Gabbal Posted May 1, 2003 By Matt Massey Special to The Seattle Times When civil war broke out in strife-stricken Somalia in 1991, Hassan Ahmed soon moved his family to the safety of nearby Kenya. Nine years later in 2000, Ahmed's two eldest sons, Ahmed Ahmed and Abdirahim Ahmed, sought a better life — and education — in the United States. Somalia has been with a central government since the war began in 1991. "My Dad didn't want us to experience the war, so we left for Kenya," said Abdirahim Ahmed, who plays soccer this spring for Chief Sealth High School while his brother, Ahmed, suits up for Cleveland. "Then, we came to the United States to get more of an education than we were getting over there." Somalia natives Ahmed Ahmed and Abdirahim Ahmed left their mother and father and 11 brothers and sisters behind in Kenya in 2000. The brothers first moved to California with their aunt and uncle and settled in south Seattle with their aunt after their uncle died. Oddly enough, the two eventually ended up at rival high schools in Seattle. Ahmed Ahmed, now a senior and age 18, chose Cleveland and Abdirahim Ahmed, now a sophomore and 16, settled at Chief Sealth after a semester of discontent at Cleveland. The two siblings are squaring off against each other for the second year in a row on the soccer field this spring. Ron Johnson, coach of Chief Sealth, is having the brothers' soccer rivalry documented on videotape so they can send it to the family in Kenya. "I thought it would be neat to do this," Johnson said of filming the two games. "Their parents have never really seen them play soccer." Johnson's video will include highlights of both games and interviews with the brothers. Both primarily play forward. In the first game on April 4, Sealth's Abdirahim Ahmed put his team ahead 1-0 in the ninth minute and two minutes later brother Ahmed Ahmed pulled Cleveland into a 1-1 tie. "I scored and then he scored," Abdirahim Ahmed said. "I talked. I said, 'That's for you, brother.' Then he scored, and said, 'Back to you.' " Abdirahim and Sealth won the first meeting 4-1. "He's mad at me," Abdirahim Ahmed said. "He told me, 'We gotcha next time.' " However, Sealth won again yesterday, 3-2, as Abdirahim assisted on two goals for the Seahawks (4-2-1 in Metro, 4-3-1 overall). Ahmed scored one goal for Cleveland (0-7). Abdirahim Ahmed was an Metro League honorable-mention all-star selection in 2002 as a freshman at Sealth. The Ahmed brothers ventured to America in hopes of getting an education and making enough money to move their 13 family members from Kenya to the U.S. "I just appreciate the way (Abdirahim) is so respectful," Johnson said. "He respects everything, and he's thankful for everything he has here." Source: The Seattle Times, April 30, 03 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
