Former Sounders midfielder Steve Zakuani is known for many things, but the annual Zakuani & Friends Charity Match is one of his most current achievements. Zakuani hosts the event at Starfire Sports. He says, "When I played for the Sounders, I loved playing at CenturyLink Field, but a game at Starfire was always special. It's a more intimate environment, the crowd is right there near the field.” That is one of the many reasons why fans should get tickets to the game, which will be occurring on Sunday, May 15 this year.

Another great reason to head to the game is to see the soccer stars you know and love, like Landon Donovan, former league MVP Dwayne de Rosario, Eddie Johnson and former Sounders players Roger Levesque and Nate Jaqua. Lots of other great players will be playing for the charity game as well. Fans will get to attend the meet and greet on the field to actually come face to face with some of their favorite plahyers working for Kingdom Hope, the charity that Zakuani formed in 2010.

And the charity itself is the main reason to head to the game. During the first year of the program, it was a benefit for scholarships for children in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is where Zakuani is from. This year, it will be benefiting kids in the local Pacific Northwest area, and his 'Soccer On Us' program will also help the kids with leadership training and fun, engaging soccer programs. All of the proceeds generated from the sale of tickets will go toward scholarships for the kids in the program.

Zakuani says that the first idea for the program, a black tie affair for a fundraiser, just was not a good fit for what the Sounders were all about. So the decision to have an actual soccer game with a more personal touch came about. Zakuani says that giving the community that personal connection with the players on the field is key to the fundraiser because he doesn’t want to only raise funds and awareness for his causes, but he also wants it to be a really fun and engaging experience for the fans. He wants to give back to them as well.

The charity game is sponsored by adidas and tickets start at $25. You can purchase tickets for prices up to $1,000 to further benefit the program.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia