We are Claudio and Maggie Rodriguez. Our son, Thomas, plays for the Barca Academy soccer club in Charlotte. He was invited to go play soccer in Barcelona, Spain in April. It is the Barca Academy World Cup. They are expecting to have about 2,000 players from 25 countries come together in Barcelona to celebrate youth soccer, the world soccer family, unity and the embracing of diversity. This is an incredible opportunity for children from all over the world to come together in unity to play one of the best sports in the world.

Let me tell you a little bit about our son. My husband is from Argentina, so soccer is definitely in Thomas' blood. At six months, Claudio held him up and placed his tiny feet on a small soccer ball. Thomas has been playing soccer since about 3-4 years old. He truly loves the game. As he has become older he has developed a discipline in his training and dedication to the sport. This is something he has done by his own self motivation. As a family, we are always there supporting him in every way we can. He practices three nights a week and on his off nights he can be found at our local YMCA working out to improve his endurance and strength.

This trip is a dream come true for him. His favorite team is Barcelona. His favorite player is Messi. This experience would give him the opportunity to play in the Barcelona soccer stadium, to watch them play, experience a different culture, meet soccer players from all over the world and compete against them. This experience will not only help him grow as a soccer player but as a young man. We want to help him realize his dream. We both work hard to provide Thomas with the opportunity to play for the Barca Academy. I am a kindergarten teacher and my husband works in the construction industry. As the time draws closer to the trip we have realized that we need to ask our community for help us make Thomas' dream a reality. If you would like to contribute to our goal please know any amount is a great help. We thank everyone for taking the time to read about Thomas' soccer dream. Thank you in advance for all donations and prayers.

The Rodriguez Family