Off to Dream Land (with ABC News)

Off to dream land (with ABC NEWS)

Craig and C-White hang out with luggage in front of the check out line at Newark Airport.
James Wang of ABC news traveled with us to the airport and interviewed all our guys for a feature on ABC news with Charles Gibson for their webcast. GO to ABCcom. Craig Holley made a great distinction, saying he was never homeless, that no of his teammates were homeless, they were just lost, homeless was when you give up and don’t want for yourself, we was just lost, and soccer has helped us get found.”

In the interviews our guys overcame their travel fatigue to reluctantly talk about reality, about their past, and about our team. What we will encounter in Cape Town will in no way resemble reality, it will be a week of exchange and spectacle that happens for folks but once in a lifetime. I am giddy with anticipation.

Subtext

Subtext:

Craig and Scythe were not in the photos of our first national team practice because they weren’t at the practice. To give some background, Craig and Scythe were both taken away from their families because of their fathers' drug addictions. Craig had not seen his mother in 6 years when he was 13 years old. Scythe hadn’t seen his mother in nearly 3 years. Scythe had talked about meeting up with his brother since he found out he was on the national team a few weeks ago, but it wasn’t until the plane ride to new york that Craig turned to me, “hey yo lawrence, is alright if I spend the night with my mother?” I gulped. What mother? I wondered what new family history I was about to hear. Craig had not talked to his mother at all, he just said he was going to go find her. I looked at him, trying to gather some clue from his face as to what was going on. Craig had on a hard stare. But unlike the other stare that Craig used to wear so often, the one meant to intimidate, the gangsta stare, this one was different. The face and eyes were deathly still, the eyebrows lowered, the chin tucked—nothing materially different. I can only say that his gaze was not outward, but rather inward. I just looked back and without a moment’s thought, I said, yes Craig, of course. I tried to convey a tone of seriousness, that I understood what he was conveying about the importance of his search, but at the sametime, it was more a reaction, or a decision that came from somewhere lower in my body, not my head. And unlike any decsion I have ever made with my head, I harbored no anxiety or stress about it. C-white told me I was crazy,”Do you know what Brooklyn is like at night? Do you know Craig? Did you really let him go?” Craig spent two nights in New York with his mom and his sister. He said he had been told lies. His mom is very ill, but she was not on her deathbed. He had told me he worried he might find out she had passed, and in that case, he didn't know if he could go to South Africa. We asked Craig that he return around 6 am in the morning the day of our flight. The truth his we prefered he slept with us that night, but his mother got on the phone and insisted to Rob that she would get him up and send him on the way if he could please stay. Craig called me at 5:30 to say he was heading our way. I said, that’s fine, how long will it take. 45 minutes, he responded. You’ve got plenty of time, but go ahead and getting moving so we won’t have to rush and everything will be relaxed. Craig, I added, I am proud of you. I don’t know what right I had to say that. But for all he struggles with still, he has done some amazing things. He returned with the demeanor of an adult,; he seemed to have aged 10 years. He says he’d really like to move back to new york some day soon to live near his mom and his sister. Can you believe it, he said, all these years they’ve been lying to me, saying my mom didn’t want me, was too sick to have me around. Why do people want to do you like that?” He protested rhetorically in a calm, even tone and tranisitioned into the next subject.

Scythe’s reunion was less dramatic. Actually from my perspective it was a sneak attack. In the lobby of the hostel I saw Scythe talking to two older people, who looked, in the context of the hostel, like some older european travelers from hungary or austria that he had befriended. Then two peole came up from the basement. Scythe said, hey, this is my brother and my sister in law. I chatted them up for a while and asked how dinner went with Scythe. They said they were so exctied for him and happy he was doing so well for himself. I didn’t make the connection that the hungarian looking women with crippled knees was Scythe’s mother and that the man with her was her fiancee. Scythe, how come you didn’t introduce me when they where here? I complained to him. I though I did, he said back and smiled blankly. Scythe was a quesiton mark for this trip based on his attitude during the national tournament, but has been an absolute delight and ease to date. Being able to reconnect with his family with such a positive report of how he is doing has had no small part in his demeanor. He is the same Sycthe only relieved of the anger, paranoia, and tension I have to so strongly associated with his character, but which so obviously obfuscate rather than define his true self.

Here is Scythe the morning of our departure helping strangers load up their Van. The first grouped thanked his so geuinely that he hung around and helped other travelers load up their loads. He had time to do it too since he woke up at 6 and was packed and had eaten breakfast by 7, 3 and a half hourse before our shuttle was scheduled to come pick us up.

National Team Practice

First National team practice:


We got together, the Charlotte crowd, Micael Knight from DC, Abusseyf from New York, and Justin, the organizer from Philaedelphia, and went for a jog along the Hudson River at dusk. We played soccer right there on the riverside concrete. Here’s Cyrus in US NationalTeam colors showing his skills.

Day3: Immigration/Visas

Day 3

The South African Embassy issues all our travel visas without question! Last year UK Visas denied all our players visas to participate in the homeless world cup, because, well, they were homeless. The stressful encounter at immigration in Glasgow broke our way thanks to the purview of Gavin White, a customs official who had the courage to disregard his colleges, and put himself on the line to do what he thought was right. Gavin, if you still keep up with our site, know we are eternally grateful. Needless to say, I was overjoyed at the visas and was slapping our players high fives; none of them being on the team last year, they all looked at me as if to say, “who’s this goofball.”

