Opening Ceremonies: Big Names Show Big Support

Mayor Fenty gave a warm and inspiring welcome to the players. Mark Ein, owner of the Washington Kasltes world team tennis franchise presented him with as Street Soccer USA polo.

Ted Leonsis, Ed Foster-Simeone, president of the US Soccer Foundation, and Michael Stoops, executive director of the National Coalition for the Homeless, and Lawrence Cann also addressed the players and spectators.

Overall Standings: Third Place goes to Charlotte, NC

Charlotte outlasted Anne Arbor to take third place overall in the tournament

Here are the final standings. Call them the Street Soccer USA National Rankings:

1. Minneapolis, Minnesota (youthlink mn)
2. Los Angeles, CA (jovenes)
3. Charlotte, NC (Community Works 945 of the Urban Ministry Center)
4. Ann Arbor, MI, (Port)
5. Atlanta, GA (Homeless Task Force)
6. San Francisco (Spitfire Soccer Acadamy)
7. Washington, DC (Street Sense, National Coaliton for the Homeless)
8. Richmond, Virginia
9. New York, (HELP USA)
10. Austin, TX (lifeworks, the arch)
11. St. Louis, MO (peter and paul’s)

Becks VS DC United

Look how close we were to Becks. And check out the Becks' fan club--HILARIOUS.

DC United slammed the Galaxy 4-1 on Sunday. DC United gave Street Soccer USA’s Homeless USA Cup contingent 110 tickets and brought the captains of teams from 11 cities down on the field at halftime to be recognized. Meanwhile a trailer of the film Kicking It played on the jumbo tron above us. Star, Craig Holley, Producer Ted Leonsis, and director Susan Koch of Kicking It link were there will us.

Check us out on the field! Everyone was giddy with excitement and you had to think about our atheltes standing there in front of 45,000 fans---what an affirmation of the positive steps they are taking in their lives. Thank you DC United!

Ben Olsen

We got to see Ben Olsen make his return from injury Sunday at the DC United Match versus the LA Galaxy. Our seats were good, but we got a better look at Ben on Saturday when he came out and spent two hours doing drills and chatting it up with our Homeless USA Cup participants. He even stayed afterwards to watch some of the semifinal matches. I hope Ben realized what a thrill it was for our folks to train with a player of his quality, experience, and humanity. Our hats are off to this fine man and pioneer of contemporary American soccer

Fair Play Award . . . . St. Louis Roadies

It is easy to have fun when you win, but the Roadies showed great spirit when they lost. Coaches David Flomo and Keith Deisner from The Peter and Paul Community Shelter for the Homeless drove to the Cup in vans a day early in order to meet with their senator. The Roadies continued being advocates once the tournament began, showing the best in human spirit and embodying what the tournament is all about. Everyone will agree that the moment of the tournment was the final second goal scored by the smallest player in the tournament which gave St. Louis their only win in their very last game.

Please be honored, Roadies, as we view this trophy as the highest honor. We plan on seeing the Roadies next year to defend the award!

Katalyst for Positive Change Coaches Award

Jeremy Goldberg presented the Kevin Caroll Katalyst Coaches Award on behalf of Kevin Carroll to the coach who did the most to be a catalyst for positive change in the lives of his or her players.

Sara Silvanoinean, a mental health care outreach worker for the Homeless at Port (link) in Ann Arbor, Michigan researched the Homeless World Cup in 2006 and made it to our organizing conference in Charlotte in June of 2007. She immediately got to work back home and created the most developed program in country outside of the original Charlotte program. Her program has helped engage youth like Raul and Jordan who have rebounded quickly thanks to soccer from bouts of homelessness to 54 year old brain trauma victim Randal who once coached his kids soccer and now plays with Anne Arbor as means of therapy as well as of combatting depression. Congrats Sara and thank you Kevin Carroll, your personal story and tireless efforts to promote social change through sports across globe is a guiding light.

Mark Ein Presents Washington Kastles' Trophy

Mark Ein hosted the Homeless USA Cup in his World Team Tennis Stadium in the center of the City. The Washington Kastles link are a coed pro tennis team. To recognize the Kastles’ and Mark’s generosity we thought it fitting to name an award after the Kastles’ and have it be in line with their core values of gender equality and coed competition. Therefore Mark awarded a trophy to the best female player in the tournament. Our tournament is coed and we want to encourage more women to play the game.

