Back to Back

For the second week in a row Street Soccer 945 claimed victory. Last week, a depleted squad (4 team members were invited to perform their spoken words and rap at Queen’s University’s Black History Month Celebration) won 5-2. Typically the team performs better when fewer players come, since substitutions often disrupt our cohesion. Last week’s victory showed great persistence as Street Soccer 945 rallied from 0-2 to score five consecutive shots.

Even more resounded was this Wednesday’s 13-4 trouncing of a team Street Soccer 945 lost to by 6 goals in the early weeks of the season. While our stronger technical players showed more hustle and willingness to pass, it was a couple players who have learned to play in the last year or two that earned the trust of the other teammates, and whose movement on the field openned the game up for our squad. C-White and Andre Wannamaker in particular showed excellent spacing and field awareness, making the coaching staff swell with pride.

Now that the season is over, we will do some close case-work and raise the bar on expectations of individuals who have shown their capacity to excell.

After the came we had a bleak reminder of what folks deal with on the street. Our man of the match, C-White, 19 years old, was assalted after the match and ended up with a concussion and a sore jaw. We had a nice discussion afterwards about what it means to stand up for yourself and not be a pushover. We talked about the human need to prove oneself, and most importantly we agreed that being dragged into a challenge and trying to prove yourself when there is nothing to gain is a sign of weakness. No matter how you figure it, scrapping or fighting is part of the street and win or lose that is where it will get you--on the street. If you want to move on, you have to learn to walk away. You have to have strong enough personal ego to walk away from certain people and certain conflicts. I think that is what soccer and other activities gives our guys—an identity other than being “street.” It allows them to build their ego around discipline, skills, practice, teamwork, rather than toughness, fighting, and other things that will serve to undermine their hopes for a better life.

Next season begins March 21st, so please come cheer us on.

LA, Jessica, and The swinging tool belt

Nine monthes ago we made a conscious effort to engage the "hard to reach" young people we were seeing more of around the soup kitchen. Pop, C-White, Craig, Amil, Chukie, among others were part of this first group that joined the team. LA, pictured here, was one of those who decided not to join the team. We finally did pull him in and he scored in his first game in the beginning of our season last fall. But some decisions he had made prior to joining the team caught up with him. So he "went missing" for a short while.

Last week LA came back to us. As coach Rob put it, "LA has the movements of a true athlete." New to the game, LA's footskills are far behind his heart, but the way he anticipates and launches his 6'1'' frame in motion announce his potential to anyone paying the least bit of attention. Last fall LA saw only 5 minutes of action but he anticipated a cross ad was in the right place to volley a bouncing ball into the roof of the net. Seeing him work up and down the gym in practice and watching him punch the wall after a near miss on goal in Wednesday's game was so suprising to me. LA had always given the impression of being aloof, overly chill about everything, but here was a young man with passion and will. We are working with him on channeling his energy into the game and not into wall, but it's just great to see that energy flowing. He earned a start and did a tremendous job in the match on Wednesday.

The match turned out well. With our goalie Brian now working on a construction job in Florida (the company returns in a couple weeks) and Zenas Fewell on the disabled list so to speak, we were again without a proper goalie. Tony Kelley, who began working his dream job at Carowinds Theme Park last week, stepped up to play in net. Although Tony's instincts were good, he made three errors clearing the ball after leaving his area. Two resulted directly in goals and the other effectively led to a third goal. This was frustrating as the team saw a first half lead and the promise of victory slip away.

The McGregor brothers again added a goal each. Our game was early (6:15pm) this week and so we picked up Michael from the job site. He came jogging towards my truck near the WYMCA on Park Road. His big smile coupled with his white hard-hat bobbing and tool belt swinging was definitely the image of the week. The young man showed great stamina in scoring his goal when after the referee failed to call an obvious penalty as we were taken down from behind going in one on one with the goalie. Michael kept his focus and put the follow-up in the net. Rob took Michael to take his GED evaluation test. Michael still has some work to do, particuarly with the english, spanish being his native language, but will certainly not be deterred. Dave for his part has improved his passing game and shows great dedication biking to the UMC for the game after school all the way from the Eastway and Shamrock area. I was going to offer him a ride back with his brother, but after the game he hopped on his bike and pedalled on. Dave feels picked on in school and some trouble over fighting at school this winter. So his goal for the spring is to walk away from all his fight and to focus and school and "futbol."