After the south african embassy we took Cyrus’s Liberian travel document to US Immigration on 26 Federal Plaza to get a routine stamp that would allow him to return to the US (his lost green card is on reorder). Three hours after our appointment time they called us up. They took Cyrus’s passport in the back and didn’t return. Finally they only returned to tell us to have a seat for at least and hour, that they would call us. Any mere arrest, not even a conviction, would Trigger such a search, we later learned. In that moment we were just told that something had come up in his background. If you see the preoccupied look on Cyrus’ face in this picture, it’s the residual fright of a helpeless scare only an immigrant can understand, having your documents in someone else’s hand, knowing that you are held to a different standard than others around you, knowing that if they were not to hand back that little blue booklet and wanted to start deportation proceedings, your whole life would be turned upside down.

After spedning from noon until 4:45 in a the immigration waiting room, we watched the immigration official press a 2 month reentry seal down on the that little light blue booklet that he subsequently handed back to Cyrus. Cyrus had quite smoking a week ago in anticipation of the competition. When we got outside he stopped the first passer by, and handed him a quarter for a little white stick.

First Flight

First Flight:

Dave flew here from Panama and Craig had flown once when he was four, but doesn’t actually remember it; so this wan’t their first flight ever (as it was for so many of the 2005 participants, but it was their first flight towards Cape Town. Here you see Dave posing (he should be studying) and Craig studying (he’s actually writing rap lyrics) on the Jet Blue flight from Charlotte to NYC. Dave is a student at West Charlotte High School and has assignments for all his classes to complete during the trip. He also has to give a report about attending the anniversary parade of Nelson Mandela’s release.

Day 2

Day 2:

As players Zenas Fewell (20 years old), Craig Holley (19), and Dave McCregor (16) --pictured with purple background-- packed the Subaru and prepared for departure on Tuesday from Community Works 945 at the Urban Ministry Center in Charlotte, they did so with the good news that C-White had courgeously contacted his father who indeed delivered the papers overnight, causing The Department of State to iissue him his passport.

Day 1

Day 1

Matt secures his passport in DC and Rob and C-White find out that their document quest was not as much of a sure bet as their research had promised them: C-White’s birth certificate could not serve as proof of citizenship because he was born in Korea. The solution, track down C-White’s dad with whom he hadn’t spoken in two years to secure his adoption papers, and have them fedexed overnight to DC.

The high spirits of the previous week had risen up up and away. With C-White’s status doubtful, Matt and the coaches had to make the difficult decision together that Matt would not travel past D.C., but return to Charlotte and resume his job and Corinthian Construction instead of heading on to Cape Town. This was tough news, especially after two Street Soccer players who were slated for spots on the national team, had to forfeit their positions just two weeks earlier. One was stopped by the police after an altercation with an old man,. An old warrant from 8 years earlier that had never turned up during the passport application process showed up on the policeman’s computer screen and landed him in jail. As if this wasn’t hard enough to swallow, another player who had made tremendous personal strides and who went from someone without a chance to make the national team, to a traveling member of it with passport in hand, suffered a costly lapse of judgement. Thieves will often seek out peope in need on the street to try to cash checks they have stolen or forged, and in turn for taking the risk, receive a small percentage of the toatal. Instead of earning some quick spending money for Cape Town, our player watched hi scheme and his whole dream vanish before his very eyes.

road to capetown

The Road to Cape Town.

The road to Cape Town for a couple players like Zenas “Scythe” Fewell and Craig Holley began over a yeat ago.

For others such as Cyrus Wuor, Matt Jules, and C-White the road to Cape Town looked like it might end in Washington or New York. Rob Cann and these three were officially the first three to travel when the left Charlotte Sunday afternoon in Rob’s car. The day prior, spirits were high as the Big Ben World Cup Send Off turned out to be a great success, raising nearly 1,200 dollars the team’s travels.

It was during the Big Ben event that we could start to wrap our minds around just what a fantastic voyage we were about to undertake. Players talked of climbing mountains, of how it was it too expensive to go from South Africa to Egypt to see the Pyramids, and how far away was Mecca?

All in all Saturday was an odd day of transition. Just the Wednesday prior, Street Soccer had won it’s biggest game ever, defeating Team Austin to reach the Semi Finals of the local league championship. This was not only our first ever semifinal but our first ever time qualifying for the playoffs. The game was serious test. Our oppents came out aggressive, committing several fouls early on and sending the coaching staff into a fit. The players understood the coaches message: we will defend you, you just play the game. Play the game we did. After playing man down after a retaliation foul by coach rob, the team entered the second half down 2 to nil. Two goals by Dave Mc Cregor and leadership from Cyrus Wuor made the difference in the second half as Street Soccer kept its composure and took the lead 3-2. Then with seconds remaining Zenas Fewell who had played a great game got caught out of position as he charged a ball prematurely and left an empty net open for the oppents to level the score. The game ended in a tie but a last minute foul and 2 minute penalty meant Street Soccer would have to play a man down until the penalty was over. Before the penalty time was played, the referee told the squads that the extra time would be golden goal (first team to score wins). With just five men to to the opponents’s six, Street Soccer managed a counter attack and goal which they believed secured them victory. However,Team Austin race back and score a goal while Street Soccer celebrated. The referee ruled the game a tie and Street Soccer managed to finish the penal time without conceding a second goal. At the point the team really came together, determined not to lose. Dave’s third goal of the match on a smoothly slotted strike after throwing a fake to the goalie finally secured Street Soccer the Victory.

