Here’s a look at some of our latest tees, hoodies, and beanies.
ONELOVE co-founder JRV was asked to paint over some offensive writing on a wall outside of our studio in New Hampshire. The photos represent a day-long art project. If you visit the wall, take a step back and you’ll see just how far the ONELOVE network reaches. Visit one of these places and you can expect to find a game. Rock some ONELOVE gear and you can expect to play.
OLFC Mendo had their first tournament a couple weeks ago and we are proud to announce that they will be continuing on through the fall, thanks to the stewardship of Mendocino (CA) area ONELOVE Ambassador Jeremiah Heim and the support of the Mendo Rec Center.
OLFC Mendo Crest by JRV Design
Newspapers in Mendocino and Fort Bragg, CA ran the following article last week -
by Jeremiah Heim
This years Skunk Classic produced some pretty amazing matches and truly showed the excellence of Northern California soccer. With some great showings by our local travel teams, it was an honor to be able to participate.
As fate would have it the U-10 boys division was in need of a fill in team, this gave the opportunity to a wonderful group of boys, ages 7-9 years old, to participate in their first ever soccer tournament. Through a joint sponsorship with the CYSL, ONELOVE FC and a huge commitment of some truly dedicated soccer parents. We were able to field a squad of 14 young players, eager for their first tournament experience.
With four practice sessions as a team and having just met two weeks prior to the tournament, the boys took to the field in their first match as a group of kids all wearing the same shirt. We did score a goal in the first match on Sat., and again in the last match on Sunday. All through a gallant team effort. We also held the Sonoma team to a score less first half, which was later told to our boys by the Sonoma Coach, that no team has ever held them to a score less half in any tournament that they’ve played. By the time the final whistle blew in what was their final match of the tournament on Sunday afternoon, those same boys walked off the field as a team, who had just accomplished playing in their first tournament.
To all who were witness to the amazing unity, positivity and growth as a unit these boys showed, we all know that we were witness to the most beautiful aspect of soccer. It wasn’t about winning or losing, it was about the gallant team effort put forth by these young up and coming players. It was as much fun to watch as it was for them to play.
Our team was a last minute fill in team, the spot was given to us by the CYSL and tournament director Tess Albin-Smith, our club ONELOVE FC Mendo is a local club, based out of the Mendo Rec. Center. We are a community enrichment program, sponsored by ONELOVE FC and the Mendo Rec. Center. we have an adult co-ed program, that allows the high school age kids to train for free & we will also be sponsoring a co-ed adult team in the Coast Cup on Labor Day weekend. We’ve been teaching soccer at the Mendo Rec. Center since spring as an after school program and all thru the summer, this fall we will continue to teach out Tiny Tots soccer class which is 3-4 year olds. We are in the process of beginning our fund raising and training to take the same team to the Founders Cup in Dec.
A huge ONELOVE goes to the CYSL & Tess Albin-Smith (tournament director) for the opportunity, ONELOVE FC for the uniform sponsorship and the parents who truly made it happen for these boys but most of all a huge ONELOVE and congratulations to the members of the OLFC Mendo Striker Club, who set out into the unknown and came back as a team.
OLFC Mendo is a collaboration between ONELOVE FC & the Mendocino Rec. Center, dedicated to bringing our community together through the love of the beautiful game. All of this has been made possible thru the sponsorship of ONELOVE FC & Peg Levy Brown(director of the Mendocino Rec. Center), who has given our club a home at the Mendo Rec Center. LIVE BEAUTIFUL, PLAY BEAUTIFUL, ONELOVE.
thanks,
Jeremiah Heim
Head Coach
OLFC Mendo
LD scrambles with Stephane Auvrey (Alex V./OLFC)
Saturday was full of action in the MLS. As the New York Red Bulls were wrapping up a 2-0 win over San Jose, we at ONELOVE were gearing up on the sideline for a fixture between the LA Galaxy and the Kansas City Wizards. It was not an easy night for Landon Donovan and company. An early goal by Davy Arnaud set the tone for a game that was largely dominated by three key players on the visiting side. MLS vet Jimmy Conrad had a goal in the second half and never missed an opportunity to do work on defense.
