The 2025 Winner of Montclair’s Third International Soccer Tournament Is …
Posted in: Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Student News, World Languages and Cultures
On April 30, the World Languages and Cultures Department hosted its third annual International Soccer Tournament. With five co-ed teams representing Arabic, Asian Languages (Chinese, Japanese, and Korean), French/Francophone, German, and Italian, the tournament, which drew nearly 100 players and fans, filled a lively evening under the lights at the campus rec soccer field.
Teams, co-coached by World Language faculty and students, played fast-paced 20-minute games in a round-robin format. Arabic faculty member Mazooz Sehwail and experienced recreational soccer students refereed the games with objectivity and precision. Teams were well-matched with scores often fluctuating until the final minutes. German faculty member Pascale LaFountain notes, “I love the camaraderie. Even on our diverse campus I think sometimes people come to the field with some cultural stereotypes. The soccer field really brings people together across identity groups and connects through a shared love for the sport.”
The field was lined with avid fans displaying flags from around the world, cheering for teams in a harmony of languages, sharing summer travel tips for world explorations, discussing study abroad plans, taking final pre-graduation selfies, and enjoying pizza with their teams. Faculty and their families, world language classmates, and friends all joined to support the students. This program is part of Montclair World Languages’ commitment to bringing language learning beyond the classroom, which the program does through a lively schedule of co-curricular activities, study abroad, faculty-led international travel, and career planning opportunities.
“Regardless of their background, major, language, gender, or experience level, everyone is so respectful on the pitch,” says LaFountain. “Maybe the World Cup could even learn something from these students!”
Winning the International Soccer Tournament Trophy from the French/Francophone team, the 2025 winners were the Arabic team! Yalla yalla! The Arabic faculty will display the trophy with honor … until it returns to the field next year as part of the warmup to the World Cup festivities.