At times over the past few season you might have watched us lose games and walked away concluding that people are homeless because they are unlucky, no ifs ands or buts, they just can’t buy a break. Last Wednsday, the group found a way to win the instead of ways to lose the very same sort of game that always eluded them.

Could this victory speak to a change of luck for the american team in Cape Town.

Scrimmage!

We’re a little late posting this photo, but we want to thank the folks at myers park baptist and the hard working tim deane for the great scrimmage they gave out team. What can you say, a great time was had by all.

National Team player lead the way in Charlotte

C Whyte and Craig Holley share headphones as they get pumped up for their semifinal league match. Street Soccer 945 won 5-4 in overtime behind a hat trick from 16 year old Dave McGregor in a fiercely competative match which many fouls and one red card. Craig and C Whyte join Dave, Matt Jules, Cyrus Wuor, and Zenas Fewell on the national team which will travel next week to South Africa for the 2006 Homeless World Cup in Cape Town.

It really happened (photos by Mae Lambing)

A certain magic in the air that I wrote about last year after the Homeless World Cup 2005 in Edinbrugh (read the photo essay at www.homelesssoccer.org by clicking on the first photo) sparkled right before our eyes at the first ever USA Cup in Charlotte, so plain and obvious, so perfectly reasoable in its glory, that experiencing it, one would almost forget that, whatever it was, it was not the most commonplace natural thing one could imagine, but rather entirely preposterously beautiful and abnormal, and most certainly above all else magical.

56 players from across the country, all of whom have been recently or currently are homeless, came to Charlotte for the first ever Homeless USA Cup. Publicity surrounding the event reached well over 40 million impressions nation wide, putting a human face on homelessness and challenging common notions of what homeless people are capable of when given the chance.

One player wrote in chalk on the center city parking lot where the matches were played, "For three days I was not homeless, I was part of the community." Humanizing social activities, in particular soccer, help folks who feel disconnected and isolated in their lives integrate back into society. Clearly the first Homeless USA Cup was a great catalyst for scores of individuals to make big changes in their lives. The social service agencies who have taken on soccer as a program are perfectly positioned to channel their players energy effectively towards achieving their personal goals.

In photographs attached below you will so people who are homeless from ages ranging from 14 to 56. You will see men reunited with their daughters, young men looking up to old men, teammates rallying around one another, volunteers working with not for those they serve, as well as terrific athletes showcasing their skill and determination.

The week began with Street Soccer 945's local league game, followed by a County Commissioner's meeting where a resolution declaring it Homeless Soccer Week in Charlotte was read by Commissioner Jennifer Roberts. When players arrived on thursday they signed in with their team, were assigned an email address, were taught blogging basics, had their idea badge made by our photography teacher and his students, and were send off for dinner with their host churches.

After Thursday players trained at Freedom Park, trained at Freedom Park, scrimmaged on the zoom soccer street soccerpark at Covenanty Presbyterian and attended a Meet the Player Mixer at Covenants as well sponsored by fuel pizza and featuring delicious hommade desserts from the folks at Covenenant. The the live music and games began, culminating in the announcement of the US National Team on Sunday Evening. What was amazing was how much soccer people palyer from the moment they arrived, all through the night in the church gyms, and all day on the sweltering blacktop. For more details about the photos send and email to artworks945@urbanministrycenter.org. Thanks!

USA CUP TEAMS (NC, DC, PN, NY, TX)

Come celebrate at Big Ben Pub

Big Ben Pub on 801 Providence Rd, just down from the Manor theatre, is having a World Cup Send Off from 10am-8pm for our national team members. 15 percent of sales goes to the the program, so eat up , watch european soccer, and you'll be doing s a faovr, Thanks!bigben%20copy.jpg

Post Event Review

The First Ever Homeless USA Cup was a great success.

The event featured 56 players divided into 10 teams.

New York won the first ever cup, beating North Carolina in penalty kicks after a 2-2 tie in regulation in an incredible semifinal match before defeating Pennsylvania in the finals with a goal thirty seconds into added time. Pennsylvania defeated New York City in the other semifinal.

The City of Charlotte Trophy (or fifth place trophy) was won by Atlanta.

MVP of the tournament was the always smiling Daniel Martinez of New York.

Best Goalie of the Tournament was Alberto Valera of North Carolina.

The Spirit Awart went ot Mario Salazar of Austin, Texas.

The Fair Play Trophy went to the Homelessness Task Force of Atlanta.

