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Orlando City players take lessons to learn English, connect with teammates

After six years taking English in school, José Aja, like many students, barely remembered any of the language because he never used it.

Then, Aja left his native Uruguay and joined Orlando City in Major League Soccer last July. After six months on loan, the club decided to invest in him, a young, tall and strong centerback, offering a four-year contract.

His team now includes players from 12 countries, speaking five languages. Communicating could be a problem if everyone isn’t at least conversational in the same tongue. So, Aja is working hard to revive his English, taking classes provided by the club twice a week with some of his teammates.