The 2016 Capital Soccer Classic is in the books! It was a wonderful evening of camaraderie and friendly competition while playing the beautiful game of soccer. The 4th annual Capital Soccer Classic, presented by Nike, was held under the bright lights on May 17th at historic RFK Stadium in Washington, DC.
The event kicked off with the Embassy Tournament, in which 16 embassies played small-sided games in a round-robin tournament. After several friendly matches, Russia came out victorious! Embassy participants included Argentina, Australia, Austria, China, European Union, Finland, Great Britain, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, and the U.S. State Department.
Next, Members of Congress, as well as current and former professional soccer players took the field for the Congressional Soccer Match- the featured event of the evening. Local Soccer for Success participants joined the match participants for the procession and introductions. The match was filled with great plays, exciting goals, and unique celebration dances. During halftime, we hosted the first King/Queen of the Hill Penalty Kick Shootout. After an exciting shootout, Eva Hicks in Congresswoman Dina Titus’ (NV-1) office was crowned Queen of the Hill. After an action-packed Congressional Soccer Match, the Democrats took home the trophy with a 7-4 win!
Congressional teams included: Representatives Suzanne Bonamici, Kathy Castor, Erik Paulsen and Todd Young; special guests Jennifer DeCasper, Chief of Staff to Senator Tim Scott, Roy Austin, Deputy Assistant to the President for Urban Affairs, Justice and Opportunity at Domestic Policy Council, and Roger Austin, Special Assistant to the FBI; along with players André Akpan, Cobi Jones, Devon McTavish, Janusz Michallik, Siri Mullinix, Ben Olsen, Danielle Slaton, Juergen Sommer, Jonathan Spector and Zach Thornton. The event also featured Ali Krieger.
The event concluded with the Staffer Tournament, where approximately 150 Capitol Hill employees and other VIPs played small-sided games. It was a great time had by all. This tournament shows how Congressional staff from both parties, and the community, can join together for a fun game and to highlight the life-changing youth development programs offered by the U.S. Soccer Foundation.
Thank you to the 2016 Capital Soccer Classic sponsors for their support! Funds from the event benefit the U.S. Soccer Foundation’s national sports-based youth development programs for kids in underserved communities. Click here to learn more about our youth mentoring programs. Stay tuned for updates about next year’s Classic!
Check out the photo gallery to see more photos from the event!
Thank you to our sponsors for their support of
our work and the 2016 Capital Soccer Classic!
Presenting Sponsors
Additional Sponsors Include
Silver Sponsors
Bronze Sponsors
Player Sponsors
Fan Sponsors
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