We also need to single out C-White for tremendous effort and improved attitude in the match. C-White walked out of practice on Tuesday and we wondered what was going on. Turned out he was suppose to meet someone about a job interview and had forgotten. He lost his starting spot, but his hustle earned him lots of minutes. He said after the match, "I wonder if I am bi-polar or something, i just feel so good and active right now." I am not sure if he was serious, but it is true that after two months of being distant and reserved, he has come out of his shell again. Whether it is a disorder or not, or just a 19 year trying to understand a difficult world and his place in it, we shall see. C-White only has one more section left on his GED, so his goal is to finish it by the end of the upcoming season.

We also had a fantastic suprise this week: Jessica Woody with whom I founded the program came back for a visit, picking up pizzas for the team. Several of the old-timers were able to comeback and see Jessica such as Teresa Ledford, Andre Wannamaker, as well as the omnipresent Tony Kelley. We got to see Jessica whack a couple of hard shots in familiar fashion and also met her new husband. Congratulations, Jessica!

We now go into an brief off-season. The Team has already met to commit to a tougher physical training regimen as we have physical fitness to be the area which as a team we can improve on the most the fastest.

Thanks for reading,

Street Soccer 945

What do I do with all these players?--says coach Rob below

Several players didn't show up to the game tonight. Good thing, because we already had more players than uniforms. On tuesday we had 19 people at practice. Last night we had Daniel and Elmer from Honduras, Joshua an 18 young man from outside Charlotte, Dave and Michael McGregor, Pop, Trill Gates, Zenas Fewell, Michael "Breeze" Simpson, Vicky, Ray, Angelique, Bobby, Rob, Lawrence, Chris, C. White, Amil, Tony Kelly, and Andrey Wannamaker. Clearly many more people that could get in the game. I think that is 19 which include 4 people who showed up at the game replacing three that were at the practice yesterday but not at the game. And we still have others we consider team members!

We played the undefeated "Firing Squad" and the compliments after the match were some consolation to our 3-7 defeat. "You guys are the best competition we have had all season. Great effort." That says a lot for our squad which successully blends talent experience, and the lack of both to into a feeling of general cohesion. Our goals came from the Mcregor brothers--two to Dave who painted his adidas samba classics silver with spray paint to give them the flavor of Ronaldinho--Dave is a 17 year old student at West Charlotte.Dave,Michael are seen here in the CW945 office with their sister Yoland and their nephew Xavier.

With two penalties awared to the other team, a soft goal conceded at the end of the first half and two soft goals conceded when we were pressing the final minutes, we certainly felt we had the quality to have at least had a chance to win. Still, we lacked organization defensively if not urgency and flow offensively if not effort.

When we arrived back at the center, old buddy Matt Jules, a program alumnus, was there waiting to great us. He wanted to announce to us his new job with the city! He invited several players to his house for the night. "This is where I felt like I wasn't a loser when I was on the bottom, and now that I am doing well I wanted to share it with you guys" were Matt's words.

Impact Report 06

This has been on our site for a while, but please view it here on the blogssimpact06-1.pdf

New Sponsor: Brixx Pizza!

We are proud to announce that Brixx Pizza is the newest member of the Street Soccer 945 team! Rob Wood, the director of marketing and manager of the Uptown Brixx location, is providing Street Soccer 945 with all new uniforms and with Brixx pizza and pasta every Wednesday night for our games. With the news it brings great excitement and an added responsibility to represent our new sponsor with pride. Brixx is proud of their reputation in the Charlotte community as is Street Soccer 945 and we intend to represent them well with our spirit, hard work, and sportmanship. The Brixx team will be coming to the Urban Ministry Center in March to host a dinner to present the new jerseys displaying the Brixx and Street Soccer 945 logo together and to talk to the players about the sponsorship and to give their support. Many thanks to everyone involved with Brixx to make this happen and we welcome them to our team.

