee County Sports Complex in Franklin—a far cry from the few hundred freezing supporters who shivered at Hart Park eight years earlier.
The club’s winning history had ignited talks of an MLS franchise in Milwaukee. First, the Rampage needed a stadium that met league standards. Multiple locations were proposed, including the northeast corner of Water Street and Juneau Avenue and a site in the Milwaukee Valley between 35th Street and the Milwaukee River.
A rally was held to build fan support and a local consortium made a formal pitch to the MLS in 2001. In the end, negotiations never progressed, and the MLS, reeling from financial troubles, consolidated from 12 to 10 teams in 2002.
The Rampage moved from Uihlein Soccer Park in Brown Deer—its home from 1995 to 2000 — to Franklin’s Milwaukee County Sports Complex.
Despite strong fan showing at the final, attendance declined after the Rampage migrated to the south side. The club fell behind on lease payments, and, in need of an investor, one never materialized. On Jan. 23, 2003, the league champions announced they would not be defending their title; the Milwaukee Rampage folded.
They were succeeded by Milwaukee Wave United. Affiliated with the indoor side, the Wave braved the elements for two years before deciding to remain indoor-only.
Nearly 20 years later, professional outdoor soccer has made minimal progress in the city, but memories of the short-lived, all-conquering Milwaukee Rampage still live on.
