Daynes Challenge Cup, Utah Open Cup and League Title up for Grab
Pierre d'Estaim
Sports Writer
Holladay, UT (Sunday, Sept. 3)--With its place already booked for the Daynes Challenge Cup final on October 21, Olympique Montreux is on the right track to win, not two, but three trophies this season.
Latest information suggests that ParkCity, whom the Olympians defeated 3-0 last year to win the centennial game of the Daynes Challenge Cup may again be their challenger for Utah's oldest and most prestigious award.
Lazio, a team that does not feature in the cups races, has played all its league games on an accelerated schedule and leads in the standings by only one point according to the league's latest posting on its web site, www.utahsoccer.com.
League officials have yet to credit OM for a forfeit win over ZLC on August 5 when it was announced that ZLC could not make the fixture for lack of personnel and that the game would not be rescheduled. Likewise, the table does not yet count ParkCity's loss to Bosnia USA on August 19.
With Lazio gone, the remaining teams still must play six league games before the end of the season. If OM and its old nemesisParkCity maintain their current form going down the stretch, it appears that the league title will be a dead heat between them.
The Snowmen defeated the Olympians 1-0 in the first part of the season to take the lead by two points. However, their dropping all three points to a resurgent Bosnia USA on August 19 should have them trailing the Olympians by one point. In the meantime, OM has been in devastating form, winning all its league, Daynes and Utah Open Cup games.
The side will face Red Star at Riverside on August 7 for an Open Cup game. If successful, it will go on to play in the competition's quarterfinals on September 12. Semifinal games are set for September 14 and the final will be held on October 28, a week after the Daynes Challenge Cup final.
“Winning the treble would be a fitting tribute to our older players who have given so much to the side," said Bel-Ami, OM's manager. “We have had some crisis this season and lost some important players. But we are moving on.”
Indeed, in the past month, Arthur van Wagenen, his brother Hugh and Mike Polich left the team for various technical and personal reasons. The side released Kyle Copeland and Matt Smith and brought in reinforcement when it acquired former RealSaltLake and Trinidad international Leslie Tiger Fitzpatrick for the remainder of the season.
OM also signed Mauricio Borba, a gifted Argentine striker and Brazilian attacking midfielder Everton do Prado. However, it could not to bring either Brian Alba or Brian Dunseth to shore up the defense. An important target, exciting left-winger Louis Staley had already committed to another organization.
Disclaimer: All representations in this article are those of the author. Please consult the league's web site, www.utahsoccer.com, or contact the league's president for accurate standing, scheduling information and league policy.
West Salt Lake, UT (League News Service)(August 26, 2006) - Jeremy Jones curled in a free kick in the 22nd minute to open the floodgate in a five-goal victory over Bosnia USA at Riverside Park on Saturday night.
The Olympique Montreux midfielder curled the ball over the tall Bosnian defensive wall from 27 yards to power his team in the much-anticipated fixture.
It did not look very promising before Jones's goal. The Bosnian side began the game playing good soccer behind the good technics of their number 10 playmaker Branislav Nicolic and with a defense featuring two former OM stars, 2001 hero Alija Hijdarevic on the left and the dynamic Sasha Vidic on the right side.
However, the tide shifted after the opening goal as the Olympians finally set in motion their superior passing and quick ball movement. Nate Murphy, Todd Miller and Ken Barton took over the midfield while wingers Jesse Day and Josh Kimball opened up the pitch. Defender Paul Williams, back from injury, looked strong and commanding.
Exasperated by the Olympians' apparent monopoly of the ball, several Bosnian players started dishing out hard fouls.
OM led 3-0 after the first half with goals from Josh Kimball (30th) and Everton do Prado (35th).
If you can't beat them, kick them
It was academic by the second half. Leading by three goals but bruised by too many fouls from an opponent with many players disrespecting the spirit of the game, the Olympians knew that maintaining possession of the ball was their best chance to avoid serious injury. They executed perfectly, one-touching and moving quickly.
