In honor of World Refugee Day (WRD), eight teams of migrants representing countries around the world will compete in a soccer tournament in Chicago on Saturday.
Players from Venezuela and Ecuador make up "Wadsworth United." Those players, who fled to the U.S. from both natons, have been living in a temporary shelter at the South Side elementary school for months.
Volunteer coach Otto Rodriguez says the team formed during pickup games on a field outside the school. Now, they also play in a men's league on Wednesday nights. The league, their uniforms and shoes are all provided through donations.
"It’s a joyous sport. You can connect with people from any different language, any different background because of a love of one little thing," said Rodriguez.
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Rodriguez typically works with homeless, at-risk youth through the nonprofit organization Street Soccer USA - Chicago.
"You don’t have to know each other’s languages but you communicate through the ball," he said.
Alejandro Bello is the team's goalkeeper. He's been at Wadsworth for three months and is enjoying connecting with others through a universal sport.
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"It gives me a safe space to play in," said 22-year-old Bello through a translator.
Bello describes his journey from Venezuela as treacherous. He made it through multiple South American countries before arriving in Mexico.
"Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Guatemala," he said. "The scariest part of this whole journey was the jungles in Mexico. It was really tough to go through that."
Bello arrived in Chicago by plane from San Antonio, Texas.
Although Bello and his teammates are confident in their skills on the field, Coach Rodriguez says the tournament is about much more than winning games.
"It's more of just uniting together and finding each other’s cultures rather than winning. That’s what the purpose of these tournaments is for. To have this camaraderie and this same common ground," said Rodriguez.
The WRD Soccer Tournament is Saturday at Foster Beach Park, beginning at 9 a.m. The free event also features a community picnic and cultural performances.
World Refugee Day is an international day designated by the United Nations in 2001 to honor refugees around the globe. It falls each year on June 20, and celebrates the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution.
