LONDON — C.J. Fite was never a soccer fan. Neither was his Arizona State teammate Jalen Klemm. The two are quickly becoming fans of the sport.
What changed? They got to take in a World Cup match at A&T Stadium while in Dallas, representing the Sun Devils at Big 12 Media Day in July. They arrived early on a Monday, and press obligations were not until the next day, so they got to see Spain take on Portugal.
To say they enjoyed it is an understatement.
Fite and Klemm are with the Arizona State squad slated to face Big 12 foe Kansas on Sept. 19 at Wembley Stadium in the first college football game played in the country. They met with the media after the team's practice at The Lensbury Hotel on Sept. 15.
A British reporter asked what they knew about
the game the British call "football".
The players hope to give locals a newfound appreciation for American football, the same way they learned to embrace soccer, which is widely popular in England.
"I picked it up a little bit," said Fite, a senior defensive tackle. "I started watching it when we went to the World Cup game in Dallas. That was my first game, and ever since then, I fell in love with it. I want to keep watching it more now."
Klemm went a bit further. He already has a favorite team and player.
"I think that World Cup game put us all onto soccer," said Klemm, a 6-foot-6, 300-pound offensive lineman. "I think Liverpool is going to be my team. I like Virgil van Dijk. That's one of my favorite players, just from watching the World Cup. I was watching a game, and I'm like, 'I like that dude,' so I started following him on Instagram and everything."
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona State football players admit they are fans of soccer