The ball was doing most of the running. Psychologically defeated, some the Bosnians increased the hard fouling, mostly targeting frontman Sergio Vasquez and midfileder Tiger Fitzpatrick.
Cruising home
At the hour mark, Day placed a wonderful ball in the penalty area. Kimball found it to score his second goal with attractive simplicity. Two minutes later, Barton connected with Cavanaugh who volleyed in the fifth goal.
By then, Bosnia USA was reduced to nine men after their forward Admir Softic and later, their captain Adis Alagic, were ejected after several warnings by the referee.
With this victory, OM won three games in one week. On August 22, the side defeated Odyssey Web 8-0. On August 24, the Olympians ran past Utah FC to a 4-1 result.
“We outscored our opponents 17 goals to one in seven days. That's very encouraging,” said stalwart midfielder Todd Miller.
SUGARHOUSE, UT. (LNS) - Olympique Montreux star Chad Gilbert scored one goal and playmaker Nate Murphy added another this evening as OM came from behind twice to tie Lazio at WestminsterCollege's Dorich Stadium in a league game.
True to their reputation for being strong at home, Lazio took advantage of a defensive error at the 30th minute to take the lead. OM nearly equalized on a Tiger Fitzpatrick's free kick at the 37th minute, but the Trinidad International's bending shot missed by a hair's breadth.
Lazio pumped up the pressure after that narrow escape. Showing their superior form, they kept the Olympians on their heels throughout the first half.
--A charmed crossbar
The Olympians' first goal came in the 50th minute when captain Todd Miller took the ball form his own area, found winger Jesse Day who rapidly connected with Gilbert. The fleet-footed marksman made sure to burry the ball in Lazio's net with authority.
The momentum shifted after Gilbert's goal. Displaying a number 10 performance, Tiger took control of midfield along with playmaker Murphy. They began finding wingers Tracy McGuire and Jake Cavanaugh to open the Lazio defense.
Forward Ricky Johnson came close a number of times. But for the heroics of Lazio's keeper, and a sympathetic crossbar, Johnson could have given OM a good lead.
In the 63rd and 67th minutes, Gilbert had two beautiful kicks bounce off Lazio's charmed crossbar.
--Air Bruderer in full flight
Lazio scored a cracking goal in the 72nd minute, but OM answered less that five minutes later after excellent team work involving rapid one touch passes between Day, Johnson, Tiger and JT Cracroft.
The score remained tied in regulation time. The Olympians won the game in the ensuing penalty kicks thanks to the superb goaltending of Aaron Bruderer who stopped two PKs, including one by former OM midfielder turned Lazio player Ike James.
Bruderer, the league's top goalkeeper in all statistical categories made several important saves in the game to take away man of the match honors from Tiger.
--A roaring Tiger on the loose
Tiger Fitzpatrick's performance stood out though. "Tiger is truly a special player," said Bel-Ami, the Olympians' manager. "Wearing the number 10 of a winner, he played like one. With so many teams in MLS struggling, you would think he'd get a call by now.”
--It's OK to clear the ball out ugly
"I must give special credit to the defense and Aaron. Lazio is a very young and fit team, very fit. They always give us a hard time. Our defense responded great. We can learn from playing teams like Lazio. I have one complaint. We need to clear the ball out more often. There comes a time, as McGuire says, if it looks like half of a danger, kick the ball down field like the pros. We need to do that more often.”
NOTE: Forward Everton made his OM debut and came close to scoring on a pretty header that narrowly missed. Once he is used to the altitude, he will be a handful for opponents.
OM line up: Aaron Bruderer, Jeremy Jones, Todd Miller (captain), Ken Barton, Jesse Day, Nate Murphy, Leslie Tiger Fitzpatrick, Chad Gilbert, Jake Cavanaugh, Everton Do Prado.