Top Goal Scorer was Dave McGregor of North Carolina (20)

The following player were named to the US National Team (from this list 8 will travel to South Africa):

Dave McGregor
Daniel Martinez
Cyrus Wuor
Elmer Nunez
Jorge Lopez
Michael McGregor
Pablo Ruelas
Johnson-Asu
Mahdi Dolieb
Alberto Valera
Victor Urgiles
Komlin Johnson
Abousi Negedi
Craig Holley

Alternates for these players include the top player who already have their travel documents:

Scythe Fewell
Tony Kelly
Abdul Wright
Ray Isaac
Ronnie Pop Miller
Hector Barrios
Ehren Vance
Emme Ecke
Manuel Santos
Chukuwhelu Allen

Check the posts for upcoming photos and tournament anecdotes

Event Schedule

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Poster Unveiled

The poster for this year's Homeless USA Cup (in Charlotte Aug 19th and 20th) was created by artist Johnnie Mae Murray, a formerly homeless women who credits the Art Works 945 program at the Urban Ministry Center (www.communityworks945) with helping her end a 10-year span she spent living on the street, not confronting her mental disability. Johnnie Mae has become not only a recognized artist but a powerful spokesperson for the homeless, as well as a volunteer art teacher in the housing project community where she now lives in Charlotte. She won a Hometown Hero Award in 2004. Last year, she followed the team organized by the Urban Minsitry Center that traveled to Homeless World Cup 2005. Johnnie says, "I believe that the soccer team can provide the same sustaining and self-affirming force for others that art has done for me." Our thoughts and prayers are with Johnnie Mae as she now begins another courgeous battle, this time against breast cancer.

NL31: Victory!

Picture: Chukuyewlu Allen and 3-goal scorer, Dave Mendoza, juggle the ball while their teammates wait for their chance. This is how the team celebrated its first win ever-- by coming back to the Center after the game and playing more soccer. I think they like winning!

Story:

Street Soccer 945 of the Urban Ministry Center, represenatives to the Homeless World Cup 2005, defeated their opponent last Wednesday, July 25th, by a score of 6-3. The victory was the first in regulation in 45 tries dating back to September of 2004. In Febuary of 2005 the club (then Art Works Football Club) recorded the first official win when the other team failed to produce the minumum of five players necessary to compete. The club’s record in more than four seasons of local play and one international competition is 2 wins, 43 losses, and zero ties.

The majority of the players on the field and on the sideline could not appreciate the relief that Wednesday’s victory was. In fact, for 8 of the 12 players, the victory moved them to 1-1 overall. For Zenas Fewell, Craig Holly and Chukuyewlu Allen who had eack played through two winnless seasons, victory was sweet. But for Tony Kelley, Ray Isaac, Abdul Wright, and Andrey Wannamaker, the taste of victory was overshadowed by the pervading sense of disbelief. Tony and Ray both attended the very first practice ever held, Abdul joined during the firt season ever, and Andrey during the second season. All four experienced being “skunked” (0-9) at the world cup last year.

The coaches definitely anticipated a victory, but how it came about was true to the club’s nature: predicatably unpredictable.

First of all, old timers Abdul and Andrey, having moved off the street, are rarely around these days, and were a pleasant surprise on Wednesday as the team gathered for the game. It didn’t look like they would see the field much, nor did their fellow veterans, Ray Isaac, having retired to more of mentor and coaching role on the team, and Tony Kelley, recovering from a back injury and an anxiety attack. All that changed right before game-time when the coaches caught a whiff of marijauna as the team loaded on the van. Our team policy is very clear, if you are under the influence of any substance, you don’t play. We therefore scratched three starters from the match who had been dedicated attendees of practcie. The coaches’ forecast of victory now looked to have lost its foundation. In talking with the players, the coaches expressed their incomprehension, why? Why after dedicating so much time would you blow it? The response was, “We wanted to get hyped to play, to get in the zone, to win.” After this reply, we actually had a dialogue about why it might be advantageous or why it might be a problem to get high before a game. If nothing else, we came to an understanding that a rule is a rule, and the players suspended were, to their credit, good supporters of their teammates and accepted their suspension without complaint.

Led by young striker, Dave Mendoza of Panama, the old timers held solid defensive ground. After a much anticipated but frustrating performance in the openning match of the season two weeks ago, Dave found his comfort zone and marked three goals to his credit, leading the team to victory in game in which they never trailed.

When the final whistle blew, Tony Kelley went bonkers, exclaiming in a loud world wrestling federation style voice that Street Soccer was now “champions of the world.” He began hugging the opponents and lifted one coach up in their air. He must have seemed derranged or juvenile or, at best, the antipathy of a gracious winner to our opponents or to the onlookers at the Sports Warehouse. How could they have any idea what a long, largely invisible, journey he had just completed, both on the field and off it?

The House of Dula

Abdul Wright takes a load off his feet in his new apartment. Coach Rob moved him in with the UMC van the other week. We miss big “Dula,” but he still calls us weekly, usually around 11 oclock on a Friday night or a Sunday night just to touch base. You really have to admire Abdul for his courage. For many folks who have been homeless, fear of success is a formidable obstacle. The sudden reprieve from a life of consecutive crises is a lonely silence, and in that silence you suddenly have to figure out for yourself what to do. Abdul has been applying himself to just that task. One thing Abdul has said he wants to stay committed to is soccer. He plans to play for Charlotte in the US Cup this August 17-20th. Way to go Dula!

