By Ian S. Cunningham, OM PR Writer Winter 1999!
It is almost six years since Olympique Montreux, reputably known as OM, was established in Salt Lake City, Utah. Six years, three different leagues and four major trophies later, OM has established its pedigree.
As the team unveils its website, it is indeed a fitting occasion to acknowledge each player who has proudly donned an OM jersey over the years.
A very special salute is due to the pioneers who earned OM its first major silverware on October 22, 2001. Call the roll:
Jorge Conde! Marcos Melendez! Bel-Ami! Mike Leveille! George Sinju! Mike Bialecki! Luke Garrott! Salif N’Diaye! Rob Olisa! Alija Hajdarevic! Admir Softic! Adis Alagic! Ibrahim Kazic! William Tonico! Facil Faye! Pablo Hernandez! Gabriel Hernandez! You started us on our way.
While OM tasted success early in its sporting life, the team also sustained its share of heartaches. We did not any major trophies in 2003 and 2004. A miserable third place finish in 2004 was all we collected. Our scandalous slip in the standing was due in part to some unfortunate occurrences in the fall of 2002. Fresh from winning the top division of the Liga Latinoamericana, all our Bosnian teammates left to join exclusively Bosnian teams. That mass exodus of so many first choice players, practically the core of the team, left us in shambles.
Notwithstanding OM’s feelings, we did not see those events as some kind of Machiavellian plot too destroy the team. The Bosnians had all the rights to found their own dynasty and promote their culture in their new country.
Nonetheless, we were determined to survive that Balkanization period and stay alive as a team. It would take time, however, as we went from one heartache to another and from a multitude of players who only joined the team hoping for remuneration.
OM’s fortune reversed, however, for the better in the spring of 2005 when the team finally joined the Utah Soccer Association. We went unbeaten and won the First Division in a landslide. We did it with a makeshift squad of mostly part-time players with multiple teams allegiances. Some of the guys were on the rosters of as many as three teams in different leagues from Provo to Logan. Despite all that, we managed in an Open Cup game to frighten mighty Lazio, a Premiership team coached by the legendary Chris Dorich, before running out of gas in the waning minutes.
Along with the First Division trophy came promotion to the Premiership. If the few Open Cup games we played are any indication, life in the Premiership is going to be very difficult. To succeed, OM will need to sign some very good players who can commit only to the team. We hope our reputation will help in recruiting a few of the best young talents in the State.
Sadly though, to raise the level of our game, we will have to make difficult decisions. We have to part with many young men who contributed to our recent success. As we said earlier, some were moonlighting with us really out of friendship while still playing for teams in other leagues. We sincerely thanked them. The fact is that OM deserves full time players who are committed to its mission.
Yes, it has been a wild and dizzy ride to the Premiership. We want to seize the opportunity.
Friday, August 12, 2005
Thursday, August 11, 2005
IT IS NOT YOUR GRANDMOTHER’S OLYMPIQUE MONTREUX!
TARGETING THE DAYNES CUP
Upon winning the English Premier League, Chelsea went shopping for the best talents to improve the team and ensure it remains at the top for a long time. Among other purchases, Chelsea paid about 38 million dollars for the rights to Shaun Wright-Phillips, a natural winger who starred for Manchester City in recent years. The Club is close to reaching a staggering 50 million dollars agreement with Olympique Lyon, the reigning D1 French Champion, to obtain the services of Ghanaian midfielder Michael Essein.
Other teams in the EPL are spending as wildly hoping to stay in Chelsea’s winning wake next season. Arsenal, Mancheter United, Liverpool, Everton and less successful English teams such as Tottenham Hotspurs, Bolton and Aston Villa are spending great funds to strengthen their squads.
In Spain, having failed to win a major trophy in two years, Real Madrid has been very active in the transfer market as well. It recently signed Brazilian prodigy Robinho from Pele’s old club, Santos, for 30 million dollars, and completed the transfer of Julio “The Beast” Batista, a player who scored 50 goals in all competitions for Valencia in just two years on the team’s books.
Robinho and Batista are only two of the big names Real Madrid added to a squad already featuring David Beckman, Zinadine Zidane, Ronaldo and Raul. It is expected they will soon make a bold move for England defender Rio Ferdinand. To make room for its new stars, the side will not hesitate to show the door to former World Player of the Year Luis Figo and England striker Michael Owen. That’s football!
So it should not surprise anyone that Olympique Montreux must radically improve the team after being promoted to the Premiership. The competition will be much more difficult. The Utah Open Cup games taught OM that to compete in the Premiership, it must make painful decisions. OM may have to leave behind a Figo or two. That’s football.