Kaysville, UT (League News Service (LNS) August 8 -- Ricky Johnson scored twice and Leslie “Tiger” Fitzpatrick tallied on his debut as Olympique Montreux clinched a berth in the Daynes Challenge Cup by beating Team Xcel 5-0 on Tuesday at the Davis Applied Technology Center.
The large victory put OM into a dominating position for the semifinal game this coming Saturday at West Jordan Soccer Complex when the side takes on the winner of the lions of Pan World FC who defeated Utah F.C. this evening.
In Tuesday's other Daynes Challenge Cup game, Park City Newpark faced Odyssey Web.
Chad Gilbert scored with a twelve yards bounding shot in the 13th minute after good work by playmakers Ken Barton and Nate Murphy who is having an MVP season so far.
Marksman Sergio Vasquez came close to scoring a few times but Xcel's defense followed him closely and played him tightly. Ricky Johnson scored on a header in the 38th minute.
In the second half, Gilbert turned playmaker when he served a great pass to JT Cracroft in the 48th minute. Cracroft made sure not to waste his chance, having not been seen since the Park City Tournament a month ago.
“JT never lets us down. We expect great things from him. He needs to find a way to make it to practice to justify his selection in the team,” said Bel-Ami, OM's manager.
In the 63rd minute Tiger took the ball from midfield, controlled it pass three onrushing Xcel players, and placed the ball expertly in the upper right corner of Xcel's net for the 4th goal.
Johnson got his second goal in the 79th, starting a run from about 25 yards out and firing as he closed in. The keeper bravely pushed the shot out, but true to his reputation, Johnson pounced on the rebound and found the net to close the scoring.
OM's defense did a good job, with Captain Todd Miller and Iron Man Mike Rogers repelling all attacks while John McQuarrie and Jeremy Jones patrolled the flanks.
A more vocal Keeper Aaron Bruderer ensured the shoot out.
“Our preseason games have helped us be more match ready than in past season openers. Indeed the good job Todd Miller is doing with the lads in practice is paying off handsomely. Todd is a great technical director,” beamed Bel-Ami.
Park City, UT (Wednesday, June 22).--Olympique Montreux coach Bel-Ami de Montreux believes that extreme fatigue and injuries to some key players contributed to the team's poor performance and defeat this evening at Park City.
Indeed, OM loses for the first time in regulation time since July 2004.
Taking nothing away from the workmanlike performance of a determined and well-organized ParkCity side, perhaps Bel-Ami has a point since many of his first choice players were called upon to play for Coach Chris Dorich's Utah Select Team in last weekend's regional tournament.
True to his reputation, Liam Hanafer, the Snowmen's reputable set pieces specialist stepped up in the 20th minute to take the free kick at the edge of the area, and buried the ball in Aaron Bruderer's net.
The Olympians played the first half without their usual zeal and nose for the ball. The forwards and the midfielders could not come back fast enough and the defense lagged some 30 yards behind the offense, creating a huge gap in the side.
The Snowmen took advantage of OM's pedestrian display, controlling the center of midfield and dominating possession although they never really threatened Bruderer after Liam's goal.
As as been the case often recently, the Olympians coughed up the ball too much. Lately, the side appears unable to string passes for any significant time, and turns the ball over at an astonishing rate.
“Too many of our key men are just too damn exhausted. Way too much soccer!” lamented Bel-Ami. “It makes no sense that the Select people would take seven, eight of our best players and make them play and Friday, and Saturday, and Sunday, and give them back to me battered, tired, and injured just a couple of days before the most important fixture of the season so far.”
Captain Todd Miller, who of course was on duty for Coach Dorich all-weekend-long, had to pull out of the game after eight minutes with a muscle tear in his upper right thigh. Losing Miller was a tremendous blow to a side that relies on the player's versatility, vision, ability and leadership qualities.
The team's main creative player, Nate Murphy, appeared to have blisters on his toes although the talented midfielder would never admit it. However, it is well known that Murphy was the victim of some violent fouls in the regional tournament.
