Sprint Celebrates the Best of Soccer with Local Kansas Team, Soccer Nation

OVERLAND PARK, Kan., Oct. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- In commemoration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Sprint (NYSE: S) is proud to share the inspiring story of Soccer Nation, a Kansas City 13U soccer team that battled against all odds to win the Kansas State Cup and US Youth Soccer Midwest Regional Championships.

In July, a group of young Latino players showcased their skills, hard work, and determination leading them to the US Youth Soccer National Championships in Frisco, Texas. But Soccer Nation faced the harsh reality of lacking financial resources and would likely miss the opportunity of a lifetime. Sprint stepped in to help these young men with a $10,000 donation to cover travel expenses and with wireless devices and service so the team could capture their journey to nationals.

Soccer Nation made their way to the Lone Star State, accompanied by families and friends who cheered them on throughout every round of fierce competition. Sprint followed the team and captured their experience ? including many edge-of-the-seat moments ? before and during the tournament with a mini-documentary, "The Road to Nationals."

"We are grateful to have an organization like Sprint to support our team's mission," said Raul Villegas, Soccer Nation club owner. "Their generosity and partnership allowed us to complete our trip to nationals, play and ultimately bring this dedicated group of boys one step closer to success. We were thrilled for our boys to place second in their division among such strong competitors."

"At Sprint, we are committed to championing today's youth and helping them build a brighter future," said Alberto Lorente, director-Multicultural Marketing. "We are honored to support Soccer Nation and truly inspired by the team's spirit and determination on and off the soccer field. This mini-documentary is a heartwarming tale of teamwork, triumph and unwavering commitment."

To learn more about Soccer Nation, visit http://www.soccernationkc.com.

About the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series:
The US Youth Soccer National Championship Series provides more than 10,000 teams from US Youth Soccer's 55 State Associations the opportunity to showcase their abilities against the best in the nation while emphasizing teamwork, discipline, and fair play. The yearlong competition begins with over 185,000 players in the US Youth Soccer State Championships. These champions and selected wildcard teams, through US Youth Soccer Regional Leagues, advance to compete in one of four US Youth Soccer Regional Championships. Champions (13U through 19U) from each regional event advance to the US Youth Soccer National Championships. The 14U through 18U Boys and Girls age groups have four teams representing the US Youth Soccer National League, in which the top two teams in each gender age group division earn a direct path to the National Championships. Overall, the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series provides the nation's top collegiate coaches with the premier stage to identify and scout the most coveted players in the country.

About Sprint: 
Sprint (NYSE: S) is a communications services company that creates more and better ways to connect its customers to the things they care about most. Sprint served 54.6 million connections as of June 30, 2018, and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; leading no-contract brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. Today, Sprint's legacy of innovation and service continues with an increased investment to dramatically improve coverage, reliability, and speed across its nationwide network and commitment to launching the first 5G mobile network in the U.S. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.

SOURCE Sprint