City’s homeless soccer squad headed to D.C.

Twice a week they come from shelters, beneath bridges and the cars in which they sleep to forget their troubles, if only for an hour.

Ranging in age from 19 to 58, they run drills, scrimmage, talk a little trash and generally have a good time. They include chefs, electricians and philosophers.

They are the Rebels, Richmond's homeless soccer team.

"It's more a brotherhood than anything else," said Will Williams, goalkeeper, who is prone to bursts of colorful language when he lets a ball slip by.

Williams, 42, has been living under a bridge in the Oregon Hill area since he lost his job as an electrician last year. A few months ago, he stumbled upon a soccer practice at Monroe Park, where some Rebels were getting ready for the season.

"Somebody asked me if I wanted to stand there and stop balls from going in. I said sure, they gave me a shot, I enjoyed it, and ever since then that's where I've been standing," he said.

Today, eight of the 10 players on this year's team are headed to Washington aboard a 26-bed sleeping bus on loan from the Richmond Kickers.

There, they will compete with teams from 16 cities in the fourth annual Street Soccer USA Cup. The top eight players will go on to represent the U.S. in the 48-nation Homeless World Cup in Milan in September.

The Rebels placed third in the Washington tournament last year, their first year as a club.

Maureen Neal, director of development and external affairs for the Daily Planet, a health services and activities center for the homeless, got the ball rolling last year by contacting Richmond native Lawrence Cann, who founded Street Soccer USA in 2004 in Charlotte, N.C., and convincing him that Richmond needed a team.

"I thought this would be a motivational opportunity and a healthy lifestyle opportunity," said Neal, who noted that all members of last year's four-player team have made progress on and off the field, finding jobs and homes and becoming more involved in helping themselves. "I think it's worked out wonderfully. It's very encouraging."

This year, participation -- 10 players regularly attend practice -- is up, as are the team's hopes that it could win it all.

"I feel like we have a great chance of coming back with the cup," said Jamaal Yancey, 27, who has played both years. "That would look good in City Hall."

But for team members, it's about more than winning or losing.

"This has been a motivational experience for me. It's like a refresh -- a jump-start," said Sheron Teal, 33, a lifelong Richmonder who's living out of his car and looking for work. "In my life, there's few things I've started and finished. This is a big step for me."

. . .

The Richmond Kickers and a host of volunteers have worked with the Daily Planet to manage the team, donating equipment, time, places to play and expertise.

Rob Ukrop, president of the Kickers' board of directors and a former professional player, is one of a rotating cast of coaches and trainers.

"Any time you coach a team, you try to judge them based on how well they work together, and these guys are as good as I've had," he said, noting that most of the Rebels never had played soccer before this year.

"If somebody makes a mistake, they lift them up. If somebody's having a rough day, they put their arm around them. There's a sense of family here."

That extends off the field, too. The Rebels regularly get together after practice and help one another with food or shelter when a teammate is in need.

"We're friends for life," said Teal, his arm around Williams after practice.

Roual Mason, 43, plays defense and enjoys the chance to get off the streets for a few hours and take a brief break from the job search.

"This just seemed like something positive for homeless people," he said, "and it's a diversion."

Originally from New York, Mason came to Richmond four months ago in search of work after he lost his job with a nonprofit organization in Philadelphia. So far, his master's degree in philosophy from Temple University has not translated into steady employment.

"I think I'm overqualified for the ordinary menial positions, and I don't have enough expertise or qualifications for the higher-paying professional positions, and the ones in the middle seem to be diminishing," he said.

Mason stays at The Healing Place of Richmond in South Richmond, when he's able to get a room at the first-come, first-served shelter. Soccer, he said, is a benefit for him and the friends he has made.

"I think positive influences and role models are of great assistance, and I think the coaches and volunteers we've had have provided that to a large extent," he said.

John McDermott agrees. At 58, the out-of-work banquet chef is the Rebels' elder and an anchor for the team.

"This is a way to get some discipline back in your life," he said this week, encouraging teammates from the sideline. "I hope we come back with the cup and give the city of Richmond something to look at and say, 'Well, all homeless people really ain't that bad.'"

Contact Wesley P. Hester at (804) 649-6976 or .