On Saturday, August 5, 2017, two Unified Teams took on a quest of venturing around Philadelphia before going head to head in a Unified Soccer Match. A unified team from Abraham Lincoln High School represented Philadelphia Union while a group from Special Olympics Texas came down to represent FC Dallas. At the end of the day, it was a Unified Philadelphia Union Takes Home 4th Straight Gold!
The day started with a double-decker bus tour around Philadelphia. Our athletes and partners, as well as our Texas guests, got to see South Philadelphia, Old City, and Center City as a tour guide pointed out various points of interest and history. After the tour, each group got to rest and relax before heading over to the Talen Energy Stadium where the evening games were planned. Our Unified group headed over to Talen Energy Stadium to soak in the pre-match fun at the Toyota Plaza where they walked around and competed against each other in an inflatable obstacle course. Both teams rejoined for a picnic dinner before heading into the stadium to watch the first-team game. After an exciting game, ending in a 3-0 Victory for Philadelphia Union, the Unified Philadelphia Union had high spirits that their game would end in the same fashion.
After a quick warm up session, the match between a Unified Philadelphia Union and a Unified FC Dallas began. The first half was intense with an early goal from Alvin Bayoh on the Unified Philadelphia Union (UPU) team, Alvin’s goal was quickly followed by a goal from Unified FC Dalls. Derrick Spence (UPC) was quick to reply to the Unified FC Dallas goal with a goal of his own, making the score 2-1. A Unified FC Dallas fought hard and a few minutes later scored another two goals, tying the score and surpassing the Unified Philadelphia Union. Before the first half was over, Edwin Teah (UPU) was able to sneak in two quick goals, bringing a lead to the Unified Philadelphia Union with a new score of 4-3.
Half time brought a quick pep-talk from Coach Michael Turchi and surprise pep-talk from Philadelphia Union Head Coach Jim Curtain. Curtain had been watching the first half and wanted to let the team know that they had been playing great and to keep it up to secure another win for Philadelphia Union that evening. The pep-talk must have hit home, because, within the first two minutes, Brandon Velez-Roa scored, making the score 5-3. Determined to catch up, the Unified FC Dallas came back and scored another goal, the new score was 5-4 Philadelphia. The second half saw both teams battle it out to. Texas had the goal of tying it up again and Philadelphia had the goal of winning. In the end, Philadelphia came out on top with Sam Desir scoring the last goal of the game, closing it out with a final score of 6 Unified Philadelphia Union – 4 Unified FC Dallas. Both teams were awarded medals based on finish by their host MLS Soccer Team coach, Jim Curtain and FC Dallas Head Coach, Óscar Pareja.
Our team thought the night was over, but the Sons of Ben (who also celebrated their 10th anniversary that evening), had one last surprise for our team. They made a Play Unified Banner with each plauyer’s number on it. Our athletes and partners got to sign one that would remain at Talen Energy Stadium and got to take another home to hang up in their gym. After a long-exciting day, it was time to go home and get a good night’s rest.
Thank you to the wonderful partnership between ESPN, MLS Works, and Special Olympics for making events like this happen. We would also like to thank Philadelphia Union and the Sons of Ben for being such gracious hosts to us the entire day and giving us an experience we will never forget.
Click here for all of our photos from the day!
August 9, 2017: Ashton Leber for Philadelphia Union: Philadelphia, FC Dallas Special Olympics Unified teams compete in special match following first-team game
August 7, 2017: Trey Madara for Trey Madara Photography: Special Olympics // Philadelphia Union vs FC Dallas
photo credit: Benjamin Solomon
On Monday, July 31, 2017, athlete, Jeremiah Ellis, partner, Robert Esquilin, and coach Susie Reece from Universal Audenried Charter High School left for the fourth annual Unified Sports All-Star soccer match. This year, the festivities and game took place in Chicago, Illinois. Jeremiah and Robert represented Philadelphia Union during the week. Below is the roster of athletes and partners representing the Eastern Conference All-Stars:
| Athlete, Partner | Club Representing |
| Jeremiah Ellis, Robert Equilin | Philadelphai Union |
| Félix Berthiaume, Mathieu Hevey | Montreal Impact |
| Aaron Allen, Ashtin Burbank | New England Revolution |
| Brandon Lutz, Megan Young | Columbus Crew SC |
| Antonio Guzman, Lyndsay Price | Atlanta United |
| Mark Jerabek, Colin Iverson | Chicago Fire |
| DAniel Davila, Umar Muftau | New York City FC |
| Brian Curci, Jake Mulcahey | New York Red Bulls |
| Charles Barley, Rodrigo Canas-Pena | D.C. United |
| Sidge Taylor, Bailey Hubbard | Orlando City SC |
| Stephanie Panousis, Callum Denault | Toronto FC |
After some time on the field and meeting the team at Chicago Fire’s practice facility, the Unified All-Stars had dinner at Lou Malnati’s and had Chicago’s famous deep-dish pizza. The next day, the Unified All-Stars took to the streets to do some sightseeing in Chicago before their game.
