In terms of sporting success, American soccer reached a nadir when the Men’s National Team failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. America, which hosts the 2026 World Cup, now has a window in which it can finally become a true contender, perhaps thanks to new stars developed through programs like DC SCORES, which provides free inner-city youth leagues.

For many kids, sport is both the only distraction from the perils of inner-city life, and the best opportunity to escape poverty. Soccer should be a part of that conversation. Currently, soccer development in the U.S. comes largely from “pay to play” leagues, which severely limits access to the sport. While it’s not unusual to see city kids sporting Messi and Mbape jerseys, there’s little crossover to inner-city youth playing the game. Things are changing though, and as creative solutions to the lack of infrastructure are developed, a deeper talent pool will increase America’s chances for success on the pitch. For proof of this, look to the 2018 World Cup, which France won with a team made nearly entirely of recent immigrants and kids who’d grown up in ghettos – a group vastly different than previous French squads.

Soccer in the City is part Hoop Dreams, part Waiting For Superman, and a ringing endorsement for the power of sport, the importance of teams, and the need to remove boundaries between children of different socioeconomic backgrounds. Increasing the availability of soccer in the inner cities – making it cool, fun, and a true meritocracy – isn’t just right thing to do for the sport; it’s the right thing to do for our country, for our cities, and for our children.

DC SCORES envisions a renewed culture of soccer in the United States, where all kids have access to the sport.

For far too many kids, DC SCORES is the only opportunity they have to play on a team of any sort, and many are introduced to soccer through our program. Our kids find a sense of community on the pitch -- where they can practice, play, and be part of a team -- and also learn important social emotional development skills off the pitch, by participating in our other core activities: spoken word poetry and service learning. The team spirit and bonding that occurs on the field gives kids a new sense of confidence, physical agility and the desire to become leaders on and off the field. At the same time, our poet-athletes find a network of coaches and peers who further support them in the classroom and the community.