More excitement but another TIE (less goals this time)

Last week we were as delighted to score 10 goals as we were worried about giving up 10 goals. At half time of this week’s game the score was 0-0.

Daniel, Jorge, and Elmer, the afro-honduran trio of sharp players were absent due to work. In their stead, Brian provided excellent goal keeping with much improved technique. Likewise Michael McGregor continues to show tremendous improvement from week to week. Michael has gone from a marginal participant to one of our hardest workers and major threats offensively. The big news of the day was the debut of our new defender, Reggie, from Sierra Leon, West Africa. He came in midway through the first half and helped us calm the game down and move the ball effectively. He looked to be the hero in the second half when with just two minutes to go he slammed a low left foot blast of a give and go on the left flank in the lower right corner of the goal from 25 yards out. There were just 3 minutes left on the clock and victory seemed inevitable. Then, on an unfortunate handball just one minute later, our opponents were awarded a free kick. The ball slammed off the back board wide of the near post, but the rebound hit the back of Goalkeeper Brian’s outstretched arm and trickled into the goal. Despite two chances near the end, Street Soccer 945 registered its second tie in as many weeks, 3-3.

Excellent techinical play and hustle by Cyrus Wuor and Dave McGregor was all for nought as they simply could not force the ball in the net, quite the opposite of last week’s game. Old timer Andrey Wannamaker provided key defending at the start of the first half, and really old timer and team mentor Ray Isaac was called on for the firt time in over a season to provide a five minute run of tough defending in the second half. Special mention goes to Tony Kelly who worked today and showed up at the game midway throught the first half. We were out of uniforms and equipment so Tony sat the match out. He, as well as the other who didn’t play were a great positive force on the bench. This is another marked improvement for Street Soccer 945 over the past weeks.

We may be short handed however (and this is a good thing) because Brian, Cyrus and others will be away on a temporary work job with Shut Down Solutions, a company that cleans nuclear boilers. This will give both of them the capital they need to get in an apartment.

Thanks for reading,

Street Soccer 945 latest action and a farewell to Craig

There was a lot of dissapointment when we counted up our goals after the game realized that the 10-10 tie should have been an 11-10 victory. In an excellent game that saw the Dave and Michael McGregor score 3 goals each, Street Soccer 945 came back from an early 4-0 defecit to lead the game 9-6 late in the second half. The team failed to convert some golden opportunities and gave up some soft goals in the closing minutes in its third league match of the winter season.

The question right now on the team is “Who is the story?” Or, I suppose, better posed, “Who isn’t the story?” There is simply an amazing group of folks with an amazing array of obstacles making community around our team. The program has never been stronger.
We had more players than uniforms for tonight’s games. The roster included Amil Livingston and his son Prince, Pedro Campillo, Elmer Nunez, Jorge Lopez, C. White, Pop Miller, Cyrus Wuor, Dave McGregor, Michael McGregor, Brian Thompson, Andrey Wannamaker, Toney Kelly, Fred Harrell, Lawrence and Rob Cann. Also on hand were fans Kate Mayes and Kelly Sunrift.

Craig Holley could most certainly be the story. We had a farewell dinner with Craig before he moved in with his mom and sister in Brooklyn, New York. Over a year ago when he started the program Craig was trying to move away from a crowd of small time drug dealers and petty thieves. He was 18 years old and completely alone. He started coming to soccer practices while working in the kitchen at the Raceway in Concord. He would sleep outside the raceway the night before he had morning shift. Later he got a job at Mert’s Heart and Soul and kept it for 9 months. James Bazelle, owner of Mert’s told him he could come back and work in Charlotte anytime. It was as a US National Team player that Craig contacted his mother for the first time in six years and met up with her during our two day stop over in the Big Apple before departing for South Africa. He had been told that she was sick and dying and didn’t want to see him. Quite to the contrary his mom is strong and hadn’t known how to find Craig.

