Football
ESPN staff 6y

Stars come out for 'Kick In For Houston' charity game

A celebrity soccer game in Houston on Saturday night raised about a quarter of a million dollars to support those affected by Hurricane Harvey.

The "Kick in for Houston" event, organized by former Dynamo player Stuart Holden following August's devastating storm, ended in a 12-12 draw after a lighthearted 8-on-8 contest on a 60-foot pitch at BBVA Compass Stadium.

The game raised over $239,000, according to the event's website, while a penalty shootout event at halftime raised $14,000.

Holden was among the scorers as he captained his side against one led by former NBA star Steve Nash, who competed alongside current and former U.S. internationals including Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, Brian Ching, Charlie Davies, Brian McBride, Eddie Johnson, DaMarcus Beasley, Chris Wondolowski, Kyle Martino, Alexi Lalas and Mia Hamm.

Dempsey provided one of the top highlights of the night with a bicycle kick past a goalkeeper from the Dynamo academy.

But there was also a large presence of non-professionals, including the likes of astronaut Scott Kelly and YouTube stars Jake Paul and Kade Speiser.

Skier Bode Miller earned $1,500 for charity by shooting a penalty into the top corner during halftime.

After playing the role of coach for most of the game, Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman ignored orders not to actually play by coming off the bench for the final few minutes.

"Amazing," Holden said after the game. "If I pictured three months ago after I sent that tweet that this was going to be the turnout... everybody that came, all the athletes, all the people in the crowd, all the work that's gone on behind the scenes, I can promise you it's a lot more than it seems.

"I'm caught up in the middle of all this, but I thought this was an amazing, amazing night, and I hope to do another of these in the future."

Fund-raising efforts will continue with game-worn jerseys from the event available at auction. FS1 will broadcast the game on Sunday evening.

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