Kei Kamara created opportunities at every turn (Alex V./OLFC)
Arnaud and Conrad most defintely showed up to play, but man of the match honors go to Kei Kamara. He assisted Arnaud’s goal and proved to be an unstoppable force in the KCW buildup. Both Leonardo and Todd Dunivant tried and failed to keep the wiry Sierra Leonian in check.
The pundits were saying that an early goal would decide the match. This may have explained the win, but it hardly addresses a few problems that Bruce Arena will need to solve before a wildly successful 1st place run is compromised. The Galaxy displayed very little creativity in the attacking 3rd and showed us why absentees like Beckham and Juninho will be necessary to the club’s long term success. Conceding a goal in the 12th minute ought to inspire creativity, the way it did for team USA in South Africa, and not infect the team with a crippling sense of panic. The frustration was evident after Arnaud’s goal. Passes weren’t connecting, bodies were colliding and tempers were rising to unnecessary heights. This is where leadership comes into play.
What did you think of last nights match? Who was your MVP?
For our Galaxy fans out there, what can be done in the coming weeks to get things back on track?
by Alex Valhouli
Seamus Coleman vs Aston Villa (Getty Images)
Yesterday in Los Angeles, faithful soccer heads were brewing coffee at 4:15 in the morning to see midday matches in Europe and didn’t unplug until around 9:30 pm, when the final whistle blew at the Home Depot Center.
We’ll begin with the Premiership…
Theo Walcott remedied our heavy eyelids with a stunning display of speed, followed by a masterful finish. That was around 5am on the west coast. Blackburn fought hard, equalized, and ultimately lost to a game-winner by a much improved Andrei Arshavin. It’s too early to tell, but we see Blackburn finishing mid-table. The Gunners are looking like a top-4 squad.
Wayne Rooney made his debut against West Ham and scored a classy penalty, nearly faking the boots off of Matthew Greene. The scrappy #10 did enough to show us that he will be on point this season, but our EPL goals of the day came from Nani and Berbatov, respectively.
Wigan, a last place team from a town famous for its rugby, fought hard for a 1-0 victory over Spurs. As far as psychological boosts go, Wigan takes the cake. It was less than a year ago that the club agreed to refund fans after a 9-1 thrashing by Redknapp’s boys. As for Tottenham, we believe there is still hope for a top 4 or 5 finish. If Redknapp is able to work Gallas into his defensive and achieves some balance between Champions League duties and the team’s EPL pursuits, there is hope. We’ve also got a North London derby ahead of us in the Carling Cup race, as Tottenham face Arsenal in the 3rd round.
Chelsea ran through Stoke City with goals from Malouda and Drogba. Cynics are waiting to see Ancelotti’s crew face a ‘real’ opponent, but we have to be realistic. This is most dangerous team in the Premiership.
Andy Carroll racked up another goal for Newcastle in a draw with Wolverhampton, which will fuel debate over his future with the English national squad.
Today we saw Aston Villa’s Luke Young score with a slow arcing FIFA style chip against Everton. Despite dominating possession in the 2nd half, Everton could not finish for the life of them. Seamus Coleman, a late sub for the Toffees, is our player of note. He has the sort of speed and creativity that Everton lacked in the opening 60 minutes of play.
Darren Bent gave Sunderland a 1-0 win over Manchester City in stoppage time. This is not a big surprise if you consider Sunderland’s early season record at home in years past.
Lastly, Fernando Torres scored his 50th goal at Anfield, which resulted in another L for newly promoted West Brom.
We’ve got a couple weeks before the EPL picks up again, thanks to international friendlies. Who do you support in England and how are you feeling about the the first three weeks?
The Champions League group stage begins in about three weeks and we are scouring the ONELOVE community for predictions, opinions, and irrational arguments surrounding the upcoming round. To get the ball rolling, we caught up with OLFC West teammates Darren Davies and Cameron Araghi.
Davies, an LA area club coach, says: ‘Chelsea will win it (slight bias). They’ve been together, relatively unchanged, for three years and they have depth. Barça could win, especially with the addition of Villa, and Real is pretty damn serious. Picking up Ozil was huge. And then Mourinho has the formula for success.’
