USASA National Amateur Cup Preview: FC Milwaukee Torrent Prepares for the National Stage
By Dominic José Bisogno/NPSL.com
FC Milwaukee Torrent are headed to the USASA National Amateur Cup national semifinals with a point to prove. The Torrent arrives at the national semifinals having won three challenging games in the regional stage. They beat Chicago House AC 6-1 in their opening game before beating Vlora FC and Bavarian United SC 1-0 each in the regional semifinals and final.
Founded in 2015, the Torrent have become a mainstay of the NPSL in the Midwest, taking first in their conference in 2016 and 2021. The club also participated in the 2019 NPSL Members Cup and reached their conference championship game in 2023. The club was founded by German-American soccer coach Andreas Davi as a way to ensure the city of Milwaukee was represented in the NPSL. The club has a longstanding relationship with reigning Bundesliga champions Bayer 04 Leverkusen, where Davi played as a youth. The Torrent have brought youth players to Germany in the past to collaborate with the club’s youth system.
Davi told NPSL.com that his team are motivated to win each game they face in a season characterized by a dense schedule.
“It’s not very often that you reach a match like this, so it’s super important for us,” Davi explained. “You play soccer to win games, whatever league you’re in, you play to win championships. That’s what we’re here for.…It has been a group effort to get here, not just from the 15 or 16 core players but everyone. No one is complaining [about schedule congestion]. Everyone knows there is a goal and that we all need to work toward it.”
Milwaukee Torrent Head Coach Jeff Pill noted that team’s achievements in the regional stage could have been enough to satisfy some, but that the Torrent are hungry for more.
“The win against Bavarians felt like such a big result that the guys could have left things there and walked away saying job done. But, there’s a hunger in this group to achieve as much as we can this season.”
The Torrent ended the 2024 regular season with a 5-2-3 record in the Gateway Conference, winning four of their last five regular season games. The club scored an impressive 40 goals in the regular season, provided by 13 total goal scorers. Alejandro Martínez led the scoring with seven goals, while Juan Lopez, Gabe Young, and Zakaria Daaou all contributed five in the regular season.
The Torrent ended their 2024 NPSL season with a 2-0 loss to Des Moines United FC in the Gateway Conference Final.
Pill noted that the Torrent’s 2024 roster has been well constructed with players that are ready to buy into a project and system built on clarity and consistency.
“Davi has put together a really good group of guys who’ve gelled together well and have had good attitudes,” Pill said. “We were deep this season, so there hasn’t been a drop off in quality when we’ve had to rotate or make substitutions.…We’ve had a good balance between game strategy and style of play. We have clarity on that and so it’s been up to the players to execute and for the most part they have.”
Pill also added that he feels the Torrent’s players have found motivation in a united vision, one that is created through respect, experience, and open communication.
“I think we’ve done a good job of having all 11 guys under the same vision,” Pill concluded. “We’re looking for the same things. I think that motivates guys. My coaching style is not one that’s going to have me screaming and yelling at [the players], but I think we create an environment where the players have clarity in what is expected of them.…We’ve had five games this season I believe where it’s been win or go home, so we hope that familiarity leads to confidence.”
FC Milwaukee Torrent will face FC Arizona in the USASA National Amateur Cup semifinals on July 25.
Photo Credit: Dominic José Bisogno/NPSL.com and Claudio Martinez/NPSL.com
