Just as it was in 2009, the Street Soccer USA Cup was contested in D.C. this weekend. A team from Russia defeated the defending champions from San Francisco in the final. Locally, Montgomery County’s team finished in third place, just as they did last year. The tournament was a celebration of teamwork and support — for example, the Russian captain revealed to cheers that his team had reached a collective 44 years of sobriety after accepting the Leonsis Trophy as the cup winners, and the side from Charlotte took a $500 donation from one of the tournament’s sponsors and paid it forward to Street Soccer USA in order help defray the costs of player lodging. As with last year, a pool of the tournament’s most outstanding players were selected for the Homeless World Cup, which will take place this September in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

For more information on the good work that Street Soccer USA performs to battle homelessness through soccer, check out their website here.