Soccer, or football, as it is known the world over, is a team sport that cannot be played by one star player. It takes every cog in the machine to be in working order so the team may prevail. One of the best ways for that to happen is to have good team chemistry.

Boasting a player from soccer powerhouse, France, gives the UW-Whitewater club soccer team a leg up on team chemistry. Having a shared passion for the highly popular, global sport is all too easy for the boys in purple, even with differences in playing style between the two countries.

“I think that the big difference between the U.S. and France is in the U.S. it’s a bit more physical and a little less tactical, I think,” French striker Dorian Chometon said.

The team has welcomed Chometon with open arms. Having had a wonderful time in their recent trip to Chicago, “We all kept coming together and building more chemistry throughout the games,” center back Dylan Orzechowski said of their time there.

The team managed to split their two games with an exhilarating 2-1 victory, against DePaul University on Saturday, Sept. 30, followed by a disappointing 2-1 loss to the University of Chicago.

“These for me, I think were kind of must win games to get the playoffs,” said club President Alan Braatz. “We still have a chance if we really went out.”

Adding to the team’s gameplan, and the aforementioned team chemistry, Braatz knows the value of passion and morale in high stakes moments.

“I came into it [the DePaul match] with our main goal being to pump up our bench and just bring that energy,” Braatz said.

In order to help keep the energy and emotion alive and well over the weekend, UW-W’s club president brought five reserve players to help pump up those playing on the field.

“Even if you guys [reserve players] don’t get the playing time today, everyone is counting on you to help with the energy,” he said. “I think that positive energy and having a good time overall makes it so much easier to keep your head up.”

The team’s weekend in Chicago wasn’t just a bonding trip, however. They definitely came to play. They all have that competitive spirit, that desire to win game after game.

“It’s not just a club where we go to have fun. Everyone here really wants those competitive games,” Braatz added, “We definitely bring that against the DI level schools a lot of the time.”

Orzechowski also knows all too well  that a competitive nature is paramount.

“The job is never done until that final whistle,” Orzechowski added. “Whether I’m center back or not, I’ll always try to get involved.”

With all the tensions and emotions that come with competitive games like the two that Whitewater faced, it is easy to forget the little things that make it all worthwhile. Things that can be easily overlooked on a trip to the nation’s third largest city.

Braatz’s favorite thing about the weekend was Chometon’s celebration, which is reminiscent of his moniker in France. 

“My name in France is ‘Dodo’ and in France dodo is a poor nap or sleep. So my celebration is like that,” Chometon explained.

It is patently obvious, from talking to these three UW-W men’s club soccer players that the team has a level of camaraderie and a love for, and knowledge of, this game, more akin to a group of soldiers that have shared a foxhole together, rather than a soccer team.

Whitewater’s next two games are Sunday, Oct. 8 against Valparaiso and Saturday, Oct. 14 against the University of Illinois-Chicago; both are home games.