Prolific goal scorers Sergio Vasquez and Chad Gilbert looked dog-tired early on, having been used too much in last weekend's jaunt.
While fellow Select teammates John McQuarrie and Mike Rogers held their own, they were not at their usual high level, and relied heavily on the tireless display of young Kyle Copeland and Man of the Match JT Cracroft to keep the Snowmen from adding to their 1-0 advantage.
With fullback Paul Williams unavailable, cornerback Jeremy Jones and midfielder Arthur van Wagenen injured, the Olympians could not take advantage of their numeric advantage, even after ParkCity lost a player to a red card.
“To me, our players just did not have enough time to recuperate from their marvelous weekend crusade. That regional tournament put paid to our chances to recover and win this important game. Our men need to bear in mind that they are not professional soccer players. Many have wives and kids. They must work real jobs to help support their families. It seems irrational to me that they are risking serious injuries over-playing although they are perhaps the best soccer talents in the state and that it must generate quite a gush of pride to be selected to represent the Beehive state,” Bel-Ami whined. "Besides, Utah has never produced a world class player because of the way the young men are used."
The case of winger Jesse Day illustrates this tricky situation.
Day who has not played in a competitive fixture since early winter last year because of a serious ankle injury, and who barely came back to training two weeks ago after extended therapy was rushed into Utah Select action last weekend, although the player was obviously not ready.
“Of course there is no contact between me and the Utah Select coaching staff. The player just requests his player pass, takes his wife and children and off he goes to play Select soccer. I do not get to give my opinion on any particular player's fitness although I am best situated to know as this team's manager, explicated Bel-Ami.
“When the player is injured it is OM's problem. My problem. We have to support him and show him we care. Once the player can barely kick again, he is taken away, ran ragged, and again he is exposed to injury. That's not fair to the squad although the player cannot not refuse a call up for fear he might not be called again in retaliation.”
One thing for sure, OM is in a quagmire when its players underperform because they are worn out. The side is risking dropping games to poorer opposition and not winning trophies this season if the players are not men enough to protect themselves against over usage and just say no.
West Jordan, UT. (Saturday, June 10).--Mike Polich took advantage of some shaky defense to score a first-half goal, and the Olympians cruised to a 3-0 victory Saturday night in the first league game after an utterly poor performance against the Real Salt Lake Reserves team in a scrimmage last Monday at Waterford School.
"Last Monday was savage," forward Todd Miller said. "We made it is so difficult on ourselves. We did not play for each other."
“We were outclassed by their fitness,” added midfielder Tracy McGuire.
Poor fitness and freelance soccer
The poor showing against RSL left the Olympians questioning their skill level, and wondering what went wrong.
“What went wrong,” Bel-Ami explained, “is that we have been over-confident. Stiffly cocky, feeling that we could just show up and win anytime. Some of the players think they are all stars on the team and that they do not need to be coached, kind of like last year’s Lakers in the NBA. Some of the men do not follow advise from the sideline. And boom! RealSaltLake forces us to reassess where we are as a team. Players are dead wrong to think they are too good to be coached, that they can freelance, do stepovers and whatever. It just does not work. Or else, Brazil would not need a coach!”
A collective performance
After a good practice last Thursday stressing team work and total soccer, the Olympians came to work this afternoon and got a very good result. Chad Gilbert, a key to OM's unbeaten league run, got the side’s second goal in the 49th minute. After latching on to a pass some 30 yards away from goal, took it on a solo run past the opposition and scored.
OM outshot SaltLakeFC 13-3, with Nate Murphy getting six shots alone.
SaltLakeFC nearly took the lead in the 14th minute, when goalkeeper Chad Evans failed to clear a ball that defender Paul Williams had passed back to him. The SaltLakeFC forward, with only Evans to beat, kicked the ball over the bar and into the cheap seats.
Williams scored in the 64th minute to put the game beyond reach. After that, the Olympians maintain possession of the ball until the final whistle.