Craig was funny at our farewell dinner. He wanted to go to Rock Bottom because he always wondered what it was like on the inside. He was super paranoid and felt like the waiter was making fun of him and that people were staring at him. Everyone can tell I have been on the streets, he said. He wanted to know what do with his silverware, that sort of thing. He said, I am not ever going to forget where I came from. We spent most of the dinner reflecting on the last year. Most of Craig’s highlights were memories of people, accounts of all the “spots” he had slept in, and the soccer competitions in Charlotte and Capetown, but what Craig remembered about the competitions were not the games but the new people he met at the events. After the dinner, which was Craig’s idea, he had a hard time getting out of coach Rob’s car. He left on a bus at 3am and called a day later to say he gotten in safely. He said to say hello to a bunch of people, mostly soccer players and staff members Debbie, Megan, and Ashley in particular. He said he was coming back in Febuary for his rhyming peformance at Queen’s university that he and fellow teammate Pop Miller were invited to. The team misses Craig’s hustle, and well, we all just miss him. Only 20 year old this past November, we plan to keep in touch with Craig for a long time.

But Craig wasn’t here last night for the game so the team had to pick up the slack. New goalie Brian Thompson could easily be the story of the team. 31 years old, Brian is from Lexington North Carolina. He’s got a smile that reminds me of Mark McGuire and his entire attitude and accent are about as all-american as you can get. Brian’s story is that he lost all his worldy possesions and his job bartending in Daytona, Florida due to salmonilla poisoning. He came to Charlotte to start again. He chose Charlotte because of his fond experience 18 months ago when he found himself in between jobs and using the Urban Ministry Center’s telephones. He was on the street for about 5 days during which time he attended two soccer practices and played in a game. Brian’s easy-going demeanor and reliability have been a real gift to Street Soccer 945 since he joined the team just three weeks ago. No wonder he’s already been hired as a bartender at a new bar getting ready to open in Uptown. A natural athelte, something about soccer just thrills Brian. He’s been a calm and positive influence on others and has really embraced his roll in our community with a lot of folks that don’t seem or look like they would have much and common with him. As Pop Miller would say, “Real Talk:” Brian is a clean cut, handsome, solidly built white guy who could charm the skin off a snake. Not to many people on our team fit that description. In any event, Brian has tracked down documents to get his ID, been searching for another job, and has changed his personal email address to goalie945@yahoo.com . Please send him an email of encouragement. We’re happy to have him.

But why Brian when we could talk about Dave and Michael? Michael Shows up with dry wall mud caked in his hair and on his jeans. He has been paying most of the rent for his nephew, mother, and three siblings by working contruction. He walked from the job to the UMC to get ready for the game. Michale was supposed to meet with me this week to go over to CPCC to register for his GED Class. He is working all the time so getting free during the week is hard for Michael but he has recently taken his entry test for the GED and will start classes soon. Dave is putting his head in the books and trying to keep Junior out of trouble as they both work to maintain decent grades at school. David, meanwhile, has also been applying for jobs at McDonalds and other fast food retaurants to help pitch in for the rent. Dave said he could work every night, except for Wednesday's, because thats game night. "I can never miss a game, I dream about our league games," he said. It has truly been a pleasure to watch this family overcome the odds mainly becuase their additude and the smiles they keep on their faces despite the struggle they face everyday to keep their heads above water. You can rest assured that Dave and Michael will be here next Wednesday for our game just like for this weeks game. Most likley Michael will be dusty and dirty from work and Dave will be warmed up from walking 5 fives to get to the Urban Ministry Center in time to leave for the game. They will probably each score a handful of goals too!

