2nd Annual Special Olympics Unified Sports All-Star Soccer Match

On Tuesday, July 28, 2015, Special Olympics PA - Philadelphia athlete Angel Rosa and Unified Partner Edwin Leon traveled to Colorado for the second annual Special Olympics Unified Sports All-Star Soccer Match, presented by MLS WORKS.  The Major League Soccer (MLS) Match featured a 7-v-7 East vs. West All-Star format for which eleven MLS teams sent Special Olympics athletes and Unified Partners to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado. 

Angel and Edwin played for the East in a match consisting of two 20-minute halves wearing uniforms provided by ADIDAS. The two athletes, both Northeast High School students, represented Philadelphia well.

MLS WORKS and Special Olympics are working together to leverage the power of sports to promote an environment of social inclusion and acceptance, by uniting people with and without intellectual disabilities through Special Olympics Unified Sports.

MLS participating celebrities included on-air talent Brian Dunseth who provided commentary and interviews with both players and coaches, Colorado Rapids players who acted as on-hand coaches, and LA Galaxy and U.S. National Legend Landon Donovan who presented the athletes and partners with medals after the game. The Western Conference All-Stars defeated the Eastern Conference All-Stars, 3-2.