"I hope we continue to do a collective job,” Bel-Ami said, "but I think if we do, we probably will not score five, six or seven goals in each game, but we will play well rounded soccer and earn effective wins."
Notes:
On June 3, 2006, Olympique Montreux beat Utah FC, the University of Utah club team, 3-1, with goals by Sergio Vasquez, Chad Gilbert and Nate Murphy. Mauricio Borba, Utah FC's gifted Argentine striker, netted his team's lone goal in the final minutes.
Notes:
Midfielder Jesse Day played solidly for 60 minutes. Day has been injured (ankle) since last winter. A pure left side midfield player, he made his presence felt early with great crosses.
The poor showing against RSL left the Olympians questioning their skill level, and wondering what went wrong.
“What went wrong,” Bel-Ami explained, “is that we have been over-confident. Stiffly cocky, feeling that we could just show up and win anytime. Some of the players think they are all stars on the team and that they do not need to be coached, kind of like last year’s Lakers in the NBA. Some of the men do not follow advise from the sideline. And boom! RealSaltLake forces us to reassess where we are as a team. Players are dead wrong to think they are too good to be coached, that they can freelance, do stepovers and whatever. It just does not work. Or else, Brazil would not need a coach!”
A collective performance
After a good practice last Thursday stressing team work and total soccer, the Olympians came to work this afternoon and got a very good result. Chad Gilbert, a key to OM's unbeaten league run, got the side’s second goal in the 49th minute. After latching on to a pass some 30 yards away from goal, took it on a solo run past the opposition and scored.
OM outshot SaltLakeFC 13-3, with Nate Murphy getting six shots alone.
SaltLakeFC nearly took the lead in the 14th minute, when goalkeeper Chad Evans failed to clear a ball that defender Paul Williams had passed back to him. The SaltLakeFC forward, with only Evans to beat, kicked the ball over the bar and into the cheap seats.
Williams scored in the 64th minute to put the game beyond reach. After that, the Olympians maintain possession of the ball until the final whistle.
"I hope we continue to do a collective job,” Bel-Ami said, "but I think if we do, we probably will not score five, six or seven goals in each game, but we will play well rounded soccer and earn effective wins."
Notes:
On June 3, 2006, Olympique Montreux beat Utah FC, the University of Utah club team, 3-1, with goals by Sergio Vasquez, Chad Gilbert and Nate Murphy. Mauricio Borba, Utah FC's gifted Argentine striker, netted his team's lone goal in the final minutes.
Notes:
Midfielder Jesse Day played solidly for 60 minutes. Day has been injured (ankle) since last winter. A pure left side midfield player, he made his presence felt early with great crosses.
West Salt Lake (May 16). -Lazio was gifted a penalty in the final minutes of the game to equalize the score and take a point from a fatigued and misfiring Olympique Montreux.
Playing their fourth league game in nine days in addition to a friendly match against BountifulCollege, the Olympians appeared tired, prone to too many turnovers and unable to convert many chances.
Full of brio Lazio
A high-spirited Lazio, known for their endurance and led by Mister Chris Dorich, the coach of the Utah Men's Select Team, came out firing on all cylinders, backing the Olympians in their own half of the field for some uncomfortable minutes.
With only three substitutes to choose from a possible seven, OM manager Bel-Ami de Montreux attempted several strategies and rotated his men as best as possible to save energy. With OM's playmakers committing a few turnovers too many, Lazio, apparently the fittest team, was winning most of the midfield fights.
Despite their pace, Lazio was unable to unnerve keeper Aaron Bruderer thanks to the cool play of defenders John McQuarrie, Paul Williams and Jeremy Jones. Bruderer, however, was called upon a couple of times to parry a few dangerous Lazio shots.
In the 12th minute, fullback Mike Rogers had a good look at the Lazio goal, but shot wide. In the 21st minute, Chad Gilbert who was triple covered for most of the match had his shot blocked.
