Homeless soccer players will shoot for their goal in downtown SF

San Francisco’s Mario Estrada (center) plays against Seattle at the 2014 Street Soccer USA tournament in Civic Center Plaza. San Francisco’s Mario Estrada (center) plays against Seattle at the 2014 Street Soccer USA tournament in Civic Center Plaza. Photo: Leah Millis, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Leah Millis, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Homeless soccer players will shoot for their goal in downtown SF 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

The homeless crowd at Union Square is going to look radically different for one full weekend this month, and the tourists, shopkeepers and usual strollers-by are probably going to want to stop and stare. In a good way.

These homeless folks are going to be wearing soccer gear and playing for the annual Bay Area championship of what is called Street Soccer USA.

The program runs soccer programs all over the country for homeless and other underprivileged children and adults, helping them learn life skills through teamwork and camaraderie. For the first time, it will stage its yearly competition in the heart of downtown San Francisco.

The tournament will take place July 16 and 17 on small, rubber-matted soccer fields installed over much of the Union Square. About 64 four-person adult teams are expected to compete. Many will be fielded by companies, community groups and even the city Recreation and Park Department, which helps sponsor the program locally.

But the real stars of the tournament will be the men and women rebuilding their lives through what for most people is just a game. For people who have fallen on the hardest of times, kicking a ball around a field is a way to find the strength to battle toward stability.

Since being founded in 2007, Street Soccer USA has helped more than 4,000 people into housing and services such as substance-abuse rehabilitation and medical care. This is no counseling program in the traditional sense. It brings people together to compete, play together and gain enough of a sense of self-respect and support to go out and grab opportunities for improvement.

Jimmy Flebotte knows the drill intimately. Five years ago he was living in a homeless shelter in San Francisco and getting sober, and saw a flyer for street soccer. He’d never played before, but it sounded fun.

As soon as he put his foot to a ball with a field full of other homeless people, he was hooked.

“There we were, a bunch of us struggling with drinking or drugs, and we were trying to do the right thing, but we just needed that push,” said Flebotte, 49. “Just being with a bunch of people who cared and were encouraging, people on a team with me — that made all the difference.”

Today, Flebotte is clean and sober and works with the Recreation and Park Department, teaching soccer to small children.

“My life is 100 percent better,” he said. “I have an apartment, I don’t have to stand in line to get dinner, I don’t have to share a bathroom. And I love playing soccer with little kids. It’s awesome.”

Rec and Park Director Phil Ginsburg called Flebotte “an amazing success story” and said he exemplifies what his department has been aiming for since teaming up with Street Soccer USA five years ago to supply playing fields, marketing and other support.

“Using sports to effect social change is a large part of what we do, and this program helps a very vulnerable population,” Ginsburg said. “We’ve really made it a priority.”

That support reaches to the highest level of City Hall, where Mayor Ed Lee said “our partnership with Street Soccer USA has improved the health and provided employment for our city’s homeless, youth and LGBT communities.”

Rob Cann was a former college soccer player and counselor in a soup kitchen in North Carolina when he co-founded the program with his brother. It’s grown to include dozens of teams coast to coast. San Jose Earthquakes star Chris Wondolowski is a spokesman for Street Soccer USA, and he will be at the Union Square tournament with players from the Los Angeles Galaxy — and even a couple of players from the San Jose Sharks hockey team.

“When you are homeless, you can feel isolated, disconnected, ignored,” said Cann, who now lives in San Francisco. “But when you become part of a team, you suddenly belong. You’re part of a group that cares — and we teach more than just soccer skills, like making a game plan off the field for what you’re going to do next.

“When you try to do something alone in life, it can be hard. It’s easier when you do it together. That’s what we bring.”

The two-day tournament will be free and open to the public. In addition to the adult games, there will be showcases of youth soccer teams.

Kevin Fagan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kfagan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @KevinChron