Croatian club soccer player feels proud watching Croatia play in World Cup

“It’s a type of rest,” Duvnjak mentioned.

As a member of the Croatia Cleveland Soccer Membership, Duvnjak follows Croatian soccer carefully. He mentioned he’s rooting for his house nation’s nationwide group as they play on the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

“It brings numerous sense of nationwide satisfaction for such a small nation to be on such a big stage,” Duvnjak mentioned. “We get to share our tradition and our heritage with the remainder of the world. So, it is only a good feeling to have the ability to see that.”

Duvnjak talked about that soccer is considered one of many ways in which he stays linked to his Croatian tradition. He performs a particular function on the membership group.

“I play defender,” Duvnjak mentioned. “I play middle again.”

Sharing the same story with a few of his teammates, Duvnjak mentioned his household moved to the US for a greater life.

“We moved right here because of a civil warfare that occurred on the Balkans within the mid-Nineties,” he mentioned. “We ended up shifting to the states. I used to be 12 and a half. Spent a while in Salt Lake Metropolis, Utah, 9 years, earlier than we ended up discovering the Croatian group right here in Cleveland, Ohio.”

Duvnjak added that group is why he’s grateful for his membership group.

“Actually, the Croatia Cleveland [Soccer Club], our soccer group right here is a part of that glue that retains every little thing collectively,” he mentioned. “Loads of totally different cultures have a good time their traditions by means of music or meals. One of many issues that we have a good time and one of many glues in our tradition is our affinity for soccer. This group is a robust sense of that.”

Because the Croatian Nationwide Soccer Staff continues to compete on the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Duvnjak mentioned he hopes to share a few of his love for soccer and his heritage together with his son, Arthur.

“He is already enjoying on the [Croatia Juniors Soccer Club],” he mentioned. “So, I hope that he continues on that custom, enjoying right here domestically for the native Croatian group, however [I] additionally attempt to train him the language as effectively.”

The defender mentioned he’s already began educating him a pair Croatian phrases.