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The Blitz and Pumas brought something that Kansas City hasn’t seen in a long, long time: a gold medal.
Well, actually, two of them.
KC Bayern Munich Soccer Club, which features several area soccer players in a range of different age groups, sent their U12 and U10 squads, the Pumas and Blitz, respectively, to Blaine, Minn., for the prestigious Schwan’s USA Cup International Tournament.
Going in, coach Ricky Olivares thought he’d see some wins, but nothing like what he saw his girls turn out.
“In all honesty, I didn’t really expect it. I thought our U10 girls would have some success. I didn’t expect our U12 to do as well as they did,” Olivares said. “I thought I’d see a little bit of success, but I didn’t see us being this successful.”
The Pumas went 6-0, going unscored upon until the championship game, a 3-2 win over a more than formidable Fargo, N.D., opponent.
The Blitz went 4-0, shutting out every opponent on their way to their own gold medal.
“Our goalkeepers did good, but I think it was more of our defense and midfield that really shut our opponents down and didn’t allow much past the midline,” Olivares said.
The club features several area girls from Independence, Blue Springs and Lee’s Summit. Their practice field and home base is located just off Noland Road and U.S. 40.
“We basically carved that out of rubble and made it into a soccer field,” Olivares said.
KC Bayern Munich, which not long ago only featured one to two older age groups, recently saw its club multiply rapidly, thanks to Olivares.
“The club has always strived hard to get girls to showcases, and I agree with that, but I’m all about growing the club from the bottom up,” Olivares said.
So the team added more younger-aged teams. Now the count stands at seven different age groups, with Olivares hoping to expand even more.
“We’re hoping to get a team in every age bracket,” he said. “The club is always open to whomever. We have open tryouts, I’m always looking to form new teams and get new girls on the teams.”
Olivares, in his second year with KC Bayern Munich, came over from KC United, a soccer club based in Overland Park, Kan.
“[KC Bayern Munich] is more of a smaller club, but we pride ourselves in what we do and how we do things,” he said.
What they do is get kids on their team exposure.
“That’s our whole philosophy,” Olivares said. “We’re trying to teach the kids fundamentals that will help them become successful in high school and hopefully get scholarships to college.
“That’s our ultimate goal. We’re here for the girls. It’s not about the trophies or for our own glory. It’s about getting these girls prepared for high school and college.”
Next up for the soccer club is league play in the Heartland Soccer Association and a few more local tournaments, but for this week the team earned some down time.
“I gave them the week off,” Olivares said. “We pretty much played a whole season in one weekend.”
The Blitz and Pumas brought something that Kansas City hasn’t seen in a long, long time: a gold medal.
Well, actually, two of them.
KC Bayern Munich Soccer Club, which features several area soccer players in a range of different age groups, sent their U12 and U10 squads, the Pumas and Blitz, respectively, to Blaine, Minn., for the prestigious Schwan’s USA Cup International Tournament.
Going in, coach Ricky Olivares thought he’d see some wins, but nothing like what he saw his girls turn out.
“In all honesty, I didn’t really expect it. I thought our U10 girls would have some success. I didn’t expect our U12 to do as well as they did,” Olivares said. “I thought I’d see a little bit of success, but I didn’t see us being this successful.”
The Pumas went 6-0, going unscored upon until the championship game, a 3-2 win over a more than formidable Fargo, N.D., opponent.
The Blitz went 4-0, shutting out every opponent on their way to their own gold medal.
“Our goalkeepers did good, but I think it was more of our defense and midfield that really shut our opponents down and didn’t allow much past the midline,” Olivares said.
The club features several area girls from Independence, Blue Springs and Lee’s Summit. Their practice field and home base is located just off Noland Road and U.S. 40.
“We basically carved that out of rubble and made it into a soccer field,” Olivares said.
KC Bayern Munich, which not long ago only featured one to two older age groups, recently saw its club multiply rapidly, thanks to Olivares.
“The club has always strived hard to get girls to showcases, and I agree with that, but I’m all about growing the club from the bottom up,” Olivares said.
So the team added more younger-aged teams. Now the count stands at seven different age groups, with Olivares hoping to expand even more.
“We’re hoping to get a team in every age bracket,” he said. “The club is always open to whomever. We have open tryouts, I’m always looking to form new teams and get new girls on the teams.”
Olivares, in his second year with KC Bayern Munich, came over from KC United, a soccer club based in Overland Park, Kan.
“[KC Bayern Munich] is more of a smaller club, but we pride ourselves in what we do and how we do things,” he said.
What they do is get kids on their team exposure.
“That’s our whole philosophy,” Olivares said. “We’re trying to teach the kids fundamentals that will help them become successful in high school and hopefully get scholarships to college.
“That’s our ultimate goal. We’re here for the girls. It’s not about the trophies or for our own glory. It’s about getting these girls prepared for high school and college.”
Next up for the soccer club is league play in the Heartland Soccer Association and a few more local tournaments, but for this week the team earned some down time.
“I gave them the week off,” Olivares said. “We pretty much played a whole season in one weekend.”