Cameron Araghi, another ONELOVE Ambassador, chimes in: ‘I always say Barça. They have the statistics. They have an attack-minded forward in Villa and if Mascherano signs, they will be the best team on earth. I see Real Madrid doing very well this year, but they will fall short in the major tournaments. And I may be wrong, but something tells me that Rafa is going to ruin Inter.’
What do you say? Who will surprise us this year? Who will disappoint?
The group stage fixtures will take place in September (14/15, 28/29), October (19/20), November (2/3, 23/24), and wrap up in early December (7/8).
As the clock winds down for voting on Nike and Ashoka’s Changemaker competition, we want to get all ONELOVE representers acquainted with love.fútbol. They bring HUGE credibility to the ONELOVE community and right now they need our votes.
click here to cast your vote!!!
Check out the video and read the Q&A to get better acquainted.
LF World Cup Fundraiser Video from Sean Mattison on Vimeo.
What is love.fútbol?
love.fútbol (LF) is a Washington, DC based registered non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization that partners with impoverished communities worldwide to build simple, safe soccer fields for at-risk youth. We envision a day when all children will have a safe place to play soccer.
Since 2007, we have built six fields in diverse ethnic, socio-cultural, and demographic regions of Guatemala. Our seventh field, in the community of Juil, is under construction, and we are currently raising funds for an eighth field, to be built in San Antonio Palopó.
Why soccer?
Across the world, youth face great challenges to playing soccer. They run barefoot in trash dumps, chase balls through sewage and dodge cars in the streets. They play on prohibited land at night when there is enough moonlight. They are desperate and determined to play the game they love.
In their efforts to play they are often injured and, in some cases, killed. Less easy to see, they become frustrated and lose interest in the game. In impoverished communities, where sports are often are the sole escape from the daily struggle with poverty, a loss of interest in athletic pursuits often leads to involvement in gangs and increased rates of drug and alcohol abuse.
love.fútbol fields ensure that children have access to a safe place to play soccer, which is a catalyst for hope, inspiration and personal development. The game teaches these children the teamwork, discipline, communication, and leadership skills they need to escape the poverty cycle.
What makes love.fútbol unique?
1. We believe in play
At love.fútbol, we believe in the power of soccer. A love.fútbol field is a safe and dependable outlet for youth to play and express their passion for the game. The opportunity to play can be the difference that keeps children off the street and on a positive life track. When youth play soccer on a love.fútbol soccer field, our mission is realized.
2. We empower communities
love.fútbol mobilizes communities around their own soccer field projects. We provide financing for raw materials and guidance, while communities organize the project, donate the land and volunteer all labor. The project is in the community’s hands and, as a result, locals have complete ownership. A completed love.fútbol soccer field is more than a place to play – it is a lasting and tangible symbol of community strength.
3. love.fútbol is a means, not an end
A love.fútbol project is a value-added opportunity and a platform for future development. Our fields are a significant community achievement that unifies locals and generates momentum that can subsequently be rechanneled toward new endeavors or harnessed by other organizations. Once our fields are complete, our coalition partners – other social ventures and sport for change organizations – engage the community and continue the latter’s development process using the love.fútbol soccer field as a platform for growth.
What is next for love.fútbol?
love.fútbol is currently working with our seventh community in Guatemala, and we hope to break ground on an eighth field before the end of the year. With the 2014 World Cup on the horizon, we plan to expand into Brazil in time to showcase our work during that tournament. Further, we expect to use the 2014 World Cup as a springboard to expand our operations throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.
How can I support love.fútbol?
There are many ways to get involved with love.fútbol, and a number of actions you can take on our behalf.
We are currently finalists in Nike and Ashoka’s Changemakers “Changing Lives through Football” competition. We are honored to be one of twelve contestants vying for the grand prize – $30,000. The public decides the competition winners by online voting – please help us get out the vote and win!
You can vote here until the competition closes on August 18th. Once you have voted, please browse the comments section and check out our video and photos to learn more about our work!
