Hockey rules in Branko Stimac's new hometown, where its star players get the royal treatment. Any other sport -- like soccer, where Branko excels -- is considered second-rate. This means the sacrifices Branko's Croatian immigrant father made so he can play in Canada go unnoticed, as does Branko's stellar goalkeeping.

When Branko makes it onto the Edmonton Select team as the second-string keeper, he keeps the accomplishment to himself, sure that no one in his home town will care. But then a video of one of his spectacular saves gets posted on a sports blog and goes viral. Suddenly Branko has more attention than he dreamed of.

[Fry reading level - 3.7

STEVEN SANDOR is a professional sportswriter and magazine editor in Edmonton, Alberta. His articles have appeared in Soccer 360 and Inside Soccer. He also runs The 11, an online soccer magazine, and is the colour commentator for FC Edmonton broadcasts.

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