The Weekend
Photography by Leonel Pillcorema, Peter Bonilla, Colleen Claggett, & Rodolfho Chona.
“Get in.”
Dave, Gabriel, Will, and Cody gave me a quick hello, and off we went to Philadelphia for a weekend at the Icarus Cup.
It was a lengthy three-hour drive to the City of Brotherly Love, and after trekking through Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and much of Pennsylvania, we finally made it to our Airbnb in Philly. The tattered green facade of our small townhouse for the weekend was not encouraging, but no matter. We were there.
“Heyyyy, what’s up guys,” echoed a voice from inside.
Peter, Ricky, and Kyros greeted us as we walked in.
Nice hardwood floors, a great TV, beautiful furnishing, and six spacious beds. Don’t judge a book by its cover.
We claimed our spots for the weekend, chatted here and there, and out we went for some pick-up. We walked a few blocks and found a local park with two small goals. Ideal. Humid as hell, though, but we battled through it. Our first time meeting up couldn’t do without a quick game of 4v4 footy.
After 15 minutes, we were done. “Save the energy for tomorrow.”
We walked back to our place, took shifts hitting the showers, and took off to Yards Brewing Company for the opening ceremony of the Icarus Cup. Rob, the founder of the famed Icarus Football kit company and the brains behind the whole tournament, was there to give out jerseys and meet the 41 teams that’d made the trip out to Philly. We’d previously met Rob over Zoom during quarantine in 2020, but it was our first time seeing him in person.
He handed us our light green kits with a smile, showed us the trophies, and gave us a rundown of what he’d been up to. We hadn’t talked in forever, but over the past year, his empire and grip on the lower-league kit market has only strengthened. And for good reason too. All the jerseys for the weekend were fire.
It was nearing kick-off for the Peru-Colombia Copa America match, so we sat down at one of the lengthiest tables available at the bar and ordered a few beers. Throughout the game, familiar faces started trickling in. Rodolfho walked in with a Club Eleven-themed cake, Leo and Craig from New York rolled through a few moments later, and Colleen joined us by the start of the second half.
After Colombian star Luis Diaz sunk Peru’s hopes of getting third place, we headed back to the Airbnb to meet up with Jisung, Kenny, and Shazabe, who had just arrived in the city. Rodolfho pulled out his finest Venezuelan rum, we drank a few more beers and got ready for bed ahead of our group stage matches in the morning.
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The 6 AM alarm came too early. Group A, first game of the whole tournament at eight. We all shuffled out of bed and dragged ourselves to the Vidas Athletic Complex at Drexel University. We grabbed some coffee from the Dunkin’ across the street, did a few stretches here and there, and we were ready for the opening match of the Icarus Cup.
It was a tight 5-4 loss for the Club Eleven team. We’d been down two goals late in the game but managed to bring it level thanks to Jisung and Peter. Our opponents scored at the death and sank our hopes to walk away with points. Tough loss, but on we went to the next game.
The blistering Philly heat was already starting to beat down on us by our second kick-off at 10 AM. We battled for a nail-biting 4-3 win that made the whole trip worth it. There were lead changes, hard tackles, a brawl -- Kenny got sucker-punched in the face --, Jisung banged a last gasp winner, you name it. We left our blood, sweat, and tears in that game. Thank god we won that.
By the time our noon kick-off came around, we were exhausted. We didn’t do enough in our last game to advance to the knockout round, but there was still plenty left to do that day.
After huddling back at the Airbnb to clean up, go over photos, and nap, we headed out for some food at El Purepecha. Tastiest burritos in Philly, hands down. The Copa America Final crept up on us, and we made our way to Ukie Club to watch the much-anticipated duel between Brazil and Argentina.
We had a slight change of plans and ended up back at the Airbnb. By now, you know how the game went. DiMaria scored a cheeky goal, the Brazilians were frustrated, and Messi got his coveted international trophy. We threw up the Mexico-Trinidad game in the background while we celebrated for Messi in style. Best of all, we were all finally together, and it was a perfect night to finally get to know each other after working over Zoom for months.
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The next day, we returned to Vidas Athletic Complex for our consolation matches. Our fitness was piss-poor, though, so we didn’t have our best showing. After finishing our two games, we traveled to Rodolfho’s house to watch the Euro Final.
