The Greatest Soccer Stunt of All Time

How much would you sacrifice for your club? One iconic player publicly put his body and mind on the line to rescue a beloved indoor soccer team from folding. This week, we look back at Keith Weller’s wild Hail Mary attempt to save the Tacoma Stars. Plus, we examine an incredible piece of soccer art, revisit a ridiculous away game streak, announce an upcoming collab with the bus, and much more.

This week’s stories:

• 🔥 Harrisburg Heat Heyday

• 🚌 Woody Goes to Washington

• 🎪 The Greatest Soccer Stunt of All Time

• 🌎 Between Two Worlds

• 🗳️ Poll + Last Week’s Answers

• ➡️ And More

OUR HISTORY
Harrisburg Heat Heyday

Winning three indoor away games in 48 hours? Easy. The Harrisburg Heat were a force to be reckoned with in the NPSL, and they set an incredible record with that feat back in 1992.

Funny enough, among the players on that stellar team was none other than Christian Pulisic’s dad, Mark Pulisic. A pretty crazy coincidence.

Yesterday was the anniversary of the team’s founding, so there’s no better time than now to look back at their improbable away run in ‘92… straight from someone who was on that 48-hour trip with the team!

CLUBELEVEN
Woody Goes to Washington

Growing up in the DMV, DC United was the team that inevitably pulled me into the American soccer space. Getting to take the bus over to The Stacks’ matchday block party across from Audi Field on Saturday felt like a full-circle moment. This is how it went…

If you’re from the area and weren’t able to come out (or would simply like to hang out again), we’ll be back in DC on August 15th and 16th for a special collaboration with the Washington Spirit and Guerrilla FC. We hope to catch you there!

COVER STORY
The Greatest Soccer Stunt of All Time

Soccer makes people do crazy things, but this one takes the cake.

Keith Weller was a star over in England, becoming one of Leicester City’s greatest-ever players during his career as a striker in the ‘60s and early ‘70s.

By 1978, he had moved to the States to play in the NASL, and he became a staple in the American soccer scene for the next two decades as both a player and a coach.

Yet, Weller appears to have also been a genius marketer. All you need as evidence is his stunt to save the Tacoma Stars of the Major Indoor Soccer League in 1991.

That year, the team was on the brink of ruin, and the owners stated that the only way to realistically keep themselves afloat was to sell approximately 4,000 season tickets. Without those sales, they wouldn’t be able to play the upcoming season.

So, with a clear goal in mind, Weller (who had been coaching the Stars for a couple of years) climbed a 30-foot-tall, 6×12ft platform in a shopping mall parking lot and vowed to stay there for five days or until he’d sold 1,000 season packages.

Weller had grown accustomed to heights thanks to his off-season job as a roofer, and he brought up with him bedding, a porta-potty, a Nintendo Game Boy, and an enormous cell phone to call potential ticket buyers.

After five grueling days on the platform, Weller finally came down on July 28th, 1991, having helped the club sell 3,600 season ticket packages. It was close enough to their goal, and it meant the Tacoma Stars would get to play at least one more season.

If that’s not utter love and insane devotion to your club, then I don’t know what is. From an effort and sacrifice standpoint, it’s surely the greatest grassroots soccer marketing stunt ever.

FILMS
Between Two Worlds

A super exciting release coming up! Last year, California-based creator Megan Reyes and her partner went to the Philippines for three weeks with nothing more than two cameras and two drones to learn as much as they could about soccer in the country.

This short film is a visual representation of their experiences—a doc about discovering heritage, the growth of soccer in the Philippines, and the impact of the Philippine women's national team.

Here’s how you can attend the Bay Area screening on August 17! Limited spots available.

CLUBELEVEN
The Supporters Section

Let us know which one you’d choose and why! We’ll highlight your best answers next week.

CLUBELEVEN
Aggregates

Sickos and Ents: This one is straight out of The Lord of the Rings. These crazy fans showed the true meaning of dedication.

Match of the Century: The hype for this game has reached astronomical levels. What a final we have in store over in Vermont. A dream scenario for all those who love lower-league soccer in our country.

Wild Card: The type of player you love to have on your team but loathe to play against. Hartford Athletic have an absolute menace in goal.

PROdigy: Meet the youngest pro player in Super League history.

Peak Name: Denver’s new NWSL team unveiled their name, and it’s perfect.

COMMUNITY
USA 94: Through the Eyes of the Fans

We’re teaming up with Short Corner Media on a project to relive the year that changed American Soccer, and we need your help!

We’re looking for videos, photos, or any other media you may have captured around the 94 World Cup. If you've got an old roll of film, some scattered photos, or VHS, DVD and Hi-8 tapes that have been collecting dust, we'd love to see them and bring them into the light of day. We’ll digitize select submissions and share these amazing stories with the world ahead of next summer's big event.

And as a special thank you for your help, we’ve got a giveaway for one lucky participant: this amazing vintage Jeff Hamilton World Cup 1994 jacket.

To share your World Cup story and enter, simply fill out this form.

ART
Setting Records

An absolute beauty. My two favorite things in life—soccer and music—combined to perfection.

Tuesday Pickup is one of the leading soccer artists in the country, blending repurposed football/soccer goods with home decor to create one-of-a-kind functional art pieces that you won’t find anywhere else… and he knocked this one out of the park.

Find me fighting for this record player when it drops on his site this Friday.

CLUBELEVEN
Your Takes 🗯️ 

Last week, we asked you: What's the first World Cup you fully remember? Here are some of your answers:

• “I was 10 or 11 and our English coach showed us a 16 mm film of the 1966 final. We didn't watch the entire game, but I'll always remember it.” - Toby

• “2018. I'm a Gen Z guy. (2006)” - Dario

• “Other. 2006.” - James + Musich

• “Other. 1990.” - M.L.

In the poll, “2010” finished first with nearly 32% of the vote, while “1994” followed in second with 18% of the vote. There was a wide range in responses overall.

UP NEXT
New England

The first few days of August may inadvertently end up being some of the greatest in recent New England soccer history. And by a fortunate twist of fate, we’ve been able to get the bus all the way up to Boston right during this time of year.

Stay up to date on our upcoming destinations right here 👀

Enjoying This?

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Have a great Tuesday!

Pablo