“Hello, everyone, and welcome to the White House!”
First Lady Dr. Jill Biden appeared on the White House South Lawn and welcomed dozens of Washington, DC area youth soccer groups for a clinic, along with representatives from Major League Soccer (MLS) and several of this week’s MLS All Star players themselves.The lawn was set up with multiple soccer fields in partnership with MLS GO for kids to participate in soccer drills and play lighthearted matches. MLS GO is the league’s recreational youth soccer program, designed to increase participation, accessibility, and inclusivity.
Dr. Biden highlighted the value of soccer as a tool for uniting us. For people from different countries or cultures, whether or not they understand the words they speak to each other, “sport is the international language” she said.
Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber explained the importance of youth soccer and the opportunity to inspire children to play–“The young players that are represented here, they are the next generation of soccer players in our country, and this is a moment that I’m sure all of you will remember forever.”
The children appeared to take advantage of the opportunity to play and to challenge the MLS All Stars playing with them, as well as speak and interact with the players and Dr. Biden.
To close the evening, the children and representatives from MLS were greeted by the President of the United States, Joe Biden, though he made no official remarks.
In his statements, Commissioner Garber summed up the day nicely. “On behalf of everyone across our league, I want to thank you, Dr. Biden, and everyone at the White House, for transforming America’s backyard into a space for young people to enjoy the game with our MLS All Stars.”
MLS All Stars in attendance included:
- Christian Benteke, DC United
- Lucho Acosta, DC Cincinnati
- Kei Kamara, Chicago Fire
- Jordan Morris, Seattle Sounders
- Hany Mukhtar, Nashville SC
- Walker Zimmerman, Nashville SC
- Ryan Hollingshead, LAFC
- Tim Parker, St. Louis City SC
