Soccer saved his life, and now David Ricca champions the sport’s power to transform lives and communities through organizations like Street Soccer USA

David Ricca, Growth Advisor, Street Soccer USA; Photo by Tamara Thelander

BY NOAH JOHNSON, HISPANIC EXECUTIVE

Soccer was all David Ricca knew growing up. Some of his earliest memories are of him running around in his dad’s soccer club and watching his cousins and brother play. When he wasn’t watching, he spent countless hours on the field, working on his game and toward his dream of playing professionally.

“I had zero motivation to do anything else,” the Street Soccer USA growth advisor and business development lead recalls. “I literally played every day, watched it on TV every day, or I was watching someone else play the beautiful game.”

His passion for the sport allowed him to accomplish what most players can only dream of. His high school varsity team won the New Jersey state championship in 1994 and was ranked third in the US. Ricca joined the first all-state team, received a scholarship to play for the College of Saint Joseph, and led a successful college career that paved the way to professional and semi-professional stints. But an ACL injury ended his professional career, so he kept his dream alive through coaching, scouting, and training younger generations.

David Ricca. Street Soccer USA

David Ricca addressing parents, coaches and players at Just One Soccer’s “Parade of Champions” opening day in Newark, New Jersey. Each team is named after a country that’s in FIFA’s top rankings and the team captain carries the flag during the parade. (Photo by Tamara Thelander)

After his injury, Ricca brought the work ethic and discipline he learned on the soccer field to the likes of global financial services leader Morgan Stanley. As a financial advisor, he managed client portfolios focused on the Latin American market and would raise over $100 million in assets throughout his seven years in the role. But a year into his tenure at the company, he—and the rest of the country—were struck by tragedy.

Ricca was working in the second World Trade Center tower during the 9/11 attacks. “Of course, I was very fortunate to survive, but afterwards my life took a huge turn,” he says. “I was diagnosed with PTSD and was consumed by it for the rest of my career on Wall Street. It made me forget about my love for soccer, family, and all the good things I had. It really messed me up.”

In 2006, Ricca placed soccer at the forefront of his healing journey. He took a year off from work and returned to the game he always loved. He played with friends and family again and took up his old coaching role, serving as the reminder he needed.

“It was the vehicle to help me get better and to fight the PTSD,” Ricca says. “It brought back everything I stand for and helped me get back to a better place mentally.”

His return to soccer also made him want to share the power of the sport with others—both inside and outside the sports industry. After serving as a business development manager at CBS, Ricca served on the 2010 FIFA World Cup Organizing Committee as part of the media and marketing team. He worked with Major League Soccer and Soccer United Marketing as a USA liaison. In 2009, he started his own company, Just Live Soccer, which helps soccer clubs, leagues, and federations with their marketing, leveraging data, analytics, and innovation to achieve their goals.

Additionally, Ricca made it his mission to serve as a growth and strategic advisor for organizations that are as passionate about sharing the beauty of the game as he is. One of those organizations is Street Soccer USA, which aims to fight poverty and strengthen communities through soccer. It was founded in 2009 by two brothers out of a homeless soup kitchen in North Carolina and has helped more than seventy-five thousand players in some of the country’s most challenged neighborhoods.

David Ricca. Street Soccer USA

David Ricca with hosts Jorge Ramos (left) and María Antonieta Collins (right) after filming his live guest appearance on Univision’s 9/11 20th Anniversary Special. (Photo by Tamara Thelander)

Drawing from his background in business, marketing, and finance, Ricca is helping the organization reach even more young people.

“We’re trying to build as many mini-soccer fields as we can in time for the 2026 World Cup in the US,” he says. “We want to help the community and encourage kids to get out there and play and to get them excited about soccer.”

“For me, the sport is instrumental in teaching kids about how to be a good teammate, how to be disciplined, and how to have accountability,” Ricca adds. “If we can get more kids involved in it, they’ll reap those benefits and more.”

Ricca also serves as strategic advisor for Kin Analytics, a Hispanic-owned company that uses a set of algorithms to measure tactical and technical performance at a team and player level, counting the Brazilian National Soccer Team as one of their platform users. As part of Kin Analytics’ community outreach, Ricca was instrumental in securing free access to the platform for players from Just One Soccer League, a soccer club in the underserved community of Newark, New Jersey.

“The game has taken me places I never thought I’d be,” Ricca says. “I want to give that opportunity to both kids and adults, just to have that feeling of watching a great game or just getting out there and doing something for their mental health.”

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