Street Soccer USA

Last updated

Street Soccer USA (SSUSA) is a non-profit organization, under the umbrella of HELP USA, that promotes the growth and development of a national network of grassroots soccer programs. As of 2010, SSUSA has 18 teams across the United States. [1] Street Soccer USA was started as part of the Urban Ministry Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Contents

SSUSA is the United States base partner of the Homeless World Cup and the host of the annual Street Soccer USA Cup, formerly the Homeless USA Cup, which has been held every year since the inaugural event in Charlotte in 2006.

History

Lawrence Cann, a young social entrepreneur, founded Art Works Football Club in Charlotte, North Carolina in 2004. The program grew to a 16 city league of programs across the country, and Street Soccer USA became its own 501(c)3 organization in 2010.[ citation needed ]

SSUSA is the official partner of the annual Homeless World Cup, founded by Mel Young, and is responsible for organizing the United States' participation in the cup.[ citation needed ] SSUSA has brought a team of homeless soccer players to the Homeless World Cup since 2005.

Street Soccer USA Cup

Initially known as the Homeless USA Cup, the tournament began in Charlotte, North Carolina in 2006. Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Philadelphia, and New York were the cities participating in the event. In 2007, a conference was held in Charlotte to discuss expansion of the tournament for 2008. The 2008 tournament was held in Washington, DC, from June 26-29, and included 12 cities: Anne Arbor, Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Phoenix, Richmond, San Francisco, St. Louis, and Washington, DC. It has since been hosted in Times Square, New York City, San Francisco's Civic Center Plaza, and the Philadelphia Art Museum steps.

The tournament is composed of homeless men and women from around the United States, with cities bringing teams of eight players to compete in the event. After the tournament, a committee selects 16 players from the tournament. Eight are chosen to represent the USA and the other eight will be alternates for the Homeless World Cup.

The cup is a four on four soccer tournament, with each team consisting of three field players and a goalkeeper. Every team must keep one player in the attacking half. Each game has two seven-minute halves, and takes place in a 52x73 ft walled in court. The walls are four feet tall and have nets that rise an additional 20 feet. The tournament has three stages, preliminary, group stage, and trophy stage.

Awards given at the cup include the MVP Award for the best all around player in the tournament, the Goalie Award for the best goalkeeper in the tournament, the Kastle Trophy for the most mixed team in the tournament (men and women), and the Spirit Award, the highest honor in the tournament, which is given to the team that embodies the best attitude on and off the field.

Leadership

National Board of directors

Tim Howard [2]

Steve Nash [2]

Sheila Johnson [2]

Charlie Stillitano [2]

Jeff Rosenthal [2]

Related Research Articles

Major League Soccer Professional soccer league in the United States and Canada

Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation which represents the sport's highest level in the United States and Canada. The league comprises 26 teams – 23 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada – and will expand to 30 teams by the 2023 season. MLS constitutes one of the major professional sports leagues in both countries.

Mia Hamm American association football player

Mariel Margaret Hamm-Garciaparra is an American retired professional soccer player, two-time Olympic gold medalist, and two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion. Hailed as a soccer icon, she played as a forward for the United States women's national soccer team from 1987 to 2004. Hamm was the face of the Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA), the first professional women's soccer league in the United States, where she played for the Washington Freedom from 2001 to 2003. She played college soccer for the North Carolina Tar Heels women's soccer team and helped the team win four consecutive NCAA Division I Women's Soccer Championship titles.

FIFA Womens World Cup Association football competition for womens national teams

The FIFA Women's World Cup is an international football competition contested by the senior women's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport's international governing body. The competition has been held every four years since 1991, when the inaugural tournament, then called the FIFA Women's World Championship, was held in China. Under the tournament's current format, national teams vie for 23 slots in a three-year qualification phase. The host nation's team is automatically entered as the 24th slot. The tournament proper, alternatively called the World Cup Finals, is contested at venues within the host nation(s) over a period of about one month.

Kristine Lilly

Kristine Marie Lilly Heavey, née Kristine Marie Lilly, is an American retired soccer player who last played professionally for Boston Breakers in Women's Professional Soccer (WPS). She was a member of the United States women's national football team for 23 years and is the most capped football player in the history of the sport gaining her 354th and final cap against Mexico in a World Cup qualifier in November 2010. Lilly scored 130 goals for the United States women's national team, behind Mia Hamm's 158 goals, and Abby Wambach's 184.

