DENVER – Serving in Israel's military with
Bryan Amouyal (Ashdod, Israel/Mekif Tet), Oz Levi had this idea.
Levi tried to convince Amouyal that it would be a great thing to play collegiate soccer and get an education in the United States. And, by the time Levi settled on playing and attending school at Fort Lewis, Amouyal was considering his options, too.
"I'm very grateful he had the idea, because I think it's the best move I could have ever done," Amouyal said.
Metropolitan State University of Denver is grateful, too, because Amouyal wound up deciding to join the Roadrunners' program. Now, halfway through his freshman season, Amouyal has a team-high three goals, including the game-winner in Sunday's 1-0 victory at South Dakota School of Mines & Technology.
"He's coming right along," MSU Denver coach
Jeremy Tittle said. "He's a super technical player. He can spot a pass. He's one of our better finishers. When we get his positioning right in the front third of the field and get him quality service, he's going to be able to score even more goals. He could easily be our leading goal-scorer this year."
Amouyal and the Roadrunners (4-6 overall, 3-3 and seventh in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) are hoping to go on a late-season surge starting this weekend, when they have home games Friday at 5 p.m. against Adams State (0-8-2, 0-4-2 for 11
th) and Sunday at 1 p.m. against Colorado State University-Pueblo (4-5-1, 1-4-1 and tied for eighth).
"We need to make a statement, go on a big run, show everyone we are here before the playoff," Amouyal said.
MSU Denver is shooting for a top-four finish in the RMAC: the top two seeds receive first-round byes and semifinal home games, while the Nos. 3 and 4 seeds have first-round home games. With nine points, MSU Denver is only one point out of fifth and four points out of third.
Moving up will likely require steady contributions from Amouyal, who, up until the end of March, was fulfilling his required 32 months of military service in Israel.
"Everyone in America is surprised by that, they think I must be a tough guy," Amouyal said, laughing. "But no, I'm not the only one who did that."
It is fateful, though, that Amouyal reconnected with Levi while serving. They had played against each other three or four times a year since the age of 10, played at the national level at age 16, then wound up serving together.
"Since then we've basically been best friends," Amouyal said.
Once Levi picked Fort Lewis, Amouyal considered his options.
"I searched for a place to maybe be close to him or in the same league, so I made a highlight video and sent it to a few coaches in Colorado and eventually a few coaches talked to me," Amouyal said. "And I felt when I talked to Coach Tittle that this was the best place for me soccer-wise, location-wise – Denver is a great place – the campus is great, the program is great. I was convinced that this is the best place for me."
The friends reconnected again when the Roadrunners headed out to Fort Lewis for a game Sept. 21, and suffered a 5-2 defeat.
"I was very happy to see my best friend over there, we took our picture together after the game," Amouyal said. "To play against each other in America, it was surreal."
Amouyal scored a goal in that game. Meanwhile, Fort Lewis' Bar Hazut scored twice. Hazut, like Amouyal and Levi, is an Israeli.
Three Westminster players are from Israel as well. Amouyal said the influence of his countrymen is spreading even beyond the RMAC. He's involved in a WhatsApp group message with about 50 Israelis playing college soccer in the U.S.
"It's become a bigger thing in the last two years," he said. "And I think it will evolve in the next couple of years."
The Roadrunners are glad that Amouyal's service is now with them.
"From the beginning it seemed like a really good fit, between him and I relationally," Tittle said. "When he got here, he said this is where he wanted to be.
"Everything is working really well. We'll continue to watch him develop over time. He's going to be a good player for us this year and in the future."
