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Team USA
Nury and Mustapha
June 2010
My name is Mustapha Alpha
I started playing soccer since I was little.
I love soccer because soccer takes away some of my strengths and
makes me happy when I'm mad.
My name is Nury and I'm 16 years old.
I've been playing soccer since I was 5.
My little brothers, they started out playing soccer and
well, from then on, monkey see monkey do.
I grew up in northeast Philadelphia.
I'm originally from Columbia.
I feel like I'm mostly more Columbian
because, like, my family, we do stuff the Columbian way
Like, we eat rice every day.
I just wanted to come and
and say "hi" and see if everything way OK.
I'm really, really worried because
20, it's 19 days so it's a pretty long time.
She's going to be safe, you know.
Everything is... There's a lot of security, you know.
How you feel about me going to South Africa?
I'm jealous, man.
It's the perfect gift for Mustapha.
GOAL!
Who scored?
I mean, of course he loves this country too.
But he's attached to Africa
This is Sierra Leon right here.
This is green and white and blue.
I represent Sierra Leon wherever I go, like
I just love Sierra, I just love where I'm from.
What is that?
That was me dancing.
I was doing an African dance.
♪ One, two, three, go! ♪
America, it isn't just white people, we're all immigrants down here.
I'm haitian.
Haitian. Liberian. Sierra Leonian.
We have africans, we have ecuadorians, venezuelans .
My friend that live on my block from Mauritania.
one block away is somebody from Liberia.
Columbian.
international.
Say "Football for Hope"
Football for Hope.
Yeah, baby
It's not for home, it's for hope!
Yeah, I like Philadelphia, but
I don't be doing stuff.
America, it's not just like how they show it on TV.
♪ Survival of the fittest ♪
Like it's glamorous and everything
♪ Survival of the fittest ♪
People here, they have hard times
Within the city itself
There's not a lot of resources
Especially for the youth.
What we try to provide sometimes is just more activities
because sometimes they don't choose the best activity
because that's what's around their surroundings.
So what are those other activities?
People be on the block probably
smoking or doing drugs.
Fighting.
Skipping school.
Gambling on the block,
which is illegal.
Gangs and graphiti.
Philadelphia's homicide rate is five times the national average.
The highest per capita in the country
In under resourced areas, up to 24% of homicides are children under 18.
♪ Call it the necessary evil ♪
If I wasn't playing soccer I'd probably be
somewhere where I don't have to be.
If I wasn't doing soccer
I'd probably be,
I don't know where I'd be
Maybe out on the streets
♪ Call it the necessary evils, I ain't tryna get by, I'm tryna speed through ♪
Starfinder Foundation, we serve kids from the under resourced communities
"Oh, sorry"
Through soccer with activities that engage, inspire and motivate.
Guys quick session.
One thing I want to tell you, is that in life just like in soccer
you don't get to where you want to go by taking short cuts
You want to take the one little thing off because you don't think coach is watching
think about how it's going to translate into your life.
Right? When you're in school
and you don't want to do that one last but of homework to get the A.
You have to go to school to play with Starfinder.
You have to, like, be good at school and do your schoolwork.
By the time you finish for the day, you're going to be tired.
So you're not going to have time to be hanging out on the block and doing things that you ain't supposed to do.
In 2010, less than 60% of high school students graduated in Philadelphia
60% of high school dropouts are incarcerated by the time they are 30
Since 2008, 100% of Starfinder's students have graduated
Before Starfinder I used to be a really, really quiet person.
But, like now they made me open up.
I came out of my shell.
What'd you say to Nury?
You scared of the plane?
I ain't gonna lie... I'm scared too, but...
I'm not trying to show it
18 hours.
18 hour?
Get excited cause we're going to South Africa!
I know what I want to do and
and I have a dream so I'm just going to Africa.
♪ North and South America ♪
And the turf isn't the United States.
it's wild.
♪ You can ball in the street ♪
We can ball as one, we can settle our disputes
Throw down our arms and lace up our boots
Changing the Game
Featuring original song by Dawit Salasie, "The Beautiful Game"