Newsletter30: Red, Whyte, and 19

Red, Whyte, and 19

About 7 or 8 weeks ago coach Rob and I had a conversation about the group of young kids we had noticed hanging out more and more around the periphy of the Urban Ministry Center. These were young kids, 19 and 20 years old most of them. In fact, we wondered if they were even homeless. In the past I have always noticed that the young kids that hang around are normally dealing drugs to the older folks, so I’m less likely to try to engage them. Actually, I am more likely to reach out to them in an effort to get them to move on. This group, I learned, is part of the growing phenemona of kids this age ending up on the street. In the weeks prior to the conversation with coach Rob, I kept the center open late, just to see who desired a safe place to be after dark. Mostly it was this group. They stayed as late as I did, drawing, keeping mostly quiet, and were very suspicious of me. For the most part, I spent that time just doing some drawing of my own or some work on the computer, being observing and analysing as best I could what I was seeing.
One of these kids calls himself Whyte. He is Asian and 19. The first time I saw him, I was visiting traffic court. I actually was there early and sat on a bench eating an organge and Whyte sat across from me. Somethng intrigued me about him. His gaze always remained downcast, and he seemed to be very deliberate in all of his actions, whether it was the way he openned a door, paused, and entered it, or the steady heel-toe rhyhtm of his carefully meted out steps. I remember stopping in my tracks when I saw this fleeting object of my minds’ curiosity walk through the cafeteria area of the Community Works building when we were still serving lunch there this winter. I ate lunch that day at his table, thinking I would approach him about playing on our team, but he was completely closed off, and didn’t event acknowledge my question. I wondered if he was deaf or if he even spoke English. Today Whyte was one of the fifteen players who suited up for Street Soccer 945’s first match of the summer league. In fact he was also one of the group of six or seven young kids who mopped the floors and strengthed his forearms by scraping clean, sealing, and buffing the ceramic tile floors in Community Works to get the place ready to reopen as a workshop, frameshop, and gallery space.
Some of the others who volunteered to clean and who were also in uniform tonight were Aubrie, the only girl, Junior and Dave Mendoza, 14 and 16 years old Panamanians staying with their mother in the shelter, Craig Holly, Pop, LA, Amil, Ray, and Shawn. Others included Tony Kelly, goalies Scythe Fewell and a new player Dave “Red Wolf” Macnorton, plus Matt Jules and the coaches. Cleary the group was our most diverse ever, featuring Caucasions, African Americans, Whyte, the Panamanians, and “Red Wolf” who is part Native American.
Looking at our group all seated around a table to eat dinners that the InnerVision program on Tryon Street gave us from their clubhouse, coach Rob and I reminisced about six weeks ago. A lot of territroy had been forged between us and this group over the past two months, but we were clearly looking at the very same dubious pack of loners up to no-good, and they were now talking about how “Urban,” their pet name for the Urban Minsitry Center, was going to win tonight. This was at 6pm. They had been having the same conversation since 11am that morning and had been kicking the soccer ball around even earlier than that.
In light of all the street soccer experiences over the past couple years, many of them bizzare, many challenging and frustrating, more still uplifting and joyful, none forgetable, and all of them losses, tonight’s loss has to be termed the most delightful.
Our inclusive policy brings different skills levels, different sexes, different mental operating systems, different degrees of sleep deprevation, etc. together and can often pose difficult if not intreaguing interactions among the players and with the coaches. Learning to work as a team is one important aspect of the program; anotherother is going out to the sports facility and relating to the spectators, referees, and other teams. Our team excelled on all levels tonight. They chatted it up before the game, telling the people they met what the Urban Minsitry Cetner was, and then when they went out to warm up they stood in a large group and surprised me even with their ability to keep the ball up in the air. The Manager of the facility was impressed at the new faces and the expression on his face was one of delight when he asked about Abdul and Stephanie and I was able to tell him that they have both moved off the street and into their own places. “One thing is for sure, he said, you all get better every time you come out here; it’s really amazing. I remember the first season when you guys could barely kick off and I had to tell the referee not call any fouls.”
The game itself was tough. We played against a team of Brasilians. We managed three goals, one by newcomer LA. He said, “I’ve haven’t played on a team since I was in elementary school, and I don’t even think that was a real team.” Otherwise both goalies played well and kept us in the game, while Craig Holly was a clear standout on defence, especially making a great adjustment to play a new position in the middle of the game. After a rough first half we made a tactical shift. Our defenders were pushing up and getting caught out of position in the transition back to defence, yet we needed goals and keeping these defenders withdrawn was not the answer. We decided to push them both into midfield and pull our center midfielder back to play a sweeper roll. Craig played that sweeper position and single handedly held off the opposing attackers while we hustled back. Although we didn’t catch up, we scored all three of our goals in the second half and reduced their goal output, losing by a final tally of 3-7. Kudos goes to everyone who cheered positively, especially Matt Jules who for missing practice did not play but kept our spirit up, and for those who had never played in an indoor league game before, which is everybody but Tony, Ray, and Scythe.
Postgame the team was upbeat and supportive of one another. Shawn, who had scored a goal during a pick up game at practice when we joing a group of Haitians and other internationals, got a lesson in celebration from one of the Hatians. The Hatian got on one knee and asked Shawn to give him his foot. Shawn didn’t get it. The Hatian then placed Shawn’s goal scoring foot on his knee and played as if he were shining his shoe. As we gathered as a team after the game Shawn came running up to LA and said, “give me your foot.” LA didn’t understand. Shawn then grabbed his foot and placed it on his knee and began to play as if he were shining his goal-scoring shoe. We all laughed.
When we were back at the Soup Kitchen Pop and Whyte asked me how they could improve. They said, “We know we’ve got to do more footskills, but aren’t there plays we need to learn.” “Yes,” I said, “there are plays and lots of strategy, but it might be different than what you think of when you think of NFL. Football, American football, is like a scored piece of music, like a symphony, everyone has their part and it is planned and they execute their various parts according to the design of the movements. Soccer is more like Jazz. There are elements in soccer, overlaps, give and goes, takeovers, crosses, etc. which can be combined in the run of play, but according to a genral idea like a melody, but executed completely improvisationally, and many times a player has to come up with a completely creative solution to his or her situation. Our players real-life situations are trying ones that evince a dis-connect with the larger part of society. At times that disconnect frustrates them and depresses them. Tonight, in their interaction with each other and with an opponent which, we were warned, was hot-tempered, our players cultivated a delightful harmony. I’d say they escaped their situation quite artfully, As Matt Jules said, “This was the best Urban Ministry Center soccer game I ever watched.”
Next game is is next Wednesday. Check www.streetsoccer945.org for the specific game time.

