Chivas teammates eye 2010 World Cup
Lahoud, Chijindu maintain cultural ties to host continent
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Lahoud and Chijindu are U.S. citizens, but both maintain cultural ties to an African country. Lahoud was born in Sierra Leone, while both of Chijindu's parents are from Nigeria.
"The World Cup is so important for the whole continent," said Lahoud. "In the past 40 or 50 years, there's been so much violence there. I think it's very big for some much-needed unity throughout the continent. It's going to bring everyone together."
Lahoud was born in Freetown, Sierra Leone's coastal capital, and spent the first three years of his life in the west African nation before moving to Virginia.
"I have a lot of pride being from Sierra Leone," said Lahoud. "It's something that my family is very proud of, but I also respect my American citizenship. Without coming to America, I wouldn't have the opportunity I have right now. I'm proud to be from both places."
Chukwudi Chijindu calls himself a 'Nigerian kid who grew up in California.' He was raised in Fontana, Calif., by two parents whose native tongue was Igbo, one of the many languages spoken in Nigeria.
"I'd go to school and be with my American friends and then come home and it was more of a Nigerian feel," said Chijindu. "It wasn't necessarily one culture or the other; both influenced me a lot."
While neither has been contacted about playing on the international level, Chijindu and Lahoud would be eligible to appear for both the U.S. national team and the African country of their families. They both admit they have a long way to go before even being considered for international duty, but each confesses that he has considered the decision of which country he'd elect to play for if pressed to make a choice.
"It's a tough one, to be honest," said Lahoud. "I know my whole family would be overjoyed if I played for Sierra Leone, but there are other people who are really close to me, people who have helped me get to where I'm at right now, who would be really happy to see me play for the United States."
Growing up, Lahoud's family followed national team soccer closely and supported the East End Lions, one of the two dominant clubs in Sierra Leone's first division.
Like Lahoud, Chijindu would also feel torn if forced to decide which national team he would play for in the event he's selected for both.
"If it came to an option between the two," he said, "I'd honestly take a look at the pros and cons of each and figure out what would be the best for my future."
Both Lahoud and Chijindu are adamant about the progress they'd need to make before any possible international appearance and for now, each is focused on his career at Chivas USA and happy to be a part of the league's top team.
More than anything, they're excited about seeing the FIFA World Cup finally land in Africa next year.
"I think it's also going to show that a lot of stereotypes about Africa aren't true," said Chijindu. "It's one of the most beautiful places in the world and everything that the movies depict is pretty unrealistic. Hopefully, the cameras at the World Cup will show people all the beautiful things that Africa has to offer."
Jeffrey King is a contributor to MLSnet.com
