How soccer turns newcomers into neighbours

Heritier: We actually came to Toronto first. We came from Uganda, because we had to flee the war, from Goma to Uganda, which is across the border. And then from Uganda we came to Toronto. But my dad didn’t like the big city, the noise. He said, “Bring me somewhere a bit more calm, and somewhere Francophone too.” That’s when they told him, “We can bring you to New Brunswick,” because New Brunswick is the only province in Canada that’s both Francophone and English, bilingual. So we came, actually to Dieppe, just to make sure. Dieppe, Moncton, that’s it.

Jorge: Did he speak any English when you came?

Heritier: My dad speaks over five languages. When we came here, I learned French and English here. Over there I didn’t really know any of those languages, I only knew Swahili, Lingala a bit, and some of the Ugandan language. I’d heard French and English, but I’d never gone to school and learned them. So when we came here, we basically had to learn. When you’re young, it’s easier. And it gave us a boost, because we already knew two or three languages, so we just had to add two more. Right now I speak up to four languages.

Jorge: What was it like growing up in Moncton, almost 20 years ago?

Heritier: It was interesting. When I look at it back then and now, everything kind of changed, and it went by so quickly. Greater Moncton especially was, at one point, one of the fastest-growing regions in North America. So when I look at everything happening now, I’m not surprised. But it was good growing up. We were some of the first ones here, so we kind of knew each other. Now there are so many people, from all around the world.

Jorge: I love hearing the stories of people from 20, 30, 40 years ago, because I’m new to the city, I didn’t grow up here. So while you were in high school, were you playing soccer with the city, or with your school?

Heritier: Even before coming to Canada, I was always playing soccer. It was the only thing I knew growing up. I played through all of it, that’s how I made friends, that’s how I integrated quicker. You have practice, you have games, you have to work with each other, you have to talk with each other. So you integrate so much faster. That’s what I found, for me.

Jorge: I know you had offers to play in the United States, or to go to other places in Canada, when you went to university. Why did you choose Université de Moncton?

Heritier: In high school I was playing in the academy, the New Brunswick High Performance Academy. We trained every day. When you’re doing well, the scouts see you and they’re interested, so I definitely had a few offers. They were interesting. But I always liked staying close to home, close to family. That’s why I really liked staying in Moncton.

Jorge: Same with us in Honduras. We want to stay close to family all the time. I think a lot about the role my parents played in me growing up. What role did your father play in you getting involved with soccer?

Heritier: My parents always pushed us, “Go play soccer, go play soccer.” For them it was like dropping us at daycare. “Go there, enjoy yourself, and when you come back home, just come back in one piece.” That was the only rule.

Jorge: I agree. I have a boy, he’s two, and I’d love for him to get into soccer, or any sport. I want him to do whatever he enjoys. But soccer is a team sport, you learn discipline, you learn that you have a coach, you have to listen and follow instructions. And you get that competitiveness too. Nothing is gifted to you; you have to earn it. That’s how life works too. When you go to get a job, you compete with 50 other people. So what’s the mindset you try to instill in kids, especially one who wants to play professionally?

Heritier: That’s a good way to put it. Here in Canada, a lot of sport is community-raised. In our region, when parents push their kids, it’s most likely hockey. Not many people push kids to go pro in soccer, more likely toward university and scholarships. But when there’s a kid who actually wants to go for it, just because you come from a smaller province, people underestimate you a lot. So I tell them, “You’re going to have to work two times, three times more than the guy beside you for them to even look at you.” You have to take risks. And I tell them a lot: make sure you’re working hard, make sure you’re not scared to fail, and enjoy yourself. You always have to have fun.

Jorge: I love that. I was reading about the ability to fail quickly. When you fail quickly, you realize this isn’t working, I need to make a change. It’s an ability that can take you far. It’s the same in sports, the faster you fail, the easier you can adjust and get better.

Heritier: Exactly. That’s what I had growing up. People would ask, “How do you juggle so much?”, with my head, my shoulders, everything. But I failed so much at home. If you ask my dad, we broke windows, we broke TVs. My mom would scream. And then I’d get to school and I could juggle anything, an apple, an orange, anything. “How does he do it?” But I’d practiced so much, failed so much at home. By the time I got there it was easy. I always wanted to try. I’d fail 100 times, but once I got it, it just clicked.

Jorge: I was reading an article about you. You sit on Canada Soccer’s Incident Review Body. How did that happen, and what is it, for people who don’t know?

