Soccer Players. Best Friends. Brothers.

The boys are a little shy until they are unleashed on a playing field and start goofing on each other. "Aren't you going to ask us about girls?" Trey Johnson teases. Okay, does Trey have a girlfriend? "Yeah, I do, but Mikey can't get any girlfriends." He's pushing buttons. "I have lots of girls after me," Mike Paye retorts. Then the boys leap on each other, tugging at ears, bear-hugging, mugging for a camera. Trey and Mike are a band of brothers, brought together not by birth, but by a twist of fate, and now bound for life. Trey, 17, is slightly taller than Mike, with a floppy mass of light brown curls. Mike, 15, is dark-skinned and often flashes a wide white grin that seems to go from ear to ear. Both boys play varsity soccer at East Wake High School and they are on the same Triangle United Soccer Club's 91 Gold National Team, currently ranked seventh in the nation. Last summer, the Triangle team pulled off a huge feat, becoming the first U-16 North Carolina team to ever hold the title of Regional Champion in Region III (Southern) Crown. Mike and Trey met on a soccer field while attending Gold Star Soccer Club clinics in 2003. Trey was a volunteer. Mike was a participant. Mike had just arrived in North Carolina from Liberia with his mother and younger brother and sister. His father had been killed in that African nation, before Mike and his family left the country. Mike was 9 at the time. "I don't remember a lot about living there," said Mike, a freshman. "I don't know why we moved to North Carolina. My grandparents are here." Although shy, Mike fit in quickly, thanks to his athleticism and sense of humor. It helped that he spoke English fluently. Almost two years ago, Mike's mother remarried, and decided to move the family to Minnesota with her new husband. The boys were devastated over the thought of being separated. They had grown to feel like brothers and wanted to be part of each other's family. Trey's mom, Debbie Johnson, stepped in and offered to be Mike's legal guardian so he could stay in North Carolina where he could continue to play on his high school and Triangle Gold teams and pursue his soccer dreams. "Although it is a financial hardship due to me being a single mom, Trey has never once complained about having to change his life, because he truly loves Mike, and Mike loves Trey," said Debbie, who works for a plumbing contractor in Wendell. "They are truly brothers," she said. Mike had assumed the role of big brother to his siblings, caring for them while his mom worked, said Debbie. "Trey's heart became really attached to Mike and vice versa," Debbie said. "Trey said Mike was the younger brother he never had." Mike, who for the first time acquired a big brother in Trey, did not feel as much pressure to be the man of his family and finally was able to be a kid again. Trey has played soccer since he was 3. A junior at East Wake, he's starting to get letters from a handful of colleges. He rattles them off: Villanova; Georgetown; UNC-G and Brown, which has shown the most interest so far. Mike is eagerly awaiting paperwork to come through that will allow him to move through the process of becoming a U.S. citizen. Both boys excel in soccer. After winning the Region III Championship last summer, they advanced to the National Playoffs, where a tie in a semi final round cost them their trip to the championship game. This past Christmas Day, Debbie, Trey and Mike piled into the family car and made the trek to Disney's Wide World of Sports where the boys played in the Disney Soccer Showcase. "I call Debbie 'mom,'" Mike said. "It's fun to have Trey as a brother. It's fun playing soccer with him. If it weren't for Trey, I wouldn't have good competition. Trey knows what to do to help me." Trey admits that after living most of his life as an only child with just his mom in the household, stepping up to the plate as an instant big brother was an adjustment. "It was hard to adapt at first, but then it became natural," he said. "Now I can't remember what it was like before Mike. It was probably boring. The best part of having a brother is having someone to talk to." Change is inevitable, and in the Johnson household the good family times will not last forever. Trey will be going off to college in a couple of years, and when Mike becomes a U.S. Citizen, he hopes to enter the IMG Soccer Academy in Bradenton, FL, a residency program combining athletics and academics. "If I get in, I'll finish high school early, and I hope to train for the Olympics," Mike said. Mike is pursuing a dream, not just for himself but for his late father, who also played soccer and always wanted his son to play on a national soccer team. He hopes he can continue to do well in the sport. "I feel I'd be making my dad proud. His dream was for me to be one of the best," Mike said. "Sometimes I feel like I don't want to play anymore. A few weeks ago, I thought of quitting, but it all comes back to the fact that I am doing it for him." He explains that his dark moments come when he is not meeting expectations he has set for himself; when he feels that he is not good enough. In those bleak moments, Trey is there to boost him back up. "We both do the same for each other," Trey said. "It's a lot to ask out of a kid to play at the high level we play at. There's a lot of stress sometimes." Despite the doubts that come with being gifted teenage athletes, Trey and Mike do enjoy the sport. "Soccer's fun and it makes me happy. When I am on the field, playing brings me joy, like eating the best food ever," Mike said. "For me, the best feeling is winning, playing under the lights surrounded by fans and scouts," Trey said. "I really like winning at the very last second." Mike plays forward and midfield. Trey is a defenseman. Their growing maturity is evident. "I used to score a lot of goals," Mike said. "All I wanted to do was score goals. Now I like being a playmaker." The boys enjoy the same music - everything from rap to techno, they agreed. But no country music. How about Barry Manilow? "Nawww," they respond in unison. At least they seem to know who Barry Manilow is. Their television is permanently frozen to the Fox Soccer Channel. Mike pulls for Chelsea. Trey likes Barcelona. They have their own rooms; they do chores around the house. Mike is noncommittal on the subject of ever returning to Liberia to live. He would like to live and play soccer in Europe. What does the long term future hold for these self-made brothers? "We'll just have to wait and see," Mike said mysteriously and flashed his bright grin. While the boys may part soon, they are forever joined by the heartstrings.