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Benjamin Chach coaches a team of Guatemalans. The Guatemalans' love for soccer has united them since childhood, when they played as classmates in their hometown of Quiche.
“We met in soccer and by a twist of fate we met again here in the United States,” Chuck said. His team, Los Vagos, is one of 10 teams that make up the Latin League, which plays indoors. Champions Sports Center.
A field slightly smaller than a regular soccer field is where avid athletes chase the ball during the winter months. When the winter season ends this month, the activity will move outdoors to a field on the southern edge of New Bedford.
“Our little town is called San Andres Sajacabaja. Most of us are from there,” Chaku said. “There were classmates, there were friends, there were relatives.
“Coming to play soccer is the perfect excuse to get together with friends and share information,” said Miguel Mateo, another leader of the group.
“Soccer gave me values,” Marlon says, proudly displaying his jersey with his name on the back and the Guatemalan professional soccer team's shield on the front.
“For me, it's more than just a passion,” added Chiles, who travels from Providence to New Bedford several times a week to play for Los Vagos.
Email Gerardo Beltrán Salinas. gerardo@newbedfordlight.org
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