Mississippi Brilla is an amateur soccer club and Christian ministry that calls Clinton, Mississippi home, and with a penalty shootout win over the New Orleans Jesters last night, they have earned the opportunity to host a 2nd round match-up in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, a tournament that dates back to before World War I, making it one of the longest running national soccer tournaments in the world! Their opponents in the 2nd round will be the Indy Eleven, a team out of Indianapolis that plays their home games in Lucas Oil Stadium, the Home of the Indianapolis Colts.
If you’re unfamiliar with Mississippi Brilla, you should check out what they’ve accomplished in little more than a decade. From humble beginnings as Mississippi Brilla Soccer Ministry to a shift towards recruiting promising young talent becoming a real soccer club, Mississippi Brilla the Magnolia State’s premiere pipeline for young talent to develop both professional and spiritually. With players from almost 40 different countries putting on the Brilla Blue in the last 12 years, they are still considered an amateur team, so the players are only offered room and board for their participation.
The 2nd round meeting will take place Wednesday, May 16th at 7:00 PM at the Clinton High School stadium, and it will likely be live-streamed on YouTube. If you are anywhere near Clinton, you should make it a point to come out and support a local soccer club that not only represents the soccer-loving community of Mississippi well, but they find ways to use their platform to teach others about the salvation and peace that can be found in Jesus Christ.
