By Ed Piper
"A good team is all these nationalities together. That brings a good soccer team," remarks a smiling Salvatore Furlanis, father of La Jolla soccer team captain Marco Furlanis.
His wife, from Rio de Janeiro, hanging out nearby, chuckles as Marco catches his breath after the Vikings' 2-0 win at Lincoln to start the second half of the Eastern League schedule on the right foot.
The elder Furlanis, who hails from his native Italy, rattles off a list of cultures and nations represented on the Vikings team with an acquaintance: "We've got Spain (center attacker Pablo Jativa), Germany (brothers Nick and Luis Goehler), Italy, and Brazil," indicating himself and his wife with the last two.
"Ooh, Italy and Brazil: that's definitely a bridge of cultures," the acquaintance remarks.
Both mom and dad laugh. "It is," says Sal. "In the World Cup, we don't talk. This World Cup... I can't even talk (to my wife), because Italy isn't even in the World Cup."
"How about my country?" says the acquaintance. "Horrible. The United States. We didn't even make the World Cup."
The Vikings also have Latino and Anglo student athletes from the U.S. Both varsity coaches are Latino.
How's your son's Portuguese? Mr. Furlanis is asked. "Pretty good." How's yours? "Good."
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