Soccer Special Edition: Meet Some of Husky’s Biggest Soccer Fans
A passion for soccer rarely starts at a World Cup tournament. It usually starts somewhere less notable: at a village club, a Sunday morning at home, a first position on the field or a trip that turns strangers into supporters.
For Husky team members, it was personal. For John, it started beside his dad, watching Serie A. For Didier, he found his place between goal posts. Michael kept going back to the small club in his village. Eric followed the U.S. National Teams from taverns to stadium marches, often arriving alone and leaving with new friends.
During the World Cup, we are captivated by these Husky team members whose connection to soccer or football has become part of their routines, their families, and the memories they keep building with others.
John D’Addario: Sunday Mornings with his Dad
John D’Addario, Trade Compliance Specialist in Bolton, Ontario traces his love for soccer back to Sunday mornings with his dad, watching Serie A, the Italian soccer league.
Soccer quickly became part of his own life too. John played competitively year-round from the age of seven to 23, then continued in recreational leagues with friends. He also kept showing up as a fan. Since Toronto FC’s inaugural season in 2007, he has held season tickets and rarely missed a game.
“I make a point of supporting local soccer, not just following leagues overseas,” John explains.
When the tournament is on, John says his routine does not change much. It simply means more time watching the sport he already follows closely.
A recent Canada vs. Bosnia match brought that connection with his dad full circle. BMO Field, the home of Toronto FC, has become part of John and his dad’s soccer story. Over the years, they have gone there together for Toronto FC matches and Canadian qualifiers. John still remembers the first qualifier they attended, Canada vs. Cuba, when Canada won 4–1. At the time, he wondered whether he would ever see Canada compete on the global stage.
Now, after seeing Canada qualify for two consecutive tournaments, watching another match live together meant even more. For John, soccer has never been only about wins, losses or goals.
“The most important takeaway from my experience in the sport is not the wins, losses or goals, but the incredible people you meet and the lasting memories you create with loved ones.”
Didier Latran: A Life and Love in Goal
Didier Latran, Financial Analyst in the Ops Finance team in Luxembourg, came to soccer later than many players.
Before stepping onto the soccer field, he played basketball, which helped him read the ball and react quickly with his hands. Around the age of 14, that naturally led him to one position: goalkeeper.
“I logically decided to be a goalkeeper,” he says.
Didier kept playing until the age of 42, with some of his biggest highlights coming from futsal. As a Belgian, he also grew up watching a country known for strong goalkeepers. Michel Preud’homme became a major inspiration for him. Named the best goalkeeper of the 1994 tournament in the United States, Preud’homme left a strong impression on Didier, especially during Belgium’s 1–0 win against the Netherlands.
“Michel Preud’homme was incredible all tournament, but especially in that match. I will always remember it.”
Soccer also became part of his Husky experience through the internal soccer tournament in Luxembourg. For Didier, it remains one of his strongest Husky memories: summer lunch breaks, players and fans gathered around the field, a high level of talent and funny team names like Galactics and Bone Breakers.
“Husky was full of talented soccer players, so this tournament was literally high level, and some players were playing their lives on the Husky field to win games.”
Another standout memory was an international Husky tournament with other corporate teams from Switzerland, Austria and Czech Republic. The Luxembourg team travelled by van to play at their facilities.
“It was epic. One of my best memories with Husky.”
Didier also helped train the Black Spiders, a Husky women’s team created when two Husky team members asked him to help build and coach a team. He cites their motivation, competitiveness and desire to improve quickly. The team trained outside working hours and went on to win matches against other local corporate teams.
Today, Didier is still on the field, but in a different role. As a goalkeeper trainer at RSC Habay La Neuve, he works with more than 20 young goalkeepers and adult players from the second team, supported by the UEFA goalkeeping diplomas he has earned to continue improving his coaching.
Michael Sevestre: From a Village Club to a Lifelong Passion
Michael Sevestre has been with Husky since November 2004 and after many different roles is now part of the advanced solutioning team within the I&S group. His connection to soccer started in a small village where there were limited options for after-school activities.
“There was a small soccer club and I joined it.”
Since the village was in the countryside, it was not always easy for trainers to find teams to play against. He and his friends often faced teams almost twice their age. The defeats were sometimes tough, but the group kept coming back.
“We were a band of friends sharing the same passion.”
He signed up year after year. He loved it so much, there was no chance that he wasn’t going to be playing every season. Nearly 40 years later, soccer is still part of his life.
At Husky, he was actively involved in the Luxembourg soccer tournaments. He remembers them as fun, but also competitive. Teams wanted to win, players took the matches seriously, and the tournament developed its own internal player transfer or “mercato” system, with everyone trying to bring the best players to their team.
Michael also helped train the Husky women’s teams for several years and celebrates their many successes. For him, that is what soccer does well: it brings people together under the same colours, with one goal and the same emotions.
“Soccer brings together a wide range of social, cultural and ethnic backgrounds. It is one of the sports that closes those gaps.”
Eric Simon: Stadium Marches and Supporters’ Groups
Eric Simon, Product Development Engineer in Milton, Vermont in the U.S. has been with Husky for 25 years and will celebrate his 26th anniversary during the world cup.
Soccer has always been his game. He played from a young age through high school and still tries to join adult leagues whenever he can. For years, he followed the U.S. National Teams. Over 15 years ago, while looking for a place to watch a major match, he found the Northern Vermont chapter of the American Outlaws, an official U.S. supporters’ group.
“Having a group of equally excited fans to watch matches with rekindled that fire for supporting the National Teams.”
Since then, match days have become much more than the game itself. Eric often travels to matches on his own, but the supporters’ group means he is rarely alone for long. In 2023, he travelled to New Zealand for the women’s tournament and met other fans from the United States. He stayed in contact with them throughout his two weeks there and remains friends with some of them today.
A typical match experience starts the night before, with supporters gathering at a nearby restaurant. On match day, the group meets again to head to the stadium together. The march includes singing, drumming and a lot of noise as supporters make their way to the stadium. Inside, the supporters’ section is usually behind the goal, where fans stand, sing and chant for the entire match.
His first major international tournament memory goes back to 1994, when his dad promised to take him to a match if they could get tickets. On the day tickets went on sale, Eric knew what to do.
“Many thousand computer-aided phone calls later, I got tickets to my first global tournament match and the first ever played indoors: USA vs. Switzerland.”
Soccer has also become a way for Eric to spend time with family. In recent years, he has travelled to Ohio and Florida to attend matches with his parents. When there is no major tournament, he still finds a way to support the game, spending summer weekends following Vermont Green FC, the current USL2 national champions.
The Fans Behind the Game
John, Didier, Michael and Eric all found soccer in different ways.
Their stories are different, but their passion for the game is the same. Soccer and football have become part of their lives. It has brought them friendships, family traditions, unforgettable trips and memories they still talk about today.
And they are the Husky team members behind the jerseys.
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