Street Soccer USA

Street Soccer USA (SSUSA) is a United States nonprofit organization focused on using soccer as a platform for social inclusion, personal development, and community participation. Its work grew from a grassroots program in Charlotte, North Carolina, and developed into a national network of street-soccer initiatives serving people experiencing homelessness and other underserved communities. The organization traces its roots to Art Works Football Club, a program founded in Charlotte in 2004 by social entrepreneur Lawrence Cann as part of the Urban Ministry Center. The initial effort used soccer to engage people affected by homelessness and to create opportunities for connection, discipline, teamwork, and recognition. Over time, the model expanded beyond Charlotte into a multi-city network. Street Soccer USA became an independent 501(c)(3) organization in 2010; contemporary reference material described the network as comprising programs in 16 cities and, by 2010, 18 teams across the United States. A central part of SSUSA's identity is its relationship with the Homeless World Cup. The organization serves as the United States base partner of the international tournament and has organized American participation since 2005. Through local programs and national selection events, players can progress from community soccer activities to a representative United States team. The structure gives participants an opportunity to compete internationally while also creating a visible public narrative around homelessness, recovery, resilience, and social belonging. SSUSA also organizes the Street Soccer USA Cup, an annual domestic tournament formerly known as the Homeless USA Cup. The event began in Charlotte in 2006 and brought together teams representing cities around the country. Later editions were held in locations including Washington, D.C., Times Square in New York City, San Francisco's Civic Center Plaza, and the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The tournament is designed for men's and women's teams made up of players experiencing homelessness. In the format described by reference material, teams bring eight players, while a selection committee identifies players for the United States Homeless World Cup squad and its alternates. The organization's competitive format is adapted for street soccer rather than a full-size eleven-a-side match. Games are played four-a-side, with three field players and a goalkeeper, on a small enclosed court. Matches consist of two seven-minute halves, and the rules require each team to keep at least one player in the attacking half. The enclosed playing area, short matches, and staged tournament structure are intended to make the game accessible, fast-paced, and suitable for public urban settings. Beyond competition, Street Soccer USA presents soccer as a development and community-building tool. Its programs are associated with participation, peer support, confidence, teamwork, and pathways to wider services or opportunities, although the available reference material does not provide a complete current program catalog or quantified outcomes. The organization is best understood not as a conventional sports brand or commercial football operator, but as a nonprofit social-impact network whose public-facing identity is built around grassroots soccer, homelessness response, and national representation.

Street Soccer USA originated in Charlotte, North Carolina, through Art Works Football Club, a soccer initiative founded by Lawrence Cann in 2004. The program was developed in connection with the Urban Ministry Center and focused on engaging people experiencing homelessness through organized soccer. Rather than treating participation solely as athletic recreation, the initiative used regular training and competition to create social relationships, encourage commitment, and provide participants with a public community role. The Charlotte model expanded into other American cities. By the late 2000s, the initiative had developed into a national league-like network of city programs, eventually covering 16 cities and, according to reference material available for 2010, 18 teams. This expansion transformed the project from a local ministry program into a national nonprofit sports network. Street Soccer USA became an independent 501(c)(3) organization in 2010. The organization's international role began in 2005, when it started sending a United States team to the Homeless World Cup. The Homeless World Cup was founded by Mel Young as an international tournament for people experiencing homelessness. Street Soccer USA became the United States base partner, responsible for coordinating the domestic pathway through which players could participate in American programs, compete in national events, and be selected for the international team. Domestic competition became a major part of the organization's public identity. The first Street Soccer USA Cup took place in Charlotte in 2006 under the name Homeless USA Cup. It brought together teams from Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Philadelphia, and New York. A subsequent 2007 conference in Charlotte addressed the event's expansion, and the 2008 tournament moved to Washington, D.C., with teams representing 12 cities, including Ann Arbor, Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Phoenix, Richmond, San Francisco, St. Louis, and Washington, D.C. Later tournaments were staged in prominent urban locations, including Times Square in New York City, San Francisco's Civic Center Plaza, and the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. These locations made the tournament both a sporting event and a public-awareness exercise, placing players and the issue of homelessness in highly visible civic settings. The event was structured around men's and women's teams from communities around the country. Teams typically brought eight players, while a committee selected eight players for the United States Homeless World Cup team and eight additional alternates. The tournament's rules reflect the constraints and accessibility goals of street soccer. Matches use four players per side: three outfield players and a goalkeeper. Games are played on a small enclosed court measuring approximately 52 by 73 feet, with four-foot walls and higher netting. Each match has two seven-minute halves, and teams must keep one player in the attacking half. Preliminary, group, and trophy stages organize the competition. Awards include recognition for the most valuable player, best goalkeeper, the most mixed team, and the Spirit Award, which honors the team judged to demonstrate the strongest attitude on and off the field. Street Soccer USA's development therefore combined three layers: local grassroots programming, a national tournament and selection system, and international representation through the Homeless World Cup. Available reference material does not establish a complete current account of its city network, staffing, finances, or program results. Its documented historical significance lies in helping institutionalize street soccer as a nonprofit response to homelessness in the United States and in connecting local participation to a national and international sporting platform.