Heritier: The review body for Canada Soccer reviews all the incidents that happen in professional sport, the women’s professional league in Canada and the men’s professional league. We review incidents involving the players, the coaches, the fans, even the stadium staff. There’s a lot that comes into play. The good thing for me is I studied criminology, I graduated in criminology. So that’s a bit of my line of work too: reviewing the policies, making the right decision. When an incident happens, you listen, you make the right decision, you review all the right documents. It’s something I like a lot. We’re a group of people making sure everything runs smoothly at the games, that the teams understand the procedures, the security.

Jorge: I’m so grateful for the opportunity to move to Canada, because you get to follow your passions here. It might sound cliché, but four or five years ago, if you’d told me I’d be running a video production company in Canada, I’d have said you were out of your mind. Combining criminology with soccer, those opportunities probably don’t exist everywhere.

Heritier: I’ve never even thought about it that way. I’m also one of the youngest people sitting on that review body. A few years ago, I loved football, but I never would have connected the two. Now I see how everything here is so well structured, everyone can bring a piece of what they’ve learned into the game. It’s not just the players on the field or the coaches; there’s a whole ecosystem. If you’ve studied psychology, you can be a psychologist for football. If you’ve studied nutrition, you can be a nutritionist for soccer. Whatever you’ve done, the ecosystem of soccer is so large. If you’re passionate about the game, go study what you like, you can always find something in soccer. Especially in a country like Canada, which has so many opportunities.

Jorge: So you’re on the Soccer Dieppe board, you’re East Region Director for Soccer NB, and you’re part of Canada Soccer’s national disciplinary body. You have a perspective from different angles. Where do you feel soccer is going in the next five to ten years in Canada?

Heritier: I feel it’s going in the right direction, from what I’m seeing across the regions. Mark Carney, our prime minister, just invested over $700 million into soccer for our country, which is amazing, we thank him for that. And with the World Cup coming, I see it going the right way. Now people are going to see it and think, “I can actually be the next Alphonso Davies. I can be the next Jacob Shaffelburg.” When they see that, they’ll believe they can make it. And the structure is already there, we have a women’s premier league.

Jorge: Do you think there’s a chance for Moncton to get a team in the Canadian Premier League?

Heritier: We hope. I’m not going to be a politician about it, but I’ll say this: in the Maritimes, the only place that could get a Premier League team is Moncton, New Brunswick. There’s no other place in the Maritimes that could get a team. And look at the Wonders today, one of the best-selling teams in the league for tickets. In the Maritimes we have a way of loving our teams. You feel it. I really cross my fingers that in the next five years, we’re building domes, things are coming, hopefully the team comes with it. I think that would boost the game in our region.

Jorge: I get super excited. When I learned Canada was getting a professional league, I immediately thought, “What about Moncton?” There’s even a Facebook group asking for a Moncton team.

Heritier: I experienced the Women’s World Cup here ten years ago, I was a ball boy on the sidelines. I remember Colombia got their first-ever Women’s World Cup win, right here in Moncton. When they scored, in the last minutes, I was behind the Colombian fans, and I had shivers, and I’m not even from Colombia. And the Canadians are so tough, they stick behind their team. That tournament, Sinclair scored. I remember that moment, and I thought, “This city needs a professional soccer team.” We had the Women’s World Cup, then the Under-20 Women’s World Cup, major events. We’re ready for those. We just need someone to invest and put in the time, because we have the people who are qualified and ready to work in soccer in our region. If we get that team, a lot of good things will happen.

Jorge: So, the World Cup. June 11th, Canada plays the opener, I think. It’s the first World Cup with 48 teams, and we’re hosting with the US and Mexico. The format is 12 groups of four. The top two from each group advance, plus the eight best third-place teams. Then a round of 32, round of 16, quarterfinals, semifinals, and the final. Canada is in a group with Bosnia, Qatar, and Switzerland. What are our odds?

Heritier: I think we’re really good right now. We had a few injuries during the season, but I think we’re good going into the World Cup. Qatar’s a tough team too, from Asia. We have very big teams coming to play here. But Canada’s advantage, the one other teams don’t have, is the fans, the red army. That passion is something you cannot buy. And Canada at home is a different team. Did you see the last games? We played the US here at home, a critical game.

Jorge: I think we’re going through. It takes eight games to win the World Cup. Just getting through the group stage, for me, is a win for Canada. Last World Cup, in 2022, we scored our first-ever World Cup goal.

Heritier: Alphonso Davies. Canada. Inspiration.