United States womens national soccer team Womens national association football team representing the United States

The United States women's national soccer team (USWNT) represents the United States in international women's soccer. The team is the most successful in international women's soccer, winning four Women's World Cup titles, four Olympic gold medals, and eight CONCACAF Gold Cups. It medaled in every World Cup and Olympic tournament in women's soccer history from 1991 to 2015, before being knocked out in the quarterfinal of the 2016 Summer Olympics. The team is governed by United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF.

Brad Guzan

Bradley Edwin Guzan is an American soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Major League Soccer club Atlanta United FC and the United States national team.

Cindy Parlow Cone American sports executive

Cynthia Marie Parlow Cone, née Cynthia Parlow, is an American soccer executive and president of the United States Soccer Federation. A former professional soccer player, she is a two-time Olympic Gold medalist and 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup champion. As head coach in 2013, Parlow Cone led the Portland Thorns FC to clinch the inaugural National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) championship title.

Chris Seitz American soccer player

Christopher "Chris" Seitz is an American soccer player who currently plays for D.C. United in Major League Soccer.

The 2007 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was the 94th edition of the USSF's annual national soccer championship, running from June through early October.

The 2009 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was the 96th edition of the USSF's annual national soccer championship, running from June through early September.

Kelley OHara American soccer player

Kelley Maureen O'Hara is an American soccer player, two-time FIFA Women's World Cup champion, and Olympic gold medalist. She currently plays as a defender for the Utah Royals FC in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and the United States women's national soccer team. She previously played professionally for FC Gold Pride, Boston Breakers, and Sky Blue FC.

Alyssa Naeher

Alyssa Michele Naeher is an American soccer goalkeeper for the Chicago Red Stars of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL), the highest division of women's professional soccer in the United States, and the United States women's national soccer team. She was on the 23-player roster for the United States at the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup and she was the starting goalkeeper for the U.S at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France. She has also played for the Boston Breakers and Turbine Potsdam. With the Breakers, she won the 2014 NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year award.

Diego Restrepo American soccer player

Diego Alejandro Restrepo Garcia is an Colombian-American soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for Austin Bold FC in the USL Championship.

The history of soccer in the United States has numerous different roots. Recent research has shown that the modern game entered America in the 1850s through New Orleans when Scottish, Irish, German and Italian immigrants brought the game with them. It was in New Orleans that some of the first organized games that used modern English rules were held.

Amanda Cromwell

Amanda Caryl Cromwell is the head coach of the UCLA women's soccer team. Cromwell was previously the coach at the University of Central Florida from 1999–2013, where she won five tournament and eight regular season championships. UCF made 11 NCAA Tournaments under her watch.

Sean Johnson (soccer)

Sean Everet Johnson is an American soccer player who currently plays as a goalkeeper for New York City in Major League Soccer.

Saskia Webber

Saskia Johanna Webber is a retired American soccer goalkeeper who previously played for the United States women's national soccer team as well as the New York Power and Philadelphia Charge in the Women's United Soccer Association. She is currently a host for Q Televisions's On Q Live.

The 2014 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was the 101st edition of the oldest ongoing competition in American soccer. Qualification began in November 2013 in the fifth tier. The USSF announced the tournament format on April 24, 2014.

JJ Williams (soccer)

Jerome Williams Jr. is an American professional soccer player who plays as a forward for Major League Soccer club Atlanta United. He previously appeared at the semi-professional level for Birmingham Hammers, Reading United, and Dayton Dutch Lions and as a professional with Columbus Crew SC, Birmingham Legion, and Atlanta United 2.

The 2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Final was a soccer match that was played on August 27, 2019, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It determined the winner of the 2019 U.S. Open Cup, the 106th edition of the oldest competition in U.S. soccer, which was open to amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with the United States Soccer Federation. The match was contested by two Major League Soccer teams making their debuts in the final: hosts Atlanta United FC, in their first Open Cup final, and Minnesota United FC; both teams entered MLS as expansion teams during the 2017 season.

References

  1. ↑ "EPL Soccer stars demonstrate that "ending homelessness is a team sport" | AVID Soccer News". avidsoccer.com.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Street Soccer USA | Our Boards" . Retrieved 2020-01-03.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.