The first time Andreas Davi saw the movie "Miracle" a few years ago, he was still learning English and didn't quite fully understand coach Herb Brooks' infamous speech to the U.S. hockey team before their historic upset of the Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Olympics.
The German, now with a firm grasp on his second language, saw the movie again the other day during his team's bus trip to Madison, Ala., for the National Premier Soccer League Final Four and fully connected with Brooks' speech.
"This is a speech that you just need before a game like this," Davi said.
The Bavarians (8-2-2), coming off their first Midwest Division title, take on West Division champion Hollywood United (13-2-1) tonight in the first NPSL semifinal at City High School. Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m.
The winner advances to Saturday night's national championship game against the Northeast champion Erie Admirals (11-1-1) or Southeast winner Jacksonville United (6-4-0). The semifinal losers will meet in the third-place match Friday night.
While comparing teams from different regions is always difficult, "We are the underdogs," Davi acknowledged.
Hollywood United, in its first NPSL season after two years in the USL Premier Development League, has a roster with an average age of 28 and includes several former pro players. The Bavarians, meanwhile, have an average age of 20 and all of their players are eligible for Under-23 competition.
"I don't know if they are better soccer players, but they are for sure more experienced than we are," Davi said. "When you watch those Hollywood United highlights on their home page, I don't know. It is really hard to judge this team ... Any team can beat any other team, but you really have to work."
The Bavarians made the trip south with 16 players.
Included in that group are Marquette midfielder Amilcar Herrera (Milwaukee Bavarians), who had been sidelined in recent weeks because of plantar fasciitis in his foot, and UW-Parkside forward Cyril Simmons, who had been out with a pulled hamstring. Herrera led the Bavarians with four goals in NPSL play, Simmons added three and both have played key roles in the attack.
However, Marquette forward Chris Madsen (Brookfield Central) didn't make the trip because of a hamstring injury that kept him out most of the season, and midfielder Peter Sanger (Wauwatosa East/UW-Milwaukee/UW-Milwaukee) is out after suffering a knee injury while playing with the Milwaukee Kickers in the Wisconsin Adult Soccer Association Major League playoffs two weeks ago. Marquette goalkeeper David Check (Mequon Homestead) stayed home because of work obligations.
UW-Milwaukee's Bryce Boyd (Milwaukee Marquette), who posted a clean sheet in a 0-0 draw with the Quad City Eagles on June 11 in his only NPSL appearance of the season, will play between the posts. There won't be any problems with familiarity for Boyd, as college teammates James Ashcroft, Ryan Whitehead and Luke Davey (Whitefish Bay) are regulars on the Bavarians' backline.
On Wednesday night, Davi said he wasn't sure of his starting XI, which figures to play in a 4-5-1 formation with two defensive midfielders.
"I have options, and with those 16 guys who are here, it is a battle who will start," Davi said before the team's training session at City High School. "Most of those guys ... I have rotated them all season. It will be a feeling in my stomach who to start."
Davi said he would stress to his team just how rare this opportunity is.
"They don't know and I don't know," if they will ever get another chance to win a national championship, he said. "Now we are here. The time is now."
Road trip
Midfielder Sebastian Jansson, a native of Sweden who will be a freshman at Marquette in the fall, is documenting the Bavarians' trip to the NPSL Final Four. Here's his first entry:
The first time Andreas Davi saw the movie "Miracle" a few years ago, he was still learning English and didn't quite fully understand coach Herb Brooks' infamous speech to the U.S. hockey team before their historic upset of the Soviet Union at the 1980 Winter Olympics.