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THE BLACK PEARL || On July 16, 1950, Brazil suffered the biggest upset in WC history, by their hated neighbors Uruguay, 2-1, at the newly-built Maracana stadium in Rio de Janiero. An estimated 210k were on-hand to witness the Maracanazo - the nightmare of the Maracana - and such shock ensued that they neglected to give Uruguay the trophy on the field.  The 22 gold medals - already etched with the names of the Brazilian players before the game - were destroyed, and there were reports of suicides across the country. The Seleçao didn’t play a game for another 2 years.  Pele, only 8 years old at the time, recalls seeing his father cry for the 1st time that night, and promised him that he would win him the World Cup one day to make him happy again. He did just that only 8 years later at the age of 16 - and for good measure twice more - in 1962 and 1970. By 1961, President Jânio Quadros declared Pelé a national treasure.  || We've spent the last several months celebrating all that Brazil is to the sport, and while the end result was never promised, to see them go out the way they did seemed nothing short of cruel. As the dust settles much will change for the Seleção, forced to slowly recover from a second nightmare they hoped to never see. The samba spirit of Brazilian positivity, born out of real hardship, gives hope that somewhere in Brazil tonight exists another young boy, eager to rise up and do the same. 

LIKE A ROSE FROM THE CONCRETE || the introduction of new jerseys every year, video games as teaching tools, 400 dollar carbon fiber cleats, perfect synthetic fields, sport science studies, vanishing spray, and goal line technology are at once all cool - and at the same time completely absurd. || These boys in Stylianos Papardelas, Rio de Janeiro, BRA, boil down the game to the core, and challenge the notion of going without. To them, obstacles are opportunities to grow, an extra dimension to create a better awareness of their surroundings. Disputes are settled amongst themselves as peers, training to navigate a world where more will be grey than black and white || In these streets, creativity is king, unbridled by the watchful eyes of coaches quick to criticize. In the end, it is a reminder that there is no greater teacher of the game than the game itself, and sometimes less really is more.

GOLDEN LILLIES || NO FILTER || words by @lagalaxymidfielder Baggio Husidic @ba66io on Bosnia's first World Cup appearance in Brazil '14 || photo last week in Venice Beach, CA || Thanks to Baggio for sharing his incredible story with us. || "After spending most of my childhood in Bosnia, my family felt that it was too dangerous to try and risk surviving the war. We decided to flee. We spent the next year avoiding the war in different refugee camps until the German government allowed refugees to enter the country temporarily until the war died off. We spent the next 3 1/2 years in Germany and then finally moved to the US. It was May, 1994, and life seemed like it finally caught up. Coming to America was one of the greatest moments of my life, and I consider myself an American, but my heart has always been with Bosnia. This World Cup makes me realize how far the country has come since the war and reflect on the journey of my family. We have been so close to qualifying to play on the world stage before, and finally achieving this enormous task brings great pride and joy to me and many fellow Bosnians." - Baggio

THE INDOMITABLE LIONS || Cameroon's World Cup Italia '90 opening-game 1-0 upset of defending World Champions Argentina is widely considered the biggest upset in modern WC memory - except to the Cameroonian's themselves. "No one thought we could do anything here against Maradona, but we knew what we could do," the goalscorer, François Omam-Biyik, said after the game. "We hate it when European reporters ask us if we eat monkeys and have a witch doctor. We are real football players and we proved this tonight." As we watch Samuel Eto'o and his current iteration of the "Indomitable Lions" enter group A as legitimate threats to Mexico, Croatia, and Brazil, we remember how with one fell swoop - where Omam-Biyik seemed to hang suspended in the air for minutes before heading home the winner - Cameroon forever changed the way the world sees African players - and the way an entire continent saw themselves. 

