Obama Honors MLS Champion Colorado Rapids
DENVER (AP) -- President Barack Obama honored the Major League Soccer champion Colorado Rapids during a visit to the White House on Monday.
The Rapids won their first MLS cup in November, defeating FC Dallas.
Obama noted that the Rapids had the second-worst record of any team in the playoffs, "clawed back from behind" and kept winning. He called the team a "mini United Nations", noting that players hailed from countries such as Argentina, France, Ireland, Japan and Senegal.
He also praised the players for their willingness to do charity work off the field.
The team presented Obama with a jersey with the number 10, the number usually worn by a soccer team's leader.
The Rapids also held a soccer clinic for children of military families on the South Lawn.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
