ALL>> Day after day, a multiracial group composed by people from 11 different countries get together in the San Bernardino Soccer Complex with the same purpose: represent the city on the field in the best possible way. For the Southern California Sports Club, cultural diversity is a must.
The concept is implemented literally from top to bottom within the organization, from the ownership group and the management, via the coaching staff and all the way to its players.
“The diversity in the SoCal environment is what makes us unique. Despite all the difficulties that anyone has when moving to a new country, SoCal had a major role for a smooth and quick adjustment to my new life in the United States,” said Dalberto, Soccer Operations Manager.
Currently, SoCal SC has athletes from nine different countries on its 28-player roster – 13 from the United States, four from Mexico and Brazil, two from Colombia and one from Argentina, Germany, Honduras, Nigeria and South Korea.
The coaching staff also reflects the club’s multicultural purpose with one Mexican – Interim Head Coach Samuel Bernabe -, two Brazilians – Coach Daniel Musatti and Performance Analyst Lucas Imbronise -, one Cuban – Goalkeeper Coach Jose Manuel Miranda – and one Indonesian – Sports Physical Therapist Pete Lingas.
The third Asian player to ever play for the club, 23-year-old defender Taeyoung Kim is pleased with his experience in SoCal SC. The South Korean native is even learning Spanish and Portuguese to be able to communicate better with his teammates.
“It’s a privilege to play with players from several different countries. I had a hard time in the beginning figuring out all the different languages and cultures, but everyone was so kind to me that I have learned something from each of them. I am really pleased by this experience”, Kim commented.
The feeling is the same for Jorge Moreno, one of the two captains of the team. Being part of a roster with so many international players for the first time in his career, the Mexican believes the multiculturalism is one of the most valuable assets of SoCal SC.
“I felt great on this roster. Having players from around the world makes our style of soccer pretty unique. I was concerned that communication could be an issue with players from so many different countries, but the truth is that all of us speak the soccer language”, Moreno stated. Regardless of what happens on the field, SoCal SC has already won the game of diversity.