Soccer is life; Abel Gebrekiros has been another punch for the No. 6 Packers
Published 11:26 am Thursday, September 29, 2016
Former United States President Teddy Roosevelt once famously said to “speak softly and carry a big stick.”
For Austin senior soccer standout Abel Gebrekiros, his motto would be to “speak softly and carry a big kick.” Gebrekiros moved from Ethiopia to Austin last year and while he hasn’t done a lot of talking on game days, he’s made a lot of noise as he’s netted three game winning goals and nine total goals for the Packers, who have surged to the No. 6 ranked team in the Class A.
Gebrekiros moved to Austin last year after his father had moved to Austin eight years prior through the Diversity Visa Lottery. While in Ethiopia, Gebrekiros started playing soccer at age five and he instantly gained a passion for the sport.
Before coming to America, he played on a city team in Ethiopia with players of various ages.
“Soccer is life for me,” Gebrekiros said. “That’s what I’m going to do. I want it to be my future and I’d like to play in college if that’s possible.”

Austin’s Abel Gebrekiros speeds the ball forward in the first half against Faribault at Art Hass Stadium earlier this month. Herald file photo
Gebrekiros struggles with speaking English, but he still makes the effort to joke around with his teammates when he gets a chance. He’s enjoyed playing for the Packers and its helped him make the big adjustment of moving to a new country.
“Austin’s not a very big city, but it’s very different. Everything is different,” Gebrekiros said. “When we played in Africa, some players didn’t have cleats or any equipment and I used to play on bare feet.”
Austin senior Tucker Nelson said that Gebrekiros fit into the lineup right away and the team has embraced him and appreciated his ability to create offense.
“I think it’s fun when other teams see him for the first time,” Nelson said. “They know about Mati [Parada] and our other guys, but he’s new to them.”
Austin head coach Jens Levisen said that soccer can often times eliminate any culture barriers between athletes as they all play together on the field and that has been the case for Gebrekiros. Levisen also said that Gebrekiros has had a great attitude since he arrived.
“He’s got the passion for the game,” Levisen said. “He worked hard on his own to develop those skills and he wants to have fun with his teammates. He realizes the ‘we’ is more important than the ‘me.’ All of those things come together to make him the fantastic player he is.”
Gebrekiros scored one of the biggest goals in recent memory for the Packer soccer team when he netted the game-winner in overtime to beat Rochester Lourdes for the first time since 2009. He wasn’t fazed about going against one of the most dominant teams in Class A.
“Actually, I don’t care. If we’re playing against any team, I don’t care if they’re good or not,” Gebrekiros said. “They’re student players and we’re student players. If you think they’re too good, that’s not good because you’ll be down every game. You should always think you’re good and better than anyone when you’re on the field.”
The Packers will host Rochester Mayo 7 p.m. Thursday.