Meet Mulugheta Asihel: Up and coming College soccer star.

 College Athletics in the United States play a big role towards developing great citizens and possibly great athletes. As most of you know you don't have to look any further than most of the great collegiate athletes who have turned out to be professional athletes that have gone on to become the very best in their respective profession whatever it may be. It is with pleasure that I introduce to you a young man whom I have had the honor of following for the past couple of years as a student and a soccer player. 
A potential star this player has so much poise, skill and a can do attitude. He is a young man born to Eritrean parents and those who follow the Eritrean Sports Federation in North America annual sports festival may have seen him play in Dallas 2008, where the team he played for Alexandria won it's fourth title.

His name is Mulugheta Asihel and he graduated from Robert. E. Lee high school in Springfield, Virginia this past summer. Mulu as his friends know him was also on a select travel soccer team since his younger days where he excelled in every aspect of his game. His family especially his father has been very supportive in his Mulu's success and the result has been nothing but a great future for this young man. Spending lots of time traveling and also encouraging and investing in his child is something every parent should emulate. As an observer I have been watching Mulu play for a couple of years and can say that he has what it takes to be a great person but even more a great soccer player.                                                                                                                              
Mulu decided that it would be best to attend Junior college and get a great exposure before he transfers to a major four-year program. He was highly recruited by four-year schools but he decided to attend College of Southern Maryland where he has had an outstanding season as a midfielder/Forward player. College of Southern Maryland is in the Maryland Junior college Region twenty conference at the division one level. It also happens to be in the same division as my alma mater now known as Hagerstown Community College. Maryland Juco and especially region twenty has produced some of the top soccer and baseball players in the United States at every level including at the professional level. There is no doubt in my mind that Mulu has what it takes to be the best. He proved it last week when he was selected as one of the top players getting ALL STAR recognition alongside of his two team mates during the final of the region twenty conference championships, that I had the honor of witnessing. It brought me back to the good old days when my brother and I played in one of the toughest divisions. In our first year as a full fledged team, we had an incredible run of 13-3-1 losing to Charles community college currently know as College of Southern Maryland, where Mulugheta has been a star player.

After defeating Hagerstown in the semi finals CSM (College of Southern Maryland) had to play a power house in Junior college soccer. In a tough loss to CCBC Essex (Community college of Baltimore County) by the score of 2-1 Mulu scored the tying goal after Essex took the lead. Once Essex scored the second goal, Southern Maryland missed many opportunities where in one instance Mulu hit the goal post almost tying the game. It was not meant to be for the young team mostly composed of underclassmen. But if the scouts that were there saw one thing it is Mulu's chances of getting a scholarship somewhere at the NCAA division one level. This is a classic example of how allowing a young person to flourish and supporting them can make them great human beings and great athletes. I encourage Eritrean American families to give due attention to their kids who are the future generation. The number of Eritrean athletes who have done well include recent NY City marathon champion Meb Keflezghi, Zersenai Taddese, Thomas Kelati, Henok Goitom, Simon Bairu as well as many others. These Eritrean athletes are excellent examples of how sports and athletics can help build a strong foundation. Congratulations to Mulu Asihel for an outstanding season and we hope to see more of him as he pursues his education and soccer career at a higher institution of learning. We will be watching.

Picture above: The writer of this blog sitting second to the left as member of the historic Hagerstown Junior college soccer team that went 13-3-1 in it's first year as a team representing the school.






Michael Seium for,

Eri-International sports blog.