The game that transcends race
Bethel University men’s soccer team reflects the idea that soccer is the world’s game.
By Gavin Hutter and CJ Wrzesien
Jeremy Iwaszkowiec glances around his office on the second floor of the Robertson Center at Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota. Surrounding him on the walls of his office are team photos of previous soccer teams, each one telling a unique story of a different team and a different season. Iwaszkiewicz is the head coach of Bethel’s men’s soccer team, a group with a more diverse collection of players than any other on campus.
Iwaszkowiec came to Bethel after assistant coaching at the Division I level — starting at Crichton College in Memphis, Tennessee and later transferring to Murray State University. At Murray, he helped lead their women’s team to an Ohio Valley conference championship and an NCAA Division I tournament appearance in 2009.
“There’s a lot of movement at those higher levels,” Iwaszkowiec said. “You’re never anywhere for very long.”
With a wife and two young kids, Iwaszkowiec looked for a place to plant roots, call home and find a school where he could integrate faith into his coaching. In 2011, Iwaszkowiec became the head coach of the Bethel University men’s soccer program.
In addition to faith, Iwaszkowiec said he also tries to impact his players in other ways — athletically, academically and socially — by focusing on recruiting a diverse group of players who use these values to work toward a common goal as a team. His goal is to not only build team chemistry and win games on the field, but to grow as students, individuals and Christians off the field.
“We’ve worked intentionally to increase our diversity on the team and I love it,” Iwaszkowiec said. “I think it’s a gift every culture plays the game a little differently and understands a little differently.”
Bethel soccer reached new heights in 2022 when they earned a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2004, and won its first quarterfinal match in program history in a huge upset against Carleton College. Junior forward Youssef Abdallah scored the game-winning goal.
“It was kind of a lucky goal, but it still counted [and] I still take credit for it,” Abdallah said. “So it took us to the playoffs for the semifinals for the first time ever in history.”
Abdallah is one of many players on the team that come from diverse backgrounds. His family moved from Alexandria, Egypt to Roseville, Minnesota when he was just 4 years old. Abdallah’s parents moved to the United States to get their doctoral degrees, fell in love with the country, and decided to stay.
“We’ve worked intentionally to increase our diversity on the team and I love it, I think it’s a gift every culture plays the game a little differently and understands a little differently.” — Jeremy Iwaszkowiec, Bethel University men’s soccer coach
Beyond bringing aspects of his Egyptian background to the team, Abdallah also brings a unique faith perspective. He was raised Muslim along with the rest of his family, but decided to convert to Christianity as a junior in high school.
Abdallah received offers to play soccer from schools like Macalester College, Augsburg University and the University of St. Thomas.
“The two main things that drew me to Bethel was the faith aspect,” Abdallah said. “Coming out of high school I was really trying to take my faith seriously, so I think that was a huge part, and also I got the Act 6 scholarship which was nice.”
Despite finding a place where he could grow in his faith, Abdallah joined a team with a distinctly less culturally diverse group than now.
“The year before I came in, there were barely any people of color — it was maybe 95% white [and] there were one or two kids of color on the team,” Abdallah said. “When we came in there were maybe six or seven, and it’s grown every year since.”
Abdallah also notes how Iwaszkowiec’s recruiting has changed the cultural landscape of the team. He went from a mostly white group of players during his recruiting process and freshman year to a group that now has players representing eight different nationalities from four different continents.
“I think our coach is really intentional about that and wants to see that diversity grow,” Abdallah said. “He wants our team to reflect what the Kingdom would be, which I respect and I’m really proud to be a part of that.”
Jovani Perez-Sanchez, a sophomore forward from New Richmond, Wisconsin, was born and raised in the United States. Both of his parents immigrated from Mexico in their 20s. His father Francisco met other Hispanic cooks while working in a casino near town, and got the idea to start his own Mexican restaurant called “Garibaldi’s.”
“That’s the goal of those trips — not only to bond as a team and play soccer, but to be the hands and feet of Jesus. But also to experience the world and your vision for what God is doing in creation.” — Jeremy Iwaszkowiec, Bethel University men’s head soccer coach
Garibaldi’s first opened up in 2007 when Perez-Sanchez was just 3. He recounts growing up around the restaurant where he had his first job, as well as taking his teammates out to eat there throughout his soccer career. As for a favorite dish, he recommends the number 33: tacos al carbon.
The importance of diversity and culture to the program can be seen in more ways than just the players on the roster. In March of 2023, the team traveled abroad to Columbia. In previous years, the team has gone to Jamaica and Morocco, providing the team with an opportunity to play soccer — but also a chance to experience a different culture, serve the local community and for many of the players to get out of their comfort zone.
“That’s the goal of those trips — not only to bond as a team and play soccer, but to be the hands and feet of Jesus,” Iwaszkowiec said. “But also to experience the world and your vision for what God is doing in creation.”
One of the overarching ideas behind the Royals’ diverse identity is that soccer is the “world’s sport,” as Iwaszkowiec calls it.
“There’s a reason why it’s the world’s sport and why the World Cup fascinates us, because South Americans play it differently than Africans play it than Europeans play it,” Iwaszkowiec said. “That’s true of everybody on our team, these guys bring their own values, they bring their own way to the sport which is really fun, I love it.”
The Royals reflect this idea of soccer as a global game by rostering players from a collection of nations and heritages that include the U.S., Mexico, Eritrea, Kenya, Germany, Ecuador, Colombia and Korea. Each player brings a unique cultural identity and style of play to the game that comes together to form a unique team bond that is their own.
“Every single country plays soccer, so you get kind of an international diversity because there’s so many people that play it,” Abdallah said. “And I think there’s a love for the game that transcends race.”
