Alex Halis and Chris Nanco sat in the cafeteria of St. Edmund Campion Secondary School in Brampton, Ontario, one day in the fall of 2012 and talked for hours on end. Even after school had ended, the best friends stayed and discussed their past, present and, most importantly, their future.

More than 10 years earlier, the two had met as rivals on local middle school soccer teams. When Halis’ Royal Orchard faced Nanco’s Cheney, the matchups were pegged as “Alex against Chris” or “Chris against Alex.” But soon they’d be on the same side — for St. Edmund, FC Sigma and the U-17 Canadian national team.

That day in the cafeteria, Halis and Nanco discussed the possibility of continuing their careers together at the next level. Halis had just committed to Syracuse and urged Nanco to join.

“What I remember the most from that is trying to get on Chris’ good side,” Halis said. “ … I think I got in trouble from a teacher that day because I was too loud. But I was just excited. It was a good feeling having basically a brother, a best friend, supporting you.”

Nanco was intrigued, and soon thereafter committed to SU.

Now freshmen at Syracuse, Halis leads the team in points, and Nanco is fourth. The two have been integral members of an SU team that has been competitive in its first year in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

“It makes the transition from high school to here, and even country to country, much easier,” Nanco said.

What they’re doing on the field at SU comes as no surprise for those who saw them as children and teenagers in Brampton.

FC Sigma technical director and coach Bobby Smyrniotis has known Nanco since he was 11 years old and coached Halis for two years. Smyrniotis coached the two this summer in an under-21 league, and said that they fed off each other and combined for numerous goals.

“They can basically see each other with their eyes closed,” he said.

As members of St. Edmund and Sigma, Halis and Nanco played together in tournaments in Belgium, Germany and Mexico. The more time they spent as roommates in foreign countries, the more their bond grew. After tough losses, it was easier to console each other.

During high school, the two helped each other mature a great deal.

“My first year in high school playing high school soccer with Halis we lost in the championship game. That was a bad loss for us, because we were a good team and expected to go further,” Nanco said. “We built a better bond through that.”

“We’ve been through a lot together,” Halis said, “the good and the bad.”

Because Halis committed early, he was able to attend Syracuse for the spring 2013 semester. When Nanco arrived this fall, Halis taught him what to expect from SU.

Although Nanco’s mother Paulette was initially scared about her son moving away, she knew he would be in good hands. She knew of Nanco’s friendship with Halis, about their bowling outings and their soccer escapades. She even was friendly with Halis’ parents. Halis was there when Paulette said goodbye to Nanco.

“Alex just looked at me and gave me a hug and goes, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll take care of him,’” Paulette Nanco said. “ … It was kind of comforting for Alex to say don’t worry, we’ll take care of him.”

On the field for the Orange, Halis and Nanco accepted the challenge of stepping into a lineup that lost its top five point scorers from a season ago. They both knew they had a chance to play right away, and have pushed each other to play up to their capabilities.

Against Manhattan on Sept. 9, the duo gave SU a sign of what to expect for the next four years. Halis found Nanco in the right side of the box in the 51st minute, and Nanco sent a shot into the back of the net. It was the first assist of Halis’ career.

“Those two get along very well,” SU head coach Ian McIntyre said. “They were close beforehand, they’re close here, and they both fit in to what we’re trying to do.”

But more than the connection on the field, their personalities click. Smyrniotis said that the two have two completely different personas — Nanco is more reserved and business-like, while Halis is more open and talkative.

“They have two distinct personalities,” Smyrniotis said. “But the funny thing is when they’re together, it’s like one personality.”

The two compete at everything from FIFA to who’s going to be the first person to reach the “washroom.” Although Halis is a diehard FC Barcelona fan, he plays with Bayern Munich. Nanco plays with Real Madrid.

“It gets a little bit rowdy,” Halis said.

From competing in middle school or in FIFA games now, Halis and Nanco are best friends. Like brothers.

“It’s good to know that both of them have come together from so far and are still playing soccer together,” Paulette Nanco said. “I hope their friendship lasts for a while.”

Published on October 2, 2013 at 1:19 am

Contact Josh: jmhyber@syr.edu