Major League Soccer Unified All-Star Game

By Delanie Ross / Special Olympics Florida

Earlier this week, Special Olympics Florida had four members of our Unified Major League Soccer teams participate in the MLS Special Olympics Unified Sports All-Star Game. Representing Florida were Alain Figueroa and Kenny Gould-Papili from Inter Miami CF and Kaleb Harrington and Jed Hansen from Orlando City Soccer. Both teams are part of Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference.  

The East All-Stars secured an incredible 5-0 victory over the West All-Stars! Congratulations to Special Olympics Florida athlete Kaleb Harrington for receiving the Spirit of Fair Play award.

This year marked the ninth annual Special Olympics Unified Sports All-Star Game, which took place in Columbus, Ohio. Our Florida players joined 48 others representing 26 MLS clubs from the Eastern and Western conferences, with MLS Greats serving as celebrity coaches.

In Unified Sports, athletes with and without intellectual disabilities train and compete on the same teams. MLS collaborates with Special Olympics organizations across the country to promote inclusion and form Unified teams. Our Florida partners are Inter Miami CF and Orlando City Soccer.

The Unified All-Star Game is a highlight of the season-long Special Olympics Unified Soccer Exchange program, offering Unified soccer teams the chance to experience a professional MLS environment. The East and West Unified All-Star teams were also recognized on-field before the MLS All-Star Game on July 24.