The Soccer Moon of 1980

A thief, a disgusting act in a rivalry match, and divine intervention from the heavens. This week, we dive into the story of the most peculiar penalty shootout in American soccer history. Plus, we explore the astronomy event that almost changed the course of a franchise, look at a former MLS player trying to find love on TV, unveil our first subscriber giveaway, and much more.

This week’s stories:

• 🌓 The Columbus Eclipse

• 🎻 Hans Zimmer vs USL

• 🌝 The Soccer Moon of 1980

• 🎁 Vintage MLS Toy Giveaway

• 🗳️ Last Week’s Poll Answers

• ➡️ And More

OUR HISTORY
The Columbus Eclipse

The solar eclipse over the US yesterday marked a special occasion for astronomers all over the country. And 30 years ago, a similar event would mark the formation of one of MLS’s most successful clubs.

In 1994, MLS had promised to award a franchise to any city that was able to reach 10,000 ticket deposits. The first market to do so was Columbus, eclipsing the 10k mark on the same day as a solar eclipse cloaked Ohio. The coincidence was reflected in the team’s original moniker.

The name Columbus Eclipse was part of the city’s official application to join MLS, but clearly, it didn’t last. By the time Columbus joined the league, they had already adopted their legendary ‘Crew’ name. The list of possible names they went through and why they settled on the Crew is surprising, to say the least.

MUSIC
Hans Zimmer vs USL

It was a shocking moment when the great Hans Zimmer dropped the MLS anthem back in 2020. But it’s an inevitable part of growing as a league, and USL has finally reached that stage. On Saturday, they debuted their own anthem on CBS.

The piece was composed by Joseph Sicurella, a titan of the music industry who’s worked with Aretha Franklin, Johnny Cash, and Whitney Houston, plus earned multiple accolades in his storied career.

It’s cliche to pit MLS and USL, but considering they’re the only pro soccer leagues in our country with anthems, you can give both a listen and see which one takes the cake. Here is the MLS Anthem, and here is “United Pulse — Heartbeat of the USL.”

COVER STORY
The Soccer Moon of 1980

Yesterday wasn’t the only time the moon has left a crowd stunned. April 12, 1980, gave us one of the most surreal moments in American soccer history.

The legendary Whitecaps and Sounders of the NASL were meeting in a pivotal game that had been two years in the making — all tracing back to the 1978 World Cup.

Willie Johnston of the Whitecaps and Bruce Rioch of the Sounders had both played for the Scottish National Team at that World Cup, where Bruce had shamelessly stolen a portion of the player prize pool. Willie never forgave him. Now rivals on American shores, they’d finally get to settle the score in front of a hungry Vancouver crowd.

As if by divine intervention, the game went to penalties, and Willie had the opportunity to shoot the final penalty kick. He promptly buried it, ran by the Sounders bench, dropped his pants, and mooned Bruce Rioch. Justice of the highest order.

It’s a small anecdote from one of the oldest rivalries on our shores, but it reminds us that soccer always evens things out — with an almost cosmic sense of humor.

ENTERTAINMENT
Marco Fabian Searches for Love

The Mexican international and former Philadelphia Union man is ready for a comeback in the US. This year, he’s going to Hollywood and looking to score off the field.

Marco Fabian will be part of Peacock's latest reality dating show “Love Undercover,” where world-famous athletes from across the globe will take on new personas with the hopes of finding genuine love.

The season will follow five famous soccer players as they enter the LA dating scene and forego their lavish lifestyles and real identities. We’ll see if Marco can cut it, but it’s already looking like it’ll be TV gold. 

CLUBELEVEN
Aggregates

First Class: The first-ever USL game to be broadcast on national TV was a resounding success. Jack Harlow was there to take it in from the stands, and my brother Gabriel was on the field to capture it beautifully.

One More: We’ve lost count of how many times the USWNT and Canada have had to face off in a decisive match. It’s always great, though, and both sides will meet again tonight in the SheBelieves Cup Final.

Quantifying Soccer: We stumbled upon a pretty fascinating research paper this past week from a conference at MIT. Scientists claim they have developed a model that quantifies the expected outcome of a soccer possession at any time during the possession. Game-changer or fraud?

Groundbreakers: 200 acres of land and a $200M build. The groundbreaking ceremony for the USSF headquarters in Atlanta took place yesterday. Arthur Blank once again making moves for his market.

Grab Your Popcorn: By now, you’ve probably heard of Messi and Co’s altercation with Monterrey after losing to them at home in the CCL. The next chapter in this beef will be on Wednesday at 10:30 ET. Mark your calendar now.

EXPANSION
Another NWSL Club?

These are coming out faster than we can count. NWSL announced that the league is ready to select its latest expansion team by Q4 of this year.

A few of the potential markets in play include Denver, Minnesota, Tampa Bay, and a couple more 👀.

This would be the 16th team to enter the league, and they would start play in 2026. It would be a huge step considering NWSL will have franchises in seven of the top 10 media markets by the start of that year, and this would only give them greater reach across the country.

CLUBELEVEN
Original ‘96 MLS Toy Giveaway

Winner will be chosen at random from all those who guess correctly. If you win, we’ll contact you to send you an original 1996 MLS x Bandai figurine of your choice!

EVENTS
Neighborhood Sports Club Screening

Our good friends from Oakland have been up to something special, and now they’re ready to release their latest project: La CAN du 18 — A Neighborhood Story.

La Coupe d’Afrique des Nations (La CAN) is the biggest international football competition in Africa, and today, La CAN has been popularized in street football formats throughout arrondissements in France. Since 2019, the 18th arrondissement, located in the heart of Paris, features one of the most prolific neighborhood CAN’s in the world. Brilliantly, NSC went all the way to Paris to show us in their signature style.

The film will premiere this Friday, April 12th, at Xochi the Dog Cafe in Oakland at 7pm, with a later screening scheduled for LA on the weekend of the 20th. If you’re in the area, it’s a must-attended neighborhood event.

CLUBELEVEN
Your Takes 🗯️ 

Last week, we asked you to help us choose where our new mascot should be featured first. Here are some of your best answers:

• “T-SHIRTS. PLEASE I NEED MORE GYM PUMP COVERS.” - Kait

• “T-Shirts. Just feel like shirts would be the best way to rep the brand.” - Larry

• “Hats. Stickers are always welcome as a free shipping gift inside the box! Like, with the purchase of a hat or shirt! I put stickers EVERYWHERE But yeah, I think a hat gets more attention and come out with two at first, at least. One structured and one unstructured, to get these launched to us! Can't wait.” - Clay

In the poll, Stickers took the #1 spot with 45% of the vote, while T-shirts and Hats tied for second with 27% of the vote each.

We’ve heard your takes, and we’ll get working on those ASAP. Thank you for the suggestions!

UP NEXT
Crazy Cobblestone Streets

A few of us will be headed down to New Orleans for a special project in the Crescent City. We’ve never been before, so if you have any recommendations of things to see down there, please let us know.

In the meantime, we’ll continue with our coverage of games around the country, and we’ll continue to work on a few of those bigger stories we’ve mentioned before. Also, we’ve started to put together our CLUBELEVEN team for Icarus Cup 2024. We’re defending champions (of the lowest division) going into it, so watch out.

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Have a great Tuesday!

Pablo