The City College men’s soccer team is fighting for first place, equipped with international talent, two top ranked goalies, and a steadfast coaching staff.

“We’re fortunate that we’re in such a beautiful spot with amazing facilities,” Head Coach John Sisterson said. “Students go on the Internet and see the great spot we have, and we are inundated with players from different parts of the world, not only the States.”

The diverse team trails the undefeated Oxnard for top spot in their division, with an 11-1-4 record this season.

“The team has really come together,” Sisterson said. “They’re a team that could win the WSC [Western State Conference], I have no doubt about it.”

The players represent a global scale, hailing four men from Sweden, three from England, one from Columbia and one from the Caribbean.

“The team is doing really well,” said Davies Kabogoza, the Ugandan born forward. “The players come from different places, and we play well together.”

Though the world’s most popular sport maintains similar rules across the globe, the style of play varies from country to country.

Sisterson explained that the South American game involves more touches on the ball. They hold onto it longer than the typical European style of play where it is one or two dribbles and then a pass.

“It’s difficult at first to get them to play together. And to get them to understand the way we want them to play,” Sisterson said.

Despite being ranked second place in their division, Vaqueros is currently ranked sixth in the state, and twelfth in the nation.

The team is currently on a nine game hot streak. Part of this is due to their strong keeper line up—local Tony Mendoza of Dos Pueblos High School and Yonha Adrabi, ranked as the first and second place keepers in their division, respectively. In the last 16 games, the interchangeable goaltending duo has allotted 15 goals between the two of them.

“Everyone gets along,” said Mendoza, “There is some good chemistry.”

One of the team’s top scorers, Duran Stanley, born on the island Roatán, Honduras, and out of Santa Barbara High School, has been playing soccer his whole life.

Sisterson described Stanley as a “deadly centre forward”, crediting his 6’2” stature and love for winning.

“I always want to score,” Stanley said. “I’m always hungry and I hate losing. The only way for me to play better and for us to not lose is to score and give their defense a hell of a time.

“The one time we lost, we felt depressed. We don’t want to feel that way again. So, we stepped it up and played a lot better. Everyone wants to win. We have a winning attitude.”

The teams winning attitude is fostered by Sisterson, having just celebrated his 150 win as a soccer coach at City College.

Sistersons influence as head coach carries over off the field.

“He’s one of the first people I met [in America],” said Kabogoza. “He is like a dad away from home. He talks to me like a father would.”

The team provides an important home-like quality for many of the international players.

“All the guys are like my family, they’re like my brothers,” said Juan David, the 20-year-old right back from Columbia. “The connection that we have off the field reflects in our games.”

Despite looming playoff season, the players take the season ‘one game at a time.’

“This team has just thrown me off,” Sisterson said. “We found a way to win. We may not play the prettiest soccer, or the nicest to watch, but it has won games.”

“We’re not going to change too much. Why change a winning formula.”

The Vaqueros next game is at 2 p.m., Friday, at La Playa Stadium against Moorpark.