Oct. 24, 2006
South Carolina senior defender Makan Hislop was featured in an ESPN Soccernet article this week about college soccer players who are from other countries. Hislop and the Gamecocks are 11-3-1 on the season and ranked No. 12 in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association Poll. To view an excerpt from the article and a link to the full text, read on . . .
International influx broadens the college game
By Maria Burns
We hear so often about American players heading overseas to further their soccer careers and fulfill lifelong dreams, that it’s easy to forget it goes both ways.
International players are a valuable part of the college game, adding not only to programs in terms of on-field success, but bringing a diversity to teams around the country.
It takes a certain kind of kid to uproot his life. Most college students are reluctant even to leave their home state, let alone trek thousands of miles away to an often obscure college town they knew almost nothing about before the recruiting process began.
College life is an adjustment — the life of a student-athlete, doubly so. Settling into that lifestyle while adapting to life in another country can seem overwhelming, but South Carolina defender and native West Indian, Makan Hislop, insists it’s not that bad.
