SEATTLE — For two Seattle-area students, the FIFA Club World Cup became more than a soccer match, it became a moment they will remember for the rest of their lives.
The young athletes, part of Seattle Scores, had the opportunity to walk onto the pitch alongside players during the tournament, bringing a local youth program’s mission of soccer, poetry, and confidence building to the global stage.
For 11-year-old Isaiah Alexander, the experience was a dream come true.
“I was so happy, so lucky. Out of millions of kids, I got chosen,” Alexander said. “So it’s a very special moment for me.”
After waiting in the tunnel, Isaiah stepped onto the field hand-in-hand with a World Cup player — a moment he said he will never forget.
“He just said, ‘Are you ready?’ and I was like, ‘Yeah,’” Alexander recalled. “And I asked him, ‘Are you ready?’”
The moment was just as meaningful for Isaiah’s father, Jefferson Franca, who grew up playing soccer and later played semi-professionally. Today, he gives back as a volunteer with Seattle Scores, helping coach students at Hazel Valley Elementary School in Burien.
“It’s an experience that you really gotta see on their faces, how much joy they get from playing soccer,” Jefferson said. “For me to give them that feeling is amazing.”
Seattle Scores began during the 1994 World Cup and has spent the past three decades using soccer and poetry to support students across the region. The free after-school program helps young people build athletic skills while developing confidence, creativity, and leadership.
“Unfortunately, in the United States, we fall away from being able to provide soccer to low-income families,” Jefferson said. “Seattle Scores definitely minimizes that gap.”
The organization says the impact goes beyond the field, with students improving their writing skills and gaining confidence through the program.
That confidence is visible in Isaiah and in 9-year-old Aaron Pitts, another Seattle Scores Poet-Athlete who also had the chance to represent the program during the FIFA Club World Cup Team USA vs. Belgium match.
“I’m just really lucky to do this,” Aaron said. “I feel like this is a one-in-a-million chance that might only happen once in my life.”
For these young athletes, the FIFA experience was about more than soccer. It was a celebration of teamwork, opportunity, and a Seattle Scores legacy that began more than 30 years ago.
A total of 56 local students got to escort players during the tournament.
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