Something as simple and basic as communicating with teammates became a tough task.

"The hardest [thing about our team] would have to be still just communication," Johnstun said. "If there's someone behind them [in a game], they don't understand 100 percent. You have to scream at the top of your lungs just to call for the ball."

This year, there are seven Korean exchange students on the Patriots boys' soccer team. It's nothing new. Mount Vernon has always had a high number of exchange students because the private school has a good English as a second language (ESL) program.

"I've been playing for about 12 years," Johnstun said. "And I've never played on such a diverse team until high school."

He's taken it upon himself to be the player who makes sure his Korean teammates know what to do. He talks to each one of them to make sure he understands.

He admits it was frustrating at first, but he says that he's used to it now.

"It's a little bit harder because I'm used to American teams where you have to play as hard as you can," Johnstun said. "They just probably played it for fun before. They just weren't as competitive."

First-year coach Merrill Johnson understood and shared the unique challenges presented to the Patriots.

"There's a language barrier and a cultural barrier," Johnson said. "There's a losing mentality. I haven't really been able to put in a discipline program because I don't have enough players to cut. Brett has been the most inspirational player. He definitely sets the standard for aggressiveness."

At the beginning of the season, Johnson implemented a system that named two new captains every week. He did this as an incentive for hard work. But by the second week, Johnson had made Johnstun the permanent captain.

"It was obvious that he would play harder," Johnson said. "After halftimes at games, he's the one who steps it up. The whole team seems to follow."

Sophomore Yem Kim said Johnstun has gone out of his way to make the other players feel comfortable.

"Brett, he has powerful leadership and he leads us," Kim said. Soccer in "America has more pass, more tough. Brett helps."

Being on a team where there is a communication barrier has had an effect: The Patriots are still looking for their first win of the season.

The closest Mount Vernon happened April 3, when the Patriots battled with Intermountain Christian through two overtimes, to a 1-1 tie.

During his four years at Mount Vernon, the team has only won nine games. Despite the losses, Johnstun says the experience has been positive.

"It's made me more open overall," Johnstun said. "I would do it all over again. It's been fun."

mthach@sltrib.com

* Brett Johnstun is a captain on the Mount Vernon soccer team, which has seven foreign exchange students.

* In an effort to be a better captain, Johnstun has learned to adjust to the language barrier.