Caleb Vandenberg

Munashe "Nash" Chigerwe, left, and Chad Guilliams compete during a Saturday morning soccer practice near Reactor Field. The two-hour session is open to anyone who likes soccer, though most participants are part of the international program at the University of Missouri-Columbia

Team Cartel prepares for its first RecSports match of the season on Thursday, March 18. The weather was cold and demanded fleeces and hot chocolate instead of water. They play in the 9 p.m. open competitive division, for four Thursdays before the RecSports tournament among the various divisions.

Javier Aunon, a native of Argentina, wears the jersey of the Argentine national soccer team when he plays on Thursday nights as part of team Cartel with the Mizzou RecSports program. Since Cartel doesn't have a team jersey, many players wear their home team's.

All the RecSports soccer matches are held at Stankowski Field on the MU campus. Three matches are held on the three fields at once. Each weekday there are three to four sets of hour-long matches, starting at 7 p.m. and ending at 10 p.m.

Conflicts arise and tempers flare when the game gets too physical. A member of Team Cartel was given a yellow card penalty, and the teams shouted at each other before play resumed.

Martin Pereyra and Alberto Maurer grill steaks on a Saturday afternoon after two hours of soccer. Pereyra, of Uruguay, and Maurer, of Peru, pitted their native grilling styles against each other, though no victor was determined.

Javier Aunon and a teammate celebrate after a goal during a Thursday match at Stankowski Field. Team Cartel gives emigres in Columbia a chance to come together and share their beloved sport.