5k Benefit Race a success

Last weekend Street Soccer 945 was back in action at Belmont Abbey College participating in their 5k race for Hunger Week at the college. Team members Pop45, Tony Kelley, Aubrie Finley, Chuck Allen, Cyrus Wuor and Ty were joined by James Gathings (writer and photography class member) and volunteer Brandon Bayes. On Friday we went out and met the race coordinators and help spray paint the course and assist with the set-up and on Saturday Tony and I were the representative racers for the team while Pop, James, Brian and Chuck helped with the cheering and sharing of Street Soccer 945 stories. When the race started Tony and I shot out of the gate into the lead waving our hands but were eventually passed by the more fit college students. Tony has never been one to shoot out in front when it comes to achieving his fitness goals so I was hoping for him just to finish and though there was under the breath cursing and chest burning, we kept our legs moving and found a breathing rythm and were able to finish the race sprinting down Abbey Lane and breaking through the red tape. After the race Michael O'Hearn, race coordinator, presented Street Soccer with a check for $1035.45 and Pop graciously thanked everyone for their support. Our thanks was and is passed onto Michael, Merriam, Ruth Payne, Corein Brown, and everyone involved with Hunger Week at Belmont Abbey College.

Partnership With Trinity Continues

About 40 third graders screamed a hero's welcome to members of Street Soccer 945 when they visited Trinity Episcopal School for the first time since returning from South Africa. Street Soccer 945 split up and scrimmaged amongs the kids. The smiles and relaxed expressions on the faces of our players said it all. What was so striking to me was that I hadn't seen that level of relaxation on their faces ever. For the first time I saw our team for the ages they really are. You forget that Craig and C-White are only 19, just like Sycthe and Aubrie. And that Pop, Jay Allen, Cyrus, and Tony are in their early twenties.

It does so much good for our guys to present themselves in front of groups and to be seen for their accomplishments. The other week at Trinity, the players did most of their talking with their feet, but Craig showed them the boomerang the Australian team had given him, and they answered basic questions about their journey.

Teacher of the class, Tachi Delinger, mentioned to me a story she had heard from one of the parents. The saturday after our visit, it began to rain. The student looked preoccupied and the parent asked, what's a matter. The student said, "I am worried about the soccer players, won't they get cold in the rain." Then the child turned optimistic, "Maybe they found somewhere to stay dry." "Yeah, maybe they did," the parent responded. Congrats to Trinity for their service learning commitment and to our guys for being good ambassadors, putting a human face on homelessness. While many have moved off the street and some of them are able to rent a hotel room or stay at the shelter, many still do sleep out or camp out regularly. For many it is a hard thing to really grasp, but certainly this Trinity student empathized.

Art and Soccer Unite (thanks to Covenant)

Above, James Gathings, writer and photographer form Art Works 945, was a big help in setting up our exhibit for Covenant Presbyterian's Alternative Gift Fare. Beverly Cowan and Sam Hunt were other artists in attendance who were a big help. Sam actually graced us all with a baritone "Amazing Grace" rendition to close the evening. Female player Aubrie Finley, Scythe Fewell, Pop Miller, and Ray Isaac are all soccer players who also exhibited art.


The same evening Covenant honored our soccer team. Nine players and two coaches were introduced to the large crowd. Below goalie Scythe Fewell poses for a phot with a young fan who rocks his same style Gothic-T. Nice skull and crossbones!

Thanks to Covenant for their leadership and support. They raised 200 for the soccer team at the dinner in additon to the support they and their members give us year-round.

HUNGER%20RUN%20FLYER.doc
Please click on link above.
As part of Belmont Abbey College's Hunger Week, they are hosting a 5k Run/ 1 Mile Walk. We are grateful and honored that "The Abbey," as the students call it, has chosen Street Soccer 945 as the benficiary of their event. Street Soccer 945 players will be involved in setting up for the event and also running in it as we get in shape for our winter season. Many thanks to Michael O'Hearn and Ruth Payne and all those at Belmont Abbey for their hard work!

Street Soccer Video on Fox

Click on the title above to link to a report about our team by Bob Buckley

World Cup 06 Photos!

