A cashier at a local restaurant was chatting with a customer Saturday afternoon when the patron asked how business was.

“Busy,” the cashier replied. “We’ve got all of the people from the soccer tournament coming in. The colors just keep changing.”

Indeed, from Bovina to Grove Street and nearly every open patch of grass in between, the fields of Vicksburg were alive with the sights and sounds of soccer on Saturday.

It was the first day of the Mississippi Youth Soccer Association’s President’s Cup tournament, which brought 141 teams and well over 3,000 people to the city. Games were spread out on 20 fields across Warren County, and all were lined with cheering family members and supporters.

“We’re pretty much into this. It’s a big social thing for the whole family,” Madison resident Harry Moran said as he watched his daughter, Elizabeth, play for the Mississippi United U-13 team in a game at Bovina’s Mlakar Field.

“We bring the younger kids with us and they enjoy being with kids their own age.”

The busiest area was Bovina, where 12 of the 20 playing fields are located.

A steady stream of players flowed from one side of the VSO complex to another, and a parade of referees marched up to the tournament headquarters tent to report scores.

For the more remote fields – games were also played at Warren Central, Vicksburg High, Porters Chapel Academy and St. Aloysius – tournament officials were relying on technology to keep things running smoothly.

Final scores were called in immediately after games and posted on the MYSA web site (www.mississippisoccer.org) within minutes. Moments later, they were text-messaged to team members’ cellphones.

Weather alerts or other delays were also sent along, helping both players and parents stay safe.

“All of this technology is helping us run the tournament a lot better and keep people informed,” said Division II tournament director Tony Bombich as he showed off the features of the MYSA web site. “It helps for people who want to know about an earlier game or one that’s going on in their bracket.”

Brent Clements, MYSA’s executive director, said the new system was a big improvement.

“You’d have it on a piece of paper and run the cards to the board,” Clements said. “You never really knew.”

All of the technology and hard work behind the scenes paid off with few noticeable problems for players and parents. Other than a handful of games running behind schedule – typical for any large tournament, Clements pointed out – everything seemed to be running smoothly.

“We haven’t had any problems that I’ve noticed, as far as angry mobs or anything,” joked Vicksburg resident Amy Merrill, who was watching her daughter Sarah play in a U-14 tournament game at Link Field in Bovina.