When a player leaves the United States for a foreign land, they have to contend with new surroundings, a new culture, and sometimes a new language. For many players, they can lean on the experiences of others who walked their path before them to that league. However, when you are the first to play in a league, you have to be willing to take on the experience on your own. Lyle Martin, an African American from California, did just that in 2010 when he took his talents to China.
Martin grew up in Bakersfield, California and played college soccer for the CS-Bakersfield Roadrunners.