Dave and Craig have landed. These two fight like brothers as they vie to be the team's "cutest" member. Here they get pumped up during openning day.


Here Dave models the stars and stripes. The stadium is immediately behind him. Behind that the historic court house and clock. Behind that, the unmistakable Table Top Mountain.


Here is Charlotte's Cyrus Wuor, a native of Liberia, with his countrymen.


I've told the story now often about Dave looking at the children, then mentioning to the coaches how sad it was that they were so hungry. He then left the stadium, brought the kids into the event, passed them the flag, and had them cheer for us. Here is a photo of Dave's fan club!


We could not escape the impression the 2005 team made on the world in Edinburgh. The Deputy Mayor of Cape Town in a public address called Ray Isaac by name and said to the audience that the spirit of the American team had stayed with her throughout the entire year since Edinburgh. Here is a portrait of last year's Stephanie Johnson of Charlotte. We chanced upon this portrait posted with four others in the castle which served as the media center for the Homeless World Cup. Notice Coach Rob's head poking in.



Check out the Cape Town coastline. To be honest, the most meaningful parts of the trip were the excursions we made away from the soccer tournament. There was the trip to the township during which we saw how the people really lived, and then there was the entire day we spent along the farthest reaches of the African continent. We saw whales jumping and flipping their tales, penguins darting underwater like torpedos, baboons stalking cars, and we experienced fellowship we will never forget.


C-white and Abusseyf


Guess Who? . . . . Michael Knight of DC and Dave McGregor of Charlotte



Here's our group at the penguin reserve--the penguins are behind us. the guy in the middle is a friend our team made from Liberia who took the excursion with us.


The lady in the center of this picture was our host. She is the principle of Rochamaniyah School where the team slept.


Dave was close friends with the Paraguayan team--they had four 16 year old girls on their team!


Goodbye to the crowds!


We remembered our sponsors on top of Table Top Mountain. Our camera ran our of batteries but here we are remembering DC United. We also remembered US Soccer, Eurosport Passback, Covenant Presbterian, Big Ben's, Coca Cola Bottling, Bank of America, of course the Urban Ministry Center, and so many other individuals and groups that made our life changing trip possible. Thank you!


And of course, on top of Table Top, we didn't forget where we came from!
God Bless America

Two sets of brothers

Brothers Dave and Michael

Michael also made the national team but his new job prevented him from taking up the offer. He is very focused on making the team next year. I post this picture of them today because of our capricious encounter this afternoon. Rob and I left our extend staff meeting and headed to Charlotte Emergency Housing to pay Dave a visit. As we passed Phieffer street where dinner is served for those on the street we saw the soccer crowd. There was Dave and Michael with the rest of the gang. As it was wednesday, the two had walked over to see if there was a game.

It was good timing for the two of them. When the family had hit the street, Michael, 19, found a friend whose parent allowed him to stay for a while. Michael informed me that seeing how Dave's mother was having a hard time getting enough work to get out of emergency housing, he was going to leave the home he was staying in to move in with Dave and his mother in order to help them all get an apartment. Michael's idea is to keep on working for a month, in the meantime, to help his mother find work, and to move out, the three of them, come November. So Rob and I rode Michael and Dave out to Michael's former home and picked up his shoes, a large duffle, and his winter jacket, and took them back over to Charlotte Emergency Housing. He had no other easy way to transport the stuff.

It was good to hear that Dave had an easy transition back to school and thought he would be prepared for his exams next Monday. Michael wants our help getting his GED and pell grant. He has concrete plans for achieving the American dream. IF he can not misstep over the next two years, I am sure he will achieve that dream. These two brothers will help guide our program as examples for the other participants over the next six months. For me and my brother, it is great fortune to have them.

