Raiders of the Lost Trophy

America's oldest soccer trophy — crafted in 1884 — went missing for 100 years. This week, we look at the story behind the quest to find it, and how a man in Texas recently unearthed it at a flea market. A fitting tale to celebrate the anniversary of the first Indiana Jones film (released this week in 1981). Plus, we recap our time at TST, take a look at a seminal moment in US soccer history, gear up for our first CLUBELEVEN event of 2024, and much more.

This week’s stories:

• 🛬 Pelé Arrives in the States

• 🖼️ Wilson’s Gallery

• 🏆 Raiders of the Lost Trophy

• ⚽ 12 Pentagons

• 🗳️ Poll + Last Week’s Answers

• ➡️ And More

OUR HISTORY
Pelé Arrives in the States

This week marks the 49th anniversary of Pelé’s arrival at the New York Cosmos. On June 10th, 1975, he signed for the glitzy American club, and on June 15th, he made his much-anticipated debut.

In his pitch to sign the Brazilian star, then-manager Clive Toye told Pelé, “If you go there [Real Madrid or Juventus] all you can do is win a championship. You come here, you win a country.”

And Toye was right. Pelé’s arrival was a flashpoint moment for the sport in America. The way it all came together is quite a story.

CLUBELEVEN
Wilson’s Gallery

With a festive summer ahead, join us in NYC on June 28-29 for a special celebration of art, soccer, and the arrival of Copa America on our shores.

For our first event of the year, we’ll be hosting a Soccer Art Gallery and Copa America watch party alongside the Wilson Favela Project and KidSuper Studios.

This gallery event aims to uplift the work of international and domestic artists alike, bring support for the Wilson Favela Project, and give soccer fans in NYC a chance to enjoy an exciting evening of Copa America festivities.

Although we are sold out for Night 1 on June 28th, the gallery will be open to everyone starting at noon on June 29th. We’d love to see you there!

In addition, if you have any art you’d like to submit or know any artists in your network, please feel free to email us back with details.

COVER STORY
Raiders of the Lost Trophy

The American Football Association trophy from 1884 is considered the “Holy Grail” of US Soccer. Not only because it’s the oldest soccer trophy in America — and one of the oldest in the world — but also because it vanished without a trace.

The trophy was awarded right up until 1924, when it disappeared under strange circumstances. For decades, no one knew of its whereabouts. By sheer coincidence, a curious man stumbled upon it at a Texas flea market and solved the century-long mystery. He had no idea what the piece was, but he ended up making one of the greatest discoveries in global soccer history.

For reference, the trophy is older than the current FA Cup.

It’s an unbelievable tale full of intrigue, luck, and a happy ending. You have to see it to believe it.

WARNING
Catastrophe in the Making?

The biggest story of the week. By now you’ve heard the result. A calamitous 5-1 defeat to Colombia that has everyone up in arms.

Speaking to folks down at TST in North Carolina, people fell into two camps: #BerhalterOut and #WeShouldKeepHimAtThisPoint.

There were solid arguments for firing him or keeping him.

CLUBELEVEN
The Supporters Section

Let us know why you think so. We’ll highlight your best answers next week!

CLUBELEVEN
Aggregates

Rabona: Gossamr just dropped a new crop top tee celebrating the women’s game. And stay tuned for yet another release later this summer.

Unreal Friendlies: Arsenal just confirmed their first-ever U.S. tour. They’ll face Chelsea and an NWSL duo. Catch the info here.

Footy Temple: We received this wonderful tarot soccer card at the ABFC event in North Carolina. The Footy Temple was special.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game: It was a record-breaking evening at Wrigley Field. The Chicago Red Stars pulled off a fantastic night for WoSo.

Joga Feio Auction: It’s one of the nicest collections of custom jerseys we’ve ever seen, and they could be all yours. Plus, proceeds from the auction go to charity. Win-win.

CLUBELEVEN
Our Week at TST

The past seven days in Cary, NC, were a blast. From meeting different creators to covering the whole tournament, there were many highlights.

En route to the championship game, Nani was a menace. Following a mid-game spat with Sacha Kljestan in the knockouts, he left us with a wonderful postcard at full-time.

Pat McAfee’s team surprised everyone. No one really expected much from the former Colts player, but he gave an assist that would’ve made Pirlo proud. Shoutout to Rafa and Tyler for getting this unreal angle.

We also got to participate in an unofficial creator’s pick-up session on Sunday. The CLUBELEVEN squad put on a solid shift and proved we still have what it takes to sprinkle some magic on the pitch.

Huge shoutout to Andrew Stewart from Boost Football for gifting me a pair of Tiempos so that I could participate.

We can’t thank everyone enough for these amazing days of working together, meeting up, and sharing in the fun of TST.

ART
12 Pentagons

For the past two years, St.Louis-based ball designer & content creator Jon-Paul Wheatley has been working on launching his own ball company. Finally, he will be unveiling 12 Pentagons on June 12th.

The company will be dropping limited-edition balls throughout the year, with each ball having unique constructions and materials.

The first drop will be tomorrow, featuring a design consisting of 92 panels (12 pentagons, 80 hexagons), hand-stitched premium Italian leather, and individual numbering.

Jon-Paul will also be using his social media as a public R&D lab, where if a ball resonates with his audience, it will occasionally graduate the lab and become available in limited release through 12 Pentagons.

It’s a clever concept in a space that seems relatively untouched. You can follow Jon-Paul here. His previous work is magnificent.

CLUBELEVEN
Your Takes 🗯️ 

Last week, we asked you what your favorite cleat brand of all time was. Here are some of your answers:

• “Nike. Specifically, the Mercurial line can’t be beaten.” - Ben

• “Adidas. The Predators are probably the most iconic boots of all time.” - T

In the poll, “Nike” and “Adidas” tied with 30% of the vote each, while “Puma” earned the third spot with 15% of the vote. No surprises there

UP NEXT
Events, Copa America, and More

There’s no stopping. This week, we’ll be in Rochester working on a special project tying back to a team from the ‘60s. We’ll also continue our preparations for our event later this month and start finalizing everything ahead of Copa America. We adore the summer months.

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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