Afghan refugees in Kansas City create a new routine where soccer, culture and English practice...

Informal soccer matches every Saturday on the open fields at Shawnee Mission North High School let Afghan refugees visit with people from their home country and speak their native languages. It's also a chance to improve their English.
One Saturday in October, Sayed Reza Hosseini and his young son Sayed Jawad Hosseini spent about two hours playing soccer on opposing teams at Shawnee Mission North High School.

Their teammates on the open field were around 15 to 20 refugees from Afghanistan who arrived over the past five years, along with Afghan–Americans of different ages and various cultural backgrounds. They speak English and two of Afghanistan's national languages, Dari and Pashto, with different accents. Every weekend, and sometimes during the week if they have time, they come together to play soccer.

“It is not only playing soccer or sports to release mental pressure, but it also builds and supports our social communication, especially for my kids,” Hosseini said. “They can visit regularly their people from our original country, and they can speak in their native language."

The weekly games have also helped Hosseini improve his English, which he said is getting better every day.