SOCCER IS A CREATIVE TOOL, LET’S USE IT

The 2026 FIFA World Cup vote declared a join hosting effort between the US, Mexico and Canada. This has provided a major opportunity for the North American soccer scene to cultivate not only future national team stars, but a bustling creative scene offering a special dimension to the World’s biggest game.

adidas has revealed a content piece aiming to inspire a young and creative generation to embrace the opportunity that has risen with North America getting the 2026 World Cup. The film was created in Los Angeles and highlights that adidas look to collaborate with local artists and storytellers.

But what does the mean for the game itself? Soccer is much more than just what occurs on the pitch, it’s a culture and a lifestyle that many live through on a daily basis. And this is what adidas is looking to capture during this film, showing that is a tool that can be used to enhance the lives of young talented creators who want to find a route into the game they love.

The new campaign focused on the North America World Cup is a brand extension of adidas’ Creativity is the Answer, which calls filmmakers, photographers, artists and more from major cities around the world to co-create and shape the brand narrative.

Giovanni Reyna told adidas, “being creative on the field helps the rest of the country want to play the game and want to enjoy the game.” A resonating statement from the young NYCFC player because adidas is calling to embrace the creativity and if you do, it inspires others to create themselves.

“I think creativity is a way to connect to other people, it allows people to connect to each other and how can we push each other to be creative, says local artist Geoff Gouveia and this seems to be what adidas’ are tapping in to, to show that a wave of creativity in various sectors can develop the effort on the pitch for the national sides.

Soccer is synonymous with art. It’s a beautiful form of self-expression and creativity allowing you to provide an image that represents yourself, a brand or a cause. And this needs to be capitalised on more from global brands. There is a major opportunity for young creators to provide something special for the World Cup, showcasing what North America has to offer creatively and using this flow can really draw on the emotions of the nations’ soccer teams to really enhance belief and performance.

This creative movement that adidas’ is looking to kick-start is something that can inspire a younger generation of soccer players themselves. Not only are they calling for artists, filmmakers and other creative professions, but for the player themselves to get creative. Play with freedom. Play with belief. Play with creativity. And using a creative revolution like they are, a forceful effort can be employed to inspire the players and improve the talent generated.

For more information visit http://www.adidas.com/us/soccer and join the conversation on Twitter and Instagram with #HereToCreate.

“MUJERES” BY ARTIST RICARDO ANDRÉS VERDESOTO RUGEL

Over the weekend in Jackson Heights, Queens, local artist Ricardo Andres Verdesoto Rugel collaborated with Queenscapes, a community-based organization responsible for creating photography programs within the city for a two day pop up. On display was Rugel’s exhibit entitled “Mujeres,” a series of photographs that looks to showcase women wearing soccer kits as a means to dispel the notion that soccer is strictly a sport for men.

“Fútbol is known worldwide to be predominantly considered a “man’s sport,” but in my eyes, there hasn’t been enough attention brought to the women who are fans of the game – especially underrepresented minority women. Mujeres emphasizes on showcasing soccer jerseys as day-to-day lifestyle essentials, from the die-hard fans to the casual fans to wear. I want to influence change and rewrite the way we think about who the fans of the game are. It has become a movement, embracing female empowerment in diversity.” – Andres Ricardo Verdestoo Rugel

The photos from the exhibit were displayed at the Arepa Lady restaurant in Jackson Heights, Queens, where 50% of all photo proceeds were donated to Voces Latinos, a locally based non-profit organization that provides preventative and intervention services for everything from domestic violence to HIV/Aids. For more on the “Mujeres” photo series, make sure to check out ravr.nyc

ON PITCH: PARLEY X NYCFC KITS

Last week Parley and adidas announced another eco-friendly collaborative effort into the soccer world. Having previously worked with the likes of Bayern and Real Madrid, this years partnership took it stateside with four MLS teams. The Galaxy, Sounders, Orlando city and NYCFC all received kits which were created from recycled plastics found in the ocean via Parley’s clean-up operations. This last Saturday April 22nd was earth day, what better day for all four teams to rock the kits as they faced-off against one another during MLS’s Soccer Sunday action. We were on hand at Yankee Stadium for a clash between NYCFC and Orlando City in which both squads proudly rocked their fresh Parley X adidas kits.

BEHIND THE SCENES MLS PHOTO SHOOT

A few months back we had the privilege of partaking in MLS Media Day. The day was grueling, especially for the players, but we had a blast chatting up and shooting with some the the league’s best. Have a look at our behind the scenes re-cap video featuring the likes of Gio Dos Santos, Tim Howard, Kaka, Jack Harrison, Darlington Nagbe, Dom Dwyer and more.  

ADIDAS & MLS JOIN FORCES WITH PARLEY FOR THE OCEANS

After the success of their collaborative kits with Bayern and Madrid, the adidas X Parley contingent has teamed up with MLS for more incredibly unique kits made from recycled plastic found in the ocean.  As with the previous releases, the initiative serves to raise awareness around the harmful impact of marine plastic pollution. With that in mind, the new MLS white and grey jerseys employ fresh, alternative colorway details. They are crafted from Parley Ocean Plastic upcycled from marine plastic which is intercepted by Parley clean-up operations in coastal areas of the Maldives.  Once collected, the original plastic source is reworked into technical fibers that are re-purposed for use in apparel or footwear. In this particular iteration, the jerseys will be worn by MLS clubs. To commemorate this unique process of re-purposing the aforementioned marine plastic debris, the message “For the Oceans” is featured on the back-neck tape detailing, found inside each jersey.

“Major League Soccer and our clubs are committed to raising awareness about environmental issues through the League’s Greener Goals platform. Off the pitch, we’ll service our local communities as part of MLS WORKS Week of Service leading up to Earth Day, and we’re thrilled to support efforts on the field with adidas and Parley For the Oceans to help create a cleaner, healthier environment.” -JoAnn Neale, Chief Administrative & Social Responsibility Officer, Major League Soccer

The kits will be seen in action as the four teams that participated in the initiative will face-off Sunday, April 23rd when New York City FC host Orlando City SC at Yankee Stadium, and when LA Galaxy welcome reigning MLS Cup champions Seattle Sounders FC at StubHub Center.

For more on the adids MLS X Parley kits go to adidas.com