Soccer is one of the only things that has remained constant for Fabio Sanchez.

Sanchez, a Colombian native, moved to Kirkwood with his family this past July unsure of what his future would hold. He was just beginning to learn English and did not know many people. He turned to soccer to ease the transition.

Sanchez has played soccer for six years. Five in Colombia, where soccer is the most popular sport, and now as a forward for the KHS varsity soccer team. While soccer has proven to be a foundation of Sanchez’s life, it also has exposed the difficulties he has faced moving to a new country.

“It’s hard to communicate with everyone,” Sanchez, junior, said. “I’m getting better, but it’s still difficult to understand my coaches.”

Chris Steinmetz, KHS varsity soccer head coach, acknowledges that Sanchez’s biggest hurdle has been overcoming the language barrier and adjusting to life at KHS.

“The last three weeks with Fabio have been just trying to get him accustomed to our routines,” Steinmetz said. “He gets along with everybody on the team. The only difference is that he’s in a completely new place.”

Aside from learning a new language, Sanchez has also been forced to adjust to a new game style. Colombian soccer is much different from Kirkwood’s style of play, Sanchez said. Sanchez played with short passes in Colombia while Steinmetz favors longer passes.

Sanchez’s teammates agree the change of style has been difficult.

“He really has made the transition well, but you can tell he’s still adjusting to Kirkwood’s specific style of play,” Deion Corley, junior goalie, said.

Steinmetz agrees, saying his new soccer strategy is completely different from the style Sanchez grew up with in Colombia. However, Steinmetz also thinks Sanchez will quickly catch on if he works hard at it.

“He’s just trying to find himself at Kirkwood,” Steinmetz said. “The more time he spends around the guys, the more comfortable he’s going to get.”

While Sanchez is facing many challenges in his new surroundings, he also sees the positives in his situation. He hopes to play soccer well enough to earn a college scholarship. Sanchez scored his first goal in the U.S. during the second half of a 6-0 win against Mehlville Aug. 28.

Sanchez also sees the potential in the KHS soccer team that is ranked just outside the St. Louis Post-Dispatch top 10 with a record of 5 – 3 as of Sept. 14.

“Many players have good ability here,” Sanchez said. “They have been cool to me and I think we can win a lot of games this year.”

Although Sanchez has faced a steep learning curve, he said his teammates have been welcoming and supportive. Team chemistry is not an issue according to the team.

“Our chemistry is completely unaffected,” Corley said. “Fabio blends in with all of us and has been a great addition to this team.”