Characters
Star player who doesn't show up to tryouts
Prince
Why was Bienvenue so excited for soccer tryouts?
He was really bored because he couldn't play soccer over the summer
Why are Mandela and Fornatee upset about Luma's hair rule even though they have short hair?
Their fellow Liberian and friend Prince got kicked off the team for it
Where are the friends Christian, Prince, Mandela, and Fornatee from?
Liberia
Fast, talented Liberian striker who defies Luma's hair rule and as a result is kicked off the team.
Prince
Why did Luma kick Prince, one of her best players, off the team
His hair was too long
Why does Fornatee come to trust Luma?
When he got hurt in practice she rushed him to a pharmacy. Fornatee was used to just having to deal with the pain.
Why was Christian Jackson not on the team?
He never showed up to tryouts
Best friends with Prince. Upset that Christian and Prince can't play so he starts going against Luma.
Fornatee Tarpeh
Why did Luma play the goalies she did even though they weren't good at goalie
They followed all of her rules
Why was Hussein sent home from practice?
He was fooling around and distracting boys
How was Luma able to know that the boys would walk when she wasn't looking?
She knew how long it should have taken for them to reappear in her line of sight and they appeared later than they should have
A player who is very anxious for tryouts because he's been cooped up all summer
Bienvenue Ntwari
Which of Luma's teams won 9-2 in the game described at the beginning of the book?
Under 15s
Why wouldn't the YMCA get goals for the Fugees?
They were afraid they would get stolen because the neighborhood around the field was bad.
Why did Liberians have special challenges?
They were born in a war-torn nation. All they have known is war. Also, they were the most likely to join gangs.
Young Turkish boy who doesn't understand English well. Joking around at practice so he got sent home.
Hussein
What does Luma say to the kid who dribbles through everyone at tryouts?
"Do you know how to pass?"
What is a main reason Luma is so strict about the hair rule?
Long hair/braids are common among the gangs in Clarkston
Why does Mandela not like to think of himself as a refugee?