On the field, the behavior is called sportsmanship. Off the field, it is called compassion. The U.S. under-17 women’s soccer team brought compassion on the field when it competed against Haiti in the CONCACAF championship in Costa Rica. Haiti came into the contest two months removed from the January 2010 earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people. One of the Haitian goalkeepers lost her parents. The federation’s soccer headquarters in Port-au-Prince collapsed killing 32 people inside. U.S. goalie Bre Heaberlin was surprised the Haitian team even showed up for the tournament and wanted to help. Heaberlin told a reporter, “I was really amazed that they would play. A lot of my teammates talked about doing a fundraiser or something to help them.” U.S. Soccer decided to equip its young team with the tools to be of assistance. They packed all the soccer gear, clothing and toiletries they could handle and took it to Costa Rica for the Haitian team. The match itself was not much of a contest. The Haitians carried the hurt of an entire nation on their backs. After losing to the U.S. 9-0, the Haitian goalie fell to the ground in tears. Heaberlin and her teammates did not allow the player to stay there alone. “We started walking to her,” Heaberlin said. “Her coach helped her up and I opened my arms and hugged her. She was crying and I was crying. And all of my teammates began crying. Nobody spoke any French. We communicated with a nod and a smile.” Hugs, however, are understood in any language. The embrace lasted about 90 seconds of real time, but the impact on all the girls will last forever. Abby Wambach of the U.S. women’s national team sent her young counterparts an uplifting message: “It is rare to have moments like that show up, but even [rarer] to actually do the right thing when they arise. It takes people who think outside of themselves to do what you all did. I believe it truly shows one’s character.” The U.S. team’s sportsmanship continued beyond game day. Heaberlin even went so far as to start a charitable foundation to benefit the Haitian players. Last July, the entire Haiti under-17 team was flown to Orlando to compete in the Disney Cup courtesy of Heaberlin’s foundation – Many Hearts One Goal. The U.S. teammates continue to lead fundraisers and clothing drives specifically to benefit the Haitian team.