Soccer spoken here

Enough of the competitiveness, let's get back to our roots:

The soccer field has become a gathering place, said Hosh, who has lived in Columbus for seven years but started playing as an 8-year-old in his native Somalia.

"We don't have a lot to do in the evening," said the owner of the Capital Cafe on the North Side. "Also, a lot of people come just to see friends."

The fields at Innis Park attract players from throughout Africa and Central America.

"That's the beauty of football," said Fahad Farah, a 20-year-old Ohio State University student and Somalia native who has played with people from Ghana and Sierra Leone at Innis Park.

"It brings people closer together. Everybody loves to play."

International play among immigrants often fosters friendships, said Abdirizak Y. Farah, outreach coordinator for the Community Relations Commission in Columbus.

"It is the unifying factor among all these immigrant communities because of the passion they find in soccer," he said. "It's a universal passion."