After three days of street soccer at the bottom Philadelphia’s Art Museum’s “Rocky” Steps in intense heat and humidity, the Street Soccer USA Cup is over, but will continue to be a lasting impression on the Empowerment FC team.

As the final SSUSA Cup of the two cup eligibility for each of our players, we took a chance before boarding our flight to reflect on what the players will take away from their experiences and how they will carry the momentum towards their goals, give back to future players, and grow Street Soccer Seattle.

Each player shared about his or her biggest growth through the Cup and Street Soccer Seattle’s program as well as experiences that have empowered him or her throughout the program. The stories and growth each shared was extremely motivating and prompted a lot of discussion on how each player can use these experiences and stories to help empower the next generation and break the barriers of homelessness.

Players expressed finding confidence through street soccer Seattle and now being able to use that to meet new people, feel comfortable about themselves, and obtain their goals. Having something to look forward on a weekly basis that makes them happy and encourages through phases of homelessness, loneliness, and depression was also shared as the result of Street Soccer Seattle. Furthermore, Street Soccer Seattle has given our players a place for community and opportunity to get to know players in the same situation as them.

The conversations were very motivating to the players themselves and to our organization and the ability to impact their lives through soccer. 

At the beginning of the tournament, the team set goals to keep each other motivated, be positive, meet and get to know each other and use this opportunity to keep momentum for SSS building. As with any goal in life, these were not easy to accomplish throughout the weekend, but our players consciously worked hard day in and day out to meet these goals and we are very proud of each of them.

Excitingly, Robert received the SSUSA Take the Space award. This award is given to a player who took control of his or her goals and jumped on every opportunity to progress forward, with a committed and driven mentality. Robert stood out amongst all the players around the country due to his determination and productive actions to over come obstacles in the past months and earn his spot on the Street Soccer Seattle team and in a housing program. Stay tuned for a post-tournament interview with Robert to hear more about his journey!

Additionally, Ryan was selected as an alternate for the SSUSA National Cup team that will compete at the Homeless World Cup in Glasgow, Scotland. Ryan’s un wavering commitment to his job at PCC, his progress to live independently, and hid drive to increase his responsibilities at PCC and further his education make him an extremely deserving player. We are excited to watch him represent Seattle and The United States during International Duty.

Check out all the photos of our activities and feel free to drop words of encouragement to our players on our Facebook page!