Keone Kojin: Budding Midfielder

Caio RodriguesStaff WriterSamo varsity soccer player, junior Keone Kojin spent the majority of his first summer in the United States surfing. A native Brazilian, Kojin has had to adjust to the waves north of the equator and now that school has begun, a new daily routine, a new school, and the American attitude towards soccer.Kojin was born and raised in Ilha Bela, an island three hours from the state of São Paulo, southwest of Brazil. He has come to the United States to improve his English proficiency, experience life outside, as he put, his “perfect little world” and determine whether he would like to attend college in California. He has been in Los Angeles for four months and is already feeling the effects of culture shock.“In Brazil, I knew everyone in my neighborhood, and at my school we didn’t leave our classrooms, so we stayed together all the time, like a family, I miss that,” Kojin said.In addition to the drastic difference in population size, Kojin has also had to get used to a new daily routine.“In Brazil breakfast is not as important as lunch and dinner because we stay less time in school [average of six hours at public schools]. Here, though, I need a good breakfast to take on the rest of the day,” Kojin said. “[In Brazil] I would wake up at 7am and be back home before 1pm. Here, though, I don’t get home before 4:30pm, and on soccer team practice days, at 8pm.”Kojin has also had to acclimate to the American attitude toward soccer. He feels like, soccer is more of a subject than a pastime in the states and is not as highly adored.“Here people are more into football, basketball and baseball. They watch and support these sports a lot, while in Brazil [these sports] are not really famous, except for basketball,” Kojin said. “Back in Brazil, soccer is something we play every day during lunch, Wednesday nights, weekends…, and if we are not playing, we are talking about it.”When Brazil lost in the 1950 World Cup to Uruguay, the then 150,000-seat Maracanã stadium fell into a deep state of mourning, which lasted for weeks after the match. This only caused Brazilian people and players to become more motivated about the sport, and by the time the U.S. founded the Major League Soccer, Brazil had won three World Cup titles.But even with the differing attitude towards soccer in the U.S. and the changes that he has had to accept, Kojin recognizes the perks of his new life in the states.“I like how things are so complete in the United States. I love to play soccer – I have played since I was six-years-old – but I also love to skate, study history and surf. In Brazil, it’s really hard to get into a good college, such as USP [University of São Paulo, the top university in the country], and we don’t have athletic scholarships,” Kojin said. “In the U.S. we do: so far I’ve been interested in UC Santa Barbara, where I may have the opportunity of studying on an athletic scholarship.”During a recent practice drill, Kojin, who typically plays as a midfielder, temporarily left his post to serve as a defender, intercepting passes and aiding the defense in neutralizing the offense. He later recognized his appreciation for the opportunity to expand his skills by playing different positions.“It is part of becoming a more complete player,” Kojin said.He recognizes that earning an athletic scholarship will depend on his versatility as a player and his success on the field, not to mention the support of his teammates, who are quick to give him praise.Senior teammate, Eyasu Negash said of Kojin, “He’s got that Brazilian ‘swag’ when he plays: he has both technique and skills. Of course he will have to compete for space, but I think he is still going to help us a lot during this season.”Soccer coach Andy Rock, also believes him to be an important asset to the team and is eager to play a role in Kojin’s adaptation process.“When you play in another country, it’s a different style of play. In Brazil, [the players] give more touches on the ball, more passes and tricks. Here we have a fast paced game, so we don’t do much of that; we want to push the ball forward, so we give more long passes, [getting] rid of the ball quickly. These are different styles. He’s in a transition time. But he’s coming along well.”Kojin feels very fortunate to have been given the chance to experience life in the United States.“I love having the opportunity to live in California. I have fun and it makes me grow. I love having a good house, friends, family and such a different life on the other side of the world.”crodrigues@thesamohi.com