Refugee pursuing soccer dream abroad

TOKYO - At a soccer pitch in Edogawa Ward, Tokyo, a forward with sculpted features kicked the ball into the net with his right foot. His teammates ran up to him, grinning.

The player was Yasser Jamal, 25, a Syrian refugee who escaped the civil war in his home country. He is now pursuing his dream of becoming a professional soccer player in a foreign country.

In February 2013, Jamal, who was a university student at the time, heard the deafening blast of an explosion while preparing lunch with his mother and younger sister at home in Damascus.