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COACHES' CORNER: Tony Karibian, Salem (N.H.) boys soccer

Thursday, November, 29 By Alan Siegel
Staff writer

Growing up in Lowell, Tony Karibian never became a big baseball or football fan.

His father Gary, a French immigrant of Armenian descent, was a soccer junkie.

Tony followed suit, and to this day, he remains enamored with the sport.

Karibian, 29, just finished his seventh year coaching the Salem High boys team.

He and his wife Jennifer have three children, Griffin (7), Khristian (4) and Alexandre (2).

We caught up with him this week.

1. So have you seen any big soccer games? "I went to the World Cup matches in 1994."

2. What do you think the difference is between an international soccer game and a big sporting event in the United States? "When The Red Sox won the World Series, everybody was going crazy. That's like every weekend in Europe. People live or die (with soccer)."

3. Will the game ever grow to that level here? "(Growing up) kids said it was a foreign sport or a commie sport. That's just how it was. … The problem is we're so far behind as far as development goes. Lots of kids are playing, the style will be different, it won't look the same, but it will (grow)."

4. What was it like growing up without traditional American sports as part of daily life? "I have Armenian friends whose dads were born here. I'm a first generation American. They'd go out, fish and play baseball. I played baseball one season. … We played soccer all the time. … I definitely would never have gotten that if I wasn't the son of immigrants."

5. Do you think a lot of hidden soccer talent can be found in immigrant communities? "Immigrant populations were isolated for a long time. Their kids are now playing. Clubs have grown, the players are more competitive."

6. What needs to happen for American soccer to become great? "Once inner city kids start kicking a soccer ball instead of playing basketball, you're going to see a huge change."

7. Do you speak other languages?" "I speak French. I struggle through Armenian. My great-grandfather once said to me, 'Listen, the more languages you speak, the more of a person you are. The more people you can connect to.'"