Outside of this competition, we are currently raising money to fund our eighth project. Contributions of all sizes will help make an immediate difference in the lives of underserved youth in our partner community of San Antonio Polopó. To make a tax-deductible donation, please send a check payable to love.fútbol to PO Box 11056, Washington DC, 20008 or make a secure donation online at www.lovefutbol.org.
For youth team coaches and players, we have recently piloted the love.fútbol for All Team Challenge, a movement for and by the global soccer community to provide right to the game to all youth. Teams interested in learning more about how they can support the construction of love.fútbol fields should contact love.fútbol for All Director Geoff Miller at Geoff@lovefutbol.org
We encourage everyone to follow love.fútbol on facebook and twitter. Also, be on the lookout for the launch of our new and improved website, coming this fall!
Soccer is the world’s game, and love.fútbol’s vision is to address a global demand. We hope you will join us in our efforts to provide all the world’s youth a safe place to play the Beautiful Game.
Teams representing 64 countries will converge on Rio De Janeiro in September for an event that has transformed the lives of some 30,000 homeless people from around the world. Our latest tee, “ORDEM e PROGRESSO” was designed by JRV as a nod to the host country. All profits go directly to the HWC.
Professional skateboarder and ONELOVE baller/ambassador Dan Murphy, Recording artist Dedan Kamisu (courtesy of iHart Photography), and ONELOVE representers Maria Govoni and Andy Donatello are all shown here modeling the shirt which is OFFICIALLY on sale. You can find it at select retailers and in our online store.
A million thanks to ONELOVE Ambassador Chandrima Chatterjee for bringing our organizations together.
…and here for the women’s cut!
We have until August 18th to help our friends at Love.Fútbol in the Nike Gamechangers challenge. Click below to learn more.
by Yoni Ginsberg
Futbol is nothing without the little guy. That hometown team, or small nation which achieves immense success without Manchester City’s bankroll or Real Madrid’s players. Turkey during the ’06 World Cup, Uruguay this year, as well as various small clubs that succeed in European competition. For me, that little guy is everything. Hapoel Tel Aviv, my small hometown club.
Although considered by its fans in their chants as an “empire” we are but a small Israeli side with a few known players (Ben Sahar and Nigerian keeper Vincent Enyeama) and a small budget. Therefore, when we won the domestic double last season, we celebrated. We celebrated hard. We were automatically placed in the second qualifying round in the Champions League in which we met Željezni?ar, a small Bosnian team, whom we quietly demolished 6-0 on aggregate. However, next came a tougher challenge – FK Aktobe, the Kazakhstani champions.
In the first leg of the two leg tie, we were beaten 1-0 in Kazakhstan from a penalty that was awarded for a hand ball in the area. Although we were favorites to move on to the next round we had a difficult task ahead of us- beating a team that would come to Tel Aviv to play defensively and try to protect its one goal advantage. On Tuesday, we achieved that task and have positioned ourselves one step closer to playing against teams like Chelsea and Inter Milan. And we did it in style. 
Playing in a sold out Bloomfield Stadium, the Red Devils came out strong scoring 3 goals in the first half. Eran Zahavi, Ben Sahar (ex Chelsea, QPR, and Espanyol), and an own goal by Aktobe’s Ba all contributed to my teams excellent first half showing. Sadly, the second half wasn’t as exciting with Aktobe scoring their only goal of the match in the 89th minute.
This game is more than just a small step forward for a tiny club. This victory guarantees that the club will receive in excess of 20 million New Israeli Shekels ($5 million) which for such a club is a huge sum of money. In the playoff round, one before the group stages and Hapoel’s next round they will be drawn with teams like Partizan Belgrade and Red Bull Salzburg. Hopefully my little hometown team will achieve big league fame and glory. 1L!
by Alex V.
Here’s a bit of footage from Saturday’s training session at UCLA.
It’s hard to say who will make the starting XI, but we’re seeing plenty of attention paid to Angel di Maria, CR, Pepe, Higuaín, and Lass. Kaká is expected to be out there today, and we hope to see Iker, Ramos, and Xabi Alonso.
The jury is out on Benzema, but we can confirm without any shred of a doubt that the French-Algerian striker is in TOP form.
