PHOTOS: DC-area youth soccer players have fun with MLS all-stars, VIPs in White House clinic

Jose Umana | jumana@wtop.com
July 18, 2023, 3:24 PM

D.C. area youth soccer players occupied the South Lawn pitch Monday evening as the White House hosted a soccer clinic featuring professional players from Major League Soccer.

Dressed in various MLS team jerseys, D.C.-area kids participated in the event just days before D.C. hosts the MLS All-Star Game at Audi Field. Participants trained with area youth coaches and former MLS players before playing matches alongside the pros that will play in the exhibition.

Thennie Freeman, interim director of D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation, told WTOP that 75 D.C.-based players that participate in the department’s soccer program in one of its seven recreational centers were selected to take part in the special training session on the South Lawn. It was a first-come, first-served sign-up process, and the response was “overwhelming,” she said.

“Many young people live in the District but they never get the opportunity to visit the White House. So one, to visit the White House and two, to play on the White House lawn — isn’t that a memorable moment for any child?” Freeman said.

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The event brought 75 D.C. kids to the White House to be trained by area coaches before playing alongside MLS all-star players. (WTOP/José Umaña)



A view during a soccer clinic held on the South Lawn at the White House. (Courtesy Geoff Burke/USA TODAY Sports)

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President Joe Biden makes an appearance at an a Youth Soccer Clinic with Major League Soccer hosted by first lady Jill Biden on the South Lawn of the White House, Monday, July 17, 2023 in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

WTOP’s Michelle Goldchain and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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