Thanks for reading!

Street Soccer hits Atlanta

"Hey Chookie, wanna go to Atlanta?"
"Whaaaa, no doubt,when do we leave.?"
"Tommorow, Ill pick you up at 8:30."
Chookie Allen had just finished a 45 day treatment program and I wanted him to take his first free day to go to Atlanta. What a good guy I am. Actually I wanted to take him to Atlanta to help me spread the workd to the Task Force for the Homeless about Homeless World Cup-USA.
So, on Wednesday, June 28, Ray Isaac, Chookie Allen, and I traveled to Atlanta in hopes to see the city, have some laughs and talk to some fellow street dwellers about playing soccer. We were excited for a breath of fresh away from Charlotte and to see what the big city further south had to offer. The trip started out behind schedule because Ray was up until five o'clock moving apartments becuase his old one was deemed unlivable due to termites and infestation. After a couple hours of sleep he got re-energized, but on his way to the Urban Ministry Center he ran out of gas. Knowing the impact Ray can have when speaking to a crowd we knew we could not leave him behind, so we had to make a move and rescue him if we were going to make it to our appointment in Atlanta on time. After locating him and returning his car to his new place and listening to a litte bit of complaning we finnally hit the road. Chookie spent most of the trip in the back seat enjoying himself, as you can see,
while Ray and I spend the majority of the trip philosophizing about God and life. It felt like a classic road trip. The Task Force for the Homeless is an amazing facility which hosts an array of different services to the men and women on the streets of Atlanta. Inside their 95,000 sq. foot building the Task Force offers emergency services to over46,000 people annually. There is an overflow shelter that hosts as many as 600 men nightly as well as a transitional housing section for up to 28 men. In addition to these services the Task Force is in the process of creating a community garden on the roof of the facilty and they already have in place an art studio and gallery. They are in the process of transforming the area to make room for their new Cafe, that will teach culinary arts and invite anyone and everyone into purchase coffee and pastries and the crafts produced by the artists. The Task Force is truly seeing out their vision of creating a "community where homeless, formerly homeless, and never-been-homeless people can live, work, eat, get to know each other, find resources to help eac hother, and discover what makes our (their) hearts sing."
It is not shocking that after touring the facility and meeting the folks that live and work at the Task Force that we were going to be accepted warmly.
Eric Heflin, the drug treatment counselor there, after hearing our words and passion about our soccer team and our excitment about Homeless World Cup -USA immediatley was intrigued by the idea. We were escorted to the basement of the facilty to make our announcement to the dinner crowd of about 200. We were all a llitte nervous about the reception of the crowd at our request for them to join into our love for our soccer team, but Eric, only knowing about the tournament and street soccer in general for about ten minutes stepped up and delivered a passionate speech to the clients of the Task Force that left little for us to cover.
Communities like ours at the Urban Ministry Center and ones like the Task Force understand that creating relationships and building communites are essential to our well-being, and so, Eric instictively knew that bringing a soccer team from Atlanta to the tournament fit into the mission of the Task Force. After I reiterated Erics words and Ray told everyone of traveling to Scotland with a quarter in his pocket and Chookie expressed his first hand appreciation for his soccer teammates back in Charlotte, we waited for guys to sign up. It was one, the slowly another, and other, and then the gates opened and Chookie had to keep asking me for more handouts until we ran out. We were hearing stories about old high school goalies and another about a man who used to play back when he was in the military. Guys were posing for pictures and the idea of Charlotte in August was set.
When we left we got one final word that solidified that my feelings all day were correct as Eric shook my hand andlooked me in the eye and said "we will definatley see you in Charlotte, thank you."
Members of Street Soccer 945 have spoken in front of many crowds and we have continued to try to make people feel what we feel about our soccer team. On Wednesday it was a long day. Ray was fading from lack of sleep and peace of mind and Chookie was fresh off 45 days of drug treatment and looking for relaxation. We wanted to go to Atlanta though, so we got in the car and went. Both guys fighting their own battles to keep their heads above water went to Atlanta to tell other guys fighting the same stuggles to play soccer. Nothing else, just to play soccer. Sounds a little crazy when you think about it. But the soccer team is what we have and it is what we hold onto. We were excited to see a new place or for Chookie and Ray revisit and old pace and we love any chance we can get to tell our stories because it makes us remember the hard times and the good and funny ones that we all shared together. Sometimes people think we are crazy and sometimes, like this time, people understand us and can't get enough of us.
Seeing others that buy into community and helping each other grow it makes our drive even greater to push and keep showing everyone what we can achieve. We are not going to stop playing because we are going to meet more people like those at the Task Force and eventually our crowds will get larger and our communities stronger and we will all enjoy more moments like Chookie is having in the picture at the top.

