Windermere Prep boys soccer team sports global roster -- Observer Preps

WINDERMERE Taking in a game involving the boys soccer team at Windermere Prep can be as fun to listen to as it is to watch.

You might hear players calling to one another in Portuguese or German — and you’ll definitely hear a coach with a thick British accent.

The Lakers, who are 7-4-2 at the time of publication, have 13 players who are either international boarding students, foreign-born students who are American residents, first-generation Americans whose parents immigrated here or who have — at some point in their lives — lived abroad.

All told, eight different countries and territories are represented on the Windermere Prep roster — a fact that is as reflective of the actual student body at the elite private school as it is of the nature of the world’s most popular game.

“I love the cultural salad — I learn a lot from them,” said Taher Gaward, who was born in Florida but has lived in Egypt. “I think our team represents the school perfectly.”

The man tasked with getting this unique group of young men to gel is, himself, a transplant from Britian.

Jonathan Griffiths, a physical education teacher for Windermere Prep’s Lower School, came to America six years ago. He has been with the program for five years and has been its head coach for the past two seasons.

Griffiths says all of the players speak english, so there are no overwhelming language barriers, but that problems can arise with soccer terminology and styles of play.

“Just the soccer language barriers — they say different words for different things. On the field, the Brazilians communicate in Portuguese to each other,” Griffiths explained. “Right now, we’re in a good place. … From the start of the season, they’ve been much better. The main thing in the preseason was trying to build that community (within the team).”

Indeed, different styles of play are associated with different nationalities within the beautiful game, something a player like freshman Homero Salles — who came to America two years ago from Brazil — says he enjoys.

“It’s really interesting to see the other cultures and see how they interact with each other, their way of playing,” Salles said.

For someone such as Patrick Hunter, a senior on the team who also plays on Windermere Prep’s football and lacrosse teams, the experience of playing for the Lakers in soccer is unique.

“It’s really cool — I play football and lacrosse here and none of the other sports have diverse nationalities like (soccer) does,” Hunter said. “When I first played my sophomore year, I was kind of shocked to hear all the different languages on the field.”

The team will now work toward advancing out of the Class 2A, District 7 Tournament, which begins Jan. 24 at Father Lopez Catholic High School, and into the state playoffs.

“They are united by being from different countries — that helps a lot,” Griffiths said.

Contact Steven Ryzewski at [email protected].