Looks like the U.S. may have a shot in a World Cup after all

[KamaAina]

After Pearl Harbor v2.0 in Germany earlier this summer :nuke: , it seemed like all was lost.

But now, here comes the Homeless World Cup!!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/22/homeless-world-cup-kicks-_n_932677.html

They may not have homes, but 64 soccer teams playing at the Champs de Mars, near the Eiffel Tower, have the chance to represent the countries from which they hail.

The Homeless World Cup kicked off its ninth annual tournament on Sunday, bringing together people from 48 countries who are homeless and socially marginalized, according to the tournament's website. Participants commit the week to the sport, an exercise organizers believe can inspire players to turn their lives around, while a three-day international conference to brainstorm ways to eliminate homelessness takes place on the sidelines, the Herald Sun reports.

"The Homeless World Cup exists to end homelessness," co-founder Mel Young, a Scottish social entrepreneur, wrote on the event's website. "It has engaged over 100,000 homeless people since it started with participants changing their lives for the better."

Author Dave Bidini told The New York Times that he witnessed firsthand just how profound of an effect the game can have on the players while researching his book "Home and Away." Bidini chronicled the 2008 tournament in Melbourne, Australia, where he met Billy Pagonis, 46, a homeless man who he saw "spiral out of control" when he was addicted to painkillers.

Seriesly, if our homeless can't beat whatever few homeless the civilized societies in Europe can scare up, we're screwn.