CITY SC expands commitment to making soccer accessible for all through a new initiative with Special Olympics
St. Louis CITY SC is proud to introduce CITY Unified, the club’s first official Special Olympics team, created with Special Olympics Missouri.
CITY Unified brings together athletes with and without disabilities to compete on the same team, fostering inclusion, teamwork, friendship and a shared love of the game. As part of the Special Olympics Unified Sports program, players compete alongside one another while building meaningful relationships both on and off the pitch.
The launch of CITY Unified represents another step in the club’s commitment to making soccer accessible to everyone.
“At CITY, we believe that soccer is for everyone,” said Ken Earley, Director of Community Relations at CITY SC. "Our Unified team is another way we're able to bring St. Louisans of all different backgrounds and abilities together around the beautiful game."
Earlier this summer, players gathered at Energizer Park for a Signing Day celebration, where CITY SC’s Sporting Director Corey Wray and Head Coach Yoann Damet welcomed 17 players to the inaugural CITY Unified roster:
- Matthew Appelbaum
- Vincent Humure
- Lilian Gerbic
- Cody Behnen
- Landon Swanson
- Morris John Cubahiro
- Gerard Mauro
- Lauren Munn
- Lyla Bieser
- Patrick Halveland
- Evan Lennox
- Drew Priefer
- Jasmine Willis
- Jordan Catching
- Max Brown
- Alyssa Rios
- Tyler Purk
In addition, two members of the team, Lyla Bieser and Lilian Gerbic will represent CITY Unified in Charlotte at the 2026 Special Olympics Unified Sports MLS All-Star Game presented by MLS WORKS and ESPN during MLS All-Star Week.
CITY Unified will host its first match against Sporting Kansas City’s Unified team, as part of CITY SC’s Red Hot Rivalry match activities, on Thursday, July 16 at 12:00 p.m. (time subject to change). The two teams will compete at CITY SC’s training pitch at the Washington University Orthopedics High Performance Center, located near Energizer Park.
Special Olympics Missouri
Special Olympics Missouri (SOMO) is a year-round program of sports training and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Thousands of athletes participate in 12 Olympic- type sports throughout the state. SOMO provides people with intellectual disabilities continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, and experience joy as they participate in the sharing of gifts and friendship with their fellow athletes, their family and friends, and communities across Missouri.
SOMO is proud of our financial health, returning 83% of every dollar back to program services. We are privileged to be recognized with these honors: Better Business Bureau A+ Charity Accreditation, Guidestar Gold Level and Charity Navigator 4-star rating. Special Olympics was also recently named Morning Consult’s No. 5 most trusted nonprofit.
Thank you for trusting us with your donations, volunteer time and your goodwill.
Visit Special Olympics Missouri at www.somo.org. Engage with us on X, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
