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Sixteen-year-old Brandon Richards from Philadelphia will be representing the blue and gold in Atlanta at the fifth annual Special Olympics Unified Sports All-Star Soccer Showcase in Atlanta.
Richards, a forward, is a first-year player who will be joining representatives from 22 other MLS clubs in the 11-v-11 match.
“I was very surprised, happy, and excited,” Richards said in a post on the Union website. I’m looking forward to my first plane ride and to visit Atlanta.”
You can read more about Richards and his partner, 18-year-old Philadelphian Josue Gonzalez, here.
In addition to getting to represent the Union in Atlanta, Richards and the Philadelphia Union Unified team will be playing at Gillette Stadium on August 11 against the New England Revolution as part of Major League Soccer’s community outreach initiative with Special Olympics and ESPN.