Photo By Natalie Cole | Goal keeper Staff Sgt. Colin Joyce and defender Staff Sgt. Chris Cabrera (in blue) get...... read more read more
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CAMP ARIFJAN, Kuwait – Sand and dust flew as soldiers with the 462nd Movement Control Battalion, 1st Sustainment Brigade took on the Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior in a host nation soccer match on a grassless field, under a full moon, Oct. 25. The final score of the bout of friendly competition was 8-2, with the Kuwaitis comfortably capitalizing on their home team advantage to beat the 462nd, an Army Reserve unit out of Trenton, N.J.
The host nation match was an extension of the 462nd MCB’s partnership with the Kuwaiti Rear Operations Center, which falls under the Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior. The KROC provides convoy support and coordination for coalition forces traveling throughout the country, according to 462nd Battalion Commander Lt. Col. Michael Butler.
Coach Capt. Jovany Barrow, a soldier with the 462nd who has been playing soccer for 20 years, said the two teams took to the field “in order to strengthen working relationships and build esprit de corps.” From the Bronx, N.Y., Barrow added that the match, which was followed by a Barbeque, was a time for cultural exchange. “[The Kuwaitis] learn about our culture and we learn about them,” he said, adding that the experience exemplified how “no matter where you are in the world, some things are the same: You want to have fun and have a good working relationship.”
Staff Sgt. Chris Cabrera, a left defender, described the Kuwaiti club’s strengths. “They’re okay. They come in hard. They know how to touch the ball,” he said. Given the Kuwaiti’s reputation for being strong players, Barrow pointed out that winning was not the ultimate focus.
The first half of the match ended with the Kuwaitis ahead by 6 – 1, at which point Barrow told his team “the second half we gotta come back. This is where it counts. We’re either gonna get killed or tie it up.” However, in the second half, the KMOI team kept 462nd goal keeper Staff Sgt. Colin Joyce on his toes as the shots kept coming. The Kuwaitis scored twice more and the 462nd scored once more, bring the final score to 8 – 2 (other accounts determined the final score to be “a lot to two”).
Units on Camp Arifjan participate in host-nation sporting events about once a quarter.
| Date Taken: | 10.25.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 10.27.2010 06:06 |
| Story ID: | 58900 |
| Location: | CAMP ARIFJAN, KW |
| Web Views: | 212 |
| Downloads: | 12 |
This work, Building relations in Kuwait, one soccer match at a time, by Natalie Cole, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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