WHS Soccer Players Train, Watch World Cup in Brazil

A dozen Westfield High School soccer players recently returned from a trip to Brazil where the sport of soccer is king. The Blue Devils along with coach George Kapner were reminded every where they went.

"When we went from the airport to the hotel, there were soccer goals on every corner,'' said Westfield senior Ryan Heine, whose brother Steve made the trip four years ago. "Kids were playing barefoot. It's a religion.''

The group spent nearly two weeks in the country, learning soccer, site-seeing, eating lots of rice and beans, including Kapner's favorite papaya.

"The fruit was sensational,'' said Kapner, adding that the group flew into Sao Paolo, then went on to Salvador.

The players – who also included some from Delbarton and West Orange -- were trained by Brazilian coaches with Salvador-based E.C. Vitoria and E.C. Bahia.

"The training was unreal,'' said Kapner, who made his second trip to Brazil. "The guys who were training the kids were some of the best in the country. We got to know the players too. You're playing against players whose life is training to be soccer players.''

Kapner said that what the players saw as a difference was the speed of the game. When the group scrimmaged on their own, they noticed how much faster the game was when the Brazilians weren't around.

"It went down to American speed,'' Kapner said. "I asked the kids how many of them noticed the speed. The way they play is really quick.''

The group made a trip to a professional game and saw some wild choreographed dancing, flag waving and chanting throughout it.

"Everybody is die hard,'' for soccer,'' Heine said.

Nothing was bigger than the World Cup final that paralyzed the country.

The players got to watch the game between Spain and Netherlands at a resort. The Brazilians were rooting for the Spanish since the Dutch eliminated their team in the tournament semifinals.

"We were praying that the Brazilians got in,'' said Kapner, adding that the country should really be abuzz in 2014 when the Brazilians host the World Cup. "The entire country was rooting for Spain. It was like our Super Bowl. It was like a holiday.''

When not focused on soccer, the players swam in the Atlantic Ocean or the resort pool.

And they also played on the beach. One day, after a heavy day of rain, the players were unable to play on any field. But they were moved to the beach where they found a soccer field lined with goals. They also played "futsal,'' a variant of soccer played on a smaller playing surface, and usually played indoors.

"Our kids were incredibly well-behaved,'' said Kapner. "They gave a great account of New Jerseyans. They were respectful and respected.''

And they appreciated where they came from.

"You saw people you wanted to help,'' Heine said. "But you can't. There are so many poor people. We realized how lucky we are.''