Jorge: We’re young at playing World Cups, but the team’s getting better and better. I followed the Copa América, I think we were eliminated by Argentina in the semifinals. And that was one of the first times we discovered Jacob Shaffelburg. For people who don’t understand why it’s a big deal: Jacob Shaffelburg is from Kentville, Nova Scotia, a small town. He’s from the Maritimes. So a kid from the Maritimes, playing for Canada’s national team, will be at the World Cup. Anyone can become a player. Soccer is an international language, it’s not like French or English; if you play it, you can communicate with anyone. I play here in Moncton with people from everywhere, and we don’t speak the same language, but we communicate. For the World Cup, we don’t have games here in Moncton, but what should people here look forward to?

Heritier: First, about Jacob Shaffelburg, an amazing player growing up. I had a chance to play against him a few times, just out of this world. For the World Cup, it’s going to be good for Canadians, and the Maritimes, to enjoy the games. We’re having events, I think on June 18th, downtown Moncton at the Avenir Centre. It’s a whole-day event. Soccer NB has the information on their website. The city will also be broadcasting a few games. Just having people come around and watch will be something that really touches us in the heart.

Jorge: I didn’t know there were so many activities planned in the city around the World Cup. That makes me excited, I don’t think Honduras is hosting a World Cup anytime soon. Now, you’re helping govern the sport at the national level, but I’d love to know: for a newcomer family in Moncton wanting to get a kid into the game today, what does that look like? What does it actually cost?

Heritier: Some clubs have programs for newcomers, just so they understand the ecosystem and the structure, more for the parents. For me, it needs to be a priority for every club to have a sector or a committee to help newcomers, because the city and the province are growing very quickly. We’re getting more families, immigrants, refugees, even Canadians who come here and don’t understand the system. So I encourage all the clubs to do that, to help them understand the cost and the time it takes. There are obstacles, obviously, with the price of life going higher. If it were up to me, it would be free for everyone, sports should be free, it’s so important in everyday life. There’s a cost, depending on the level you want to play. But there are also people willing to help, a lot of associations and organizations that reduce the cost, or cover it entirely. So don’t be scared as a newcomer if you see the cost. Just ask, “My son wants to play, what can I do?” Growing up, when we came, our community helped us, drives to practice and games, food, where to stay, fees. Those people helped us, and I’m forever grateful. You just have to go out there. In this region especially, which is good.

Jorge: Sports in general are a vehicle for integration. I know families who’ve come to Moncton with teenagers who don’t speak the language well and need to find community. They struggle in school too, because we have broken English and we’re trying to integrate. Sports can be that vehicle. So I thank you for being a community builder.

Heritier: Thank you. Thank you very much.

Jorge: As newcomers, we’re not only people who need help, we bring strength, ideas, leadership. It’s something you’ve mentioned before. What do you want the people listening, in Moncton, in Dieppe, across New Brunswick, to actually do differently after this conversation?

Heritier: For me, exactly like I was saying: be kind. Be open to different people. Be ready to help others, your brother, your sister. For me, everyone’s a brother and sister. That’s how I grew up in my family. And that’s how we build a very strong, loving community.

Jorge: I love it. I want to be a community builder too, I want people to come together, find commonalities, and get along. Right now my Honduran community here is small, probably less than 100, 150 people. There’s a bit more from Congo here, I’ve seen you playing for a Congo team. Tell me about it.

Heritier: We have a strong community, even in Canada generally. I think we’re one of the most represented African communities in Canada, probably the most French-represented too, in terms of the African diaspora. It’s a big community. We do a lot of events across Canada, Ottawa, Montreal, Vancouver, Moncton. We love soccer, we love music, we love having fun. We tend to do tournaments here in Moncton. There’s one called the TAM, the Tournoi Amical de Moncton. There are different teams from around the world: Senegal, Acadie, which isn’t a country, but the Acadian people have a team, Canada has a team, Ivory Coast has a team, and more from Africa and around the world. It’s a community league. Very fun. There are stands, food, music. You just have to come around. We usually put a team in.

Jorge: It’s important we talk about this. Canada is my home now, but I can never forget where I’m from. I love to represent Honduras. We get along with our community, for Independence Day we come together with our food and everything. We want to share that with everyone. It’s not that we want to seclude ourselves into clusters, we want to represent and share parts of our story. I want to share everything Latin America has to offer, we even have awesome restaurants coming into the city, salsa music, dance groups. I’m not afraid to share about my community, because I want people around me to learn about different cultures. Now, Congo is going to the World Cup this summer, for the first time in 52 years. Last time they were under a different name…

Heritier: Zaire.

Jorge: Yes. Canada is hosting, and Congo is playing. How do you feel about that?

