Americans Recorded the WWI Christmas Soccer Truce

In the middle of World War I, British and German troops famously stopped fighting to play soccer on Christmas Day. In this holiday edition, we look at how American journalists were the first to break this now-iconic story to the whole world in 1914. Plus, we dive into some marine biology lessons with USWNT goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce, examine a polarizing Netflix deal, and much more.

This week’s stories:

• 🎄 A Dallas Tornado Christmas

• 🦑 Phallon vs ChrisMD

• 🤝 Americans Recorded the WWI Christmas Soccer Truce

• 📺 The World Cup Live On Netflix

• 🗳️ Poll + Last Week’s Answers

• ➡️ And More

OUR HISTORY
A Dallas Tornado Christmas

Ah, the Dallas Tornado. Stumbled upon this old NASL Christmas card from the 1970s and just had to share it.

Out of the original twelve teams that comprised the NASL, the Dallas Tornado played for the longest amount of time. 15 seasons to be exact. And one of their most impressive feats during that time was giving Santa a run for his money.

In 1967, they played 49 matches across 27 countries in just seven months. Pure madness. Saint Nick could never.

CULTURE
Phallon vs ChrisMD

What a crossover. One of the greatest soccer YouTubers ever kickin’ it with Phallon — the stellar Manchester United goalkeeper, USWNT player, and marine biologist. She’s got quite the resume.

It’s good to see these two collaborate, plus, it’s also the perfect excuse to dive right into Phallon’s back story. After all, she could very well become our new No. 1 in goal.

Oh, and she also makes awesome videos related to marine biology. Just check this one out — it’s not what you’d expect at all. She’s too cool.

COVER STORY
Americans Recorded the WWI Christmas Soccer Truce

It’s a story that makes the rounds every Christmas, but seldom has the American side been told.

In 1914, in the middle of World War I, it’s said that British and German troops stopped fighting to celebrate Christmas and play soccer scrimmages. For many fans across the globe, it’s the perfect example of soccer’s unique ability to unite people in spite of their differences.

It’s a tale that holds special meaning for millions around the world, and somehow, America played its own part too.

These series of unofficial ceasefires were not reported by the press for a week, until The New York Times finally broke the news on December 31, 1914. Their article detailed food being traded, photos being taken, and some soccer being played. So, interestingly enough, a renowned American paper was the first to tell this story to the world.

Even though British papers would’ve likely broken the story anyway, there’s something awesome about knowing The New York Times did it first. It shows us we’ve always been soccer storytellers at heart.

One of the greatest soccer stories of all time was first printed and recorded by an American paper. It’s just impossible not to swell with pride.

TV
The World Cup Live On Netflix

This one’s got people split. On Friday, FIFA and Netflix jointly announced that the next two editions of the Women’s World Cup will air exclusively on Netflix in the United States in 2027 and 2031.

By far, it is the most significant deal FIFA has signed with a streaming service for a major tournament. It completely breaks the mold of broadcasting World Cups on free-to-air public networks to reach the biggest audiences.

It’s a true gamble, and this deal could really be a double-edged sword. Some claim that including the World Cup into the fold of subscription streaming “may restrict accessibility, limit viewership and curtail the lively public viewing parties central to American sports culture.”

Others claim that Netflix is already “the new cable” and might be the easiest way to reach younger audiences who predominantly use this streaming platform as their primary way to consume TV entertainment.

What do you think? Will it hurt or help the sport?

CLUBELEVEN
The Supporters Section

Let’s see what the community has to say. We’ll highlight your best answers next week!

CLUBELEVEN
Aggregates

A USL Love Story: Celebrating the USL’s first-ever interleague wedding. Susanna Friedrichs from DC Power FC and Simon Fitch from the Richmond Kickers tied the knot over the weekend. Congratulations to the newlyweds!

Done Deal: We were starting to get worried. The City of Boston and BOS Nation FC have finally signed a 10-year, public-private lease agreement for White Stadium, Mayor Michelle Wu announced yesterday. Seems like BOS Nation FC will have a proper home for their inaugural season.

Load of Crock: This outcome was expected in San Antonio. Many fans had been rightfully complaining that introducing parking charges would stifle the lively tailgate atmosphere they’d fostered for years. Well now, San Antonio’s first soccer supporters group, the Crocketteers, announced that they will not be an active supporters group in 2025. Sounds like they were just fed up. 

Perfectly Balanced: FIFPro released an in-depth study on the development of Women’s Soccer, and they dropped a brilliant stat. NWSL has been the “most balanced” league in the world over the past decade. Good to see numbers that finally back up what we’ve known all along.

One-Shot Gregg: The transition to Chicago seems to have done Berhalter some good. He’s even scoring hockey trick shots now. 

BUSINESS
Club World Cup Tix

The time has come. Club World Cup tickets dropped last week right here.

And to the surprise of absolutely no one, Ticketmaster added “adaptive pricing” to the tickets. Which is essentially fancy jargon for: you’ll be paying an arm and a leg.

It seems some of the prices have dropped over the past few days, though, but still. The rest of the world would be appalled if they knew how much we pay to go to a soccer game. It’s Christmas, though, so maybe treat it as an end-of-the-year present to yourself?

RANDOM
The Danny Conspiracy

This one’s for the soccer nerds (so all of us, clearly). It turns out that 12.5% of USL Championship coaches are named Danny. Also, no other coaches share the same first name.

There’s your crazy stat to share around the Christmas dinner table.

In other coaching news, though, it’s great to see that one of the most iconic managers in USL history is back. And he’s not a Danny.

CLUBELEVEN
Your Takes 🗯️ 

Last week, we asked you how you would rate the inaugural San Diego FC kit? Here are some of your best answers:

• “There isn’t anything about the kit, other than the crest, to make it distinctive. It’s boring, when it should be a statement piece.” - Shelli W.

• “Meh.” - Tim T.

• “Boring and as such in offensive.” - Nick Y.

• “Too simple just like their crest. They could have done much more. Take inspiration from the Wave.” - Dario

• “Boring!!!!” - Steve

In the poll, “Dislike It” and “Hate It” earned 73% of the vote combined. To be honest, I didn’t like it much either. I was expecting something that popped a little bit more or that referenced San Diego more clearly. It doesn’t seem we got any of that. Maybe the away jersey will be better? Let’s hope.

UP NEXT
Holidays

I love this time of year. I’ll be napping like this Argentina fan above. Have a wonderful time with your friends and family, enjoy the rest, and watch some soccer if you have time. Happy Holidays from all of us at CLUBELEVEN!

Enjoying This?

Make sure to forward this email to a friend and help us spread the soccer gospel far and wide! We’ll see you next week with even more untold stories of soccer.

Have a great Tuesday!

Pablo