You can see Anne Arbor’s Jordan Starr here receiving her award from Mark.

ATL Homeless Task Force takes Leonsis Family Trophy

In an exciting penalty kick finale, Atlanta edged out San Francisco to take the Leonsis Family Trophy.
Ted Leonsis was around the event all weekend as was his son Zach who was a major cog in executing tournament logistics. Ted matched his underwriting of the tournament with characteristic personal involvement. Our hat is off to Mr. Leonsis and our congratulations goes to Atlanta and their coach Boubacar Sarr who has done a tremendous job not only coaching his players on the field but in mentoring them off the field. They are deserving team of the Leonsis Family Cup.

DC Cup goes to New York

New York’s team from HELP USA coached by Chris Murray started slow, but rebounded to win the DC Cup over Austin, Texas coached by Sabelyn. The Austin team is organized out of Lifeworks and The ARCH.

We thank Mayor Fenty, the National Coalition for the Homeless, US Soccer Foundation, and Streetsense Newspaper for being such great hosts in DC!

The awared was presented by Rick Allen.

FC HARLEM VS US HOMELESS NATIONALS

FC HARLEM VS US HOMELESS NATIONALS

Check out this poster put together by Rise Sports and Concrete2Green. Rise Sports is a brand for street soccer attire. Concrete2Green strives to build an infrastructure for urban soccer by building fields, especially ones based on the futsal model.

The poster highlights a poetry slam in addition to our featured match of the weekend between FC Harlem and our street soccer national team. The national team featured Craig Holley from 2006, Ray Isaac of 2005, and brothers Dave and Michael McGregor of 2007. Stephanie Johnson and Fred Harrel of 2005 were also at the tournament as ambasssadors. And let’s remind everyone that all these players have escaped homelessness!

We are pleased to be collaborating with these groups because like us, they want to help develop ubran street soccer, but more importantly, like us, they want to develop it responsibly such that programs that help people in life are of primary importance. Soccer while a great joy and passion is not and ends in itself but a means to a stronger, healthier community.

Here is a photo SSUSA pres, Lawrence Cann, with Concrete2Green’s Akbar Majeed and Irv Smalls, director of FC Harlem. We believe we have a big future together with these groups.

CBS Early Show

We are really grateful to CBS for turning their focus on the lives of the homeless, and in particular on our soccer program. Please enjoy this piece room the Early Show which aired on Friday the 27th of June.



Please also note that Dale Mullennix is the Director of the Urban Ministry Center, and that Lawrence Cann is the director/founder of Street Soccer USA. Lawrence who directs the Community Works 945 program was identified incorrectly as the Urban Ministry Center director.



Also, our sponsor The Leonsis Family Foundation was not included among our principle sponsors in the piece, ad we wish to recognize the foundation's central role in making the 2008 Homeless USA Cup happen.

2008 Homeless USA Cup Champions: Youth Link of Minneapolis, Minnesota!

Lots more news coming soon so check back, especially to read the official list of players selected from around the country to represent the US in the Homeless World Cup 2008 in Melbourne, Australia.

Street Soccer Austin, TX is ready for USA Cup

Watch a short video on Street Soccer Austin as they prepare for their trip to Washington tomorrow.

The team also made headlines in the Daily Texan Newspaper. Pictured here and covered in the article is Edwin Calix.

'Edwin, who grew up in LifeWorks, Austin's shelter for homeless children, spoke Thursday before practice through his translator and chaperone, LifeWork's volunteer Frank Baca, who will accompany him on the D.C. trip.

Edwin said the soccer team offers him a great outlet for learning. He's "getting acquainted with U.S. customs and culture, soccer brings him out and exposed him to others," continues Frank.

A student of Literacy Austin (a free English as a second language instruction program), Edwin is learning English and working toward his GED.

"It's exciting to go see the capital of the United States," he said. "I want to see the White House."

To read the rest of the article click here.

