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Take one look at the roster for the Furness boys’ soccer team, and it’ll be tough finding more than two players from the same country. There is such diversity on the 24-member squad that coach Paul Letteri had to take a poll at Monday’s practice to figure out from what parts of the world his athletes originate.
Represented are Palestine, Jordan, East Africa, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Argentina, Ecuador and the good old U.S.A. — a bold example for world peace, but not a real help in the communication process. But somehow, some way, this local squad is successfully using soccer as its common ground. Furness finished the regular season with a 9-3 record, which is good enough for first place in Division C-D — a first in Letteri’s seven years with the program.
"Soccer is their life," the coach said. "They belong to teams in the neighborhood, and are constantly playing.
"They are really amazing when they are on the field."
The Falcons plan to show off their skills Monday afternoon when they face Central in an opening-round playoff game.
The majority of the athletes grew up playing soccer in their native countries, just like South Philly youths play pickup basketball games in schoolyards. Sophomore Rodrigo Ruzo, who moved to the United States seven years ago, played indoor soccer in Argentina.
"I’ve been playing soccer since I was 6," he said, taking a break from Monday’s practice. "It’s all the same rules, but there are better players in Argentina."
Junior Qifu Zhan, who arrived here from China three years ago, said he enjoys playing American high-school soccer.
"I like [the American game] better than China," Zhan said. "In China, I didn’t play on a team."
Zhan is one of several Furness players who speaks limited English.
Conversations in various languages fly back and forth during games. Occasionally, that will include curse words, which typically leads to a yellow penalty card –that is, when the referee can understand what the athlete is saying.
Some of the players have a harder time communicating than others. For example, freshman Karim Diarra, from East Africa, speaks fluent French but not a word of English. Once the Falcons take the field, the players use sign language to understand each other.
"If you don’t understand English, we make hand gestures," said senior goalie Ryan Ngem, whose family hails from Cambodia.
He added that the team will use hand motions to show how to play the ball or push back on defense.
"We are united through soccer," said Ruzo, who also plays games in Fairmount Park. "We try to work things out."
The sport seems to be gaining popularity at Furness. Letteri had 30 kids come out for the team in the fall. The coach said he was especially impressed by the turnout because he took a sabbatical last spring, which limited his ability to recruit players.
Having a sizable team is helpful when some of the athletes have to put schoolwork before soccer. If a player has a big test the day after a game, he’ll skip the match to study. It’s quite the opposite from some coaches’ concerns about keeping their players academically eligible.
"They are all academically good kids," Letteri said. "They have a good work ethic. A lot of them don’t play every game because they have a test."
The Falcons’ next athletic test is their quest to upset Central, who finished fifth in Division A. No matter what the sport, the Division C-D teams typically struggle to win against the elite squads. But even with the odds stacked against them, the Falcons aren’t content with finishing the season 9-3.
"We are tired of being the underdogs," Ngem said. "We have to play like a team and give it our best."
Letteri said he thinks his athletes will be anything but pushovers for Central. "I think we’ll give them a run for their money."
