For team of eight homeless Richmonders, a net gain

It wasn't all about winning during a four-day escape from a life of homelessness.

The fourth annual Street Soccer USA Cup, a weekend-long soccer tournament in Washington, offered eight Richmond homeless men an opportunity to leave their makeshift homes -- under a bridge, in a car or in a shelter -- to find camaraderie in competition.

For the Richmond Rebels, the national tournament in the nation's capital was their Super Bowl and NCAA basketball championship rolled into one event, said Sheron Teal, 33, a lifelong Richmonder who lives in his car.

After going winless in their first seven games -- they tied Atlanta on Saturday -- the Rebels secured their only win, a 3-1 decision over St. Louis yesterday in their final game of the tournament, to get a taste of victory they can bring back to Richmond, Teal said.

Paul Bigstaff scored twice against St. Louis, while Rodney Knight scored the other goal for the Rebels.

Winning at least one game was a goal the team set before the tournament, said Rebels assistant coach Daryl Grove.

"We knew we weren't going to be contenders for the trophy, but we set a goal of coming home with one victory," he said. "Everyone is pleased that we achieved our goal."

This marks the second year that the Richmond team competed in the tournament, which drew teams from San Francisco, Chicago and New York. The Rebels went into the weekend as the underdogs, and by the time it was over, they were fan favorites, said head coach Jym Coleman.

"A lot of people were cheering for the Richmond team because we were underdogs," he said. "What we lacked in soccer skill, we were making up for in effort and heart. The effort was fantastic."

The Richmond Kickers and a host of volunteers have worked with the Daily Planet, a nonprofit organization that serves the homeless, to support the team. The Kickers loaned the Rebels their 26-bed sleeping bus to take to Washington.

While the weekend centered on soccer, the players spent a portion of their time congregating outside the George Washington University dorms where they were staying, meeting other players from around the country and making new friends.

It also gave some of the players a new outlook on life.

"I grew up having big sports dreams; when I wasn't able to live up to my own personal dreams, it was like a void in my life," Teal said. "I felt like this weekend, it filled the void in my life. I'm going to use this experience to spring forward to better my life."

John McDermott, at 58 the oldest player on the Rebels, agreed. He said competing in the tournament is the players' way of doing something positive for the community.

"Don't judge a book by its cover. We're not all alcoholics and drug addicts sitting on a bus getting high," said McDermott, an out-of-work banquet chef. "We're out trying to do positive things in the city. Like this soccer game -- it is a positive thing, not only for us, but for the city of Richmond."

Contact Jeremy Slayton at (804) 649-6861 or .