A couple of local youth soccer players returned to Kauai from a month-long trip to one of the world’s best football countries.
Whitney Lugo and Nicholas Semblante, both players for local club Onipa’a, played in the Donosti Cup tournament in San Sebastián, Spain earlier this month.
Lugo and Semblante played with Oahu club Honolulu Bulls SC.
“I didn’t realize how soccer was until I got there,” Lugo said. “You can see a whole gift shop of soccer stuff. Soccer’s everywhere, and they’re speaking about it almost every day.”
Lugo said in Spain, the people there are enthusiastic of soccer as Americans are of basketball.
“When we first got there, we were driving to my coach’s grandparents’ house. As we were driving, we saw a whole bunch of futsal courts just laid out. You can free play, or just hop in with your friends,” he said. “I now really appreciate the culture that they play. It’s everywhere. It’s like basketball gyms on Kauai.”
Honolulu Bulls SC had one win, two draws and two losses during group play in the tournament.
Lugo played goalkeeper, and Semblante played defender.
“We did great, actually. There were really great players around us,” Semblante said. “We played a great game. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the trophy, but it is what it is.”
Lugo added: “I think the big takeaway was that I learned how I can become better as a keeper, and how I can learn from other players. Not just the Kauai people and how they play, but how the Spanish people up there play, and how different their culture is from ours.”
Lugo, 16, who plays goalkeeper and striker for Kauai High School, said one of the more memorable parts of the trip is seeing the stadiums of professional clubs.
Among the stadiums they visited was Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, home of Real Madrid, and Camp Nou, home of FC Barcelona.
“The stadium was huge. From the outside, just, your jaw is dropped. Like, ‘Oh, my gosh,’” Lugo said of their visit to Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. “When you go in, everything is all nice. All the chairs are comfy. And, they have a small VIP area. We got to tour the whole (stadium), like the seats where the coaches sat and the players.
“As you walk down into the dugouts, they played old audio of people chanting. It feels like you’re in the game walking to the dugouts. It was pretty sick.”
The boys returned to Kauai a little over a week ago. On Friday, they were still wearing their wristbands from the Donosti Cup.
“It’s, like, memories,” Lugo said. “(I’ll wear it) for as long as it goes until it falls off or breaks.”
Semblante, 16, who plays midfielder for Waimea High School, said the trip inspired him so much he wants to spend more time in Spain and play club soccer there.
“It was a really good experience going to Spain. With such great teams, and the talent, I’ve never seen that talent before,” he said. “I’m actually thinking about living there, to go to school and play soccer up there. I want to experience great soccer. I mean, I play over here, but I want to see more.”
He added: “What inspired me to make this choice, I have cousins that play soccer there. I want to become like them and play great soccer. … It’s like a religion to them. A lot of people play soccer over there.”
