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MLS Seattle Sounders FC

Sounders FC Encourages Fans to Vote for Club's 2019 Community MVP Christine O'Connell Through July 30

July 25, 2019 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Seattle Sounders FC News Release


SEATTLE, WASH. - Sounders FC has named Christine O'Connell, founder of Scarves Against Cancer, as its 2019 Community MVP. Fans can vote three times a day for O'Connell who is competing against other MLS club representatives for a $25,000 charitable contribution for Strong Against Cancer at Seattle Children's, at MLSsoccer.com/CommunityMVP.

Longtime Sounders fan Christine O'Connell created the Scarves Fighting Cancer campaign to design and sell unique, limited-edition Sounders scarves while her three-year old daughter was still in treatment for stage IV kidney cancer in 2017. Only for sale in September, in conjunction with Major League Soccer's Kick Childhood Cancer initiative, scarf designs have included "Brian Schmetzer's Rave Green Army," an ode to an Emerald City Supporters chant, and a "Roldan is Hungry" design poking gentle fun at the Seattle midfielder's love of pizza. O'Connell also enlisted the support of Sounders FC players in her efforts, with goalkeeper Stefan Frei providing his own design to be produced and sold. Frei, Roldan and Schmetzer are pictured left holding their respective scarves.

In 2017, Scarves Fighting Cancer raised $18,000, while 2018 - where O'Connell expanded to selling both scarves and t-shirts celebrating Sounders FC players - raised over $30,000. All proceeds raised are donated to Strong Against Cancer at Seattle Children's an initiative funding game-changing immunotherapy work that allows children to be treated for cancer using their own immune systems to fight the disease, rather than harsh chemotherapy and radiation treatments.

While Christine's daughter Jane is currently in remission, O'Connell continues her dedication to supporting the immunotherapy research at Seattle Children's in the hope that it will eventually spare other children the road that Jane had to endure.

"With the right support, I know we'll see a cure for childhood cancer without the use of chemotherapy and radiation in my lifetime," O'Connell said, "and I'm going to help them find it. I have to be as relentless as cancer."

The 2019 MLS WORKS Community MVP Contest recognizes individuals using soccer to make a difference in their community. The Grand Prize winner, voted on by fans, will be announced on-field during halftime of the 2019 MLS All-Star Game in Orlando on July 31, and will receive a $25,000 donation for their selected charity. As Sounders FC's 2019 Community MVP finalist, O'Connell will receive two tickets to a 2019 MLS regular-season match, a trip to MLS All-Star week in Orlando and a $1,000 donation to her selected charity.

Fans are encouraged to vote for O'Connell twice daily at MLSsoccer.com/CommunityMVP as she competes against finalists. Voting runs through July 30.

The MLS All-Star game presented by Target, will be televised domestically on FS1 and UniMás in the U.S., on TSN and TVA Sports in Canada, and in more than 170 countries around the world. Coverage begins on Univision starting at 7 p.m. ET and FOX beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET. Tickets for the 2019 MLS All-Star Game presented by Target are available for purchase at Ticketmaster.com.

For more information about Strong Against Cancer, visit strongagainstcancer.org.

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Major League Soccer Stories from July 25, 2019


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