For the second year in a row, we’ve worked with the Manchester United Foundation to bring the magic of Old Trafford to the USA. Last year, Man United’s Treble winning legend and English international, Wes Brown, and the Manchester United Foundation gave our kids an unforgettable experience at the New York Stock Exchange, followed by a visit to our Teddy van Buren Street Soccer Park at Community School 55 in the Bronx.
This year, the Red Devils got a taste of Southern California when they visited our Los Angeles and San Diego programs, building on the legacy they built last year in NYC.
In Los Angeles, we had the incredible opportunity to attend an exclusive Manchester United training session at UCLA, where we saw some of ten Hag’s tactics up close and left covered head-to-toe in autographs—from stars like Christian Eriksen to rising ballers like Amad Diallo. Click here to visit our blog for the full story.
The excitement continued the next day when five of our youth from our Street Soccer Watts Community Program, served as mascots for the Manchester United vs. Arsenal match at SoFi Stadium. If you happen to be on Mason Mounts Instagram go check out his post with young baller Hailey out on the field! While the match was just a preseason warm-up, our young mascots are eagerly anticipating the Manchester United vs Arsenal rematch when they clash again at Old Trafford this season.
Our Watts Community Tournament, on Sunday, was a massive success, with 4 different groups making a total of 12 teams: Think Watts, Verbum Dei HS, Home Field Advantage and Street Soccer. From penalty shootouts to horses, the day had it all! The highlight was undoubtedly both of our Street Soccer teams winning their age groups. This weekend also marked the beginning of an exciting new partnership with the Compton Cowboys. The variety of looks on the kids’ faces when a cowboy rode out onto the courts was more than enough to show how much they loved having the Compton Cowboys out there. We’re excited to continue partnering with them in the future!
Down in San Diego, our tournament with Manchester United was a launch pad to start our first Street Soccer San Diego programs in the fall. The tournament featured eight teams of low-income high-school students from our partners: New Vision Urban Impact, Monarch School, Chula Vista Pick Up, Esco Futbol, Baja FC, and Bridge Barkada. We are planning to engage these partners to run free, consistent programs for youth of all ages. The Monarch School, the first school in the country designed specifically for homeless children, will host our first after-school program in October.
The day wrapped up with over 200 SSUSA kids, families, and coaches taking over a section of SnapDragon Stadium for the Manchester United vs. Real Betis match. However, the real game took place before kickoff, as Henry Sanchez and his kids from Chula Vista Pick Up started an impromptu match on the stadium lawn!
We’re thrilled to continue this amazing partnership with the Manchester United Foundation and look forward to what next year’s USA tour has to bring. We’re also incredibly grateful for the generous $5K donations to each of our two programs, which will help us make an even bigger impact. A huge thank you Manchester United for their support!
SSUSA players at our Escondido Festival
SSUSA players at our Watts Community Festival
