Soccer a universal language for Des Moines Hoover boys squad with international background

School has just let out at Des Moines Hoover high school, and boys soccer coach Jon Rubino is waiting for all of the members of his team to make their way to the field.

It’s Friday, and an afternoon practice stands between the members of the Huskies squad and the weekend. But it’s an important practice, the last before Hoover faces Waukee in a second-round substate game.

And Rubino’s team is late.

The field isn’t far from the high school; only a small parking lot separates the main building from the football field, which doubles as a soccer pitch in the spring. The issue is that Hoover hosted a cultural assembly at the end of the school day, and the soccer team was well represented.

Some players make their way to the field in clothing traditional to their African or Asian cultures. Others saunter down to practice balancing plates of food. Sophomore midfielder Banto Gaye even has white face paint from earlier in the day.

There is no better example of the diversity on Hoover’s soccer team than this practice.

Which is more difficult, blending soccer styles or cultures?

Zambia. Thailand. Mexico. Congo. Myanmar. El Salvador.

The players who make up Hoover’s 23-man squad come almost exclusively from international backgrounds. There are 15 different countries represented on the roster, and a large portion of the players are first-generation students in the United States.

That’s one of the first challenges Rubino's team had to overcome before even playing a game.

“You’re trying to merge all of these different beliefs and cultures and structures, so that’s not always easy,” Rubino said. “But one thing, these guys all respect one another. They respect where everyone comes from, they respect their beliefs and their values, and at the end of the day, we’re like one big family.”

As with any family, there’s a bit of dysfunction and some disagreements. But Rubino said that when they’re on the field, his players just want the best for each other and for the team. Hoover’s record this season (16 wins and 4 losses entering Wednesday night's substate final vs. Ankeny Centennial) shows that.

But those cultural differences weren’t the only challenge that Rubino had to face. Most of the Huskies players also compete on separate soccer clubs, which means some of them were trained in different styles of play.

“We have six or seven clubs that feed us,” Rubino said. “So you have all different types of styles and trying to integrate that into your system and your style of play. It takes time and it takes the right mentality.”

There was never a question if Rubino’s team had the right mentality. The biggest challenge was teaching his players how to compete against some of Iowa’s top high school soccer players. Once they did that, it was about learning to win those close games. Last step: Learn how to keep doing both of those things consistently.

Since taking over as head coach in 2016, that’s been Rubino’s philosophy. He created a foundation for soccer success at Hoover with his first squad of Huskies players, a group that he says had the potential to showcase how good they really were.

Except the pandemic took that opportunity from them.

Making the most of missed opportunities

Hoover had five wins in its first year under Rubino. The Huskies posted six victories in each of the next two seasons. In 2019, things started to turn, with Hoover putting up a 13-7 record. The team was prepared to continue that newfound success into the next season, but COVID-19 cancelled the 2020 season.

Instead of going backward, the Huskies picked up right where they left off, going 11-9 in 2021.

“We took our lumps, but we learned how to compete,” Rubino said. “We learned how to grow up and mature.”

The Huskies also learned how to win. Hoover's 16-4 record entering Tuesday was fourth best in Class 5A behind only Ankeny, Iowa City West and Johnston. The Huskies matched a school record vs. Marshalltown with their 14th win, then broke it against Des Moines Lincoln with their 15th win.

It was a moment senior midfielder Kiki So had waited for since joining the team as a freshman.

“It felt really great,” So said. “It makes me want to win more. If we lose, we keep it together and then we put our head up for the next game.”

So’s teammate, sophomore Ben Musengo, agreed. Win or lose, he knows this Hoover team cemented its spot in school history.

“This season is a success,” Musengo said. “If we beat (Waukee) or not, it was a success for us to beat the school record. It’s amazing for the future, to remember that we really did that.”

Walking past Waukee

The Huskies were fresh off a 2-1 loss to top-ranked Ankeny as they shuffled into McGrane Stadium on Monday night. It was an all-too-familiar scene: Hoover vs. Waukee, which has been the buzzsaw between the Huskies and the substate final in two of the past three seasons. The Warriors shut out Hoover in 2019 and again in 2021.

