A Perfect Blend of Canada and Costa Rica
Photo Credit: Sacramento Republic FC
Sacramento Republic FC’s Keven Alemán is an exciting talent in the USL. He’s very skilled on the ball, a great passer, and a clinical finisher. The 24-year-old has two, very different countries to thank for making him the player he is today.
In 1994, Alemán was born in San Jose, Costa Rica. “My favorite memories growing up were playing outside with my friends, until dark,” he recalls. “I remember, when I came inside to eat dinner, my mom wouldn’t let me go back outside because it was too late. So, I would try to wait until it was very late to eat dinner because I could stay outside longer.”
Alemán moved to Canada when he was 10 years old and began to hone his soccer skills. The biggest culture shock for him was the diversity. “There were so many people from different countries. I was used to only people from Costa Rica, that were born there,” he says. “In Canada, there are people from Argentina, Mexico, and I met a lot of people from almost every other country.”
As much as he appreciates Canada, the country’s national team feels the same way about him. Keven has had the opportunity to represent Canada at the international level. “It’s very special. I’ve said it before, playing for Canada means a lot to me because of what they’ve done for me,” Alemán states. “It’s something I’m very proud of, getting that call-up every time. I love putting that Canada jersey on because of all they’ve done for me and my family.”
He’s learned about the sport he loves in both countries he can call home. “In Costa Rica, I learned to be tougher. You learn tricks from the old guys that you can bring to the pitch,” he says. “Canada is where I really learned how to play. So, everything I know, you can say I learned in Canada.” He traces his amazing skill on the ball back to playing as much as he could when he was a kid. Playing futsal in Canada from age 10 to 13 on the weekend helped as well.
Having had the chance to play all over the world, Alemán is very impressed with the fan support in Sacramento. “The fans are great. I’ve had great fans and these are probably the top ones. Fans at Saprissa are crazy and these match that. I’m happy to be here and it’s great to have this type of fans. They are one of the reasons I chose to sign here.”
For all of the great Republic FC fans who feel the love back towards Keven Alemán, when you see him do something great, you can thank either Canada or Costa Rica. Both of them made him into the exciting player he is today.
