Yoel Alqas Qoreal has been a revelation for the Niles West boys soccer team.
The senior forward has scored three goals and recorded two assists through nine games; however, Wolves boys soccer coach Milo Cejovic had never heard of Qoreal, who has attended Niles West for four years, until a month ago.
"We know all the kids that play, even if they don't try out," Cejovic said. "We know certain kids that we know play and should play (for Niles West) but they don't want to and we'll have a conversation with them. He's been pretty much one of the only guys who we had no idea he played."
Cejovic learned about Qoreal, who plays club soccer for Thunder FC, from former assistant coach Michael Gorges before tryouts in August. Gorges is friends with Qoreal's older brother, Aonel. Cejovic urged Qoreal to try out for the Wolves.
Since moving from Baghdad to Skokie in 2013, Qoreal had not played high school soccer because he had an after-school job at Lucky's Hand Car Wash and Detailing in Skokie.
"Because there was practice every single day and we've got to try out at 5 a.m., so I couldn't make it," Qoreal said. "Now, I'm not working anymore, so I decided to try out."
Qoreal made a positive impression right away.
"My favorite thing is that he practices hard," Cejovic said. "I love that and I think all coaches love that. And I think that's what really won me over during his tryout was that I had never seen this kid, but he practiced hard in every drill he did. He was huffin' and puffin' after every drill."
Qoreal discovered his passion for soccer as a child in Iraq.
Though he was just 7 at the time, Qoreal said he fondly remembers the celebrations that broke out across the country when the Iraq men's national soccer team won the 2007 Asian Cup.
As he got older, Qoreal said he regularly played pickup soccer games for 4 or 5 hours a day in a park next to his house. He also suited up for a team through his Christian church, Mar Yousif, which played against other church teams.
But Iraq has been an unwelcoming and potentially dangerous place for its minority Christian population in recent years.
"There always was violence, but not in my family," Qoreal said.
That's why Qoreal's mother Jinan brought her two sons to the U.S., where they joined several family members including a grandmother, aunt and first cousins.
"It was dangerous (in Iraq) if you were Christian," Qoreal said. "We didn't have a future there and my mom was like, 'We're going to go to the U.S.' We came here and have a better future."
Qoreal said he's hoping to play college soccer and would like to become a police officer in the Chicagoland area.
His father, Shamoon, remains in Iraq, where he has a restaurant. But Qoreal said his father is hoping to move to the U.S. at some point.
Qoreal still keeps in touch with several friends back in Iraq.
Some of them, he said, are now following his high school soccer career online.
Qoreal has provided a boost for the Wolves, who were 3-5-1 after a 3-0 loss at New Trier on Sept. 14.
Qoreal's most obvious strength is his ability to take on defenders.
In Niles West's game at Maine East on Sept. 5, the two teams was tied 1-1 at halftime. In the second half, Qoreal scored two goals and assisted on the other to lead the Wolves to a 4-1 win.
"Sometimes I try to be selfish, but it's so I can help the team," Qoreal said.
"You know, I might dribble like through (defenders) and not pass the ball and score."
Qoreal has had to adapt to some of the nuances of high school soccer.
"I think the big challenge for him has just been the structure and the referees and just kind of understanding how different the high school game is to anything he's ever experienced," Cejovic said.
"I know a lot of the times, for fouls you don't get yellow cards as much, but you get a yellow card for something like stepping in front of the ball or yelling or approaching the ref or cursing or things like that," Cejovic said. "And maybe some players who haven't played in this country and in high school and this structure — it's a little different."
Qoreal's friend and fellow forward Dani Younathem has a similar background. He moved from Mosul, Iraq, to Skokie in 2013. However, he has played for Niles West all four years, and the last three on the varsity. Younathem, who has two goals and an assist this season, said Qoreal has been a huge addition for the Wolves.
"He helps the team a lot," Younathem said.
"He moves the ball quicker than some other players. He talks and communicates with other players, which helps us so much. He keeps us aggressive. He goes after the ball. He doesn't get scared."
Cejovic is hopeful the tandem will continue to flourish as the season develops. But he can't help but wonder what might've been had he discovered Qoreal a couple years sooner.
"That's what I tell him all the time, 'Where have you been?'" Cejovic said with a laugh. "It's just a really a random thing and it would've been great to have him all four years, but we're happy we have him this year."
by Brett Christie
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