by DC SCORES
guest contributor

While the US Men's National Team will not be in Russia for the World Cup, a special group of young women (including students from Petworth) are set to represent the United States at the Street Child World Cup in Russia this May, and make a difference in doing so.

The Street Child World Cup is a soccer tournament and a child rights conference for young people from across the world who are at-risk of or have faced homelessness. According to a recent study, more than 4 million young people in America face homelessness on their own. Team USA's participation is made possible by the National Network for Youth, in collaboration with America SCORES and Open Goal Project.

The young women, ages 14-17, will don the red, white and blue in Moscow May 10-18. They will join more than 450 young people representing 24 countries. What makes their journeys especially riveting is that each of them has experienced or been at-risk of homelessness in Washington, DC, and each has overcome the many obstacles they and their families face. Team USA will not only represent our country on the soccer field, they also will use the platform of the Street Child World Cup to give a voice to the urgency that young people at-risk of or experiencing homelessness face across the U.S.

NN4Y Team USA to Street Child World Cup 2018 from Darla Bardine on Vimeo.

It will be a memorable, powerful, and undoubtedly life-changing experience. Please support Team USA Girls and learn more by visiting their website.

Becky Sauerbrunn, US women’s national team, FIFA World Cup winner, and Olympic gold medalist is proud to be an ambassador of Team USA and said: “I’m honored to support Team USA girls at the Street Child World Cup 2018. They will proudly represent our nation, harnessing their love of soccer to raise awareness and dialogue for US youth at risk of homelessness. Their voices matter. Congratulations to America SCORES and the National Network for Youth for partnering to give these girls the platform they truly deserve.”

Darla Bardine, Executive Director of the National Network for Youth: “We are honored to take Team USA to the Street Child World Cup to give these incredible young women a platform to elevate the urgent and unique needs of young people at-risk of and experiencing homelessness here in America. No young person should be homeless and hungry.“

America SCORES Executive Director Bethany Rubin Henderson: “This is truly an incredible opportunity for these nine young women and a testament to America SCORES’ mission to give kids a voice and empower them to be leaders in their communities. We are grateful to the National Network for Youth and Street Child United for making this a reality and to Open Goal Project for coaching Team USA.”