First the Sounders. Now, a homeless person's football club is starting up this summer, with the fledgling group's second practice scheduled for this week.
Streetsoccer USA, a project of a national homeless service provider Help USA, wants to field five teams of seven players each. Not a lot of people, said a Yakima-based volunteer named Pat Brown, considering the number of people she saw on the street during a recent visit to Seattle.
Seattle's teams would head to the nationals in D.C. July 31, then to the Homeless World Cup in Milan, Italy, in September.
Brown says she's looking for anyone who's homeless, recently homeless, or a half-paycheck and a prayer away from the streets to get involved. Sooner rather than later: a citywide tournament is scheduled the week after Independence Day.
Street soccer is getting more attention: One team's story made the front page of the Sunday New York Times last week.
The group's practice takes place Sat., May 9 at 3 p.m. at University Playground, NE Ninth Ave. and 50th Ave. NE, Seattle.