The POW Soccer Game During World War II

In 1944, an extraordinary soccer event took place at Camp Shanks, a pivotal U.S. Army embarkation point during WWII. This week, we look back at this unbelievable match that felt straight out of a movie. Plus, we examine how a high school soccer game in Nebraska captivated thousands of fans, take a closer look at the leaked USMNT World Cup roster, thank tennis player Ben Shelton for defending our soccer honor, and much more.

This week’s stories:

• 🎓 Record Attendance at High School Soccer Game

• 🎟️ $50 Tickets to the World Cup

• 🪖 The POW Soccer Game During World War II

• 🫢 USMNT World Cup Roster Leaked

• 🗳️ Poll + Last Week’s Answers

• ➡️ And More

EDUCATION
Record Attendance at High School Soccer Game

Imagine being sixteen and playing a state championship game in front of a packed stadium of 7,500+ fans.

That’s what these young lads got to experience over in Nebraska, and the scenes were unreal. It must have surely been an attendance record for high school soccer.

The kids’ll be alright…

BOX OFFICE
$50 Tickets to the World Cup

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani linked up with Brooklyn native Tim Weah to deliver some amazing news last week.

The City of New York, in partnership with the NYNJ Host Committee, has secured 1,000 affordable tickets to the World Cup for New Yorkers at $50 per seat, including free round-trip bus transportation to MetLife.

Here’s how you can enter the lottery to snag one of these tickets. You have until this Saturday to enter!

COVER STORY
The POW Soccer Game During World War II

I stumbled upon this one while reading about WWII over the weekend, and I was shocked.

Turns out that in 1944, the two-time defending Open Cup Champions, Brooklyn Hispano, squared off against a team of Italian POWs at Camp Shanks in New York. And it’s quite a fascinating story.

Camp Shanks in Orange County, NY, was the embarkation point for more than a million U.S. troops headed for Europe during WWII, and it was essentially known as “Last stop USA” before making the journey to the front lines.

From 1944 to 1946, though, the camp was also used to hold prisoners of war, predominantly from Italy. Once Italy switched sides to fight the Nazis, many of the Italian captives became part of the Italian Services Unit and were given non-combat-related jobs to help with the war effort. Members of the ISU were essentially treated the same as U.S. soldiers, being paid for their work, and were also allowed to leave the camp on liberty.

But how did ISU members end up playing the best soccer team in the country at the time?

Well, in 1944, over 200 army brass attended the Open Cup Final, and one of the lieutenants who watched the game was so impressed by Brooklyn Hispano that he approached their manager to not only bring the team to Camp Shanks for a game, but to also help organize a formal league for the prisoners in the New York area.

Even further, Brooklyn Hispano players later participated in a special game to sell War Bonds to help in the war effort.

It’s a truly incredible story dug up by renowned soccer writer and historian Charles Cuttone. Read it right here!

CONFIDENTIAL
USMNT World Cup Roster Leaked

I don’t even know how this happened, but the USMNT World Cup roster leaked last week.

There were some surprises in the list, and there were lots of varying opinions flying around online regarding the squad selection. Check out the reported list here.

The official reveal event will be today at 3 pm EST.

CLUBELEVEN
The Supporters Section

Let us know your thoughts—we’ll feature your best answers next week!

CLUBELEVEN
Aggregates

The Correct Response: Great answer from American tennis player Ben Shelton to an Austrian journalist dissing the USMNT.

Messi Injury: Alarm bells were ringing all over the world as Messi exited the Inter Miami vs Philadelphia Union match with an apparent injury. Here’s what we know so far…

Ryan World Cup Meet Up: You’re only allowed to check out this invite if your name is Ryan. Otherwise, keep scrolling…

Reunion: A wholesome encounter between former teammates Timothée Chalamet and Alex Muyl. Check it out!

Tarps Off: Absolute scenes down in Tampa Bay. Even the commentators had to take off their shirts and swing them around.

ARCHITECTURE
New Dream Soccer Store

The new Portland Hearts retail store is an absolute marvel.

The space was created in collaboration with countless Maine craftspeople, featuring several new products made by local artists, and materials sourced and salvaged from all corners of the state.

See the incredible BTS of how it all came together here. Super cool!

EVENTS
Sacramento World Cup Hub

An awesome initiative by our friends over at Futsi!

If you’re in Sacramento, get ready for a summer full of live match screenings, elite 3v3 and 1v1 competition, open play, music, food, drinks, and community activations at the Futsi warehouse and courtyard.

Learn more here and stay in tune with more announcements for programming coming soon!

CLUBELEVEN
Your Takes 🗯️ 

Last week, we asked you: How excited are you for the World Cup? Here are some of your answers:

• “I’m a dedicated soccer fan: I have season tickets for my local women’s and men’s teams, I’ve traveled for Women’s World Cup, I follow teams from different parts of the world, but THIS World Cup is such an egregious money-grab and political mess that I’m just not excited for it. When they, (FIFA), alienate and price out their target audience, I have to wonder, will it be the worst World Cup ever?” - Shelli W.

• “It’s starting to become more and more real every day. Can’t wait!” - BD

The poll results came in at 45% for “Very Excited” and 27% for “Meh” in second place.

UP NEXT
Back to Seattle

Got to spend an awesome weekend in Kansas City (my first time there)! It was pretty sweet getting to see how the KC Gooners cranked things to 11 with their celebrations featuring confetti, smoke bombs, and champagne on Sunday.

Now headed to Seattle to wrap up one last project over the next couple days, and then it’ll be all hands on deck on final prep for the World Cup!

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