Born to Run

Soccer key to Marshall teen’s adaptation — and to his future

By Kristina Hickman
Adelante Staff Writer

JENNA BUSEY/Adelante Marshall's Hugo Farfán, left, manuevers around Duchesne's Chris Schulte while playing at the Missouri State Soccer Championship at the Anheuser-Busch Center in St. Louis on Nov. 14. Farfan has scored 39 points for Marshall.

For Mexican teenager Hugo Farfán, soccer just seems to come naturally. The 18-year-old Marshall High School senior grew up playing in the streets of his native El Salitre in the Mexican state of Michoacán.
“There was a league in my nearby school, but I was too young and my parents wouldn’t let me play,” he recalls. “So I would mostly play with my friends in the street.” Farfán may have been confident between the goals in Mexico, but when he moved to the United States, it was another story. Four years ago, he moved with his parents to Marshall, not knowing any English or whether he would ever be able to play soccer again.
“When I came to the USA, I thought I was not going to play soccer,” Farfán said. “I went to where this club played, but I could not play with them because I was a month older than their age limit.”
Farfán eventually found his place on the Marshall High School Owls varsity soccer team, where he now plays on groomed fields under bright lights. His opponents know him as No. 7—if they can read his jersey before he runs past them with the ball. Last year, he helped lead his team to a district championship.
“Soccer has helped me to adapt to my new life in the USA,” Farfán said. “I’m more entertained, I make new friends and I hang out with more people. It generally makes things easier for me.”
Farfán, whose parents work at the local meatpacking plant, has serious plans to attend college. Most Latinos who play U.S. high school soccer have been honing their skills since early childhood in their home countries, but some star players might stay off the field if their English is sub-par. With the help of athletic scholarships and ESOL classes, many Hispanic immigrants in high school find soccer to be their ticket to the professional world.
But it has not been easy for Farfán, challenged to learn a new language, a new culture and a new school system all at the same time. It has been a challenge of linguistic ability, not athleticism. However, the constant support of his family and the courses he took in ESOL have given him the confidence and strength to move on in pursuit of his dream.
Derek Lark, Farfán’s soccer coach for three years, agreed that Farfán has come far in understanding the language of his new country.
“He’s progressed a long way in the English department, and that’s something he’s worked on,” Lark said. “Because that’s the one thing that would have held him back, if anything.”
Farfán’s work ethic certainly won’t hold him back, nor will his attitude.
“What I really want to know is to learn and understand more English,” Farfán said. “That way, when I know more English, I can understand anything in any class I enroll in.”
Farfán, who wants to remain involved with soccer in some capacity after high school, said he also wants to study sports physiotherapy so he can help players who endure fractures and pain. If he continues his education, he will be the first person in his family to attend college.

Additional reporting by Julio Urdaneta

Soccer scene goes international in Columbia

JENNA BUSEY/Adelante Luis Méndez, front, and cousin José Méndez of the Chivas team react after a crucial play along with coach Roberto Sanchez on the sidelines.

Looking for a place to watch some exciting soccer? Although it’s cold outside, fans can now gather indoors to take in the furor forming around their favorite sport. The new MAC indoor soccer arena hosts a late-night league every weekday with competitive matches. The fast-paced, high scoring action of international soccer is now taking place right here in Mid-Missouri. The league not only features local teams, but also has players from Mexico, Argentina, Libya and Honduras on teams like the Chivas, Cartel, El Maguey and Casablanca. All are on track to qualify for the postseason tournament, played Saturday, Feb. 28. Games start at 6 p.m. and usually end at midnight. MAC is located at 2900 Forum Blvd. past Wilson’s Gym. For more information, call (573) 449-2606, or log on to www.soccermac.com.
For the full story, see the next issue of Adelante, on the streets Friday, March 5.

— Sara Stoltz