A few months ago, a young Chicago filmmaker reached out to the Fire. His name was Parker Heaps, and he was with a new organization called World FC.
He reached out to the Club because he and his partners had just begun filming a documentary, the basis of which would feature their own road trip from Chicago to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The goal of the film was not only to document their travels, but more importantly, bring to light how soccer affects communities on a local, national and global level. They would also be donating gently used soccer equipment to those communities in need along the way.
On May 31, Parker and the guys came out to Toyota Park to speak with some of players, in particular those with a wide range of global soccer experience.
They spoke with Alex, a Brazilian, where soccer is king; Wells Thompson, an American who has spent time playing soccer in Africa; as well as Estonian Joel Lindpere, who has played soccer all over the globe, including Bulgaria and Norway. Once the interviews were done, the guys made plans to come back on June 2 for the Fire game against D.C. United, to capture images of the game, as well as with Chicago’s amazing fans.
When the guys arrived at the park, I was also able to introduce them to Fire owner Andrew Hauptman. An avid soccer fan, as well as philanthropist and co-founder of City Year Los Angeles, Andrew was interested to learn more about their specific project and decided that he’d like to down with the guys and offer his additional perspective for the film.
Now, two months later, we’re especially excited to see that the first trailer for the film is available online. Check it out below and also be sure to follow the guys on Twitter @TheWorldFC. Wish them luck as they make their way to Brazil as we’re sure they will make Chicago proud.
