OLYMPIANS HUMILIATED IN LOSS TO 9 MEN UTAH MIX IN PENALTY SHOOT OUT

“We roasted that arrogant French dude. We French-fried that braggart. Should I say we liberty-fried him?” a derisive and ecstatic Frankie, Utah Mix's boss, said after his team's big upset of Olympique Montreux this evening at the West Jordan Soccer Complex.

“Beating Bel-Ami de Montreux is the highlight of my life. We manhandled his men. We harassed them. We straightjacketed them. We crushed them. We stuffed them. I beat OM finally. What else is there? Tonight, I will eat the maggot in my tequila,” added the pardonably proud Peruvian.

Despite Chad Gilbert's outstanding efforts, OM sustained its first loss of the season to 9 men Utah Mix in a poorly managed game by the coaching staff.

“I am very much responsible for this disaster. It is the most embarrassing moment in my thirty something years of playing and coaching soccer,” lamented de Montreux, OM's manager. “I cannot find any good excuse to mitigate my failure to preserve our advantage with about 25 minutes to go,” added the ostensibly angry manager.

Things started well for OM though. The lads came out on all cylinders. For the first twenty or so minutes, the ball practically stayed in Utah Mix's half of the field. Jesse Day, Tracy McGuire, Nate Murphy and Chad Gilbert ran circles around ineffective Utah Mix players who finally resorted to rough plays to unsettle the Olympians.

It looked like it was going to be another clinic after Chad Gilbert scored on a Jesse Day cross at the 25-minute mark.

OM out shot the Mix 17-0 in the first 30 minutes, earned seven corners and numerous free kicks. In the 37-minute, Gilbert scored perhaps the prettiest goal of the season on a solo run. Even Utah Mix fans applauded the fleet-footed striker for his athleticism and flair for finding the net with such style.

With the score 2-0, Utah Mix turned very physical. After Gilbert's goal, OM strung beads of misses, and Utah Mix capitalized on its lone shot on goal when an OM defender slipped and lost the ball in first half injury time.

At the beginning of the second half, a Utah Mix forward was sent off for repeated butt grabbing, a rather disgusting act. Reduced to 10 men, Utah Mix camped in its own half of the field, and OM strikers mounted assaults after assaults, frustratingly coming up short.

At the 75-minute, another Utah Mix player received his second yellow card and marching orders, this time for cussing at the referee.

Soon after, Utah Mix tied the score on a fast break and another defensive blunder.

Incomprehensibly, OM lost its reputable coolness. Although only facing nine men practically hunkered down in their penalty box to preserve the tie, instead of going forward, four, sometimes five, OM players remained in the back watching the action even on set pieces.

Gilbert came close to winning all three points for the Olympians in the dying minutes, but after wiping off nearly the entire Utah Mix defense, his shot on goal was too weak to do any harm. Having ran so hard all evening, the striker was exhausted and needed a break.

The referee blew full time and OM lost 5-4 in the ensuing penalty shoot out.

Utah Mix and its fans invaded the field in delirium.

Incredibly enough, OM only had three substitute field players ready to play. Several fans wondered aloud where were top strikers Jake Cavanaugh and Sergio Vasquez.

“I do not know,” conceded a disappointed de Montreux. “Big players do not go AWOL for big games. A player has to make sacrifices for his team. Jesse Day did it for us when his sister was getting married. Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo stayed with his team last week despite his father's death. I do it every day.

"I try to run a professional institution here despite my busy professional life. I call players to remind them of games. My secretary Gabriela also calls them. We talk about the game at practice. I e-mail players several times a week to remind them again. The game is advertised on the team's web site in bold red letters. What else can I do if a guy does not show up, and does not bother to let me know he is not showing up? Have him arrested the night before to ensure his presence!

“Why did I have to risk Jesse Day for 90 minutes on a sore knee? Why did I have to put my name on the roster as a potential sub when I registered more than 25 healthy players?” This is not a weekday game. Why did so many men miss a Saturday evening game against one of the best teams in the league? Why couldn't they come help out even for one half? Why not make a sacrifice for the team? We are supposed to be a team. Where is the Olympic spirit? The camaraderie we talked about? I could not even substitute an injured Nate Murphy. I even had to play Jeremy Jones out of position.

“I find it hard to believe I did not follow my instinct to defend the 2-1 advantage. After all, I should have known better. As you well know, I have never lost a 2-1 advantage in five years as a player-manager. With Utah Mix reduced to 10 men, I should have put in a defensive midfield wall, and reduce our offensive runs. Being down 2-1, Utah Mix would have had to attack and be exposed to counter attacks. I discussed the strategy with Captain Mike Polich, but he did not agree. We basically played in Frankie's hands. We exposed ourselves. We did a free willy and gave them a freebie.

“We seem to want to win pretty, scoring tons of goals. You have to adjust to the situation. Sometimes you have to win three points no matter how ugly. I went unbeaten last year doing just that, winning when I had to win at the expense of all that sexy football stuff. “
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MAN OF THE MATCH: Chad Gilbert
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LEADING SCORERS:

Chad Gilbert: 8 goals
Sergio Vasquez: 8 goals
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OLYMPIAN NOTES:

J.T. Cracroft sustained a knee injury. The left full back assured us that it is not serious. He most likely will miss the derby against International next Saturday. We wish him a speedy recovery.

Nate Murphy pulled a leg muscle. He expects to be ready to go next Saturday.

Erick Ivan Morales is still out with a work-related knee injury and groins problems.

Bel-Ami de Montreux has tried unsuccessfully to practice. Two knee injuries in one year appear to have grounded the aging forward for a long time, if not for good.

Isaac James attended two practice sessions. He looks nearly fit.

Several players have simply vanished since preseason. We have not seen Greg Pulver, Homero Tafolla, Sean O'Brien and K.C. Jones among others in a long while.

Josh Kimball has made scant appearances in the past month.

Josue Ferrera is no longer with team. He feels he is not able to play his own game within the team's concept.

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STARTING LINE UP: Mike Polich, Jesse Day, Chad Gilbert, Tracy McGuire, Nate Murphy, Paul Williams, Hugh Van Wagenen, John McQuarrie, J.T. Cracroft, Aaron Bruderer, Mike Rogers.

SUBSTITUTIONS: Jeremy Jones, Arthur Van Wagenen.
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NEXT GAME:

Saturday, September 24, 2005. 3:00 PM
OM vs.. INTERNATIONAL
West Jordan Complex, Field M/N