Williamsburg Wizards

Last updated
Williamsburg Wizards
Founded1989 (dissolved 1999)
GroundWilliamsburg Municipal Fields (JCC Rec Center, Magruder, Queens Lake, et al)
Manager Al Albert (assisted by Bob Behncke)
LeagueSEVYSA (1989-1996), VCCL (1997-1999)

The Williamsburg Wizards were an American youth soccer team, based in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Contents

Team Formation

In 1989, Williamsburg Wizards head coach Al Albert went door-to-door to elementary school gym teachers in Williamsburg, Virginia asking them for names of the most athletic students in their 4th grade class. A selection of those names soon formed the nucleus of the first Wizards soccer team which went undefeated in its first 32 matches. Over the years, the team was able to attract added talent from up to an hour in all directions based on the magnetic draw of its coaching staff in Al Albert, who at the time was the head coach of the men's team at the College of William and Mary.

Virginia State Cup

The Williamsburg Wizards dominated their age group of the Virginia Youth Soccer Association (VYSA) in the 1990s. The Wizards competed before the advent of the US Soccer Academy system, and therefore, the VYSA State Cup Championship was the undisputed highest honor to be achieved each year in the commonwealth. [1] [2] [3]

Coaching

The Wizards were coached by Al Albert, who was assisted by Bob Behncke. Albert is best known as the long-time head men's soccer coach at the College of William and Mary (33yrs, 1971-2003). Behncke was a regional all-American selection for the Army men's soccer program in the late sixties. [4] Albert and Behncke both had sons who played every season for the Wizards.

Individual players

Matt Behncke - The Wizards' most valuable contributor on the field was Matt Behncke, now a retired professional soccer player. Matt was part of the original Wizards team in 1989, and played all eleven seasons for the club. His play earned him a youth national team call-up at the U-16 level, traveling to an international tournament in Montaigu, France. [5] After a standout career at Princeton University, Behncke was drafted 18th overall in the 2002 MLS SuperDraft by the Dallas Burn. He played four seasons in the MLS. [6]

Bret Myers - Bret Myers joined the Wizards in the mid-90s, and was largely responsible for many of the team's successes in the latter part of that decade. Myers went on to be a four-year letter winner for the University of Richmond Spiders. After graduating college, Myers spent two seasons with the Richmond Kickers A-League professional team. He won a gold medal with Team USA at the 11th Pan American Maccabi Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 2008. [7]

Warley and Miller - The Wizards produced a pair of college football placekickers in Carter Warley and Kevin Miller. Warley, an original Wizard, was the starting kicker for a Virginia Tech football program that was a national contender during his time in Blacksburg. Kevin Miller joined the Wizards in the mid-90s. Miller was the starting placekicker for the East Carolina Pirates and then for the Berlin Thunder in NFL Europe. [8]

Others - Upon graduation, the exceeding majority of Wizards players not mentioned above went on to join various division-1 college soccer programs throughout the state of Virginia such as American, James Madison, Radford, University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth, Virginia Tech, and William and Mary.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sporting Kansas City</span> Soccer club in Kansas City, Kansas, U.S.

Sporting Kansas City is an American men's professional soccer club in the Kansas City metropolitan area. The administrative offices are located in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and the team clubhouse and practice facilities are located in Kansas City, Kansas. Home games have been played at Children's Mercy Park since 2011. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a part of the league's Western Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Meola</span> American soccer player

Antonio Michael "Tony" Meola is an American former professional soccer player who played as a goalkeeper. He represented the United States national team at the 1990, 1994, and 2002 World Cups. From 1996 to 2006, he played in Major League Soccer, the U.S. top soccer division, where he obtained multiple honors. Meola is currently a radio host on SiriusXM FC.

Matt Behncke is an American former professional soccer player and attorney. He last played for Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer (MLS). He is now a partner with the law firm of Susman Godfrey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Conrad</span> American soccer player

James Paul Conrad is an American former soccer player who played as a defender. During his 13-year MLS career, he was four-time MLS Best XI and the 2005 MLS Defender of the Year. He also earned 27 caps with the United States men's national soccer team and went to the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Legacy 76</span> American soccer team

Legacy is an American soccer team based in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. The team plays in the Mid-Atlantic Conference of the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), the fourth tier of the American soccer pyramid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walter Bahr</span> American soccer player

Walter Alfred Bahr was an American professional soccer player, considered one of the greatest ever in the United States. He was the long-time captain of the U.S. men's national team and played in the 1950 FIFA World Cup when the U.S. defeated England 1–0. Bahr's three sons Casey, Chris, and Matt, all played professional soccer in the defunct North American Soccer League. Casey and Chris also played for the U.S. Olympic team, and Chris and Matt later became placekickers in the National Football League, each earning two Super Bowl rings.

