Lowell tourney offers common ground for immigrants

Soccer taps into national pride

The Guatemala team, celebrating last August after winning the first One Lowell Soccer World Cup in Cawley Stadium, is missing its MVP for this weekend's event. (Russell Contreras/Globe Staff/file 2007)

Last year, the nonprofit organization One Lowell had to work to attract teams for its inaugural soccer tournament, which is aimed at fostering more interaction among the area's immigrant groups.

This year, the organization has a waiting list.

On Saturday at Lowell's Cawley Stadium, the second annual One Lowell World Cup will bring together soccer players of various nationalities and backgrounds who rarely play against, or even speak to, one another. But unlike last year, when organizers had to persuade players to participate, the event now has a reputation of being competitive and attractive to the different international styles of play, said One Lowell executive director Victoria Fahlberg.

And because of the popularity of the last competition, the teams taking part this year are expected to be stronger.

"We had a very successful event last year," said Fahlberg. "And now word has spread."

For the two-day event, 16 teams from across the region will play a total of 27 games. The teams, representing countries including Guatemala, Cambodia, Ghana, Brazil, China, and Colombia, will be placed in groups and will advance based on their win-loss record and goals scored. The contest then goes into knockout rounds, with the final game scheduled for Sunday evening. Winners bag $500 and a trophy.

To participate, a team must have most of its 18 players from the country it is representing. Teams representing countries with smaller immigrant populations in the area are given more flexibility.

The event last year raised $16,000, according to One Lowell, and the money was used to tutor immigrant children and help immigrant families integrate into the larger Lowell community.

Fahlberg said her group hopes to expand on that effort, by raising team entry fees to $400 from $250 and by drawing more spectators with better promotion of the event.

A Mercedes-Benz Smart car will be raffled off for $20 a ticket. The weekend will also feature an international selection of food vendors, she said.

Tickets to the two-day contest are $5 at the gate, with children under 12 admitted free.

Josue Cisneros, team captain for Guatemala, last year's winner, said he is looking forward to competing again, and likes the fact that the event is for a good cause.

"They do a lot of good work," said the 24-year-old. "The competition is great, and we get to meet a lot of new people."

But Cisneros knows the other teams will be gunning for his squad, because it is the defending champ. "Oh, yeah, they're coming for us," he said. "I know a couple of teams that are already talking mess."

The Guatemala team this year will be without Guillermo Cisneros, Josue's brother, who was named the "One Lowell World Cup MVP" last year.

This year, he's out after three surgeries, said Cisneros.

"That's definitely a big blow to us, because he meant so much," said Cisneros. "But I'm pretty confident with the team we have."

Cisneros said he's been telling teammates to train hard and get in shape before the competition, because they can expect a grueling two days of intense games.

Fahlberg said she's excited to hear that the level of the competition has been turned up a few notches. But she says she's really happy that so many groups are getting together for one event.

"All the teams last year said they were going to come back to win," she said. "Regardless who wins, we just want people to have the opportunity to be recognized."

Russell Contreras can be reached at rcontreras@globe.com.