Do you like action?
If so, you’ll love Daghan Kesim’s Cascade Bruins.
Kesim’s Cascade High School junior varsity boys soccer team lit up the net last season, scoring 65 goals in 16 games. The Bruins JV went 12-3-1, helping Kesim earn a shot at bigger challenges.
Cascade recently named Kesim, a native of Istanbul, Turkey, its head boys soccer coach. The 24-year-old has been coaching since 1998. He played professionally in Europe before suffering a severe knee injury and coming to Edmonds Community College to study.
Doug Kloke, Cascade’s athletic director, happily anticipates Kesim’s varsity debut. “We are excited to have him because of his enthusiasm. We are looking forward to the season.”
The new opportunity essentially stopped Kesim, who said he has felt racial tension at times since moving to the United States, from returning to Turkey. “I owe that guy a lot,” Kesim said of Kloke. “He gave me a big chance.”
Kesim learned a lot about coaching high school players from Lynnwood coach Tim Colvin, who Kesim assisted before leaving for Cascade. Now Kesim is ready to show what he can do.
“It is a hard thing to give a 24-year-old this chance,” he said. “I like the challenge. I’m pretty sure I’m creating a team that is going to be fun to watch.”
The Bruins JV scored 19 goals on corners and free kicks last year. Kesim said those dead-ball attacks will be one of his team’s trademarks.
Norm Gosslee’s son, Jeffrey, is a freshman at Cascade. Kesim gave Jeffrey two years of private soccer lessons before getting the Cascade job. Now Norm can’t wait for his son to continue working with Kesim.
“We’re very, very impressed with the way he relates to the kids,” Norm Gosslee said. “This guy is something special. He has got more energy than anyone I’ve ever seen. He’s just passionate about the game and the kids.”
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