Erik Bradley Imler is an American soccer coach and former player. He won national championships while playing at the University of Virginia before becoming part of the US team that competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. He is currently an assistant coach for Stumptown AC in the National Independent Soccer Association.

Christopher Kurt Bahr is an American former professional football and soccer player. He was a placekicker in the National Football League (NFL) and played midfielder in the North American Soccer League (NASL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Schmetzer</span> American soccer coach and retired player (born 1962)

Brian Thomas Schmetzer is an American soccer coach and former professional soccer player. He is the head coach of the Seattle Sounders FC, who play in Major League Soccer (MLS), having been assistant coach for the team until Sigi Schmid's departure in 2016. Prior to that, he coached the Seattle Sounders in the USL First Division for seven seasons, winning two championships, and played in the North American Soccer League, Major Indoor Soccer League and Western Soccer League for various Seattle teams.

Jeff Baicher is a retired American soccer forward whose professional career took him through multiple leagues, including the Western Soccer League, American Professional Soccer League, Continental Indoor Soccer League and Major League Soccer. He ended his playing career with the Bay Area Seals of the USL A-League. He earned two caps with the U.S. national team and coaches youth soccer.

Chris Cissell is an American soccer coach born May 6, 1972, in Dallas, Texas, United States. He is the current Head Coach of the women's soccer team at Grand Canyon University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack McInerney</span> American soccer player (born 1992)

John Seamus "Jack" McInerney is an American soccer player.

Elmar Bolowich was most recently head coach of the George Mason Patriots men's soccer team at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, United States. He was previously the head coach of the Creighton Bluejays men's soccer team at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska for eight years after leaving his 22-year tenure as the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels men's soccer team at the University of North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al Albert (soccer)</span> American college soccer coach

Al Albert is an American college soccer coach. Albert is best known for his long tenure as the head coach of the William & Mary Tribe men's soccer program in Williamsburg, Virginia and as a former President of United Soccer Coaches, the largest soccer coaches organization in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlos García (footballer, born 1981)</span> Colombian footballer

Carlos García is a Colombian professional soccer player formerly of the Baltimore Blast in the MISL.

Brian "B.J." Johnson is a retired American soccer midfielder who spent five seasons in Major League Soccer with the Kansas City Wizards. He is currently the boys' Director of Technical Development and USL League Two head coach for Tampa Bay United.

This article documents the history of D.C. United, an American soccer club based in Washington, D.C. For a general overview of the club, see D.C. United.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Ownby</span> American soccer player (born 1990)

Brian Tyler Ownby is an American soccer player who plays for Louisville City in the USL Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lionsbridge FC</span> Soccer club

Lionsbridge Football Club, or Lionsbridge FC, is an American soccer club based in Newport News, Virginia. The club was founded in 2017, and play in USL League Two. The club's colors are blue, black and white, and the club is named for the Lions Bridge, the iconic Peninsula landmark that has stood along the James River and in the Mariners' Museum Park since 1923. The team plays its home games at TowneBank Stadium on the campus of Christopher Newport University.

Bret Myers is an American former soccer player and current professor. Myers played with the Williamsburg Wizards youth travel team, with the University of Richmond, and with the Richmond Kickers. He won a gold medal with Team USA at the 11th Pan American Maccabi Games in 2008. He is a professor at Villanova University, and an analytics consultant for Major League Soccer's Columbus Crew.

References

  1. ↑ 1986-1990 VYSA State Cup Champions www.vysa.com
  2. ↑ 1991-1995 VYSA State Cup Champions www.vysa.com
  3. ↑ 1996-2000 VYSA State Cup Champions www.vysa.com
  4. ↑ Army Soccer Media Guide www.goarmysports.com
  5. ↑ Brothers Get Kicks In Europe [https://archive.today/20120708183626/http://articles.dailypress.com/1995-04-28]
  6. ↑ Matt Behncke Career Stats ww2.mlsnet.com
  7. ↑ Player Bio: Bret Myers www.richmondspiders.com
  8. ↑ Kevin Miller Career Stats www.footballdb.com

Additional References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.