Both teams came out strong with great movement up and down the field. Ultimately, it was Umar Muftau (East, representing New York City FC) who scored first and gave the Eastern Conference a halftime lead. After halftime, the Western Conference came back with back-to-back goals from Jesus Tepole and Luke McPhee, both representing Seattle Sounders. It looked grim for the east, but with two minutes to spare, Umar Muftau scored his second goal of the night. The Unified All-Star match ended in a 2-2 draw. Special Olympics had a live feed of the game on Facebook Live (video here).
On the last day, the Unified All-Stars gave back to the Chicago community during MLS Work’s Day of Service. Jeremiah and Robert kicked off their shoes and joined the group to help clean up a beach. After serving the community, the Unified All-Stars were able to relax and watch the MLS All Star vs. Real Madrid match. The last activity the Unified All-Stars participated in was a halftime ceremony during the match. After the game, it was time to get some rest and part ways the next day.
Thank you, Jeremiah, Robert, and Susie for representing Philadelphia Union and Special Olympics PA – Philadelphia so well!
2017 MLS All-Star Unified Soccer Experience
Philadelphia Union with two representatives in the 2017 Special Olympics Unified MLS All-Star Match
East draw West in Special Olympics Unified All-Star match
MLS WORKS, Major League Soccer’s community outreach initiative, is dedicated to addressing important social issues and serves as a platform for both League and club philanthropic programs. MLS WORKS seeks to establish Major League Soccer as a leader for improving the lives of people through sport. MLS WORKS has helped to improve the communities where we live and play our games by executing programs and campaigns that focus on cancer research and treatment, anti-discrimination, community service, health and wellness, environmental sustainability and accessibility to soccer. Follow us on Twitter & Instagram @MLSWORKS.
ESPN is proud of its relationship with the Special Olympics, which spans more than 30 years. It is the global media partner for the 2017 Special Olympics World Games, the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games and the 2019 Special Olympics World Games, and previously provided multi-platform coverage of Special Olympics World Games Los Angeles (LA2015) as well as coverage of the 2011 World Games in Athens on ESPN3. Since 2013, ESPN has been the Global Presenting Sponsor and Official Media Sponsor of Special Olympics Unified Sports, which bring athletes with and without intellectual disabilities together as teammates.
The 2017 All-Star Exchange Game features two Audenried Students, Jeremiah Ellis and Robert Esquilin. This is the 4th Annual All-Star Exchange game held through a partnership between MLS, ESPN and Special Olympics, the Unified All-Star Exchange match is scheduled in conjunction with the MLS All-Star Game, providing MLS fans with an opportunity to witness first-hand the talents and abilities of Special Olympics athletes and unified partners. Ellis and Esquilin will represent the Philadelphia Union as part of the All-Star East Team and join other Special Olympics athletes and partners representing a New England Revolution, Columbus Crew SC, New York City FC, Chicago Fire, NY Red Bulls, DC United, Toronto FC, and Orlando City SC.The 2017 All-Star Exchange Game will take place in Chicago, Illinois for a week filled with soccer, sportsmanship and some volunteering in the community. Ellis and Esquilin will be accompanied by their teacher and coach, Susie Reece. Our small crew leaves on Monday, July 31st and returns on Thursday, August 3rd – hopefully with a gold medal!
Keep an eye on Twitter as the game happens on Wednesday, August 2nd. Follow us (@SOPAPhilly), MLS Works (@MLSWORKS), and ESPN (@ESPNCitizenship) as we all provide coverage during the game!
In the News: Special Olympics All-Star Soccer Match presented by MLS Works & ESPN
MLS WORKS, Major League Soccer’s community outreach initiative, is dedicated to addressing important social issues and serves as a platform for both League and club philanthropic programs. MLS WORKS seeks to establish Major League Soccer as a leader for improving the lives of people through sport. MLS WORKS has helped to improve the communities where we live and play our games by executing programs and campaigns that focus on cancer research and treatment, anti-discrimination, community service, health and wellness, environmental sustainability and accessibility to soccer. Follow us on Twitter & Instagram @MLSWORKS.
ESPN is proud of its relationship with the Special Olympics, which spans more than 30 years. It is the global media partner for the 2017 Special Olympics World Games, the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games and the 2019 Special Olympics World Games, and previously provided multi-platform coverage of Special Olympics World Games Los Angeles (LA2015) as well as coverage of the 2011 World Games in Athens on ESPN3. Since 2013, ESPN has been the Global Presenting Sponsor and Official Media Sponsor of Special Olympics Unified Sports, which bring athletes with and without intellectual disabilities together as teammates.
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