It's a crisp Nebraska fall evening in Lincoln.

The atmosphere is electric. Over 86,000 fans huddle in Memorial Stadium to watch their beloved Huskers take on Oklahoma - one of the biggest football rivalries of all time.

A lot of Rwendy Armendariz's family and other Hispanic friends in Hastings are completely oblivious to what's happening 100 miles to the east. But he isn't.

"That one guy had three picks; could have been five," he said, referring to Nebraska safety Matt O'Hanlon in a 10- 3 Husker win. "I can't believe we lost to Iowa State though."

Armendariz, who said he watches almost every Husker game, moved to the United States from Mexico as a four year- old. Although he has become more interested in Nebraska football than most from his country, theres a different sport that he  and many of his fellow Hispanics in Hastings  will always put before others.

"Soccer is definitely my favorite," he said.

Armendariz, a junior at Hastings High School, plays five days a week with his friends or Hastings High teammates, including senior Cesar Torres. Torres grew up in Mexico and moved to Hastings when he was 10 years old. Playing soccer with his older brothers, Miguel and Arturo, was a common occurrence in the neighborhood streets in his hometown of Juarez.

"We played every day in the street right in front of our house," Torres said. "They were a big influence on me. Sometimes I used to sit out when we were playing on the street because I was too young and they were afraid of me getting hurt."

With their Mexican backgrounds, Torres and Armendariz give HHS soccer coach Mike Nanfito an appreciation for the game that differs from players of other cultures. Out of the 45 boys on last year's team, 18 were of Hispanic ethnicity.

"Obviously it's definitely a good thing for our team," Nanfito said. "It brings a little more diverse culture to our team and our program. Overall, I really enjoy it. It doesn't matter who I coach, I enjoy working with these young men."

Here in the United States, soccer provides Hispanics with much more than a recreational activity. For Torres, its a strong connection with his brother Miguel, 27, who has much more recently moved to the U.S. Cesar enjoys having the older Miguel critique his play at the home games.

"He tells me what I should have done, what I should have done better," he said. "We just work on stuff."

Torres also said soccer has enabled him to see other parts of Nebraska - and the U.S. - traveling to York or Dallas, Tex. for soccer tournaments.

Armendariz sees a benefit more from the personal interaction aspect.

"It helps their social life," he said. "If they don't talk to anyone, soccer will get them out there and get involved."

In his sixth year as head boys soccer coach, Nanfito can tell how much the game of soccer means to his players and the Hispanic community.

"They definitely try to associate themselves with the game as much as possible,"he said. "They definitely try to make it work out and take that opportunity to come out and play."

Two years ago, Armendariz visited his home country on vacation and attended school for about a month. What he remembered of the Mexicans' love for the game was unchanged.

"It's all they talked about," he said."The fields were a lot different and so dry. Kids would go out there and play without any shoes.

He also noticed striking similarities with the state of Nebraska's love for Husker football.

"It's the same, just a different sport. Here it's a huge deal. You see all these Husker flags and getting together to watch the game at someone's house."

Torres can also recall the obsession to play games on a daily basis. The games were mostly played in the neighborhood, but after joining a club team, Torres played against other neighborhoods in his city.

This team helped create his greatest memory of playing soccer as a child.

"Just winning a tournament growing up," he said. "I was just a little kid and got really excited because the team got a trophy."

As a senior, Torres hopes to create a similar experience at Hastings High. The Tigers were ousted by top-seeded South Sioux City in the first round of the Class B state playoffs last season. Regardless of the success of their high school soccer career, Torres and Armendariz plan to use their experiences to ignite a college career. Whether soccer is involved at all, both of the Mexico natives want to become physical therapists.

"My parents don't even like me playing sports," Armendariz said. "They think it's a waste of time. Here all they care about is school."

Armendariz's coach has a similar stance on education.

"What I try to emphasize with all my boys is that you're here at this high school to get an education," Nanfito said. "You're a student first and an athlete second. We appreciate what you do on the soccer field but you have to get it done in the classroom to have that opportunity to play. I try to tell them it's not a right to play here, it's a privilege."

With the summer of 2010 approaching, excitement builds once again for the World Cup. Torres and Armendariz enjoy joking about the chances of each other's countries with their teammates.

