Homeless USA Cup
The Homeless USA Cup is now called the "Street Soccer USA Cup". It is a street soccer tournament held every year to see who will represent the USA in The Homeless World Cup. The tournament is composed of homeless men and women from all around the country. Different cities will bring teams of eight players to compete in the event. After the tournament, a committee selects 16 players from the tournament. Eight will be chosen to represent the USA and the other eight will be alternates for Homeless World Cup.
Tournament Format
This is a four on four soccer tournament. There are 3 field players and 1 goalie. Every team must keep one player in the attacking half to allow for a more exciting game. There are 2 seven-minute halves. The game takes place in a 52x73 foot 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.
History
The first Homeless USA Cup was in 2006. The tournament was held in Charlotte, North Carolina. Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Philadelphia, and New York were all part of the event. In 2007, the Organizers held a conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, to talk about expanding the tournament for 2008. In 2008 the tournament will be held in Washington, DC (June 26-29).
Growth
In the tournaments first year in 2006, five cities competed. Two years later in 2008, 12 cities are expected to participate in the event in Washington DC. The cities include: Anne Arbor, Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Phoenix, Richmond, San Francisco, St. Louis, and Washington, DC.
Awards
- MVP Award: given to the best all around player in the tournament.
- The Goalie Award: given to the best Goalie in the tournament.
- The Kastle Trophy: given to the most mixed team in the tournament (men and women).
- The Spirit Award is the highest honor in the tournament. This is given to the team that embodies the best attitude on and off the field.