Kastles Stadium Near Completion

Check out our venue.
We'll be playing here next week!!!!!!!!!
The Washington Kastles a really cool professional tennis team headlined by Serena Williams. have nearly finished the early construction of their venue in time for the Homeless USA Cup.
Check this link to a flicker page send to my by Kastles' Owner, Mark Ein. Mark is also a co-producer of Susan Koch's Kicking It, a Ted Leonsis Production.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dcalt/sets/72157605705903084/with/2555142234/

We are proud to announce that Mark Ein will present the Kastles' Trophy for best female player of the tournament at the Homeless USA Cup after the final match next Sunday. Since our sport is coed, like the Kastles', the Kastles wanted to affirm the the women ancourage there number in the future by making this award.

Hoover and David

Hoover and David:
(pictured above in Charlotte, North Carolina)

Hoover looks 15. He’s 20, but for someone his ages he has lots of stories to tell. He works at temp agencies, but nothing regular. When he can't find or make a friend. He sleeps outside.

David also sleeps outside but he’ll have an option to move indoors now that his disability check has come through.

If at times Hoover and David seemed more distracted than at others, it probably has to do with the regularity of their sleep or their meals. If they can’t find a couch to sleep on, it’s an abandoned building, or a camp spot in between the center city and the 277 beltway, or else they just wander “like zombies” all night, "staying safe."

“Soccer keeps me focused, it keeps me from exlpoding and doing something stupid. I’d probably go ride with someone to Florida, or get mixed up in something I shouldn’t be doing if I wasn’t playing on this team. But I feel like I can make some progress if I stick with this. I feel like I have somebody behind me.

Thursday, Hoover and Davids started at left and right midfield for Street Soccer 945. Standing on top of each other they barely clear 10 feet in height.

The game marked the return of D. whose drug relapse had us all worried. Big D's renewed focus was an inspiration to all. Even three goals from the prodigal striker couldn't pull us even and we lost by 3 goals. Hoover and David were goofing around like children, and frankly it was a pleasure to see. The team singing D’s nickname, D-bone to various hip hop song. Then D opened the van door and screamed to whomever was out there. "I am going to DC! I am going to DC!" The tension was visibly lacking in D's face. He looked handsome, young, full of hope and clear eyed. It’s these moments most of all that pay the bills as a homeless soccer coach.


In local competition last week the Street Soccer Stars rebounded from two straight losses to mark a convincing victory by thte score of 10-5.

We focused team discussion on suporting each other and moving past the last play and on th with game. 8 minutes into the game the team found itself down 3-0. Tempers were heated, but the team kept it’s focus. At the half we scored a clutch goal to pull to within 1 goal 4-3. The second half was a complete romp. Victory was one success. D was another. And the cherry on top had to be news of Craig's new job at Dilworth Grill.

Well done everyone.

LA Ready to Rock

Posted here is a poster for the benefit concert organized for the Los Angeles Team by Gerardo Gomez. The concert features Kemo the Blaxican and Xaris's spoke word as seen on youtube here among many others.

The LA team is organized out of Jovenes Inc. a spanish language teen shelter in LA.

Some say Andrea Marchetti's team is the team to beat. If the team's talent is as big and strong as the heart of player Johny Figueroa they should have nothing but success on the pitch in DC. Below is an excerpt from the note Johny wrote expressing his interest in the coming to the Homeless USA Cup.

"I came to this country looking for a better future. As you also know I have experienced the hardships of sleeping on the street. Being homeless is really depressing, at that time I felt very miserable because sometimes I was unable to eat. I felt angry at myself because I was living in such bad conditions, until I did not believe in myself anymore. But now I have a stable job and I am full-time student at Pasadena City College, thanks to wonderful people that have made me believe in myself.

Soccer has always been my passion. I been playing since I remember. I believe that soccer has taught me many valuable lessons. I learned that it is important to fight and work for what you believe in. I have learned more skills than soccer, such as teamwork and communication skills. I have learned that it's good to broaden one's horizon by meeting and becoming friends with people from other schools and communities. I believe that I have demonstrated my love for the game by my leadership, hard work and dedication. I have demonstrated my passion for learning by dedicating myself to excellence in learning. Because of all I believe that soccer has been I big influence in shifting my life from homeless to a successful student and soccer player. "

St. Louis in the News!