"It's kind of funny because our teammates are all like split up on who to go for it," Armendariz said.

Sure, the two will pull for a USA win. As long as it's not against Mexico.

An exceptional graduate

While Nanfito spoke highly of having Torres and Armendariz a part of the team, it's a Hastings High graduate that displays what he wants from a player in his program.

Joel Pedroza, who was coached by Nanfito in his junior and senior seasons, graduated in 2006.

"Joel was definitely a great example of being a very skilled individual player and his passion for the game is very high," Nanfito said.

Pedroza, now plays for Hastings College, something Armendariz hopes to do after graduating. Not only has the Mexican-born Pedroza made a lasting impression on Hastings soccer with his skills and passion, it's his selflessness that captured Nanfito.

"He's also a team player. He always wanted his team to succeed and he would do whatever he could do to make sure his team was successful. He's a bright young man and was willing to make sacrifices to get it done in the classroom when he needed to before stepping out on the field."

Even though Pedroza has been out of high school for a few years, he has given back to the program. He has volunteered and assisted with coaching duties, something Nanfito encourages all graduates to do.

"He's definitely one good story that I'll use in the future and tell kids, 'Look at this young man.'"

Now a Bronco, Pedroza and fellow Hispanic student-athletes Jorge Olivas and Chico Hernandez play for Men's Soccer Coach Chris Kranjc, who is well aware of the importance of the game of soccer to the Latin-American culture.

"They could literally play every day and love it," Kranjc said. "It's everything. A lot of times for those guys, yeah they're going on to jobs after college, they're going to be successful and great family men, but the game is everything in the world."

Argentinean roots

It's 1986 and Argentina has a 2-0 lead over Germany in the World Cup final.

While it looks like Argentina is on its way to an easy victory, Germany scores two goals to tie the game. Kranjc, a 14- year-old living in Omaha, watched his father - a native of Argentina - stand up, slam the door and sit on the curb outside with his head in his hands.

Less than five minutes later, Jorge Burruchaga scores the winning goal for Argentina. Hearing screaming, Kranjc-s father busts through the screen door from outside and slides on his knees, screaming in Spanish.

"I don't know, had I not grown up with someone with that much passion and that much love for the game, if I would have ever loved it the same," Kranjc said. "I think as a kid, that has a profound effect on you, looking at someone who loves their country and loves the game and thats what they do."

Having a passionate Argentinean father, Kranjc knows how much the game means to similar countries. He received the opportunity to visit his father's homeland for a coach's education trip last March. He now sees some of the same qualities in the soccer played here in the city of Hastings.

No matter the location, there will be a pick-up game at any time or place possible.

"Wherever they can find a little field to play on, they'll play," he said. "And it's awesome to watch because they're so competitive."

Kranjc points to many causes of the game's growth in the past 10 years, but the contagious interest shared by the Hispanic community is certainly a factor. The more the game was played among Hispanic communities, the more it was being played among other cultures.

A teacher as well as a coach, Kranjc also notices the amount of Hispanics going on to college - especially in the GPAC - through soccer, making it much more important than a free-time activity. Having Pedroza, Olivas and Hernandez on his own college team can provide Kranjc with a positive trickledown effect.

"I think it's nice because it feeds off to the other guys," he said. "We do have guys on this team from Omaha or Lincoln that have that same love for the game, but it's a little different. It's just a little different passion."

Ryan Martin, the sports director at the Hastings YMCA, also notices the importance of the game to the Hispanic culture. Martin moved to Hastings in the fall from Ulysses, Kan., where the Hispanic population in the youth soccer program was close to 50 percent. Although the numbers in Hastings might not be as high, Martin hopes to have as many as possible enrolled in the program.

"I would love to see more of them in youth soccer," he said. "It's always great for that diversity of ethnicity in each sport. In today's age, we want to stay away from any kind of barrier. It's good for the kids to interact with other backgrounds."

The YMCA adult soccer league begins in January, and Martin plans on a very large number of Hispanics, given how much they love to play the game.

"It's huge," he said. "It's like NFL football here in America. "It's kind of their home away from home.

"They live and die for soccer. That's their passion."