This time felt different.

With the most wins in program history, the confidence that comes with scoring even one goal against the state’s top team, and home-field advantage, it was a different Hoover facing Waukee. The Huskies had already defeated the Warriors 1-0 in mid-April.

“We’ve been waiting a year for this moment,” Rubino told his team in the pregame huddle. “And now it’s here. When the final whistle blows, don’t feel like you could’ve given more. …The suburbs’ time is over. It’s time for metro to win.”

And that’s exactly what the Huskies did.

With 31:52 left in the second half, Waukee’s goalie came out to play the ball but miscalculated the timing. Hoover freshman Javier Flores jumped on the opportunity and sent the ball into the back of the net. Teammate Stani Venas jumped on Flores’ back as the two ran toward the bench in celebration.

It was redemption for Flores, whose goal in the first half was called back for a hand ball.

Waukee had a chance around the 20-minute mark of the second half, but Reese Rubino and Enock Musengo got to Warriors junior Max Bartachek just in time. In the end, Flores’ goal was all the Huskies needed to win.

As an airhorn sounded the end of the game, Ben Musengo stopped at midfield and yelled toward the sky.

Enock Musengo and Gloire Serugo, two senior captains, jumped up and down, singing “Ole, Ole, Ole” as fans made their way to field level from the stands.

Goalie Aung Leh, who made four much-needed saves, ran from the goal to the huddle of starters and bench players celebrating what didn’t seem possible when he was a freshman.

For the first time in three attempts, Hoover beat Waukee in a winner-take-all game.

“Just one break was all we needed,” Rubino said. “I don’t care how it went in; I’ll take it at the end of the day. We did enough to pull out the win against a hell of a team.”

Soccer can open doors and break down barriers

There is one constant in this diverse group of backgrounds and experiences — the notion that soccer is more than a game.

For some players, it’s a shot at a college education. Enock Musengo and Reese Rubino are both committed to play soccer at Clarke University. Bawi Thawng is looking at Iowa Western, and Bienvenue Munezero and Serugo are considering Iowa Central.

“We’ve got several kids that have signed to play college soccer, and that’s something that probably five or six years ago, didn’t seem like a possibility for a lot of them,” Rubino said.

“Soccer can be a vehicle to opportunities that nothing else could get you. It’s an opportunity to have a better life and to be able to do the kinds of things that you want to do through the game.”

For players like Venas – who moved to the United States from Tanzania when he was about 11 – the sport was both a connection to home and a way to adjust to his new life in Iowa.

“I’ve played soccer ever since I can remember,” Venas said. “In Tanzania, playing soccer, all I can remember is playing soccer over there.”

It’s the same for his teammates who share similar backstories.

At any given Hoover game or soccer practice, there are a few different languages used among the team. But the sport has never needed any translation across cultural lines. Soccer is the universal language that every Huskies player not only speaks but is fluent in.

That’s what makes this group of players – who would have never met in another life – more of a family than a team.

“On the field, we’re a family,” Ben Musengo said. “We have chemistry, we have energy, we love playing the game. It’s a good family.”

Languages spoken by Hoover boys soccer players

Hoover High School records don't list students' home country/birthplace, only their primary language at home. There are nine primary languages other than English spoken by the 23 players on the boys soccer roster. Those languages include:

• Arabic

• French

• Karen (southeastern Myanmar/western Thailand)

• Kinyarwanda (Rwanda)

• Kru (southeast Liberia to the west of the Ivory Coast)

• Kwanyama (Angola and Namibia)

• Sino-Tibetan (family of more than 400 languages, primarily in southeast Asia)

• Spanish

• Swahili (primarily eastern Africa)

Alyssa Hertel is a college sports recruiting reporter for the Des Moines Register. Contact Alyssa at ahertel@dmreg.com or on Twitter @AlyssaHertel.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Des Moines Hoover boys soccer resurgence led by international roster