Street Soccer Reserves Do Us Proud at Home

toney kelly

Toney Kelly, 2005 Cup veteran, sat out the Cape Town trip while Street Soccer 945 went to represent the country in the World Cup. However, that didn't stop Toney from playing soccer. The Wednesday of our departure for South Africa coincided with the semifinals of our local league. Toney rallied the team along with Amil Livingston in the absence of the coaches and the core players. The two also recruited the help of Community Works 945Garden Guru, Don Boekelheide for transportation. Our three women and several of the other Street Soccer Reserves formed a team and represented us in the semifinals, saving us the shame of our first ever forfeit. Although they lost 15-0, the group deserves an amazing amount of credit for putting forth such and effort to get a ride, wash the uniforms, and gather the equipment. It is a true testimony to the importance the activity of soccer carries for them. Vive el Futbol! Great Job Street Soccer!

Hot and Cold

craig holley


We took time in the middle of of the tournament to visit one of the townships in District 6.

The first stop was a community center not unlike the Urban Ministry Center. The director was a playwright. Posters of her productions graced the walls of her office. She answered emails at her computer while counseling two people reclined on her couch. Downstairs local craftsmen exhibited their wares in the center as well. While one man who fashions trashcans, fan blades, cigarette containers, model airplanes, and sundry other items out of red aluminum coca cola cans gave us an enthusiastic presentation, you could hear the clicking of keyboards in the adjacent room where a resume-writing and job-searching class was taking place. On the corkboard in the hallway announcements and pamphlets about an anti-gun and anti-gang program were pinned up. What was most salient about the place was its immaculate cleanliness and the detailed craftmanship employed in the contruction and the decoration--relief murals and paint jobs, etc.

In a small courtyard we joined an impromptu dance with youth who were choreagraphing their own group performance. We left the center and our conversations with the people there reluctantly.

We followed our guide to his blacksmith shop, a non profit venture where they train blacksmiths while also selling their work. Craig said, "I feel like I am home." Our guide handed Craig and piece of iron and showed him how to hold it in the fire till it glowed. He beat it across the anvil, stretching it, and curling it as he pleased. Craig took the hammer and the iron and moved it back and forth from the fire, weaving around of the other young men in the progam, each holding iron glowing orange with fire. I realized absractly how incredibly dangerous the situation was, but the sure movement and fearless understanding of the workers in front of me had an air of infallibilty. I had to admit, the workroom was completely safe.

I sat back and watched Craig hammer away at the maleable orange iron. I looked at the slight smile coupled with the concentration on his face. I looked at C-white who was talking with Michael from DC. This is what all this intervention is like, all the hours and after hours, the conversations, the frustrations, the high fives, the driving, the running, the cleaning together. We do it everyday, warm each other to the point that we can change our forms as human beings. Then there is the difficult part. The part I experienced after the trip, after the two days additional shelter we provided in Charlotte, when those who had moved into places had gone back into those places, and when those who had nowhere to go had to go back out on their own into the evening. I see it everyday, the cooling that takes place at night, the hardenning. You develop a relationship, you get to an understanding and everyone involved draws conclusions. Then the night comes, the rain, the cold . . . the community ends for several hours. You see the same people in the morning and they look at you like strangers. They haven't eaten, they are cranky until the day heats up (if it does at all) and the blacksmithing begins, and always ends too early. You think how much could be resolved if these folks just weren't homeless.

We were due back at our game but it was hard dragging Craig out of the blacksmith shop. He took time to shake every person's hand and ask their name. Jeff bought Craig a momento from the shop--you would have thought he bought him a new car. When we got to the van, half the players were missing. We searched up the alley, back in the building. They were nowhere to be found. Finally a local said he had seen them. We caught sight of Abussey in the distance. Our players were wandering the through the laberynth of quiet tin shantis, divided by narrow dirt footpaths, happhazardly dividing the makeshift abodes into a sort of grid pattern. C-white was squatting in a woman's hut with his camera. Michael was rounding a corner with the cautious reverence of someone in the most holy of precincts. The extent of these homes was vast, seemingly as vast as the open sky above us. You could see how vast because not a single one was even six feet hight. It was so quiet you could here the light breeze brush across the dirt and loose fabric. There our team was, in South Africa.

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.

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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.