Forward Sergio Vasquez opened the scoring at the 30 minute mark after receiving the ball from a combination between Nate Murphy and Todd Miller. Vasquez, who has scored in each game he has been in this season, placed a powerful looping shot past the diving Lazio keeper.
Too many missed opportunities
The Olympians had a second chance to score when forward Ricky Johnson was taken down inside Lazio's 18 yard in the 57th minute. Unfortunately, Vasquez's penalty shot hit the left post and sailed out of play.
After the missed penalty, Lazio dominated ball possession, but could not score. Johnson came close to scoring the security goal, but Lazio's keeper tipped his shot over the bar.
In the 88th minute, the referee called a hand ball in the area and awarded a penalty to Lazio who made sure to equalize.
The game ended 1-1, with Lazio winning the spot kicks.
Each team is awarded one point in the Utah system when they are tied after regulation time, although they proceed to penalty kicks.
West Salt Lake, Utah (May 13) - Showing why he is Utah's most lethal striker, Sergio Vasquez scored the first goal to lead Olympique Montreux to victory over Bosnia USA at a crucial moment when the Bosnian team was feeling comfortable, having weathered the Olympians' heavy artillery for the first 12 minutes.
Taking it to them
Number nine Vasquez was dangerous from the opening whistle, and with striking partner Chad Gilbert, wreaked havoc on the Bosnia defense.
But for the heroics of goalkeeper Emil Omanovic, the game could have been put to rest rather early.
The Bosnian team, featuring a number of former professionals from the German Bundesliga tried to make a comeback after Vasquez's 12th minute goal, sent keeper Aaron Bruderer into a full stretch dive to deflect a wicked shot by their playmaker Branislav Romanovic.
In the 18th minute, OM free kick specialist Jeremy Jones placed a beautiful shot over the wall, but the effort resulted in a corner. In the 37th minute, Vasquez and Gilbert were at it again, combining a few fast passes, penetrated into the area where Vasquez let loose a powerful shot. Omanovic was able to push it out. Forward Ricky Johnson tapped in the rebound for the second goal.
Plan B: bulldozer tactics
Down 2-0, the Bosnians tried to regroup in the second half, but OM's solid midfielders won all the battles. The few combinations that seeped past the midfield were quickly derailed by central defender Paul Williams and his comrades.
Growing more and more frustrated, some of the Bosnians, following the example of their central defender, Adis Alagic, all but stopped playing football and began to dish out callous fouls. One of them was ejected in the 55th minute for going for midfielder Kenny Barton's ankles with his cleats up. Barton was lucky to avoid what could have been a career ending injury.
Using their numerical advantage, the Olympians passed the ball around with efficiency. In the 67th minute, Gilbert penetrated the Bosnian defense, and made great service for midfielder Nate Murphy who made the score 3-0.
In the 88th minute, midfielder Tracy McGuire ran past a couple of Bosnia USA defenders, found an open Mike Polich in the penalty area. Polich made sure to score although he was fouled quite violently minutes earlier.
“We never doubted we could get a result against that team. The main concern was at what high injury price. Some of the Bosnian players seem to naturally enjoy inflicting physical pain on their opponents instead of playing the beautiful game,” said Bel-Ami de Montreux in post game comments.
“The sad thing about Bosnia USA is that it has some of the best players in Utah on the roster. Their number 9 was great to watch. If Bosnia USA ever really plays football, it could make it difficult for opponents,” Bel-Ami added.
West Jordan, UT (May 10) - Emil Furcht scored a cracking goal in the 30th minute, barely seconds after coming in the game and Olympique Montreux beat Team Xcel 1-0 Wednesday night.
It was a good match as both teams displayed skills and speed with not one actually dominating the other. In fact, Team Xcel threatened OM often in the first 10 minutes, while forward Mike Polich had the Olympians' best scoring chances early on, coming close twice on powerful headers. Also, Jeremy Jones hit the post on a beautifully taken free kick in the 20th minute.
