One thing we can’t gatekeep is soccer. ICYMI, decades of groundbreaking culture have caught on, phenomenal players have arrived, and there are too many USWNT titles for that. And with the biggest ever men’s world championship kicking off in North America, the sport’s new epicenter, the floodgates are open. That said, fears that soccer could lose authenticity and transparency in the hype, fraught politics and capitalist slop of this so-called watershed summer aren’t unfounded. What does it mean to identify as a soccer fan? How important is the location and format? Is it a good thing that soccer’s subcultures and equipment are becoming mainstream? And how do we ensure that soccer is more accessible, while tackling threats to its inclusive core values? Latino communities, in particular, have a deeply ingrained, cross-generational passion for fútbol that trumps any naysayer. For this Dazed League zine, which succeeds Dazed Maxx in partnership with Nike, we connect with grassroots heroes across the US soccer scene to benchmark where we’re at as the tide turns on home turf. 

Kids of Immigrants co-founder Daniel Buezo, artists Estevan Oriol and Antoine J. Girard, filmmaker Ariana Mamnoon, pro-skater Louie Lopez, players Aiden Colocho and Naomi Kelley (via her dad), and cross-cultural builder Sara Kassed gathered in Los Angeles to cut through the noise and explain why they live and breathe soccer. This elite group of playmakers embodies the intersectional mirror the game holds up to society. More than just a sport, soccer is self-expression, style, community pride, activism and freedom. Any suggestions that Nike isn’t US soccer’s biggest trailblazer are firmly put to bed after a deep dive into the archive, to chronicle the evolution of some goated performance innovations. We also tap rising cultural commentators to break down specific US-centric developments. Tosin Makinde processed the impact and life-changing pathways that Nike’s youth street soccer platform TOMA La Noche sparks in LA; while Zoe Allen sourced some of the nation’s best sing-along stadium chant lore; and Naomi Accardi-Talleyrand unpacked the cultural identity and social rituals inspiring a new wave of soccer watch parties with her systemarosa co-founder Sam Herzog.

Dazed League is a visceral answer for anyone wondering why they should care that soccer is catching fire across the United States. We’re witnessing history, the nuanced reality of getting hooked on a sport that’s curiously bigger elsewhere. Embrace the chaos and euphoria. Tucked inside the zine are bespoke stickers, an illustrated tournament bracket sheet, and four delicious watch party recipes curated by Lucky Dinner Club founder and chef Gabrielle Macafee that should encourage you to keep score and customize your own place in soccer culture. Ultimately, we’re in this league together.