Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata continues to further build on the momentum supporting his charity project, Common Goal. The project, which Mats Hummels set up with him, sees the Spaniard donating one per cent of his salary to a collective charity fund this season.
Mata has seen star footballers from all around the world join up with him, and now he’s added Chris Wondolowski, the first member from Major League Soccer.
USWNT stars Alex Morgan and Megan Rapinoe have joined the cause as well. Rapinoe, one of the USWNT’s best players, is also likely the most socially conscious. She recently came out as gay, and she is known for her Colin Kaepernick style kneeling for the United States national anthem as a form of protest. While Kaepernick kneeled to protest police brutality and injustices against African-Americans, Rapinoe kneeled as a call for equality to all people.
Morgan, the marketing face of the U.S. Women’s Soccer franchise, is also known for being at least somewhat political. She is among the group of USWNT players leading the push for equal pay.
Hey @juanmata8 I’m proud to be the first @MLS player to join you on @CommonGoalOrg team to support orgs like @streetsoccerusa let’s get to work! #commonGoal https://t.co/IbZNGnKYn1
— Chris Wondolowski (@ChrisWondo) November 12, 2017
“I want to look back on my career and be able to say I had an impact both on and off the pitch,” said Wondolowski, who joined at the invitation of Street Soccer USA.
“To me, this not only means winning trophies but also doing my bit to advance the use of soccer as a tool for social change.
“This is something I’ve been passionate about for a long time and, through Common Goal, I can now join forces with other players who feel the same way.”
Other footballers to join Common Goal include: Giorgio Chiellini, Shinji Kagawa and Hoffenheim manager Julian Nagelsmann.
Playing with Heart. We asked, and our longtime supporter @ChrisWondo says yes, accepts invitation to join @CommonGoalOrg with @juanmata8 @mPinoe @alexmorgan13 #playformore #commongoal @RobCannSF pic.twitter.com/BGpxpN5Edd
— Street Soccer USA (@StreetSoccerUSA) November 12, 2017
Wondolowski won the MLS Golden Boot (leading scorer) in 2010 and 2012, and the MLS Cup with Houston Dynamo in 2006 and 2007. He’s also earned 35 USMNT caps.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and the Tribune company’s blogging community Chicago Now.
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