Band of Breakers

Bonding together, the Laguna Beach High boys’ soccer team stands up, speaks out.Before the start of the 2005-06 season, coach Giovanni Vlahos showed members of his Laguna Beach High boys’ soccer team a segment from HBO’s “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.”

The show dealt with racism in the sport of soccer in Europe.

One of the players featured in the segment was Thierry Henry, a black soccer star. The Frenchman, considered by many to be the best striker in the world, plays for the London-based Arsenal soccer team. He has scored more goals than any other player in the club’s storied history.

Henry’s amazing play has been hailed by fans and commentators. But he and other minority players have been on the receiving end of racial taunts wherever they play across Europe.

“After seeing this, I was disgusted by the treatment of minority players,” Vlahos said. “Bananas being thrown at them from the stands, monkey chants raining from the stands when a black players touched a ball.

“So I showed this segment to my boys and asked them what they thought. They shared my view 100%.”

Henry took a stance against racism in the sport, and so has the Laguna Beach High boys’ soccer team.

Last January, Henry, with the help of his sponsor, Nike, launched an awareness campaign called “Stand Up, Speak Up” and became the public face against racism in soccer.

The campaign -- much like the “LiveStrong” efforts of cyclist Lance Armstrong -- centers on the sale of wristbands, the proceeds of which support antiracism campaigns in Europe.

The bands -- one black and etched with the phrase “Stand Up,” the other white and inscribed with “Speak Up” -- are intertwined, a symbolic statement that one color cannot be separated from the other.

The wristbands have become a part of the Breakers’ uniforms.

“We went on to Nike’s website and purchased them as a team,” Vlahos said. “We wear them at every practice and during warmups at every game. CIF won’t let us wear them during the game.

“Since they all wear it, kids and adults are asking them what they stand for, and this gives my boys the opportunity to get the message out there that we are in 2006 and soccer is soccer, no matter what the skin tone of a player is.”

The 18-member Laguna squad has rallied around the stance.

“When we saw that video segment, it opened our eyes to what’s going on out in the world, beyond Laguna Beach, our state and the country,” said Brenden Hexberg, a senior center and midfielder. “To see minority players get heckled and criticized was unbelievable.

“We entered the season with eight players gone from last year’s team, and these wristbands definitely became our first bonding experience as a team. We’re proud to make a stand on this issue.”

Vlahos agreed.

“It’s brought them together in their care for one another,” he said. “They see how some people are treated in this world, and they don’t want any part of that.

“I am so proud of them for what they are doing. A lot of people would never touch this subject because it’s so sensitive in nature. But my boys don’t care about any of that. This is our opinion, our message.”20060113isy8lxncDON LEACH / COASTLINE PILOT(LA)The Laguna boys’ varsity soccer team gathers for a pre-game circle moments before hitting the field.