There’s something special happening between Rosemonde Kouassi and Gift Monday. The relative league newcomers – Kouassi in her second season, Monday in her first – have teamed up for goals five times in NWSL competitions, Kouassi teeing Monday up each time.
That on-field chemistry isn’t always easy, but language barriers don’t help. Nigerian-born Monday speaks English with her teammates, and Kouassi, who is from the Cote d'Ivoire, speaks French.
“We just joke with each other,” Monday said of their off-the-field relationship. “We use physical touch, trying to demonstrate what we’re talking about.”
If the U.S. is a melting pot, there is overwhelming proof in the D.C. locker room. The roster represents 11 countries – Canada, Colombia, Cote d'Ivoire, England, France, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Scotland, and the U.S.
It’s no matter for the Spirit, though.
“You don't need to speak the same language to play soccer,” New Jersey born Brittany Ratcliffe said. “You can see that on the field. Even though we may not understand each other linguistically, on the field we all have the same goal.”
Rebeca Bernal and Leicy Santos are both Spanish speakers, hailing from Mexico and Colombia respectively.
“We just use our hands. In our case, [Santos and I] speak Spanish, but our coach [Adrián González] also speaks Spanish. We can understand English, but if we don’t understand we can ask him,” Bernal said. “We have some French speakers, and they try to help each other to be clear. It’s important to have all of us clear on the game plan.”
Japan-native Niruma Miura echoed this.
"On the pitch we don't really need to speak English. We have to trust in everybody that you don't even need to speak the same language," she said. "You know everyone's going to be where they need to be."
With different home countries also comes different styles of play. The best players from all over the world have come to the NWSL, and for a team like the Spirit, it can add a competitive edge.
“We are a special team because we have fast players, and we can take advantage of that so we can play more directly,” Bernal said about the different styles of play. “We can also play close so the other team doesn't know what we are going to do. That’s important for us. Everyone is different.”
As the NWSL continues to grow on the global scale, Santos said it only grows more and more appealing to players outside the U.S.
“This league is the one of the most important ones in the world, and obviously that’s really attractive for the teammates who play here,” Santos said through a translator. “The impact this league is having in the women’s soccer world, I think this is the number one league. I think good players and good teammates make them want to play here.”
Off the pitch, it is also a crash course in global studies.
“We can share our cultures. For me it's fun because you also learn about different cultures,” Bernal said.
Ratcliffe was born and raised in New Jersey. Though she is not getting the experience of playing in another country, Ratcliffe is learning the culture of places she’s never been.
“You get to hear the different kinds of music they listen to. Kysha [Sylla] will always cool us French food. I went grocery shopping with Monday and all the stuff she was buying, I was like, ‘I don't know what you're cooking, but it looks good,’” Ratcliffe said. “I wouldn't trade it for the world.”
With the number of countries represented on the Spirit roster, she won’t have to.