Coach Flomo with team above

Coach Flomo, a refugee from Liberia knows what it is like not to have home. A former child soldier, Flomo has not only had to flee his homeland, he has spent time homeless himself. Today he chooses to give back. After finishing his degree, Flomo became a social worker himself. An attendee of last year’s organziing conference, Flomo has partnered with Kieth Deisner of Peter and Paul’s Shleter in St. Louis to organzie the state’s first homeless soccer team.

Read the recent publicity about the team and their courageous coaches here.

for video go straight here

DC 08: Schedule of Events

The Homeless USA Cup 2008 in Washington DC
June 27-29th

100 homeless athletes from California to New York travel to DC to compete for the Homeless USA Cup and try out for the US team that will travel to the Homeless World Cup in Melbourne, Australia, alongside no fewer than 47 other countries.

The Homeless USA Cup is FREE!

Enjoy exciting 4vs4 soccer. Games are only 15 minutes and feature lots of goals.

Where:

11th and H Street at Washington Kastles Stadium

What and When:

-CBS Early Show: 7:45 Am Friday
-Skill Session with DC United's Ben Olsen: 9:30-10:30
-Opening Ceremony and games 12:30-7pm
-Games: 8am-4pm Saturday, FC Harlem vs. 07 Homeless National Team hosted by Rise Sports
-Semifinals: 5-6pm Saturday
-Rise Sports Poetry Slam: 6-7:30 Saturday
-Championship Matches and Awards Ceremony: 4-5:30 pm Sunday


Celebrity Soccer appearances by Ben Olson and Clyde Simms of DC United, music, poetry, soccer skills competition and more . .

Volunteers and Supporters needed. To get involved please email "volunteer@streetsoccerusa.org."

Also, attend the matches as act of volunteering. By supporting you can play a small role in ending homelessness.

YOU MUST go see the film bought by ESPN that features some of the athletes competing in the tournament: "Kicking it" premiers June 13 in NYC and June 27th in DC and LA--www.kickingitthefilm.com

And learn about the Homeless World Cup at www.homelessworldcup.org

Sponsors include: Ted Leonsis Foundation, Nike, US Soccer Foundation, and Wachovia.
DC Hosts are the National Coaliton for the Homeless and Street Sense Newspaper.

Bring Granola bars for DC Central Kitchen's Healthy Start Program

Street Soccer USA puts on the Homeless USA Cup and is incubated within the Urban Ministry Center.


Please visit/join our facebook group: Street Soccer USA.

Plus, see the new film about the homeless world cup, "Kicking it," June 13 in NYC and June 27th in DC and LA: www.kickingitthefilm.com

HOMELESS USA CUP 2008: MATCH SCHEDULE

USA%20Homeless%20Soccer%20Cup%20Match%20Schedule%20UPDATE2008.xls

Link here to get the match schedule. Grouping will be announce the day of the event and posted to the blog.

Participating teams incude:

US National Team (From Previous Years)
Atlanta
Austin
Charlotte
Los Angeles
Minnesota
Michigan
New York
Richmond
San Francisco
St. Louis
Washington, DC

The Beautiful Game......

Agent for Social Change, and friend and supporter of Street Soccer USA and the Homeless USA Cup, Kevin Carroll recently posted several blogs about Kicking It the film at his ESPN Page 2 site.

Check out his musings at ESPN Page 2, and keep checking back to see what other exciting events he's writing about: http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/Katalyst4Sport/blog/posts/56974

Kastles Open Their Home to the Inaugural Homeless USA Cup

At the Homeless USA Cup later this month, players will be at center stage during tournament play. When fans descend on the Washington Kastles 2,020 seat stadum, they will be treated to a new Downtown DC landmark.


The temporary stadium, located at the site of the former Washington Convention Center, offer up close and personal action throughout the Homeless USA Cup. The Kastles are the newest franchise to join World TeamTennis, which is co-founded by Tennis icon Billie Jean King.

The Kastles team includes such tennis superstars as Serena Williams and Thomas Blake, and the three-week "fan focused tennis" season will see John McEnroe and Anna Kournikova make stops at the new stadium.

