加纳的雅鲁成美国职业足球大联盟(MLS)榜眼秀
时间：2019-01-12 作者：英语课 分类：2016年VOA慢速英语(一)月
AS IT IS 2016-01-17 Ghana’s Yaro Is Second Pick in MLS Draft 加纳的雅鲁成美国职业足球大联盟(MLS)榜眼秀
Joshua Yaro unfurled his new scarf with a smile.
He is a new player with the Philadelphia Union soccer team in Major League Soccer (MLS). Yesterday he was a college student from Ghana at Georgetown University.
The team chose him second in Thursday’s MLS SuperDraft to play for the Philadelphia Union team.
That is a long way from home.
“Growing up, it was always a dream to play professionally. But where exactly, I had no idea. This day has been a day I have worked for my whole life. And yeah it’s a fun day.”
Yaro grew up in Kumasi, Ghana and then moved to Accra as a 12-year-old to play soccer with the Right to Dream Academy for two years. He earned a spot at the academy because of his playing skill and became a team captain.
Right to Dream is designed to give African soccer prospects 1 the chance to attend school, learn soccer and travel to international tournaments so they can be seen by coaches around the world.
There are Right to Dream graduates playing soccer around the world as professionals, university students and high school students. Some of them are playing in the best leagues in the world in England, France and the Netherlands.
Yaro moved to California to attend a high school near Santa Barbara. Host families helped him understand America and acclimate to life in the United States.
Yaro knew English before he moved to the U.S., but one thing he worried about was saying the wrong thing in conversations or being misunderstood. He says he is still learning American English and customs now.
“Culturally, things are different. And the way that people dress, the way people act and the way people talk and all that. It’s different. And just learning to adapt to the culture, and the way of life here in order not to offend people or fit in was tough. It took me a while to figure all those things out. But it happened. And I’m still learning. But it’s not as hard as it was when I first got here.”
He played so well at his high school that Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., scouted 2 him and offered him a soccer scholarship.
Yaro spent three years on the team at Georgetown, while attending school. He studied international relations, government and anthropology 3.
While he was there, the team won 44 of 55 games and was one of the best college teams in the United States.
Yaro is a central defender 4, and he was named the best defensive 5 player in the Big East Conference last season. He is expected to play center back for Philadelphia.
In soccer, the center back is responsible for leading his team’s defense 6 and preventing the opposition 7 from getting easy scoring chances.
Sometimes, center backs are physically 8 imposing 9. But Yaro makes up for what he lacks in size with good soccer instincts and speed. He is about 1.8 meters tall, [5 feet, 11 inches] and weighs 72 kilograms [or 163 pounds].
His coach at Georgetown, Brian Wiese, says Yaro always played his best when the rest of the team struggled.
“We had a playoff game this year, and we had a playoff game the year before where we were struggling as a team in the match at times and that’s when he really rose up and was accounted for. And if you’re sitting there watching, you’re saying – well, he’s a special player. If he’s not the best player in the country, I don’t know who is...”
During the lead-up to the draft, many people thought Yaro would be the first player chosen. Instead, the Chicago Fire chose Jack 10 Harrison from England, who attended Wake Forest University.
Then, the Philadelphia Union chose Yaro.
Yaro says he is not worried about not being the first player picked.
“It doesn't matter where you end up. You're going to start from scratch when you get to pre-season,” he says. “It didn't really matter number one, number two, number three, number 20. You're still going to be on the team and have to work your way up.”
In a surprise, the next player picked, also by Philadelphia, was Yaro’s Georgetown teammate, Keegan Rosenberry.
The team starts its season with a preseason match in Florida on February 6 and then opens the regular season in Dallas a month later.
Steven Goff is the soccer writer for the Washington Post.
He says he thinks Yaro will be able to make an impact on MLS as a first-year player.
“He’s a terrific 11 athlete. And I think that gives him an advantage. He knows the game so well, he reads the game so well. So I would imagine he will probably be a starter in this league right away.”
Yaro says he is looking forward to the chance to start his new career and prove himself for his new team.
But he took time to reflect on how he got from Ghana to one of the most important days of his life.
“It has been a long road, and it has been a tough one. But I’m grateful for everything that happened and all the things that have happened to make me what I am today. Coming from Ghana, to Santa Barbara and Georgetown and now here and to Philly, it’s been a really great road and it’s been a really fun one. And a learning experience. And something that’s helped build me up as a person. It hasn’t been easy. But at last, I can look back and say it was worth it.”
Yaro says he wants to help people understand Africa better during his playing career, and to work in diplomacy 12 afterward 13. Since he is now a professional athlete, Yaro will put his studies on hold temporarily. But he should be able to finish his degree while starting his professional career. Goff says his salary will be close to $200,000 per year, based on similar players in past drafts.
Words in This Story
professionally - adj. related to a job that requires special training, education or skill
prospects - n. someone or something that is likely to be chosen or successful
acclimated 14 – v. to adjust or adapt to a new climate, place, or situation
athlete – n. a person who is trained in or good at sports, games, or exercises that require physical skill and strength
preseason – n. a period of time before the regular season when players train and people or teams play against each other in unofficial games
terrific – adj. extremely good
scouted – v. to watch or look at (someone or something) in order to decide if that person or thing is suited for a particular job or purpose
unfurl – v. to open something up
scholarship – n. an amount of money that is given by a school, an organization, etc., to a student to help pay for the student's education
- There is a mood of pessimism in the company about future job prospects. 公司中有一种对工作前景悲观的情绪。
- They are less sanguine about the company's long-term prospects. 他们对公司的远景不那么乐观。
- They scouted around for a shop that was open late. 他们四处寻找，看看还有没有夜间营业的商店。
- They scouted around for a beauty parlour. 他们四处寻找美容院。
- I believe he has started reading up anthropology.我相信他已开始深入研究人类学。
- Social anthropology is centrally concerned with the diversity of culture.社会人类学主要关于文化多样性。
- He shouldered off a defender and shot at goal.他用肩膀挡开防守队员，然后射门。
- The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
- Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
- The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。
- The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
- The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。
- The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
- The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。
- He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
- Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。
- The fortress is an imposing building.这座城堡是一座宏伟的建筑。
- He has lost his imposing appearance.他已失去堂堂仪表。
- I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
- He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。
- The game was terrific.那场比赛棒极了。
- Darren drove at a terrific speed.达伦以惊人的速度驾车。
- The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
- This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。
- Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
- Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。
- The rice has been acclimated in this area. 水稻已能适应这一地区的环境。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
- Have you become acclimated to Taiwan yet? 你已适应台湾的环境了吗？ 来自辞典例句