Root Root Root for the Home(less) Team

As World Cup qualifying takes a breather this summer (for such monumental tournaments as the ongoing Gold Cup), Scotland is playing host to the third (that’s right, the third) annual Homeless World Cup. The 4-a-side tournament, played not on grass (or faux grass) but on the street, is hosting teams from 27 nations, including the U.S. It is not, as you might expect, some pathetic attempt for freak show publicity, but rather a way of trying to help people turn their lives around. Says the tournament founder, “[i]t's about recognizing people who are taking an effort to move on.” And it seems to work, at least for some folks:

Of the 204 players who competed [last year] in Sweden, 78 found steady jobs, 95 improved their housing situation, and 70 returned to school. Young said a handful of players have gone to play professionally.

Of course, some things are bound to be problematic when you’re dealing with homeless Peles:

Five of the seven African teams - Burundi, Cameroon, Zambia, Nigeria and Kenya - were denied visas because British authorities said they were too poor to pay expenses.

Whoops.