KASPER Exclusive: An Interview with All-star Goalkeeper Bernie Wu

By Jake Yen ('25)

The KAS soccer varsity team recently traveled to Yokohama, Japan, to take part in the AISA Boy’s Soccer Tournament held in Yokohama International School. Though the boys fought long and hard, they ultimately finished 6th place. Despite this, there were a few standout performances, including Jesse Kwok ‘25, Ryan Chen ‘24, and Bernie Wu ‘25.

I had the lucky opportunity to catch an interview with Bernie Wu, our very own goalkeeper who was chosen to go between the sticks for the AISA Soccer all-star team. Though conceding a few goals, his shot-stopping abilities still managed to keep the team in the game at times, making many important saves. His leadership from the back also didn’t go unnoticed, providing stability to the defense and keeping the team’s heads straight. Below is my interview with Bernie.

Jake: What do you think about your overall performance in this tournament?

Bernie: I'm really happy with my performance in this tournament. As a keeper, my role is crucial to the team, and I feel I did my best to support the team. Being a goalkeeper is one of the most challenging positions in football. You're the last line of defense, and every mistake can be costly. 

Jake: If you could pick another teammate to be on the Team of the Tournament with you, who would you pick?

Bernie: If I had to pick another player for the team of the tournament, I'd choose Tony. Playing in defense is incredibly challenging, and it requires a lot of discipline, focus, and teamwork. It's easy for defenders to go unnoticed, but they're the backbone of our team, so shoutout to Tony and all the defenders out there, honorable mentions goes to Alex and Jesse for keeping us in the final game although we didn’t win.

Jake: What lessons do you think you and the team learned this tournament, and what do you look forward to next season?

Bernie: Throughout this tournament, we learned some valuable lessons as a team. One of the biggest takeaways was how to adapt and play without some of our strongest players, especially our seniors, like Lionel. I look forward to winning TISSA with the team and making a deeper run in AISA.

Jake: Do you have faith in our coach Sam Osbourne?

Bernie: No sack him. (He laughs)