The vision for bringing the Kastles to Washington, DC is led by Mark Ein, a businessman and philanthropist, and also Executive Producer of KICKINGIT. Mr. Ein's commitment and generosity to local efforts, such as the Homeless USA Cup, is greatly appreciated and we thrilled to partner with him and the Kastles.

To learn more about the Washington Kastles visit: www.washingtonkastles.com and to purchase tickets call: (202) 4TENNIS

"A Ball Can Change Your Life" - Kevin Carroll Katalyst

At the 2006 Homeless World Cup in Cape Town, South Africa, those inspirational words echoed across the street soccer pitch and into the hearts and minds of the more than 48 nations participating at the Homeless World Cup. Kevin's energy brought players from Canada to Chile, and Poland to Portugal to their feet in celebration of soccer, sport and life.

Kevin remains an active supporter and advocate of the Homeless World Cup through his sponsorship of Gomo Tong Football Club representing Uganda in Cape Town and again in Copenhagen in 2007, and spreading the mantra from his personal story that, “A Ball Can Change Your Life.”

This year, Kevin graciously extended his support to the Homeless USA Cup as a sponsor and supporter of the Inaugural USA Cup.

Among his many experiences and talents, Kevin is an author, and agent for social change. He travels the world, and helps people harness the power of sport and play as a vehicle for chasing and achieving their dreams. As an author, Kevin has achieved incredible success with his first book, Rules of The Red Rubber Ball (ESPN Books). Discover Your Inspiration and Chase it for a Lifetime (ESPN Books) will be released in 2008.

We want to thank Kevin for his friendship and for inspiring all of us to realize that a ball IS changing lives. Check out his musings at: katalystatlarge.com during the Homeless USA Cup and also, his prose at ESPN’s Page 2: http://sportsnation.espn.go.com/fans/Katalyst4Sport

Thanks US Soccer Foundation! A Home Field at Last

We started out several years ago wearing red pennies as uniforms. Some of the players wore jeans to practice. I'll never forget a goal scored by Casey Williams wearing his steel toed work boots. We've come along way since then in so many ways.

We built our first home field in collaboration with our arts program and the University of North Carolina at Charlotte's Architecture Department. That was great, but it still wasn't regulation and we couldn't host a US Cup on it.


Thanks to the US Soccer Foundation and it's friendly partners Sport Court and on this project, Athletica, plus contributions from the KICKINGIT producers we've created the soccer court built to Homeless World Cup specs in the US . . . and it's beautiful.

We put it together inside Covenant Presbyterian's gym in Charlotte to get everything in order ahead of the big date.

We have gotten our logistic down. The walled system can go up in fewer than 45 minutes. We proved that on visits to HELP USA in New York and the Daily Planet in Richmond, VA. That adventure deserves it's own post. It involved me, Craig, a former Homeless World Cup player and the American subject of KICKINGIT documentary, Coach Rob, and Arcady, the organizer of the Russian street soccer music ( he's also in KICKINGIT). We were crammed in a 26 ft truck with no radio and governor on 60 miles an hour. As I said, it deserves it's own post.

The flooring under Sport Court expert Joel's supevision took two hours as long to install with five of our athletes helping out. We hope to cut that installation time in the next go around.

The bottom line is that we have an incredible, portable facility that can be shared with other cities and which can train our national team.

In the words of 2005 Homeless World Cup Team member Ray Isaac, "It just keeps getting realer and realer."

The Leonsis Foundation

As you may know, KICKINGIT is the remarkable documentary film crafted by Susan Kock and her team and produced by Ted Leonsis Films in accordance with Ted Leonsis's concept of filmanthropy, which is widely written about on the web and applies to both of Ted's films, Nanking and KICKINGIT. You should read Ted's blog, Ted's take. Link here.

Believe what you read: while not only using the film to catalyze interest in the problem of homelessness and to empower organizations like the Homeless World Cup, Ted has underwritten the Homeless USA Cup through he and his wife Lynn's foundation. All this in on top of taking a personal interest in the lives of the players in the film.

Thank you for making this tournament, this bright spot in lives of so many who are down and out, a reality!