• 2010

  Street Soccer USA established as an independent 501(c)(3)

  [1]Street Soccer USAen.wikipedia.org

  The organization became independent from its originating Urban Ministry Center program and operated as a national nonprofit.

• 2008

  Tournament expanded to Washington, D.C.

  [1]Street Soccer USAen.wikipedia.org

  The 2008 tournament was held in Washington, D.C., and included teams representing 12 cities.

• 2006

  First Homeless USA Cup held in Charlotte

  [1]Street Soccer USAen.wikipedia.org

  The inaugural domestic tournament was held in Charlotte with teams from several American cities.

• 2005

  United States participation in the Homeless World Cup begins

  [1]Street Soccer USAen.wikipedia.org

  Street Soccer USA began bringing a United States team of players experiencing homelessness to the Homeless World Cup.

• 2004

  Art Works Football Club founded in Charlotte

  [1]Street Soccer USAen.wikipedia.org

  Lawrence Cann founded Art Works Football Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, as a grassroots soccer initiative connected with the Urban Ministry Center.

A nonprofit social-impact sports organization that uses accessible street soccer, local teams, and national competition to support people experiencing homelessness and build community connections.

• Community sports and social-impact programming · 2004

  Street Soccer USA grassroots programs

  City-based soccer programs designed to engage people experiencing homelessness and other underserved participants through training, team activities, and organized competition. The programs form the community foundation of Street Soccer USA's national network and provide the route into domestic tournaments and, for selected players, international competition.

• National street-soccer tournament · 2006

  Street Soccer USA Cup

  An annual tournament formerly known as the Homeless USA Cup. It brings together teams representing American cities and uses a compact four-a-side format played on an enclosed court. The event combines competition, public awareness, and player selection for the United States Homeless World Cup team.

• International team and player-development program · 2005

  United States Homeless World Cup program

  Street Soccer USA's national pathway to the Homeless World Cup. The organization coordinates United States participation and selects a representative squad from players involved in its domestic programs and tournament network, together with alternates.

• 2008Street Soccer USA Cup national expansion

  United States

  The tournament expanded to Washington, D.C., with teams from 12 American cities, demonstrating the developing national reach of the program.

  Outcome. Later editions were held in prominent public locations including Times Square, San Francisco Civic Center Plaza, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps.

  Source
• 2006Homeless USA Cup

  United States

  The first national domestic tournament organized by Street Soccer USA was held in Charlotte and connected city-based teams of people experiencing homelessness through competitive soccer.

  Outcome. The tournament became an annual event and was later renamed the Street Soccer USA Cup.

  Source

• 2010

  Separate the national program into an independent nonprofitStrategy

  Background

  The soccer initiative had grown from a Charlotte-based Urban Ministry Center project into a multi-city national network.

  Action taken

  Street Soccer USA became an independent 501(c)(3) organization.

  Aftermath

  The organization continued developing a national grassroots network and operating the domestic pathway to the Homeless World Cup.

  Source

• 2006

  Launch the Homeless USA CupProduct launch

  Background

  Street Soccer USA needed a domestic event to connect city programs and identify players for United States international representation.

  Action taken

  The organization held the first national tournament in Charlotte, initially calling it the Homeless USA Cup.

  Aftermath

  The event became an annual tournament and was subsequently known as the Street Soccer USA Cup.

  Source

• 2010

  Street Soccer USA became an independent nonprofit organization[1]Street Soccer USAen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The organization separated from its earlier Urban Ministry Center origins and operated as an independent 501(c)(3), with reference material describing a national network of teams and city programs.

• 2010

  Street Soccer USA expanded its national grassroots network[1]Street Soccer USAen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  By 2010, reference material described Street Soccer USA as having 18 teams across the United States and a wider program network spanning multiple cities.

• 2005

  Street Soccer USA organized the United States pathway to the Homeless World Cup[1]Street Soccer USAen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Street Soccer USA began bringing a United States team of players experiencing homelessness to the annual Homeless World Cup and continued as the country's partner for participation.

1. 1Street Soccer USAen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Street Soccer USA official websitestreetsoccerusa.org