President to honor Crew at White House
Reigning MLS Cup champions also commit to community service project
Let's see. He grew up in the Washington, D.C., suburb of Springfield, Va. He played for the hometown team his first five professional seasons and even won an MLS Cup with D.C. United in 2004. Surely, he must have taken the tour one time.
"Nope. I've been by the White House but never been inside before even though I grew up around that area," he said.
That changes Monday afternoon for the Crew midfielder when the team will be honored by President Barack Obama for winning the 2008 MLS Cup.
To say visiting the White House is a dream come true for Polish-born head coach Robert Warzycha would not be accurate.
"The U.S. is one of the biggest and most powerful countries," he said. "To us in Poland it was always special. I never dreamed I would one day go the White House.
"It's a great opportunity to see the President. I'm not saying I'm a Republican or Democrat. It doesn't matter. "
Not all of the 28 players from the championship team were invited to Washington but former coach Sigi Schmid and former players Brad Evans, Ezra Hendrickson, Stefani Miglioranzi and Pat Noonan have been.
The team will take a commercial flight Monday morning, tour the White House and visit with the President. Nigerian midfielder Emmanuel Ekpo said he is looking forward to meeting Obama because of his roots
"It does make it interesting that his ancestors are from Africa," Ekpo said.
The Crew will have time to do a community service project in the D.C. area, similar to the cleanup endeavor the players did Wednesday around Crew Stadium.
Both events will be recognized during the White House ceremony to highlight Obama's new "United We Serve" volunteer public-service endeavor. The Crew are the first invited championship team to participate.
Craig Merz is a contributor to MLSnet.com
