Obama's Secret Love for Soccer

Barack Obama grew up playing soccer in Indonesia. He also stopped a G8 Summit at Camp David to watch the 2012 Champions League Final. Fresh off Presidents’ Day, we look back at Obama’s secret love for soccer. Plus, we uncover a soccer-themed CIA conspiracy, unveil our creative agency, and much more.

This week’s stories:

• 🧐 The CIA Saved American Soccer

• 💼 CLUBELEVEN Agency

• 🤐 Obama's Secret Love for Soccer

• 🚀 USL Launches a Nuke

• 🗳️ Poll + Last Week’s Answers

• ➡️ And More

DECLASSIFIED
The CIA Saved American Soccer

I’m not crazy.

Sure, that’s exactly what a crazy person would say, but I promise we did our research and it checks out: the deep state helped save American soccer in the ‘70s.

We pored over declassified CIA documents, sifted through mountains of interviews, and uncovered buried White House memos (yes, really) to prove it.

Don’t believe us? Watch our exposé blowing the lid off one of the greatest soccer conspiracies you’ve never heard of.

BUSINESS
CLUBELEVEN Agency

When we’re not busy uncovering soccer conspiracies or digging up buried stories from our past, we’re up to some other exciting projects.

Producing videos for the Copa America Final, executing photo coverage for the USL, hosting soccer events with our partners, helping unveil exclusive Adidas F50s, and much more.

After years of helping friends and industry leaders forge meaningful connections with soccer audiences across America, we’re proud to announce the official launch of our creative agency arm.

This launch represents a consolidation of everything we’ve built on the agency side of CLUBELEVEN so far, and a renewed commitment to help our partners push boundaries in soccer storytelling and creative work. 

As you know from these weekly stories, history has always inspired us—but the real opportunity lies in writing it.

Check out clubelevenagency.com to explore our services and past projects, and drop us a line at [email protected] if you want to connect. Let’s work together to shape the future of soccer in our country.

COVER STORY
Obama's Secret Love for Soccer

In honor of Presidents’ Day, we look back at the US President who was perhaps the most obsessed with soccer.

Obama’s journey with the beautiful game began all the way back when he was six years old, living in Indonesia.

In 2009, when voicing his support for a USA World Cup bid, Obama said, "As a child, I played soccer on a dirt road in Jakarta, and the game brought the children of my neighborhood together."

Normally, I’d call BS and chalk it up to just typical political pandering from a global leader, but his actions over the years spoke louder than words.

He was captured supporting his daughter Malia from the sidelines at a youth soccer game in DC.

He watched USWNT games with his family at the White House, caught a USMNT World Cup game from Air Force One, and even used his political pull to get an autographed Messi jersey for his daughters.

He was also seen doing headers with a special soccer ball alongside Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete.

Still, all pretty standard stuff. But the example that truly did it for me, was learning he stopped a G8 Summit at Camp David to watch the 2012 Champions League Final.

More specifically, as the host president, Obama was in charge of setting the agenda and schedule for the summit, so he did what any self-respecting soccer fan (and avid diplomat) would do: he made sure there was a break in the schedule so he could watch the Chelsea vs Bayern Munich match with UK Prime Minister David Cameron and Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Legend.

Maybe that story about playing soccer in Jakarta was true after all. The soccer bug clearly never left him. 

WAR
USL Launches a Nuke

We’re at DEFCON 1.

This past week, USL announced that they plan to launch a Division One men’s professional league in 2027-28. That’d mean a league right on par with MLS under the eyes of the law.

If USL pull it off, they’d have the stage set to introduce pro-rel within their structure. Thank the heavens.

It’s something that would certainly rock the entire soccer ecosystem we have today. I’d personally love to see it happen, but there are some clear challenges ahead.

Still, we may have just heard the opening shots of the 21st-century Soccer War.

CLUBELEVEN
The Supporters Section

Are you backing the underdog or the established king? We’ll highlight your best answers next week!

CLUBELEVEN
Aggregates

Ready to Get Hurt Again: Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in! They’ve broken my spirit so many times, but after seeing their new “Soul Kit,” how can I not get invested in DC United again? Damn it.

The Freewheelin’ Soccer Sicko: He’s unstoppable. Timothée Chalamet wore a retro Columbus Crew jacket to the Berlin Film Festival.

Coachella x NWSL: The final weekend of soccer at Coachella is coming up. See how you can attend.

Pearly White: The great Jordy Marsono was out in LA for LAFC’s clash against Club America. LAFC came out sporting a new look.

Vermont Summer: Vermont Green just announced two women’s summer exhibition matches (well in advance), and they’ve secured an excellent coach/legend for the second year running.

OUR HISTORY
The Fleeting Jacksonville Generals

This week we celebrate one of the weirdest occurrences in American soccer history.

On February 17, 1988, the Jacksonville Generals became the only team (probably) to compete in a playoff game without ever participating in a single regular season match. I only say probably because the American soccer landscape is so strange that you can never be 100% certain. Either way, it’s a ridiculous feat.

It all happened because of the slight incompetence of the American Indoor Soccer Association (AISA) in 1987-88. They’d held a 24-game regular season with just four clubs, and rather than put on conventional playoffs and crown a champion, they decided to invite two provisional expansion clubs—the Jacksonville Generals + the Dayton Dynamo—and host a 12-game “Challenge Cup.”

Interestingly, the Generals had former Manchester United star and Munich Air Disaster survivor Dennis Viollet as their head coach. But it didn’t stop them from being pretty mediocre. They posted a 6-6 record and finished 3rd out of six teams.

Following the tournament, the Dayton Dynamo joined the AISA, but the Jacksonville Generals decided to disband and withdraw from the league. Looking at the official records of the AISA, the league subsequently counted the 1988 Challenge Cup as an official playoff competition, cementing the Generals as the only team to ever make a post-season without playing a single regular season game in their entire history.

Brilliant. And if you had any doubts that the American soccer gods are just absolute trolls, they made sure that the Generals’ last-ever game was on April Fools Day 1988.

EXPANSION
Hawaiian Team to the Pacific Soccer League?

A Hawaiian club could be facing Tahitian, Fijian, PNG, and New Zealand opposition as a new FIFA-backed Pacific soccer competition nears reality.

For now, it’s all up in the air, but there seem to be plans to include Hawaii in this unexpected new league.

CLUBELEVEN
Your Takes 🗯️ 

Last week, we asked you: What is the most creative/unusual soccer club name in America? Here are some of your best answers:

• “Forward Madison. Being from Oregon, I’m already biased towards Portland Bangers. But we need more names like Forward Madison in American soccer.” - Dan

• “Has to be Forward Madison. Their kits are awesome every year too.” - JD

In the poll, “Forward Madison” finished with 44% of the vote, while “Portland Bangers” also attained 44%.

Seems like we got ourselves a tie. I honestly love both of these names, but I have to give it to Forward Madison for their longevity and creativity in all areas outside of just the name.

UP NEXT
Up Around the Bend

Get ready. It’s felt like an eternity, but MLS finally returns this Saturday! Life is good again. If you can brave the cold (I’m freezing up in Boston), head over to catch your local club. Opening day is an experience you don’t want to miss.

Finally, I’d like to close out this edition by pointing out that it’s officially been one year since we started exploring all these stories every Tuesday (we started 2/20/24 but close enough). Thank you for all your support every single week—it means more than you can imagine! Here’s to many more 🙏

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