A SURFER'S JOURNEY || NOFILTER || Mahalo to US World Cup veteran Brian Ching's mother - Stevie - for generously welcoming me into her beautiful North-Shore home for dinner and for sharing her story. || The Honu, or Hawaiian sea turtle, is the Hawaiian symbol of longevity, good luck, and the spirit within. || "Every time Brian would score a goal I'd send him a different stuffed animal turtle from here in O'ahu and write on it the date of the @sjearthquakes -@houstondynamo or @ussoccer game he'd scored in. Eventually it became hard to find enough turtles because he scored too many goals. I had to have my friends on other islands look for more turtles to send him. One of my closest friends who helped me find them came to the World Cup in Germany in '06 to watch him with me - and watching him just be there - I think he felt assured that he was finally there - and he'd come a long way from King Kamehameha High School." - Stevie

GUTEN TAG! || "GOOD DAY!" || NOFILTER || We ran into Rayo from Munich earlier today when he stopped his bike at a home-made bread and mimosa stand in San Francisco we were walking by. Clearly an awesome guy - he was proudly repping Bayern with his lederhosen and Robben jersey.  Thanks to Rayo for hanging with us. || "Nobody in Germany takes the USA seriously but I am afraid of them this summer. And Portugal. Plus you guys stole Klinsmann who knows us well. We were actually lucky to have beat you guys in Korea in 2002 when Frings used his hand to stop the ball on the line. The US actually should have won that game and you know they would have beat South Korea and been in the World Cup Final instead of us. I wonder how that would've been like here." - Rayo

POUR IT UP || NO FILTER || “If I went to Brazil I wouldn’t come home. I’d be knocked up on the beach somewhere drinking capirinhas. Maybe reverse the order.” - Stephanie

PURA VIDA || words courtesy of Costa Rican and @chicagofire defender Gonzalo Segares @supersega13 seen here pictured with former Costa Rican international and manager Hernán Medford || "The World Cup moment I remember best is definitely when I was 8 watching Italy '90. Costa Rica qualified for the first time and we were able to make it to the second round. We beat Sweden in the third game with a Hernán Medford breakaway to make it 2 to 1 for us. The country was in full joy.  It's a Costa Rican tradition after a national team victory to drive the roundabout at La Fuente de la Hispanidad fountain in San Jose to celebrate, dance in the fountain and throw water at the cars driving by...It's crazy. My parents took my brothers and I once and we were lucky to close the windows just before the water was thrown at our car. In 2008, Hernán Medford was the manager for the National Team and called me up for my first time to 'La Sele'. It felt like a dream, not only playing for the guy I watched that day when I was a kid but to be there with the national team myself." - Gonzalo

CHANT DOWN BABYLON || NO FILTER || The Ethiopian national football team—nicknamed the "Walias" after the gazelle-like Walia Ibex - is ranked a paltry 93rd in the FIFA World rankings - and that's up 9 places from the year before. In the world soccer landscape they are an endangered species of sorts - unknown and overlooked much like their Ibex namesake - yet swift and resourceful.  A new chapter in Ethiopian sports history has begun, and while the Walias day in the sun at the World Cup may not appear close to some, without doubt, they will stand tall and keep on marching. Thank you to Tesfaye - a taxi driver in SF - for sharing his story with us! || “Ethiopian people love Brazil people. We have the same spirit. Africans, we love soccer. Now that I see the young ones playing in every part of the country I see a big change - not this time but probably next World Cup for us.” - Tesfaye

PIEDS NUS || "BAREFOOT" || a young boy takes to the streets in Mbouda, Cameroon with dreams of becoming his country's next Eto'o || the legacy of the greats lasts a lifetime, and then some, inspiring the next generation of players to go out and emulate their icons. Whether it's a move, stance, attitude, or style, we are all a combination of those who've come before us. Some of our generation's heroes are shared the world over - familiar names like Ronaldo, Zidane, Bergkamp, Henry, etc. - but some are personal, in our case going in middle school to watch the San Francisco Seals play at Kezar Stadium in the mid-90's.  One of the best teams in Bay Area history, the Seals made a historic run to the US Open Cup semi-finals, and for us, nothing was ever the same. || It doesn't take a lot of fame to make a huge impression on future generations, even if just for one person.  Whoever you are, play as if you're creating your own legacy... You never know who's watching.

3 O'CLOCK BLUES || NOFILTER || words by @davispaul from his visit to the Rocinha favela in Rio || "I jumped right in, and after hours of playing barefoot, I was blistered and bloody after stepping on a nail, but I was now a friend. It didn't matter how many goals I scored that day, they could tell I loved the game the same way." - Davis 

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