“We weren’t here a year ago,” quipped BOHFS president Alen Bradaric.
His amateur soccer club had just qualified for the U.S. Open Cup, U.S. Soccer’s oldest cup competition, following a 3-2 win over Chicago House AC on Sunday. The gravity of BOHFS’s accomplishment had yet to sink in. As the home crowd at St. Mary’s Southside Catholic High School celebrated the group’s accomplishment, Bradaric stood on the field taking in the scenes.
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“Before the game, I didn’t think about it too much,” he confided. “Then the whistle blew, and they brought the banner out. There’s this feeling like winning a huge tournament or something. For all of the guys to be loud and so happy for us, it was just amazing all the way around.”
BOHFS was not the favorite to advance over U.S. Open Cup regulars Chicago House. The Chicago side has more resources, trains more often, and has the backing of U.S. Soccer pioneer Peter Wilt. After trips to Kansas City and Omaha in the previous rounds of qualification, however, BOHFS won the right to bring U.S. Open Cup qualifying back to South St. Louis for the first time in decades.
“We are really lucky to have this relationship [with St. Mary’s Southside Catholic High School],” Bradaric said before the match. “We didn’t lose there all season—it would be an amazing feeling.”
On Sunday, the crowd at St. Mary’s was larger than any crowd the club had enjoyed during the regular season. The traveling Chicago House supporters added to the tense environment. The local supporters, boosted by members of the city’s oldest supporters group, the Saint Louligans, were heard well after the final whistle.
Less than a year ago, Bradaric was planning ambitious steps for his pickup soccer group, electing to join the Midwest Premier League’s Gateway South division. The player-focused club is centered around St. Louis’ Bosnian community, with the club’s name originating from the city’s Bosnian community and the crest taking inspiration from Amsterdam club Ajax, replacing the crest’s Greek helmet with a Bosnian fez. “I just thought we could offer something different for this community,” says Bradaric. “Soccer has given me so much.”
While Bradaric’s experience in the global game features stints in Australia, Germany, and the U.S. following his collegiate career at Lindenwood University, the St. Louis community is at the heart of the club’s ethos. Bradaric hopes to give back through the club’s community work—for instance, accepting donations of canned goods for tickets to Sunday’s match, as we well as opportunities for youth soccer players.
BOHFS finished second in its inaugural season. This summer, BOHFS traveled to the prestigious Villa de Cabanillas youth tournament in Spain. The club represented itself well against the likes of Barçelona, Atlético Madrid, Celta Vigo, and other giants of Spanish fútbol. Following the tournament, a few BOHFS players were invited to train with the Celta Viga Academy. And later in the summer, Stone Marion and Nico Curic received calls from the MLS NEXT Pro sides St. Louis CITY2 and FC Cincinnati 2, after suiting up for BOHFS through the Midwest Premier League season.
Of course, the BOHFS story is about more than providing additional support for the region’s promising youth players; it’s also about giving competitive opportunities for St. Louis soccer veterans. Those veterans, such as former Swansea and STLFC player Chad Bond, were paramount to the team’s Open Cup campaign. The starting XI featured multiple players with professional and USL League 2 experience, such as former Forward Madison FC player Brian Bement and former Des Moines Menace midfielder Adam Knight.
In the aftermath of the match on Sunday, Bradaric took it all in. The club’s veteran players also relished the moment, including Elliot Goodwin, who put BOHFS ahead 3-1 just after halftime, running onto the end of an ambitious pass that set up the counterattack, providing an important goal as Chicago House poured on pressure late in the match. “[I’m] 31 years old, and I’m just grateful to be healthy and still playing,” Goodwin said afterward. “Everybody who came out believed that something special was going to happen here today. These moments last a long time. I’ll remember that goal for a long time.”
BOHFS hopes to use this momentum to build the club’s infrastructure, provide more resources for its players, and increase the club’s social media presence.
Now, BOHFS will have to wait until February for the U.S. Open Cup draw to take place. BOHFS hopes to host again, increasing its chances of winning the $25,000 prize awarded to the amateur club that advances the farthest in the competition. Of course, BOHFS won’t be the only St. Louis club in next year’s competition—and if the team makes it to the round of 32, it could draw St. Louis CITY SC, which plans to return to the competition for a second straight season.
“We’d love to host St. Louis CITY,” Bradaric said as he left the field.
