"I have always been told that soccer is a universal language, but it wasn’t until I was in another country that I really understood what that meant." -BFC Coach Michael Montgomery on his experience in Paraguay

 

How did your trip to Paraguay come about?

 

I went to Paraguay to help lead a church mission trip. Our local church has partnered with a church in Asunción, Paraguay to help with building costs and construction. The pastor of the church in Asunción is an Argentine man who loves to play soccer. I met him a few years ago in Argentina where we played soccer together and traded jerseys (he has my Sounders jersey and I have his Tucuman Jersey). 

 

 

What were your observations about soccer culture in Paraguay & some of the environmental/social/economic/etc. factors that you observed while you were there that have influenced their soccer culture?

 

Asunción is a pretty big city and the capital of Paraguay. Big cities don’t have a lot of space for soccer complexes, so the fields are single fields set close to buildings and had high nets around them to prevent the ball from hitting houses or buildings. The field was not full-sized; it was small and the teams played 9v9. Since Asunción is a capital city, it has a lot of people from various South American countries. When I went to see my friend play, he was on a team of Argentines and their game was against a group of Bolivians. The teams were wearing their national jerseys. The game before theirs was Brazil vs Paraguay. Families of the players would come and bring coolers with drinks and hang out and watch the games. The games were pretty competitive, but the joy of playing came in the camaraderie of the team. As with any game, there is the thrill of competition and scoring a goal. There is also the difficulty of getting scored on. But for the minutes that you are on the field, other frustrations in life, whether at work or school or home, seem to melt away. There is just the game. That is the joy of playing. As adults, we continue to play for fun and enjoy the competition and the struggle.

 

 

The next day, my friend invited me to play in a pickup game with his team and other Argentine players.  At the pickup game, everyone showed up with their favorite club jersey—it was a mishmash of color.  The game was organized and it was competitive, but great fun. We played another pickup game a couple days later in a smaller setting. It was a covered area about the size of a basketball court and was concrete. We played 5v5. The game was fast paced and tiring. While we played on the court, there was a gathering of older men off to the side listening to the local professional club on the radio. 

 

 

The playing field was level. Everyone seemed to have proper boots and everyone had their favorite jerseys. The people were are all locals just looking to enjoy playing a game with friends after work.  I played three times that week at three different fields around the city. 

 

Was there anything that surprised you about your soccer experience in Paraguay?

 

I was surprised to see so many people from different South American nations in Asunción.  I didn’t expect that and I didn’t expect them to organize into their different teams with their different colors.  They were proud of where they came from and enjoyed playing the others. I was also surprised to see how many had jerseys of their favorite players and clubs during the pickup games. When I go to pickup games in the US, I mainly see t-shirts with the Nike swoosh or the Adidas three stripes, and some jerseys. But in Paraguay, almost everyone had on a jersey of their favorite team.

 

 

When you talked with local soccer players, what were some of the conversations you had?

 

I have been learning Spanish over the last couple of years, so I was thankful to be able to speak to a few of the players after the game. They asked me where I was from and what I was doing in Paraguay. They told me where they worked or if they knew someone from the United States. I spoke to one man who opened his own barbershop in Asunción. His barbershop had a lot of Argentine themes because he was born in Argentina, but now lives in Paraguay. 

 

Soccer gave me a way to meet new people in a new place. It gave me a way to have fun with the local people. It gave me new experiences with my friend. This is why I love the game of soccer. I am looking forward to returning to South America to play again with my friend someday.

 

What was it like to play soccer with players you had never met before and did not speak the same native language as you?

 

I was a bit nervous at first to play with people that I didn’t know and couldn’t speak their language well. The goalkeeper told me in Spanish to “escuchame cuando yo….,” which means “listen to me when I…” He spoke so fast that I didn’t know what he said after “listen to me…”

 

But when the game begins, I just had to fall back on the basic principles we teach at the Club: use your eyes to read the game, look for opportunities to pass, dribble and support, and defend with intensity. It was nice to put into practice all the things that I have been calling out from the sidelines this season as an assistant coach for GU12 Red. These basic principals are the same no matter who is on the field or what languages are spoken. A good pass is a good pass in any language; and a smile and a fist-bump is plenty of communication to know you are on the same team or show respect to your opponent.

 

 

Published: April 27, 2023