Fútbol

Playing soccer with the kids at the orphanage, I quickly learned that there was a difference between American soccer and fútbol, Guatemalan soccer. The distinction was made clear when we began our game on an outdoor basketball court, gringos versus Guatemalans. Us gringos played a slower, more defense-oriented soccer, passing the ball frequently and working to get a good shot on goal, which happened infrequently. The Guatemalan kids, however, played a very fast-paced, aggressive, offense-minded fútbol, relying more on their individual footwork and power shooting than on their teammates. Their mentality was score a goal at every opportunity; they didn’t linger trying to get a clear shot on net. If they were in even relatively close shooting range, they would shoot, and boy, could they shoot. It didn’t matter if they were thirty feet away from you or five, they would blast the ball every time. Also, there was no distinction made between male and female players, they would play just as rough with their opponents and shoot the ball just as hard at the goalie regardless of gender. We quickly learned that it was necessary to play just as aggressive and fast-paced as them in order to compete. What we lacked in natural skill we made up for with hustle. Although, we still lost every game we played. Even so, we learned a valuable lesson: in order to play soccer in Guatemala, we had to learn how to play fútbol.