When Henry Ford Banned Soccer in Brazil

In 1928, Henry Ford tried to build a utopian city deep in the Brazilian rainforest. But he banned playing soccer, and the project failed spectacularly. This week, we look back at the incredible story of Fordlândia in Brazil and the soccer ban imposed by its creator. Plus, we go over some fun tales from the road, revisit an F1 legend’s contribution to a World Cup title, uncover Zohran Mamdani’s soccer highlight tape, and much more.

This week’s stories:

• 🚌 Tim Weah and Allen Lazard Pay Us a Visit

• 🏁 An F1 Legend and the 1994 World Cup Final

• 🚨 When Henry Ford Banned Soccer in Brazil

• ⚽ Zohran Mamdani’s Soccer Highlight Tape

• 🗳️ Poll + Last Week’s Answers

• ➡️ And More

CLUBELEVEN
Tim Weah and Allen Lazard Pay Us a Visit

A dream way to close out our time in New York.

We stopped at the Chopped Cheese Classic and got to reconnect with USMNT leader and cover star of our magazine, Tim Weah, in his native Brooklyn. Finally had the chance to show him the bus after so long. A true full-circle moment!

Plus, we got to meet up with NFL wide receiver Allen Lazard, who came out to play footy at the tournament in the morning, graciously donated a signed jersey for a giveaway, and checked out the bus at the afternoon block party. He’s been a soccer fan for years and also got a copy of our mag earlier in the year, so it was pretty sweet to get to show him everything in person, too.

Overall, it was an awesome day with the whole community in New York, and we’re still reeling from the incredible turnout. A very special thank you to Pablo’s Mate, NYC Footy, Tactico 90, and De Nos for having us be part of this grassroots endeavor and make all of it a reality—four fantastic organizations filled with amazing people that we couldn’t be more humbled to get to collaborate with.

Last but not least, we’d like to give a heartfelt thank you to everyone who came out to support. Seeing so many new and old faces step on the bus and encourage us to keep going means the world to all of us. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you!!!

OUR HISTORY
An F1 Legend and the 1994 World Cup Final

On July 17, 1994, Brazil lifted their 4th World Cup title after defeating Italy on penalties at the Rose Bowl.

Many people know the story of that infamous missed penalty by Roberto Baggio…

But not many people know the emotional and cathartic storyline for Brazil at the other end. One that transcended different sports and inspired their historic run to the championship.

COVER STORY
When Henry Ford Banned Soccer in Brazil

In the late 1920s, Henry Ford set out to build a utopian city in the Amazon Rainforest that would double as a rubber plantation for his manufacturing needs.

At the time, Ford was on top of the world. Business was booming, and he was pretty much regarded as the Steve Jobs of his time. So with a ton of money to spend, he decided to try to streamline his automobile production process by circumventing the British monopoly on rubber and building a dream manufacturing city in Brazil. He dubbed it: Fordlândia.

This town/rubber plantation had fully-functioning houses, schools, hospitals, and other recreational facilities, while attracting workers from all regions of Brazil due to the high wages and amenities provided in the town. This “utopia” even served as inspiration for Aldous Huxley’s iconic novel, Brave New World.

Nevertheless, it didn’t take long for things to hit the fan. The houses had all been pre-fabricated in the US, which meant they weren’t adequate for the humid climate of the Amazon, frustrating many of the workers. But that was only the tip of the iceberg.

Ford’s steadfast vision of designing the town according to American standards and expecting assembly-line-like efficiency would soon spell doom for his ambitious project.

Off the bat, Ford imposed strict social codes on the workforce. He instituted American working hours, prohibited alcohol and tobacco, and perhaps worst of all for the Brazilian workers, banned soccer. 

They hated it. Inspectors would be all over town, making sure the workers weren’t kicking about or breaking any of the other rules. Soon, the residents of Fordlândia began resenting all these laws, and they grew so frustrated by the clash of cultural norms that they revolted.

In a few short years, Fortlândia shut down and was abandoned. I mean, you really can’t have a utopia without soccer, can you? Much less in a place like Brazil.

But taking things a little further, maybe this historical tidbit also serves as a good reminder that it’s important to be mindful of the longstanding social norms of new spaces we enter—even when it comes to something as simple as soccer. I couldn’t help but think of this story of cultural clash as I watched Reece James and a few of the Chelsea players be utterly confused by what happened at the Club World Cup trophy lift on Sunday.

(Also, the Ford Motor Company sold its first vehicle on a day like today in 1903, so it felt fitting to tell Henry Ford’s small tie-in to soccer.)

POLITICS
Zohran Mamdani’s Soccer Highlight Tape

Before he was winning New York mayoral primaries, Zohran Mamdani was scoring game-winners for his high school soccer team.

It’d already surfaced that Mamdani’s been playing soccer pretty much his whole life and that he’s an avid Arsenal fan (RIP 😅). But now, we finally have footage of what he was like during his prime at 17.

Even now, it still amazes me how many political figures in our history have had some sort of soccer past. From Reagan to Obama, to Clinton to Nixon.

CLUBELEVEN
The Supporters Section

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

CLUBELEVEN
Aggregates

At Rockefeller Plaza w/ Bayern: We parked right in front of Rockefeller Center in Manhattan and hosted a special celebration on the bus in collaboration with German giants Bayern Munich. It was surreal!

Shock of the Lightning: A kit inspired by dark storm clouds and lightning. It could only be worn by one team.

Philly: Ah, the city of brotherly love. We got an amazing welcome from the Union and the Sons of Ben during our stop with the bus in Philadelphia last Wednesday. We got rained out, but the pre-match was so fascinating it didn’t matter.

Perfect Attendance: Pretty sweet initiative from FC Dallas. It’d be cool to see other teams implement it.

Soccer Zombie: If you enjoy obscure stories and vlogs documenting all the intricacies of our glorious soccer pyramid, you have to check this channel out. Soccer Zombie forever!

ARCHITECTURE
Building a Legacy

The level of investment you love to see in the NWSL.

Yesterday, the Boston Legacy announced the development of a new privately funded, $27 million performance center in Brockton, MA.

The center will serve as the club’s training ground beginning ahead of the 2026 NWSL preseason. It has some awesome specs.

CULTURE
Club World Cup Wrap

What a journey over the past month. 33 games covered at the Club World Cup.

All culminating in a spectacular and quite unexpected ending.

A huge thank you to everyone on the CLUBELEVEN team for the incredible effort throughout this tournament. More to come!

CLUBELEVEN
Your Takes 🗯️ 

Last week, we asked you: Which USMNT player from the Gold Cup squad would you most like to see at the World Cup? Here are some of your answers:

• “Diego Luna. A true revelation at the Gold Cup even if the final wasn’t his best game, you can’t question his passion and heart.” - Ben

• “Malik Tillman. Could be a serious weapon and also push our current midfielders.” - J

• “Diego Luna. His type of passion is what we need.” - Jose

In the poll, “Diego Luna” finished first with 47% of the vote, while “Chris Richards” followed in second with 41% of the vote.

UP NEXT
Rhode Island Bound

It’s rivalry week. Rhode Island FC and Hartford Athletic will face off in a highly anticipated matchup this Saturday. Now that I’m finally back in Boston (at least briefly), it seems a short trip to one of my favorite stadiums in the country is in order. If you’re in the area, this is one you won’t want to miss.

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