With the two best goalkeepers in the league, OM's Aaron Bruderer and Xcel's Chad Sackett, facing two high powered offenses, both men were called upon to make great saves throughout the match to keep their teams in the game. Keeper Bruderer earned his fourth shutout in four starts.
Although the teams offered a good display of sportsmanship and high level soccer, it was unfortunate that the lead referee chose to make himself the center of attention by making incredible calls and displaying poor judgment similar to the decision that had RealSaltLake's Jason Kreis ejected in the game against the Los Angeles Galaxy a fortnight ago.
"The level of skills of the players greatly outmatch the potential of many refs, and week in and week out, some defects creep into games. That's part and parcel of the competition here," said Bel-Ami de Montreux, OM's manager, after the game. "Generally, however, the officiating is good and getting better as older players are getting into officiating."
Salt Lake City(May 6).--Olympique Montreux FC was in festive mood this afternoon with a comfortable victory against Bosnia United. Goalkeeper Chad Evans made his first start for the side and earned the shut out as the team collected all twelve points in four games and conceded only one goal and scored 22. Last season's Golden Boot winner, Sergio Vasquez, leads the way with nine goals.
It's raining goals, alleluia!
The Bosnian team was keen to take something from the match, not wanting to sink to new lows, having collected zero point in their first three games. Unfortunately for them, however, the Olympians had other ideas. From the start, they pushed the Bosnians against the wall with a machine gun volley of three goals in the opening 15 minutes. Chad Gilbert tallied in the 4th minute, Tracy McGuire in the 8th minute, and Sergio Vasquez made it 3-0 two minutes later. The Olympians were so dominating that any effort their opponents tried to muster were swatted aside quickly. Bel-Ami's men just dominated possession with their familiar quick passing style.
The power of a pretty fan
Although all components of the OM machinery were working perfectly, the performance of Josh Kimball is worthy of special mention. Perhaps the presence of a young woman of a certain beauty had something to do with the winger cranking his game up several gears. Kimball delighted the public and impressed his teammates with his prolific running at the opponents and successful Zidanesque moves. Kimball is having a good run in the side and making the most of it. Today especially, he apparently found a talisman.
The winger was brilliant in creating the second goal. In the 8th minute, he picked the ball up some ten yards out of the area, sped past two defenders and slipped it to McGuire who fired on goal and was delighted to see his shot neatly resting in the back of the net. It was a classic finish that McGuire can be proud of after being injured in last week's game against Utah Mix.
Number seven McGuire could have doubled his tally moments later when Kimball picked him out in the area, after controlling the ball and firing his shot, Bosnia United's keeper was able to push it out, but striker Ricky Johnson was there for the tap in. Bosnia then tested Evans as Admir Softic, a 2001 OM alumnus, took aim from 30 yards only to see Evans parry the ball with authority.
The Barton-Murphy magic show
With the lead secured, Nate Murphy and Kenny Barton began entertaining the crowd with a series of flicks, dummies and pinpoint passes that were greeted with loud olé cheers, but the defense still had to be on its guard as the wind was proving a tricky ally of the Bosnians. In the 20th minute, Barton found Vasquez and the prolific marksman one-timed a perfect shot to claim his 9th goal of the young season.
Five minutes later, Todd Miller sent a long ball forward. Murphy controlled it, slid the ball past the Bosnians defense to Barton who returned the favor and the in-form Murphy slotted home for the sixth goal of the afternoon. Ricky Johnson closed the scoring two minutes from time.
Olympique Montreux in full control
The seven first half goals relaxed the Olympians who basically controlled the second half and maintained 95 percent possession. They remained vigilant though as Softic and Zlatan Radalovic tried a couple of times to thread through the Olympians' minefields. With the game already won, Bel-Ami used the opportunity to enforce OM's policy not to run up the score and take unnecessary risks. The game ended a bit prematurely as several United Bosnia players either became sick, injured or literally stopped playing.
