I have been a proud supporter of Street Soccer USA and the Homeless World Cup for several years now. It is a wonderful charity that my family and I have grown very close to. Their use of the power of sport to help the homeless is inspiring and has helped countless people who have been or are currently homeless. That is why we are proud to support this weekend’s 2010 Street Soccer USA Cup being held at Kastles Stadium in downtown Washington D.C (11th and H Streets, NW). It is so appropriate that we can continue to celebrate Street Soccer’s efforts here in the nation’s capital. Thanks to Mark Ein and his team at the Washington Kastles, we can enjoy holding the Cup in DC for another amazing year.

Please come out this weekend to Kastles Stadium to cheer our players on as they battle for the coveted Street Soccer Cup. The players will be arriving from cities all over the country this Thursday and will be ready to begin play on Friday. The opening ceremonies will commence at 5:20 pm on Friday afternoon with games to quickly follow. Play starts back up early Saturday morning at 8:00 am and continues until 8:00 pm. The final day of competition will see the crowning of a new champion with games beginning at 8:20 am and lasting through the closing ceremonies, which are scheduled for 3:30 pm. There will also be a couple of concerts periodically throughout the day, so there will be plenty to see and enjoy. It is really important that we have a big crowd to cheer on these inspiring figures and push them to new heights. I plan on attending several matches and will be in attendance for the ceremonies as well. My son will also be at the tournament to volunteer and help out. The tournament will be taking walk-up volunteers in the morning, so its not too late to help out if you would like. I am excited to see competitive soccer in an outdoor venue. I encourage you to come out, join us, and enjoy great soccer. Oh, and tickets for attending the event are free .

The Leonsis Foundation has been strong supporters of this charity and their leadership, which includes Lawrence Cann. You may remember him from an article in People magazine last year. His commitment to rescuing the homeless has been a big reason for our continual support. I am also very proud to say that one of my good friends and partners at Monumental Sports & Entertainment, Dr. Sheila Johnson, has become involved with the charity as well. Dr. Johnson continues to set a great example. Her help with Street Soccer USA has been invaluable.

If you haven’t heard of Street Soccer before, or just want more information about it, check out the film Kicking It. It is about the Homeless World Cup that took place in South Africa. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry. It is an amazing story.