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 America’s Homeless Compete for US Soccer Cup in Nation’s Capital
Street Soccer Changing Lives; Building a Sense of Pride and Discipline Washington, DC- June 27-29th 2008 Street Soccer USA is hosting the second Homeless USA Cup in Washington, DC. The three-day tournament will name a national champion and select the all-star squad, who represents the US at the 48-nation Homeless World Cup in Australia in December, 2008. The US qualifying event will take place at the Washington Kastles Stadium, 11th and H Streets, in downtown DC. Over the course of the July 27-29 weekend, 100 homeless individuals will compete on city-based teams for the US Cup. Teams will come from Ann Arbor, Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Richmond, Phoenix, San Francisco, St. Louis, and Washington D.C.
"Being homeless means being isolated. Soccer is great because it connects players not only to their teammates and coaches, but to a billion people who play around the world," says Lawrence Cann, Founder and President of Street Soccer USA (SSUSA, which is incubated within the Urban Ministry Center in Charlotte, NC). Each of the participants has faced the reality of being homeless over the course of the last year. Street soccer can be used to instill a sense of pride and discipline through being part of a team and to help give players the confidence they need overcome problems in their lives. Organizers point out that over 70 percent of participants from previous tournaments have improved their lives by quitting drugs, moving into jobs, getting an education and even reuniting with their families. The exciting 4 on 4 street soccer competitions has also changed public perception of the homeless. Worldwide there are one billion, in the USA there are 3.5 million homeless people, "Like many, I grew too accustomed to seeing the homeless without knowing their stories. Our film Kicking It reinforces the beauty and individuality of these fellow citizens, and spotlights the work of people like Street Soccer USA. They are the real angels among us, and we are honored to join them in bringing the Homeless USA Cup to our home, Washington, DC," stated Ted Leonsis, whose Leonsis Foundation served as principal underwriter of the Cup. Leonsis and also produced the film Kicking It, which follows seven participants in the 2006 Homeless World Cup, and opens in Washington, DC and Los Angeles theaters on June 27. Michael Stoops, Executive Director of The National Coalition for the Homeless believes that homeless soccer “undoes a lot of the stereotypes. It dispels the myths that homeless individuals aren't able-bodied; all they do is lay around rattling the cup and asking for change.” The homeless players and their coaches will be guests of Major League Soccer’s DC United team on Sunday June 29, for the game against the LA Galaxy, and will be introduced to fans at halftime. The trailer for the film Kicking It will be screened for the RFK Stadium crowd at the same time. The tournament is made possible by principle sponsors, Nike, The Leonsis Foundation, the US Soccer Foundation, and Wachovia Bank. 
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