By Ed Shepherd
SPORTS CORRESPONDENT

Pressure seems to be on this year for Foster, which made it to state last year but lost out early, finishing its season with a tough loss to the South Kitsap Wolves in the first round of the 2A playoffs.

Good news from what's been said so far is a good number of players from that Bulldogs team that lost in state's round one, after having christened themselves as one of the top teams in 2A in the state by getting to that spot, now return a lot of those same players, just a year older.

"Now, we have a lot of experienced seniors," said Nasir Tura, who is in his fourth season as head coach.
Those seniors experienced losing a heartbreaking way to end last season, a shootout loss, against the Wolves, a Kitsap Peninsula area team.

"Even game, pretty much, but, we played better in that game, but we couldn't get the win," said Tura, who graduated from Foster a few years ago, as well as, growing up in the community.

The game began strongly for the Bulldogs before setting into a back and forth match after that against the Wolves at state.

"Good start for us, we scored first, they scored, we scored, to go up, 2-1, then, they scored, tied it," said Tura. Then, after two overtimes, the Wolves won it in penalty kicks.

What did that game do to the team after such a heartbreaking loss?

"That's going to be a lesson for this upcoming season," said Tura. "That game will say to them, 'Hey, we went that far. This year we need to go a little farther."

And, what about the pain of losing like that, a shootout is so unfair, seemingly, no team, really, scores an earned goal, just the PKs back and forth to decide who goes on to the semifinal round?

"It was painful," said Tura. "We started very well in that game, but, we learned, it's not how you start, it's how you finish."

Over half the Bulldogs starters are, likely, going to be seniors this season, and, that fact will make a lot of coaches cringe at just that kind of experience factor on the field, with three of those upperclassmen all captains, namely, Hussein Abdi, Santa Magar, Jalal Haji.

In the Bulldogs most recent win, against Seattle Christian, a non-league game, 4-1, Wednesday, there is, however, younger talent that Tura wanted to mention, too -- sophomore Desire Katamaya.

"He's only a sophomore, but, he's the future," said Tura of Katamaya, who scored the first three goals of the game against the Warriors. "I think, we will see that kid play at the national level. That's how comfortable he is with the ball."

Katamaya came to the Bulldogs by way of a 5,000 mile journey two years ago, playing, first, there, last season, as a freshman.

"I am from Africa," said Katamaya, still, learning English, speaking it well, though. "My dad is Black French, and my mom, is Congolese."

How did soccer come to him?

"My dad kept say, one day you going be good at soccer," said Katamaya, a thick accent, not sure which, Congolese or French, for Katamaya knows both languages fluently, plus, English.

And?

"I keep resisting, I say, only God knows, I don't like soccer, I tell him I don't want to play soccer. But, my uncle, same age my dad, keep helping me and I pushed myself to like soccer, and, became good."

Very good, already, according to Tura. In fact, Tura does not want Katamaya to play at Foster after this sophomore season.

"Desire is a complete player," said Tura. ."He will go way father than high school. I don't want to see him play for me next year."

Everyone, perhaps, saying, 'Why is that?' at this point.

"I want to see him represent the country. As much as I would like to have him on my team next year, I want to see him compete on the U-17 national team, represent the USA."

Katamaya is kind of a small player, diminuitive, might be a better word choice, standing around 5-5, and, 150 pounds.

"Look at the Lionel Messi," shot back Tura, mentioning the Argentina star, of past World Cups, including being key in his country gaining a championship.

"Messi been considered the greatest player in the world," said Tura. "His size is small, like, Desire."

Haji, last season, was instrumental as anyone else on the Bulldogs for its success of making it to state, which means they were, as a team, top-8 in 2A for Washington.

"He was nominated for league MVP," said Tura of Haji, who got the Seamount League most valuable player award. Haji scored 28 goals last season for the Bulldogs, a huge number of goals for any one player. Some teams, as a whole group, don't score that many goals in a season.

"He's a finisher, a deadly finisher," said Tura. "He knows how to put the ball in the back of the net. Very skillful. Speed."

Tura related soccer traits of the other two captains, too.

"Hussein is a player who can play 80 minutes," said Tura. "Fit. Very skilled."

And, Magar?

"He's our engine," said Tura. "He's a central midfielder player, controls our midfield."

