Temple University Athletics
The French Connection
10.3.19 | Men's Soccer
The many international student-athletes that compete in Cherry and White know first-hand that it is often a difficult transition when arriving in the United States. That shock is made a lot easier when a team consists of people who are not only from overseas, but from the same nation. On the men's soccer team at Temple, there are not one, two, three, but four players from France: senior Simon Lefebvre (Ossun, France), junior Pierre Cayet (Brettes-les-pins, France), sophomore Mickael Borger (Joeuf, France) and redshirt-freshman Mathieu Gadet (Toulouse, France).Â
Of the four athletes, three of them find themselves in starting roles and their shared culture leads to even further chemistry on the field. However, even before they put on their uniforms for the first time, the France natives were influencing one another.
The French connection has been impacting these players and the team all the way back to the recruiting process as Borger accredited Cayet as his main reason for attending Temple. The connection was first formed over social media. Ever since, there has been no looking back for these two as they have grown into best friends. For Cayet, even though they never shared the field together, former French Temple student-athlete Thibault Candia provided him with a large amount of information to ease the transition.
For any international student-athlete the transition is difficult, but the Frenchmen attribute the ease of their transition to one other. Cayet stated "it helped a lot with the culture shift" and "even today it helps a lot when we want to feel more at home, and speaking French is something that I would have missed if I did not have three French on the team with me." According to Borger, the student-athletes are all different off the field, as "Simon is someone who likes classic music while I prefer rap. Pierre is more of an extrovert while I'm more introverted. However, our culture and our passion for soccer allowed us to build a real friendship that will remain after college no matter what."
On the field, their shared culture leads to seamless communication. According to Borger, the student-athletes even find themselves speaking French on the field from time to time. However, sometimes they are linked together without even talking "due to our common culture, we are connected without even communicating" said Borger. Their relationship on the field leads to strong chemistry that has resulted in positive results. "I think everyone from abroad brings something positive to the field" added Lefebvre. They can encourage one another by "pushing one another to achieve our goals," said Cayet.
Many people will say that their college years are the best years of their life, and for Lefebvre it has been even better to "share this experience with the other French people on the team." They know the memories will continue to roll, however in the present "we share a lot of good moments, classes are easier and funnier when we are together and it makes my experience at Temple better" said Borger.
The bonds within Temple athletics are strong and the diversity that comes to North Philadelphia from oversees enhances the experience for everyone. This is not to mention the skill sets that they bring to campus. As the international student-athlete population continues to grow, Temple athletics will continue to thrive.
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Of the four athletes, three of them find themselves in starting roles and their shared culture leads to even further chemistry on the field. However, even before they put on their uniforms for the first time, the France natives were influencing one another.
The French connection has been impacting these players and the team all the way back to the recruiting process as Borger accredited Cayet as his main reason for attending Temple. The connection was first formed over social media. Ever since, there has been no looking back for these two as they have grown into best friends. For Cayet, even though they never shared the field together, former French Temple student-athlete Thibault Candia provided him with a large amount of information to ease the transition.
For any international student-athlete the transition is difficult, but the Frenchmen attribute the ease of their transition to one other. Cayet stated "it helped a lot with the culture shift" and "even today it helps a lot when we want to feel more at home, and speaking French is something that I would have missed if I did not have three French on the team with me." According to Borger, the student-athletes are all different off the field, as "Simon is someone who likes classic music while I prefer rap. Pierre is more of an extrovert while I'm more introverted. However, our culture and our passion for soccer allowed us to build a real friendship that will remain after college no matter what."
On the field, their shared culture leads to seamless communication. According to Borger, the student-athletes even find themselves speaking French on the field from time to time. However, sometimes they are linked together without even talking "due to our common culture, we are connected without even communicating" said Borger. Their relationship on the field leads to strong chemistry that has resulted in positive results. "I think everyone from abroad brings something positive to the field" added Lefebvre. They can encourage one another by "pushing one another to achieve our goals," said Cayet.
Many people will say that their college years are the best years of their life, and for Lefebvre it has been even better to "share this experience with the other French people on the team." They know the memories will continue to roll, however in the present "we share a lot of good moments, classes are easier and funnier when we are together and it makes my experience at Temple better" said Borger.
The bonds within Temple athletics are strong and the diversity that comes to North Philadelphia from oversees enhances the experience for everyone. This is not to mention the skill sets that they bring to campus. As the international student-athlete population continues to grow, Temple athletics will continue to thrive.
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Players Mentioned
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