The most popular soccer players in the world are famous for their flashy moves and visible talent. They are fun to watch and easy to like. But senior Rex Feldgoise appreciates less well-known players who he believes know the game best. He has the ability to see strengths in a team that other soccer fans might overlook.

Feldgoise is not afraid to admit to his own weaknesses and constantly looks for ways to improve. While some high school soccer players might get recognition for the number of goals they score or save, those who know Feldgoise argue that what makes him stand out is his persistence and ability to unite the entire team.

Feldgoise has been playing on the boys varsity soccer team since his sophomore year and was captain as a defender this year.

Last year, the team did not make the playoffs for the first time in several years. Fellow captain and senior Andrew Grant said that their focus during the season was to get the team back on track to see success in future years.

“Our job as captains this year was something more than just being a leader and being there for your teammates. We wanted to reshape the program,” Grant said. “We focused on culture and making sure everyone was a team.”

The varsity team’s head coach, Kyle Beaulieu-Jones, selected Feldgoise to be a captain this year partially because of his skills as a leader. According to Beaulieu-Jones, the task of uniting the team came naturally to Feldgoise, who already knew the importance of valuing teamwork.

“He’s well respected by his teammates, teachers and peers in the classroom. He’s a natural leader. He leads by example by making good decisions on and off the field,” Beaulieu-Jones said.

Feldgoise consistently strives for individual and team improvement. This season, Feldgoise was in constant communication with the coaches and captains about how the team could do better. Feldgoise’s commitment to growth made an impact on his teammates, and inspired them to have a similar mindset, Grant said.

“Rex’s expectations are through the roof,” Grant said. “He expected more than what anyone else expected.”

Feldgoise has become more of a leader and less of an individual player over time. He realized that in order to succeed, he needs to encourage the entire team to work together.

“Before, I thought that soccer was about being the best you can be personally. ‘How can I improve my skills? How can I get better?’ As I got older, I realized I have to get everybody together. People have to be working as hard as I know they can,” Feldgoise said.

Though he won several prestigious individual awards this season, including Eastern Mass All-Star and All-State, Feldgoise focused on the team’s successes rather than his own.

“Even though he won the highest achievement on our team, he reached out to all the kids who won All-Conference and congratulated them. He is a very selfless person,” Grant said. “At least in the four years I’ve been in the program, no one has gotten All-State,” he added.

Beaulieu-Jones agreed that Feldgoise has a modest nature. Feldgoise was cognizant of his teammate’s contributions throughout the season, Beaulieu-Jones said.

“I’m proud of him recognizing that it was a great individual accomplishment but he couldn’t have done it without his teammates. To realize that and be humble, it was great to see his character around that,” Beaulieu-Jones said.

Feldgoise wanted to create a competitive but supportive team atmosphere. It was important to the captains that younger players would continue to have high expectations for the team.

“I tried to make sure that everybody felt they could talk to the seniors. I tried to be less intimidating to sophomores and juniors,” Feldgoise said. “I’m not a particularly intimidating person, but I made sure they knew they could talk to us and be our friends so we could foster a full team environment.”

Beaulieu-Jones is certain that the captains succeeded in their mission of uniting the team and resetting the culture.

“They set the tone for the future of Brookline boys teams to get back on track,” Beaulieu-Jones said.

Feldgoise encourages younger players to follow in his footsteps and appreciate the value of the entire team.

“Future captains and future players need to make sure the team is really together and that they want to play for each other,” Feldgoise said. “Brookline is always going to have a talented group of players. This is the question: Can we play together?”