The Congressional Soccer Match

The Congressional Soccer Match kicked off at Gallaudet University in 2013 as a charity event organized by the Congressional Soccer Caucus. Billed as the “Capital Soccer Classic,” the game featured former professional players alongside Representatives in a schoolyard style draft led by the caucus’s two co-chairs Christopher Van Hollen of Maryland and David Reichert of Washington. Van Hollen’s team won the initial foray in extra time with a dramatic penalty kick finish.

Subsequent Congressional Soccer Matches pitted Democrats against Republicans as congressional staffers joined Members of Congress in a friendly competition. The event has grown over the years to feature a mini-tournament of foreign embassy staff stationed in DC alongside a congressional staff versus lobbyist match.