Sep 21, 2007  |  By: ZACK ROSEN  | COMMENTS     

Members of the D.C. Federal Triangles, Washington’s gay and lesbian soccer club, live locally and act globally. They’ve traveled annually to countries around the world to play in the International Gay & Lesbian Football Association World Championship soccer tournament. This year, the men’s team breaks new ground by flying to Argentina for South America’s first-ever gay world cup, held from Sept. 23-29.

Past tournaments have been hosted by London, Copenhagen and Chicago, but the International Gay & Lesbian Football Association (IGLFA) decided to hold this year’s tournament in Buenos Aires as a way to reach out to South America.

Though Argentina is the self-proclaimed birthplace of soccer, the D.C. team is hardly a pushover. The group won a gold medal in Montreal at last year’s Outgames and, combined with the Philadelphia team, a bronze medal in London in 2001. They’re confident that this year’s games could bring similar success.

“We have high expectations,” says co-captain and center midfielder Dan White. “The competition will be very tough but we have a great group of players that have both been around for many years and some new players, a mix of young and old. We like our chances.”

White has been playing soccer in various clubs since he was nine and was a founding member of the Federal Triangles 17 years ago. Since then, the league has grown to more than 100 registered players and 100 associated part-time players spread over men’s, women’s and co-ed teams.

The Triangles usually send a women’s team to the world cup, but this year’s later tournament, combined with the schedules of many school teacher players, made sending a women’s squad impossible.

“This is the only year I can remember not having a woman join us,” says the team’s other co-captain and goalkeeper Jim Ensor.

Funds were raised for travel through membership dues, yard sales and a sponsorship from AOL’s gay outreach initiative. As a member of Team D.C., the District’s umbrella organization for gay sports, the group also held a silent auction during a local wine tasting.

THOUGH SOCCER IS THE main focus of the trip, the sponsors of the world cup have made sure that the players can enjoy social outlets, as well. There’s an opening party at a disco, a bar night, a river tour and a closing party for the 30-plus teams attending the championship.

“There tends to be soccer with life involved,” says Ensor about the event. “It’s a good way to travel and you get some free time throughout the tournament to do what you want to do. The organizers are good at giving ideas of what to do in a gay-friendly environment. It’s more of a social event with soccer at its heart.”

Buenos Aires is a late night city –– most clubs don’t even open until midnight –– and the week’s schedule reflects that. While the games traditionally begin at 9 a.m., this year’s matches don’t start until 11 a.m., although most players are hyper-aware of their main focus.

“We try to keep a tight leash on them for the big games, but people are pretty responsible about balancing having an awesome time and being ready to play a game the next day,” White says. “There’s not any more hooking up that goes on than usual, but it is a place where some people meet and the romance blossoms here and there.”

Despite all the entertainment options, there’s still plenty of competition on the field. White says the teams to watch out for this year are America’s Florida and San Francisco teams, and the historically successful Paris and London teams, as well.

The games are played in teams of 11, though D.C. will be bringing 16 players to guard against losses due to injury and exhaustion. If the team does make it to the finals, it will have played anywhere between six and eight grueling soccer games over the course of a single week.

Luckily for the Triangles, they already have someone in place in Buenos Aires to help them balance their athletic, social and rejuvenation needs. A former pickup player with the group, the son of a diplomat, currently studies Spanish in the Argentine capital, giving the team an inside man, something not unusual given Washington’s international flair.

“We live in such a cosmopolitan city,” says team coordinator and wing defenseman Andy ...