There is other upperclass strength on this Bulldogs team from last season, seasoned and ready to go, including Sui Thang, Muhammed Hussein, Haji Naji.

Abdi spoke of that strength of a good portion of the team returning this season, and, not just this season either.

"A lot of us have been together since freshman year," said Abdi. "We know each other. We respect each other. Being together all those years, we know how to play together. We can trust each other and we know our weaknesses and how to get through them with each other."

So, having taken first in the 2A Seamount League, as, the Bulldogs did, only a worse record than 3A Kennedy, whom the Bulldogs tied and lost to in their games during the season, the vice of pressure seems moving together on the player's this season, almost, expected to get close to the state final with such a successful, veteran, group, returning.

"Yeah, to finish," said Abdi, when the pressure being on to do better than last season was mentioned.
Can that pressure be a good thing, or, does it make the team feel like it's back is being put against the wall, from the season's start?

"Keeps us focused," said Abdi.

Something Tura said is of notice, maybe, even a subject of a future 'focus group,' but, this team does well in high school soccer despite not having too many of its players play on the organized select league associations in the area, like, The Highline Heat.

How many play on club teams outside of school?

"None,"said Tura.

OK, so, change 'too many' to 'not any,' and, here's, though, why this team can meld together in just a short high school season when it's not playing much soccer in the Fall like a lot of players do who play club and premier soccer for teams like The Heat.

"Tukwila is very diverse, so a lot of kids coming to play soccer all the time," said Abdi.

To the school field?

"yes, in the summer, we are playing soccer all the time," said Abdi.

Tura gave insight more on the soccer differences of Bulldogs type of soccer play, if you will, to how some other different ways of practicing soccer happen.

"The international aspect is huge at Foster, most are street players," said Tura, referring to playground soccer, and, not organized, similar to basketball and how a lot of the minority community not playing club basketball, for financial, or, whatever reasons, are out all the time with the ball playing on the concrete, street courts.

"You just give them a ball, and, give them direction, and, they will take care of the rest," said Tura. "Most of the players on club teams play at practices, and, games."

But, it's not like what energies street players put into playing the sport.

"They (street players) play this game all day, all night, whole life," said Tura. "College coaches do not pay attention, they forget about street players."

And, these players can, if they work hard and develop and excel at this sport, get to the next level, too, of college soccer.

"I have five D-1 potential players," said Tura, mentioning Jalal Haji, Magar, Thang, Abdi, and, Katamaya, with the latter, being said capable of playing for the USA national team, if one wondered, earlier, what Tura, exactly, meant by 'national level' words.

In the game against Seattle Christian, to recap that one, as stated, Katamaya proved every bit as deadly as the Bulldogs' leading scorer last season, Jalal Haji. And, Katamaya, getting three scores, equaled this nice term earned by him in the game, 'hat trick.'

After the Warriors scored first, a minute into the game, the Bulldogs quickly countered, and, literally, of that word, with a counterattack goal, just four minutes later, when Hussein passed from the outside to inside the 18-yard-box for Katamaya to beat the goalie

"The goalkeeper was coming out and he went to it, and, speed, scored easy," said Katamaya.

And, Katamaya did play on the Bulldogs as a freshman, not a major offensive threat but did still score five goals and get some assists.

For the second goal, with 20 minutes left in the first half, the goal that put the Bulldogs ahead against the Warriors, Katamaya took advantage of no talk in the back, he said.

"No communication from defenders," said Katamaya. "I stole the ball and then I scored with outside foot."
And, for the third Katamaya goal for his Bulldogs team, that goal came with 30 minutes left in the second half, giving his team a lead, 3-1.

"Haji Naji crossed ball and I finished it, in penalty-kick area," said Katamaya.

And, the fourth and final goal of the game, for the Bulldogs, was by a penalty kick, handball by the Warriors. The kick, from 12-yards out, straightaway, was taken by Abdi, pocketing the ball into the right side of the goal, with 20 minutes left in the game.

So, how can the Bulldogs do this season is a good question to ask Tura.

Better than last season finish?

"More of the same," was the first words from Tura's mouth, but, he added, "But, we have a shot (at the title). If all my players can keep focusing on the field as well as off the field, we can do well."