Page 10 - Trending Magazine 2018 Fall

Growing the Game_Layout 1 18-09-18 3:17 PM Page 1

Photos by Tyler Clarke, Matt Goerzen & Melissa Verge
Story by Melissa Verge

iego Rodriguez has dedicated
many hours to soccer, from
Dplaying on a field in Colombia
where he grew up, all the way to his
current home in Brandon.
Rodriguez stood on a soccer field in
the city on a warm summer afternoon,
wearing matching white shorts and a
shirt with “Fly Emirates” across the
chest. He absentmindenly pushed the
curly hair from his forehead as he
spoke.
In Colombia, soccer was the major
sport, Rodriguez said.
“As soon as you learn to walk you
have a ball by your feet, and you just
kick it around whenever you get a
chance,” he said.
”Everywhere you go is just soccer,
soccer soccer.”
His house in Colombia was situated
right in front of a field, so Rodriguez
developed a routine that was centred
around the sport.
“What I would do is eat lunch, then
take a ball and go play with my friends
non-stop until the sun went out and I
couldn’t be outside anymore,” he said.
In the city of Brandon where he now
plays, the sport has experienced
growth of it’s own, with many players
who have immigrated to the city from

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