U.S. keeper Zack Steffen has a goal beyond 2022 World Cup success: To give back

Zack Steffen stood Wednesday afternoon in the gym at the Caring People Alliance R.W. Brown Boys and Girls Club, surrounded by a pack of summer campers at the North Philadelphia facility.

The Downingtown native is projected to be the World Cup goalkeeper for the U.S. men’s national team later this year. Steffen gave the kids advice, answered their questions, was a guest on their podcast, donated $10,000 to the center, and broke a sweat riding a scooter through an obstacle course.

Now it was time for a group photo before he departed. Before the cameras flashed, the kids formed a “W” — for the World Cup — with their fingers. And that is why the 27-year-old Steffen spent the day in North Philly.

Steffen, who is biracial, grew up in a predominantly white town in predominantly white Chester County. He has two younger sisters who are biracial, but their parents — the siblings were raised by their biological mother and adopted father — are white. Most of Steffen’s friends growing up — “I was one of probably three or four Black kids in my grade,” he said — were white.

His journey has taken him around the world and it could lead to his standing in goal in November as the United States plays its first World Cup match in eight years. It would be quite the journey from Downingtown to Qatar, and perhaps it may have been easier years ago for a Black kid in Chester County to dream about reaching soccer’s biggest stage if he had the representation in his life that he provided to the kids at R.W. Brown.

“That fuels him,” said his mother, Stefanie. “What fuels him is not only his competitive drive as an athlete but also letting these kids of color see someone who looks like them achieve and be able to do something at a level that he has and have that celebrity and also be out there doing good. Being able to be that mentor, that role model, I think that fuels him as much as it does to win, to make money, and to do all those things. This is equally important for him.

“My kids grew up in a mostly white, suburban area. And I wish I had paid more attention to their skin color and talked to them about it, but I didn’t [because] ‘We had a nice life.’ I think now as a Black man, he’s embraced that and wants to give back.”

A former player in the Union’s academy, Steffen plays professionally in England — he’ll be on loan next season as a starter for Middlesbrough F.C. after spending two seasons as a backup with world power Manchester City — but it was his time in Major League Soccer that inspired him to start his own foundation.

The league required players each season to complete a certain amount of charity work and Steffen visited hospitals and soccer camps. He loved it and began thinking in early 2020 about starting his own foundation. He just wasn’t sure what its mission would be.

“Sadly, there’s so many problems in this world,” Steffen said.

Six months later, George Floyd was murdered by a police officer in Minneapolis and Steffen was awakened.

“I think that was a trigger for him,” his mother said. “He’s always been extremely humble and concerned about giving back, but I think that was a trigger. When that happened, a switch flipped for him that he wanted to use the success he had, the celebrity, and to transform it into something other than just mindless tweets and posts. I think that was a defining moment that led him to getting involved.”

Steffen cofounded the VoyceNow Foundation in June 2020 along with Alex Crognale, his former teammate with the Columbus Crew. The foundation’s mission is to “build a global community of athletes dedicated to speaking up on current social issues, educating the next generation on racial equality and inspiring communities of color.” The organization is “dedicated to speaking up, creating equal opportunities for all, advancing youth sports and after-school programs, and ultimately bringing communities together.”

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“We named it Voyce Now with a ‘Y’ instead of an ‘I’ because we all have a voice and we all should voice what we’re feeling,” Steffen said. “When things happen and it’s not the right thing, we should speak out. We should always do the right thing. It’s all about giving back to the next generation and showing these kids the right way of doing things and the right way to treat people.

“I started this foundation to bring athletes into these communities and give these kids hope and motivation and the belief that they could walk in our shoes one day. For myself, a Black man, to come into these communities and be successful as I am and to have a charity that gives back, I hope it gives a lot of hope and belief to these kids.”

Steffen’s parents separated when he was young, leaving his mother to care for three children. It wasn’t easy, but Stefanie Steffen made it work. She married Derek Steffen when Zack was 7 years old. He adopted Zack and his sisters Katy and Lexy, and the three kids took Derek’s last name.

“As parents, we’re role models by our actions and I think the kids always saw me as a hard worker and willing to sacrifice anything for them,” Stefanie Steffen said. “It was just the way that it was going to be and particularly because their dad wasn’t around, I was even more invested in making sure that my oldest three have everything. Zack and I have a real tight bond because of how tough those initial years were and it gives us a real appreciation for the life we have now.”

Steffen was too young then to understand the challenges his mother faced, but he has grown to appreciate how she overcame them. His mother, Steffen said, is his biggest fan. And Steffen said he feels the same way about her.

“She means everything to me. She instilled so many core values that I live by and that Voyce Now lives by and have gotten me to where I am today. All the thanks and praise to her,” Steffen said. “I’m very grateful and thankful for all the sacrifices. To grow up and fully understand what she went through by herself for a long time, kudos to her. She’s a very strong and brave woman and I’m trying to give everything I can back to her.”

Steffen is the cofounder of VoyceNow, but his whole family is involved. His mother and two younger brothers Ben and Cole came with him to R.W. Brown, and the merchandise they sell to raise money for centers like the one at Eighth Street and Montgomery Avenue is shipped out of their Downingtown home.

The murder of Floyd motivated Steffen to connect more with Black culture. “It’s something I do wish I knew a little bit more about growing up, but that’s kind of why I’m doing this now,” he said, “going into these communities and talking to these kids about what their lives are like.” It led his mother to do the same.

“She’s very active and attentive to learning about the Black culture,” Steffen said. “She sends me links and books all the time. ... She’s part of VoyceNow and wants to do the same thing that I’m doing, which means the world to me.”

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Steffen says that he has never experienced police brutality and that the racist comments he encounters now are mostly on social media. The extent of racism Steffen faced growing up in Downingtown was when people would stop his parents and tell them how nice it was that they adopted three Black children.

“We just we’re like ‘Whatever,’” Stefanie Steffen said. “He didn’t have to deal with it. He was very lucky. But now seeing what’s going on in the world, seeing George Floyd’s murder, it makes him keenly aware of his skin color. He wants to do something about it. It was a factor that he didn’t have to deal with growing up and now he wants to do it.”

And that’s why the goalkeeper has connected with places like R.W. Brown. His $10,000 donation came a year after he gave the center $12,500, which helped upgrade the facility’s computer lab. VoyceNow consists of more than 150 athletes over six sports in 13 countries. It has partnered with Boys and Girls Clubs in eight cities and has served nearly 60,000 youngsters.

“He’s a role model to all these kids but also within our family. He’s a role model for all of us, even me,” Stefanie Steffen said. “To see how involved he’s become, it’s an opportunity for our family to support him. The celebrity he’s achieved is amazing, but to me, he’s just my kid.

“He’s such a humble, hardworking, kind guy. He has the best moral compass and character. That trumps anything else he does. He’s achieved great success and celebrity, but ultimately, he’s our Zack.”

Steffen will return soon to England, where his loan to Middlesbrough should provide needed playing time before the World Cup. If all goes as planned, he’ll be in goal for the U.S. on Nov. 21 against Wales.

The last U.S. World Cup goalie — Tim Howard — was Steffen’s hero when he was a teenager, as not only was Howard an elite goalkeeper but he is biracial. It was the representation Steffen needed to see. Howard said last year that Steffen “will and should be the greatest U.S. goalkeeper of all time.”

Steffen has the chance later this year to inspire the kids at R.W. Brown — the ones who formed their fingers into a “W” — the same way.

“That gives me chills right now,” Steffen said. “That’s what I’m going to work hard for and use as motivation so that I can do exactly that.”