VANCOUVER, BC – Special Olympics BC athlete Bradly Barnett and Whitecaps FC U-18 Residency midfielder Jonas Hakkinen are set to take part in the 2017 Special Olympics Unified Sports All-Star soccer match today at Toyota Park – home of Major League Soccer’s Chicago Fire.
The match, which kicks off at 2:45 p.m. PT, will be streamed live on MLSsoccer.com, as well as Major League Soccer’s Facebook and YouTube pages.
For the fourth year in a row, MLS WORKS and ESPN will host 44 delegates as part of the Special Olympics Unified Sports All-Star Experience, which this year will feature participants representing all 22 MLS clubs. The Unified Sports All-Star soccer teams are comprised of players with and without intellectual disabilities, and will play an 11 v. 11 match consisting of two 25-minute halves. The team uniforms for the game will be provided by adidas. The teams will take the pitch in an East vs. West matchup prior to the fourth annual MLS Homegrown Game presented by Energizer.
Barnett is a very active Special Olympics athlete who shines in anything with a ball. He plays soccer, basketball, floor hockey, 5- and 10-pin bowling, softball, and he plans to add athletics and swimming next year. Bradly has been a Special Olympics athlete for three years and has been playing soccer ever since he could walk. On the field, he’s very active as he loves to run and frequently finds the back of the net. Bradly is also a fan of WWE and has tried a wide range of sports include BMX biking.
Also participating in Tuesday’s match is Special Olympics BC coach Roshan Gosal, who will provide support as a coach/chaperone.
The match is part of the one-year countdown to Special Olympics’ 50th anniversary celebration which will take place in Chicago July 17-22, 2018. Included in next year’s events will be the first ever Unified Football (Soccer) Cup which will showcase 24 Unified teams from around the world.
