Although Abdul Hassan had been playing soccer for as long as he can remember, he became uncer- tain after learning he would be playing his favorite sport in a new country.

Hassan, senior, moved to Kirkwood from Kenya the summer of 2011 and is now playing varsity soc- cer. His family made the move as a result of Has- san’s parents getting jobs in St. Louis.

“I was sad that I was leaving my life behind,” Hassan said. “But I was looking forward to starting a new chapter.”

Hassan always had a passion for soccer, so when he came to Kirkwood, he wanted to pick up where he left off.

Hassan speaks fluent English which helped cre- ate strong team chemistry.

“He understands everything,” Chris Steinmetz, varsity coach, said. “And is a super polite guy.”

According to his teammates, Hassan has made the transition to his new team smoothly.

“Everybody loves Abdul,” Marcus Griggs, junior, said. “He fits really well on the team.”

Hassan said the style of play in America is similar in Kenya, which provides him with a sense of com- fort out on the field.

Hassan plays midfield as well as forward, mak- ing him a versatile player for KHS. In his first year on varsity, Abdul has hit the ground running. Hassan said the most challenging part about varsity is the increase of pace.

The KHS varsity soccer team was ranked 13th in the stlhighschoolsports.com preseason ranking. They won their first three games of the season and have a record of 5-3 as of Sept. 14.

“My goal is to win as many games as we can and to win state,” Hassan said.

The team started kick-arounds in June, which helped with team chemistry. Hassan said one of the biggest differences playing at KHS than in Kenya, however, are the training sessions.

“I think in the beginning it was hard for him, but now that he has made friends, he likes it,” Griggs said. “Every team could use a guy like him.”