College rivals turned Milwaukee Wave teammates: 'It's been fun'

College rivals turned Milwaukee Wave teammates

There's an interesting transformation taking place on the Milwaukee Wave this season, two former foes becoming friends on the field.

MILWAUKEE - Guiliano Oliviero now coaches the Milwaukee Wave after playing for the team in his younger days. He knows the ranks need to be filled on a regular basis, and he likes a lot of what he's seeing from rookie midfielders Shawn Azqueta and Alan Salmeron.

"I grew up playing outdoor, not a huge indoor fan, but once I got here, I had to transition real quick to really understand the game, how my teammates want the ball to their feet or off the boards and everything like that," Azqueta said. "It was chaos at first."

Azqueta said he's really enjoying the indoor game now. Salmeron had much more history with the boards and the glass.

"It's being quick, maybe having game I.Q. because everything happens really quick in indoor soccer," said Salmeron. "Having good passing ability, so I think that helped for sure."

"You look at ‘Squid,’ Shawn Azqueta, he's come in from the first day of preseason and really solidified a spot on the team," said Oliviero. "Ears are wide open, and you look at his work ethic and it's outstanding.

"Then you've got Alan Salmeron…more of a tempo player, he helps dictate our tempo. He's very good on the ball, he doesn't make a lot of mistakes and he's been an absolute pleasure, as well."

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Azqueta played for the Milwaukee Panthers and Salmeron played for the Marquette Golden Eagles. They used to battle against each other in college for the Milwaukee Cup. Now, they're playing together for the Wave.

"At one point, we were rivals and the schools hated each other, and you're playing against each other, you're playing for cups against each other," Salmeron said. "Now, being on the same team, we know each other because of that, and we know that we're going to do whatever it takes to win."

"I played Alan four or five years in a row in college, but it's been fun," said Azqueta. "It's been fun having him as a teammate finally, and there's no bad blood coming here."

The coach is mixing in all the ingredients, varied backgrounds notwithstanding, and coming up with a successful finished product this season. The regular season for the Wave lasts until April 2, and then these rookies will be getting their first playoff experience as professionals.