University High boys' soccer team gains respect
No one thought much of the University's boys' soccer team, which is small, quick and almost unbeatable.

By MIKE PHILLIPS
mphillips@MiamiHerald.com
Go ahead and overlook the University High boys' soccer team.
Just try it.
Ignore them. Disregard them. Pay no attention to them.
That's what happened, but while South Florida's soccer elite was turning its back to the Suns, they were running right by everyone with a touch-and-go offense that has given an entire new meaning to the term tag-team.
Talk about a hit-and-run. Most teams are lucky to catch the names on the backs of the Suns jerseys, and don't blame anyone for seeing double: That's just the Rezende twins -- Connor and Calvin, a couple of Brazilian kids from Connecticut, who have combined for 38 goals and 32 assists for the Suns.
That's right. Their parents are from Brazil. The twins were born in Hartford, and moved to Broward when they were 3 years old. Mom and Dad still have homemade tapes of their first goals when they were 4.
''I think Connor scored the first goal,'' said Calvin.
''No, I think it was Calvin,'' Connor said.
That's the way they are -- unselfish and always looking out for each other, on and off the field. And they find each other often.
''I always know where he is and where he is going to be,'' said Calvin, who has 18 assists and has helped Connor score most of his 25 goals. ``It's like that even at home. If someone asked me where he was, I would just know. It's instinct.''
Their soccer instincts are even better, and they are at the heart of a team that, like them, feeds off each other.
Five players, including Jeremy Katz, who has 21 goals and 23 assists this season, scored for the Suns Thursday in a 6-0 romp over Miami Country Day. It could have been worse. The twins, who combined for three goals and two assists, and Katz were on the bench with a 5-0 lead with 25 minutes left in the game.
''That's the best team we've played,'' said Country Day coach Jeff Watson, who has one of the top private school programs in Miami. ''We're 13-3-1 and we've lost to them twice. They're fast and they're disciplined,'' he said. ``And they're simple. They don't try to do anything [extreme]. They make the pass they need to make, and never try to make the killer pass or overdo it. They're a great team.''
The Suns (18-1-1) split two games with defending state champ American Heritage, the top-ranked team in South Florida and the one that beat them by the mercy rule last season. ''No one really respected us until we beat [Heritage],'' Connor said. ``But now they are starting to respect us. ''
The Suns have outscored opponents 99-8. Goalkeeper Eric Reyes, who has 16 shutouts, touched the ball only twice Thursday.
The Suns, who have never won a state title, are ripping through the best season in the school's history with their youngest team. They have only four seniors, and none of them starts. The twins are sophomores, and Katz, Reyes and Kwesi Alleyne, the team's top defender, are juniors.
When Salomon Kidane left his job as the coach of St. Thomas University to coach the Suns three years ago, he had a plan.
''I was told they wanted to take soccer to the next level,'' said Kidane. ``I knew you had to do it slowly with younger kids, but we are slowly achieving our goal. The key is to keep it simple and to be disciplined.''
The team is a reflection of Kidane, who, at 5-7, made a name for himself in Sweden, where he played for the national team and was on the 1992 Olympic team before playing in Europe.
''As a player, I was small,'' said Kidane. 'I tell them, `You may be 5-6, and they may be 6-foot-everything, but the flow of the game is the key.' I tell them, 'If they can't catch you, they can't get you.' ''
Join the discussion
The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.





















My Yahoo
@Nyx.replyAnswerText@