Trials and tribulations for Two-Boys Gumede

Jonathan Deal, Assistant Sports Editor
Published On: 09/ 8/2008

Two-Boys Gumede has been waiting for this season a long time. After two stellar seasons with the men’s soccer team, the junior midfielder was selected to the preseason all-conference first team entering the 2007 season, and was poised for a breakout year. Unfortunately, he would not play a single game for UAB that season. Gumede was not allowed to return to the United States after visiting his family in South Africa that summer.

Gumede was born and raised in South Africa until the age of 15 when he came to the United States through a student exchange program in 2001. He would not see his family again until he returned home last summer to visit them.
“My family thought it would be a good idea if I just tried to stay here as long as I could and then visit them after I finished school,” said Gumede. “I came to the point after six years where I felt like I needed to see them. My mom and grandmother were sick, so I sat down with coach and told him that I needed to see my family, because you never know what might happen.”

What was suppose to be a short trip home for the summer turned out to be a seven month stay when South African authorities refused to let Gumede leave, citing “lack of ties to his home country” as the reason he couldn’t return to the U.S.

“They said I would have to stay in the country for six months to a year before I could go back,” Gumede said. “The hardest thing for me was that I had to miss the entire season. I was looking forward to the season most of all because we were hosting the conference tournament. That was the hardest moment of my life.”

Gumede grew up in Durbin, South Africa, playing soccer since the age of five.

“We played soccer in the streets. That’s all we grew up around,” Gumede said. “All of us had to find a way to make us feel happy. Soccer was a way out.”

As a teenager, Gumede moved to Johannesburg to play on a development team before the exchange program took him and a friend to Louisville, Ky. It wasn’t long before college scouts took notice of Two-Boys, including UAB’s Mike Getman.

“The first time I saw him play was at the Disney Showcase,” Getman said. “I was watching a game and noticed a young guy creating magic all over the field. He was an incredible talent event at that age.”

Gumede was 15 years old at that tournament. UAB’s head coach would not hear anything from him for nearly two years before writing Gumede a letter asking him if he was still interested in UAB.

“I committed by the time I was a junior because I knew this is where I wanted to be,” Gumede said about his recruitment. “I came here as a recruit and they were playing against Kentucky that day. I liked their style of play and thought I would fit in.”

Gumede has fit in perfectly with his teammates at UAB. Since arriving on campus, he has started every game in his first two years as a Blazer. “Every year, I set a goal for myself and I always want to reach those goals,” said Gumede. “My freshmen year I wanted to be recognized as one of the best freshmen in the country. The next year, I wanted to challenge myself to make the all-conference team I was aiming at all-American honors my junior year when all that happened.”

The South African native has certainly reached his goals so far. Gumede was named to the C-USA All-Freshmen Team in 2005 and then earned second team all-conference.

He was a preseason first team selection last year before missing the season. “My goal for this year is to score more goals than I did in my first two years at UAB and win a conference championship,” said Gumede.

The junior midfielder is already on track to achieving his goals after recording four goals in as many games to start the season. “He’s just a special player,” Getman said about his star midfielder. “Two-Boys has tremendous skills. He brings a certain excitement that not everybody can bring to the game.”

Gumede says coach Getman and his fellow teammates are a major reason why he is back on campus.“I just want to thank coach. He never gave up on me. He told me that everything would be ok and promised to do all he could to get me back. That meant a lot to me,” Gumede said. “I came to the point where I just didn’t feel like caring anymore, but my coach and teammates kept calling me and encouraging me.”

Despite missing last season, Gumede was glad he made the trip to see his family and friends after six long years. “It was also good to be home after all those years of being away,” said Gumede. “I told my parents that I would finish school and if all goes well, hopefully I will be playing pro somewhere and I can visit them more often.”

Soccer’s World Cup will be held on the African continent for the first time in 2010. The host country is none other than Gumede’s own South Africa. In a perfect world, Gumede might just be playing for his home country in the prestigious tournament.

Email: kscopesports@yahoo.com