'Soccer was our main language': This Tucson program boasts players from 20 different countries

Gabriel Rocha had two goals for Catalina High School’s boys soccer program in his first season as coach: to change the culture, and to qualify for (and win) a state title.

The Trojans fell two spots short of qualifying for the state playoffs after losing their final game of the season 3-0 to Sabino.

But it wasn’t a complete loss. On paper, the Trojans went 8-5-2, more than doubling last year’s win total. Then there was, well, everything else.

“We changed the culture here,” Rocha said. “We had people interested. We generated a lot of buzz around the school — the administration to the fans to our players.”

What makes this year’s squad even more different than previous school teams — or even any other team in Tucson — is the great diversity on the Trojans’ roster.

Catalina’s varsity roster included players from 14 different countries; add in the JV squad, and that number swelled to 20. The varsity included six American-born players and others from Italy, Sudan, Panama, Uganda, Central African Republic, Mexico, Brazil, Somalia, Cuba, Honduras, Turkey, Cameroon and Kenya. The JV team featured players from El Salvador, Guatemala, Eritrea, Congo, Tanzania and Togo.

Senior Antonio Morales, who hails from Cuba, said the team hadn’t been as diverse last year. Maybe there was just an influx of diverse students at the school this year. Or maybe just more types of students tried out than before.

“That has kind of been our huge strength,” Rocha said. “We just relied a lot on that diversity.”

But with that level of diversity comes certain challenges.

Some athletes grew up playing soccer on the streets, but never played in a formal setting. Then there’s the language barrier. While all the players speak some English, most don’t consider it their dominant language.

Luckily, Rocha’s coaching staff can speak four languages: English, Spanish, French and Swahili.

“I have some kids that are from Latin America, like Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, who pretty much only speak Spanish,” Rocha said. “If you don’t speak Spanish, you don’t get those kids. They don’t understand. They don’t develop.

“Or vice versa: We have kids that predominantly speak French or they only understand French or Swahili. We have some of those other coaches who help translate and help relay those ideas and really just relate to them and welcome them into this big family we’ve begun to create.”

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But even with all the different language barriers, the team found a way to effectively communicate on the field.

“I would say that soccer was our main language,” defender Giorgio Alfieri said.

Katib Shakhmamedov, a Turkish immigrant who moved to Tucson last school year, first met Rocha in August at a meeting in the school’s library. He said the first-year coach was “trying really hard to make a good team.”

“He was talking good things and everybody got interested in soccer,” said Shakhmamedov, a senior defender. “That’s why we have a lot of kids and we did good this year.”

More than 70 students tried out, allowing Catalina to fill JV and varsity squads. The numbers were also a drastic change from last year, when Catalina struggled to field a JV team.

“We didn’t have enough uniforms to give out to everybody,” Rocha said.

Rocha, a 26-year-old native Tucsonan, started coaching club soccer at age 17. He decided he wanted to move on to the high school level and applied to a few different local schools; Catalina was the one to return his calls.

“I came to Catalina because it was the only school that took a chance on me,” Rocha said. “I applied to schools like Cholla, Pueblo, THS … but Catalina was the one who gave me the opportunity over the summer.”

Tucson’s most compelling roster learned about each other through the game. Players discovered different styles of play and languages, foods and music they wouldn’t otherwise.

“Everyone has their own style, like playing soccer,” Shakhmamedov said. “Everyone learns from each other something. And I think they learn something from me, too. I always wanted to show them soccer from Turkey.”

And while Catalina fell just short of reaching the state playoffs, the team should be in good hands next season. The JV team finished this season undefeated.

Rocha said he’s excited to see how far the team will be able to go next year, especially after the success they had in his first year.

“If Coach Gabriel … continues staying here at this school, I’m thinking soccer at Catalina is going to be continued,” Shakhmamedov said. “He gives motivation to everyone. … He’s doing it from his heart. That’s why, next year, they’ll be good. If they try hard, work hard every day, they’ll be good.”