Stephanie Wins Dual Awards

Stephanie Johnson, a Street Soccer Alumn who made the trip to Scotland last summer as one of only two females on the team won two awards last week.

The first was the Charlotte Area Fund's Self-Sufficiency Award recognizing Stephanie's economic achievement over last year, according to the award, earning enough wages to move her out of poverty. Stephanie said she was still pretty darn poor, but was grateful for and proud of the award.

Second, Stephanie was chosen along with a handful of players from around the world to participate in the United Nations Works online report on the Homeless World Cup. Below are listed the answers Stephanie provided to the United Nations Works. Please take the time to read them, they are extremely insightful and thoughtful remarks . . .

1.) Tell us your story. How long were you or have you been
homeless, how did this happen? How did this make you feel? How did
you picture your future to be?

Stephanie was homeless for 12 months during 2004-2005.

"I became homeless while relocating to Charlotte. I was absolutely fed up with the same struggle everyday in Maryland. I moved to Charlotte looking for something better. I really felt it was what God or the spirit or the higher being wanted me to do. I didn't think I'd end up on the streets, but I did."

2.) How did you hear about the Homeless World Cup? Had you ever
played football or other sports before? What made you decide to
participate?

"I learned about the homeless world cup through Art Works Football Club [now Street Soccer 945] at the soup kitchen [Urban Ministry Center]."

"I had played volleyball, softball, american football, and basketball growing up in the neighborhood and in high school. I played on the field hockey and lacrosse team in high school until I got kicked off the team for fighting along with half of the other players."

"I decided to play to get physical exercise and to help me with my mental peace. I was about to lose myself living on the street. I mean, can you understand? I was losing MYSELF. I was starting to get used to being on the street. I learned I could eat and get clothes, and find places to crash without paying rent. Then I heard about this soccer thing. The team offered me a group of people to bond with. I felt more secure, protected by my teammates. Your mind gets numb when you are just thinking about surviving, but the team made me socialize and I felt my old life coming back to me."


3.) What was your Homeless World Cup experience? How did you feel
when you learned you would be going to the Homeless World Cup? How
did you feel playing at the tournament? How did you feel after the
tournament?

"I was extremely excited to know I was going and had the chance to represent Art Works Footbal Club. Actually representing the United States made me feel nervous. I remember marching down the streets and that's when it really hit me. I didn't feel like I was good enough to march for our country and play for our country. But then I learned it wasn't about that. It was about showing our spirit, showing that we were human beings. It was a wonderful time because there were no colors, no races, just stories about ways of being homeless, and ways of overcoming. I realized I was in the richest country in the world and i was worse off than most of the people there, for example the dutch and the scottish all offered places to stay year round, but over here we get all the clothes and food we need but no shelter."

"Stepping on the field made me feel important. I felt like I belonged. Having the crowd around me made me feel like I was in the right place. It gave me an ego boost and made me feel like I was suppose to be alive, living my life."

"I had to adjust to the United States again, because over there with all that good spirit where nothing was superficial I felt great, but over here it was a sudden shock becuase it was back to appearance and supeficiality. Also, when i came back I noticed all the summer clothes and styles that people were wearing here. Everything back home was bright like a flower, all the people, because it was summer, not the realaxing cool weather of scotland. It's hard for me to say, I felt like I was in the world over there, but coming back, people were separate again and all about me me me."


4.) How has the Homeless World Cup changed your life? Have you got a
job, found a house and/or sought education or drug/alcohol
rehabilitation? How has your attitude changed? How have your goals
changed?

"The Homeless World Cup introduced me to diversity. Now I feel connected to the rest of the world and I love to see people from other countries. I just met someone from Ireland last week. We are going to meet up for a meal tomorrow night."

"I now hold down three jobs; food and beverage manager at Bobcat Arena, Concessions at the Convention Center, and i work for Delectables by Holly, a catering company. I now have my own apartment as of three and a half months ago. I live alone and pay my own rent."

"I have more patience for people and less anger. I also have lots of new ideas about how to contribute to society after all this. My goals really haven't changed. I still really want to be a substitue teacher again, and I want to eventually do something for the homeless females here in Charlotte. When I was little I wanted to be a nun or to join the peace corp. I feel the same way now about being a teacher as I did about the peace corp then. I still might think about the peace corp though!"

National Recruiting

Here you see Brad Perguson of Richmond, VA with Rob and Lawrence Cann during a recruiting trip for participants in the Homeless World Cup USA 2006 in Charlotte, NC. We met Brad on a Friday at a church which was serving lunch. Like us, Brad was waiting for his number to be called so he could eat. He thought he must have been dreaming when we made our announcement about the street soccer tournment. Brad has convinced five of his friends particpating in Richmond's winter shelter progam called CARITAS (www.caritasshelter.org) to train with him. They are convening their own practices and preparing for the competition this August in Charlotte. Also, the Daily Planet (www.reachva.org/html/providers/daily_planet.htm) looks to be bring some of there clients from Richmond. Look for more news here about players from Costa Mesa, CA, New York, Austin, TX, Philadelphia, Denver, CO and more.