Heritier: As long as they don’t play each other, we’re good for now. Honestly, it’s surreal. When I came to Canada, I’d never watched Congo at the World Cup. And when I came, soccer wasn’t really a thing in Canada yet, neither nation was at the international level then, even though they loved the sport. I’m a soccer lover, so just to see where it’s come from… I used to have debates with friends at school, “Hockey’s bigger.” “No, football’s bigger.” Now they’ll see for themselves. And watching Congo at the World Cup after 52 years, even my parents never had the chance to watch that. I love the World Cup, because it’s every four years.

Jorge: I breathe and bleed soccer. When I speak English, I pivot to soccer, I call it football.

Heritier: I started calling it football too. At some point I just let it go and say soccer for now. But when they see other countries call it football, they’ll understand. And Honduras didn’t make it to the World Cup…

Jorge: We fell short. Haiti is going, though. Only Panama, from Central America, made it.

Heritier: I watched that game, because my friend plays for Haiti, Gavren Metusela. He’s half Congolese, half Haitian, so we know him. When they qualified it was amazing. Haiti hadn’t qualified in about 52 years, same as Congo.

Jorge: They surprised everyone. That group had Haiti, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Haiti came through.

Heritier: No one put their money on Haiti at first, usually it’s Honduras or Costa Rica. Then you see Haiti, and it’s like, wow. But that’s the magic of football. As long as you believe you can do it, you can. You just have to believe first. That’s how a lot of teams got to the World Cup. At the World Cup, I always say there are no small countries, every team is a challenge. Four years ago, Argentina played their first game and lost, and the whole world was shocked. And then Argentina went on to win the World Cup. The game is so magical. I can’t wait.

Jorge: There’s a psychological factor. Our players in Honduras, whenever they’re losing, they lose it in their minds, it’s hard to come back from losing, because your mind comes into play and the game starts feeling harder. I see a lot of resilience in the Canadian national team, a lot of mental work, to not give up on any game and keep pushing.

Heritier: Exactly. When people watch a soccer game, they just see 11 players against 11. But there’s the inner staff too, in French we say le travail invisible, the invisible work. Those are the nutritionists and the people who work relentlessly behind the scenes. At the end of the day we only see the players. But when teams come to play qualifiers, it’s Friday here, Monday somewhere else, mentally you need a really good staff, people behind the scenes making those players ready.

Jorge: Can you imagine what that does for a kid, if you can instill those values? How that benefits them in the future, to be resilient, to not give up. I love that Canada’s national team comes with the attitude of winning, no matter who they play.

Heritier: The fire. When you look at someone like Moise Bombito, number 15 for Canada, his story is all about resilience. He was in the second division in the US, went up to the first division, got drafted in MLS, and from there no one was really counting on him. You don’t give up, you keep going, you create yourself, you learn. That’s how that team is built. Alphonso Davies, same thing. He went to Bayern quickly, but it wasn’t easy at the start; he had to work his way up. So many of the players, not having big opportunities, kept performing. You see that resilience all over that team. One of my favourite players on the Canadian national team is Richie Laryea, he plays both left and right back. He has such passion, fight, and grit. It’s amazing to watch him play. I just love him.

Jorge: One thing we didn’t cover: you said the Acadian community understood your story in a way you didn’t expect, that a community shaped by displacement recognized another one. How does that show up in your day-to-day life here?

Heritier: It’s very raw. A lot of Acadians are open, the ones I’ve had the chance to be around have been open-minded, and a lot of them helped us. All my life I’ve had someone of Acadian origin in my life. They went through their own displacement, and they understand that we weren’t already here, we had to be displaced too. To come to this region and be around people who understand your story and welcome you, it’s really something.

Jorge: I fell in love with the layers of culture and texture we have here in Moncton. I love all the traditions. I don’t speak Chiac yet, but living in Dieppe, I feel like I need to learn, I need to get a teacher. They’re awesome people. We’re lucky to be in this part of the country, where we get to interact with so many wonderful people from everywhere.

Heritier: It’s beautiful. People don’t understand, New Brunswick is officially the only bilingual region, French and English. You don’t see that everywhere. It’s very beautiful to see.

Jorge: I enjoyed this conversation a lot. Let me read your quick biography. Heritier Masimengo was born in Goma, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in 1998, during the war. His family fled when he was six. He could have gone anywhere for school, but he chose to stay in Moncton and play for the Université de Moncton. Today he’s the East Region Director with Soccer New Brunswick, an executive board member at Soccer Dieppe, and he sits on Canada Soccer’s national review body. Thank you so much for being a community builder.

Heritier: Thank you very much, my brother. God bless you. And thank you for everything you do, for taking the time to bring people here and share these stories. It was a very warm, amazing moment to be with you today.

Jorge: Let’s do it every day. Thank you, thank you, thank you.