KITCHENER - Eastwood Rebels goalkeeper Logan Schell barks out instructions to his teammates, as he's supposed to do, and then hopes they fully understand what he's talking about.

Such is the way of life on a high school soccer team that features only one Canadian-born player and 22 others that hail from eight countries in Africa, South America and Asia. Schell is also the only Eastwood player that calls English his mother tongue, a fact that has led to some interesting moments during the current Waterloo County season.

"They all speak different languages out there and I can only speak English, I can't speak Somali or Burmese, so it can be difficult to communicate with them and it can be hard to get their attention," said Schell, who was born and raised in Kitchener.

"Sometimes you have to yell three or four times to get their attention, but it's been fun trying to learn new names, learning how they play and trying to communicate with them. They are a great bunch of guys, they don't exclude anyone and it's been an all-around good time getting to know them."

The Rebels have overcome their communication barriers during the home stretch of the WCSSAA season and enter Thursday's playoffs as the second-seeded squad, behind the Forest Heights Trojans. The Rebels, who have won three straight after a 4-0 loss to Forest Heights, will host a quarter-final game and are optimistic about their chances.

"We're getting better at the right time," said Rebels co-captain Hussein Abdulrahman, who has been in Canada for seven years and speaks with no hint of an accent.

"It's great, man. All the multicultural stuff, it brings us together and makes us better."

Eastwood has long been the destination for recent immigrants and refugees because of its English-as-a-second-language program. All 22 foreign-born players have spent time in it, said Rebels head coach Alexa Hodgkinson.

Ten players remain in the program and are able to speak and understand varying amounts of English, she said.

Schell has four players serving as his last line of defence, and two of them - central fullbacks Bawi Theawng and Mohamed Mahad Ali - speak very little English and rely on teammates to keep them informed. That hasn't been a problem as five of his teammates can speak Somali with Ali and four can speak Burmese with Theawng.

The on-field conversations can be humorous to an outside observer, especially to those that can't speak Somali.

"It sounds like we're arguing but that's not it, it's just the way we talk," said Abdulrahman. "People think we're mad at each other and we're really not."

Language isn't the only hurdle that Hodgkinson has to deal with when she coaches players from such diverse backgrounds. There's also the matter of players actually knowing how to play 11-a-side soccer. They have all the skills but some have never played an organized game before arriving in Canada.

Some of the players were at Eastwood during their junior years and are fluent in the rules, said Hodgkinson, while some of the first-year seniors might have only a passing knowledge.

"They come in with a lot of raw skill and desire . but things like throw-ins, goal kicks and fouls from behind, they are things they have to pick up as we go along," she said.

"The Canadian-born players all know these things, even if they've just played house league. They have a better understanding of what it's like in a real game."

There's also the matter of Mohamed.

The Rebels have three players with that name and have come up with a plan to differentiate between them. One gets to keep his full name, another is named Mo and the third, Mohamed Mahad Ali, is named Banda.

The system has been working but isn't perfect.

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"The nicknames help but sometimes you have to yell at Banda a few times because he's listening for his real name," said Schell with a smile.

Eastwood won five straight WCSSAA championships between 2006 and 2010 but hasn't won since.

International flavour

There is only one Canadian-born player on Eastwood's 23-player roster. Here's the full squad, listed by heritage:

Somali (6) - Hussein Abdulrahman, Anwar Adam, Ismael Abdulle, Mohamed Mahad Ali, Mohamed Ali, Abdi Jama

Burmese (5) - Sang LaHnin, Kum LaHnin, Ben Cenhrang, Bawi Theawng, Beivakha Lian

Ethiopian (4) - Hermon Dinkisa, Ibsa Sute, Bashanana Abdulhalim, Chala Abdulhalim

Afghan (3) - Ramin Mawladad, Adeeb Sultan, Sahil Mawladad

Guatemalan (1) - Jonatan Ramirez

Canadian (1) - Logan Schell

Colombian (1) - Carlos Sanchez

Argentine (1) - Sebastian Angel

Sudanese (1) - Mohamed Hassa