"Statyk"

Before i start the post that will turn out to be about one of our longest participating members, statyk, i want you to check out this photo of our team and garden program director don boekelheide putting on our USA jersey's before our world cup match today. never mind the result, we were proud to support our team. on saturday during the italy game, beasely scored and it took us 5 minutes to realize the goal was called back because we were celebrating so hard . . . (ps please ignore the mirror effect the cpu camera put on our jerseys)

Practice this tuesday was not exactly what it was the previous tuesday. the previous tuesday we went out and found a pick up game with a bunch of talented haitians. for one of our new players, sean, this really openned his eyes to the fact that soccer is the world's games, not just played by suburbans whites as he had previously gathered. the high paced game last tuesday in the rain, the energy, the jibe and the jabber, left sean, pancho, and others gasping for breath and grasping for words that might light up as brightly as their eyes did with excitement. "that was fun," was the understated conclusion our guys could manage to verbalize.

this tuesday we held off practice in order to watch england fail to hold off sweden in the final moments of their final first round game in the world cup, a 2-2 draw. after the game we took off to play. we were excited to play with cyrus, a liberain, who says he played for the u-15 national team in liberia before coming to the states. we looked for a pick up game at queens college, but found only a pair of players, excellent ones, looking for a game. Here is where we run into the problem of being and inclusive program. Cyrus, an excellent player, myself, rob, and Dave (the 16 year panamanian), plus our two new acquaintances were of a quite different level than the majority of our other participants. Cyrus was disineterested in frustrated. Dave was phenomenal, rejoicing in every goal he scored, and our two guest played nice, taking it easy on amanda (19 years old, just quit school and now working at a deli) when she wiffed the ball a few times, and then turning it up a notch to take me on down the wing even if their service was inevitably muffed by andrey who has developed great ball handling skills, but still can resist toe-poking his shots.

This is the game we always play though, lowering expectations of the team in order to include everyone, yet seeking to find ways to challenge our top players. Likewise on the life skills front we find that higher functioning folks fail to challenge themselves because they are so much better off than others around them. For people who have grown up on or around the streets, success is too narrowly defined if defined at all. of course i have my definition of success for each player, but they only own their own definition, so that is the important one to listen to and encourage.

towards the end of practice one of the old timers, tony kelley showed up. he had taken three buses and looked for us at two locals, but made it to practice after getting off of his job at Lava bar and grill where he is the head host and makes 40 to 50 bucks in tips per night. tony is a great example of what i was speaking of earlier. i can't tell you how many times we have decided to kick tony off the team, but gave him one more chance. tony's been with us since the very first day. that means almost two years of soccer. he has just barely cleared our minumum expections on every occasion since day one, and slowly but surely, this misanthropic, gothic, self styled super-hero called "statyk" has become a committed regular participant, a responsible father, and no longer homeless. all along i have told tony's critics that he is on his own trajectory, however gradual and glacierlike that might be, only half believing my own words. a turning point i think was last year when he turned himself in for being behind in child support. a father with no father or mother of his own, tony at that point still carried around a wwf wrestling belt that he earned as the champion of his mock pro-wrestling league he formed with his friends. Actually he still carries that around. effectively tony was a kid in man's body, and with no walls to hide behind, no bed to lay down in and collect his thoughts, tony has started to grow into that body, and his maturity is what distinguished him from the tony of before.

i realized a lot had changed when tony hopped the fence and came strutting towards our rag tag game at 8pm. I said hop in tony, and he said, no way, not till you give me some shorts, i'm not playing in these, pointing to his black cargo pants. they're in the van, i replied, it's unlocked. Tony came out in tight shorts, fairly bursting out of his practice jersey. the new players laughed, and tony laughed at himself a little and said with a smile, i don't care, i'm ready to play. I had to roll my eyes and chuckle to myself. for the first year i argued weekly with tony about changing out of his all black uniform, telling him it was one thing to try to play in black denim, but another thing to go on wearing the pants after sweating in them. Somewhere along the line tony took ownership of the idea of wearing a practice uniform and shedding the black gothic attire for a bright red and blue street soccer 945 practice uniform. as i watched tony use his instep to finish a goal on tuesday, i thought to myself, i kind of missed the days when he yelled "haya!" marshal arts style everytime he swung at the ball, testing every ounce of patience in our players with each outburst, but certain things, i concluded are always fonder in memory than they every were in experience.

World Cup Begins

The World Cup Begins. In this photo, Sean Horne, a new speedy attacker and native of Charlotte, gives a presentation on Germany and Costa Rica as the openning match got underway last friday. Other Street Soccer players are learning basic internet skills as well as practicing public speaking by researching the certain countries and making presentations before we show certain matces.

Savor de Panama

Yolanda Mendoza brought her two brothers, Junior and David, over to an Art Works 945 workshop in mail art. The Mendozas were all born in Panama, and just how they came over, Yolanda, so far, has been keen to obfuscate. What is for certain is how delightful the threesome is. Dave, 16, at the right, and Junior,13, at left with shoes, brightened when they heard we were practicing soccer. Dave scored five goals in last week's scrimmage and he and Junior, gave lessons on goals celebrations to our Street Soccer regulars.