It was a well-known joke that many of the players who competed for OM last spring actually played in several other leagues. For example, one of the players, Erick “Teba” Morales, was pulling superman stunts performing for at least four teams from Salt Lake to West Valley to Provo to Ogden to Logan. That’s too much soccer, even for a player of Teba’s admirable talents! Eduardo “Lalo” Maldonado was kind enough to give us some games while actually a star performer for top team Paisano of the Liga Latinoamericana.
After the lessons learned in 2002 when OM’s Bosnian captain Adis Alagic and others left to form their own teams, the side cannot remain passive at this crucial time. It must open its doors to, hopefully, some of the best young talents in the State.
With Team Assistant Manager Greg Pulver’s many connections, OM was able to capture the coveted signature of K.C. Nordfors, the most prolific goal scorer in the region. Others players, on their own volition, soon expressed a desire to join team. The energetic Mike Polich brought with him several top players such as Art and Hugh Van Wagenen, Jake Cavanaugh, Mike Rogers, Jeremy Jones, Aaron Bruderer, Chad Bartlett, Jesse Day, Matt Wolley, and Sergio Velasquez, a stricker with an excellent reputation for finding the net in impossible situations.
OM also kept some of the old guard, Sean O’Brien, Homero Tafolla, Josue Fererra, Josh Kimball...
With the mix of old and new, it is clear that Olympique Montreux has done all it can to pack much weight in the upcoming campaign. Hopefully, the team will lift silverware soon.
Why not start with the Daynes Cup?
Upon winning the English Premier League, Chelsea went shopping for the best talents to improve the team and ensure it remains at the top for a long time. Among other purchases, Chelsea paid about 38 million dollars for the rights to Shaun Wright-Phillips, a natural winger who starred for Manchester City in recent years. The Club is close to reaching a staggering 50 million dollars agreement with Olympique Lyon, the reigning D1 French Champion, to obtain the services of Ghanaian midfielder Michael Essein.
Other teams in the EPL are spending as wildly hoping to stay in Chelsea’s winning wake next season. Arsenal, Mancheter United, Liverpool, Everton and less successful English teams such as Tottenham Hotspurs, Bolton and Aston Villa are spending great funds to strengthen their squads.
In Spain, having failed to win a major trophy in two years, Real Madrid has been very active in the transfer market as well. It recently signed Brazilian prodigy Robinho from Pele’s old club, Santos, for 30 million dollars, and completed the transfer of Julio “The Beast” Batista, a player who scored 50 goals in all competitions for Valencia in just two years on the team’s books.
Robinho and Batista are only two of the big names Real Madrid added to a squad already featuring David Beckman, Zinadine Zidane, Ronaldo and Raul. It is expected they will soon make a bold move for England defender Rio Ferdinand. To make room for its new stars, the side will not hesitate to show the door to former World Player of the Year Luis Figo and England striker Michael Owen. That’s football!
So it should not surprise anyone that Olympique Montreux must radically improve the team after being promoted to the Premiership. The competition will be much more difficult. The Utah Open Cup games taught OM that to compete in the Premiership, it must make painful decisions. OM may have to leave behind a Figo or two. That’s football.
It was a well-known joke that many of the players who competed for OM last spring actually played in several other leagues. For example, one of the players, Erick “Teba” Morales, was pulling superman stunts performing for at least four teams from Salt Lake to West Valley to Provo to Ogden to Logan. That’s too much soccer, even for a player of Teba’s admirable talents! Eduardo “Lalo” Maldonado was kind enough to give us some games while actually a star performer for top team Paisano of the Liga Latinoamericana.
After the lessons learned in 2002 when OM’s Bosnian captain Adis Alagic and others left to form their own teams, the side cannot remain passive at this crucial time. It must open its doors to, hopefully, some of the best young talents in the State.
With Team Assistant Manager Greg Pulver’s many connections, OM was able to capture the coveted signature of K.C. Nordfors, the most prolific goal scorer in the region. Others players, on their own volition, soon expressed a desire to join team. The energetic Mike Polich brought with him several top players such as Art and Hugh Van Wagenen, Jake Cavanaugh, Mike Rogers, Jeremy Jones, Aaron Bruderer, Chad Bartlett, Jesse Day, Matt Wolley, and Sergio Velasquez, a stricker with an excellent reputation for finding the net in impossible situations.
OM also kept some of the old guard, Sean O’Brien, Homero Tafolla, Josue Fererra, Josh Kimball...
With the mix of old and new, it is clear that Olympique Montreux has done all it can to pack much weight in the upcoming campaign. Hopefully, the team will lift silverware soon.
Why not start with the Daynes Cup?
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