It’s been a little over two months since center back Kim Kee-hee joined the Seattle Sounders, and he has hit the ground running.
The towering 28-year-old South Korean has stepped up admirably and been called upon rather quickly as Román Torres is off with Panama in Russia at the World Cup. Although he doesn’t speak much English yet, Kim is acclimating well to life in Seattle and helping anchor the Sounders’ back line.
“I’ve been everywhere playing soccer: Asia, Europe, everywhere,” Kim said recently through a translator. “The [English] language is hard to learn, but other than that, USA is really good to me…I am transitioning well. MLS is tougher than the Chinese League, but I think I’m on the right track.”
The Sounders have only allowed three total goals in Kim’s six appearances so far, helping Seattle concede just the second-fewest goals in Major League Soccer so far this season. He’s an aggressive and imposing defender who likes to step into tackles as well as distribute to feet when he gains possession.
Kim has done well to earn the respect of his teammates quickly too, which can be an even harder thing to do when communication is difficult.
“To his credit, he’s been doing his best to learn a bunch of English, so I feel like he’s understanding what I’m saying to him on the field and he’s giving me information back,” said Kim’s center back partner Chad Marshall. “It’s incredible. It’s a testament to the kind of professional that he is to try and learn the language as quickly as possible. I feel like we read the game similarly. He’s aggressive, and I’ve tried to be too so that we’re on the same page so far.”
Kim dribbling against Real Salt Lake
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Jane Gershovich
Kim is roommates on the road with fellow defender Kelvin Leerdam, who himself speak three languages: English, Dutch and his native Surinamese. The pair does a lot to try and combat the language barrier and uses a lot of arm motions and cell phone translation apps if necessary.
“Kim and I try to talk as much as possible in as many languages as we can,” said Leerdam. “It’s fun and that’s the way you learn. You have to think on the same level on the pitch because you cannot say everything you want to let him know directly. It makes you think a lot more.”
Kim and Leerdam have bonded over movies — they recently watched some Japanese films — and connect through soccer. Each is a veteran presence and brings with him a lot of valuable experiences.
“He tells me things that he wants me to do, and he also wants when I see something to tell him,” said Leerdam. “He always wants to communicate when we’re off the pitch. It’s still difficult sometimes to understand each other quickly on the pitch, but in the end, it’s still soccer. You have to read situations and that’s what we try to do when we play next to each other.”
Seattle is Kim’s first stint playing in North America, and while he’s still picking up the language, he’s happy to be here and is excited to be a part of the Sounders organization.
“I heard that Seattle is a beautiful city, and I’m here now and I’ve been to the Space Needle, Mount Rainier and Olympic National Park,” said Kim. “I think it’s a wonderful city.”