Amidst pizza, snacks, and good drinks, we enjoyed the dramatic showdown between Italy and England. Every goal and penalty was lived with the utmost emotion. It was something great to see from a group of photographers and journalists that are usually expected to keep their cool during matches.
With the adrenaline still high following the end of the game, it was finally time to say goodbye. We all hugged, said our final words, and drove off our separate ways. What a weekend.
After we parted, the Club Eleven creators decided to sum up the trip in one word and say their own thoughts on the weekend. This is what they came up with:
Community
“I don’t know how else to sum it up. This was my first time meeting many people that I have just seen on a screen for so long. It was so crazy to see everybody. And I loved it. I don't know how I can sum that up in one word.” - Colleen Claggett [Philadelphia Club Eleven Creator]
Bittersweet
“It was really surreal for me to meet everyone, and I loved it. I expected to love it, but it was just even better than I thought. It was important for me to meet everyone, and I feel like things are going to be different now that we have. This had been built up for so long, and we all went into it, and it was like brothers, instantly. It’s just bittersweet because it’s hard to leave, but I know we’ll be back at it.” - Kenny Giarla [Washington DC Club Eleven Creator]
Family
I don’t have friends, I’ve got family. - Rodolfho Chona [Philadelphia Club Eleven Creator]
Unusual
“I literally knew nothing. I never texted any of you guys or ever really commented on your photos. I only talked to Gabriel before. So to go to an Airbnb in another state and play a tournament with people I've never met before is something I’d never done. This was a first for me, so it was unusual, but a good unusual.” - Kyros Morales [NYC Club Eleven Creator]
Legendary
“I've known everyone at Club Eleven through a screen for two years. From doing the podcast to talking to some guys almost every day during COVID and then meeting everybody on the big calls that we have. But this weekend was just like, ‘damn, I’m actually meeting these guys in person.’ I would have to say it was legendary. Definitely. The first big meetup was a complete success.” - Dave Williamson [Atlanta Club Eleven Creator]
Passion
“This isn't our job. We’re here because we love to do it -- every single thing that's happened in the past two or three years, including this weekend. All the logistics, all the driving, all the money, all the effort, all of that is voluntary. I think that just shows the love for the creativity that we bring to the table and how we like to share what we build and create with others. And even though we were all working together, I really didn't know anybody. Just their username or their face on a screen. Now there's a name to a face. There's a connection there. Nothing beats the in-person experience, and it was really cool to have met everyone for the first time. I can’t wait to see what we do from now on.” - Cody Cervenka [Washington DC Club Eleven Creator]
Thankful
“Thank you, I’m not sure what else to say, really. This was needed. We’ve talked about it for so long, and coming together and getting to see everyone together was surreal. It felt like going back home, in a way. Seeing Club Eleven come together through a screen is one thing, but being able to come together in person is just different. It’s special. I hope we can do it all over again soon.” - Gabriel Bayona Sapag [Washington DC Club Eleven Creator]
Incredible
“I had an incredible time with you guys, even though I didn't play. But I felt like I was part of the team, and it was fun getting to know everyone in person. It's always better in person. It was also fun getting to watch the Italy game with everyone. I'm never gonna forget that penalty shoot-out. It felt like a real family. A soccer family.” - Leonel Pillcorema [NYC Club Eleven Creator]
Grateful
“We barely survived the weekend, but we got there. I followed you guys on Instagram for a while, and I’ve always been a big fan, especially the angle of putting a spotlight on American soccer. I'm just really grateful that you guys welcomed me into playing this weekend. I felt very comfortable with everyone, and I can't take pictures for shit, but you guys didn't make me feel any sort of intimidation or anything like that. It was just an amazing experience all around.” - Shazabe
Memorable
“The weekend of the Icarus Cup will be a memory I will hold on to forever. I got to meet everyone in the Club Eleven team in person rather than over Zoom, and this showed me how incredible this community of creators is, individually and as a group. The chemistry between everyone was there from the start. Despite meeting everyone for the first time in Philly, we played with grit and as a team, so no matter the result, we all walked off with a smile on our faces. Off the field, we had great conversations with each other over photography, soccer, and everything in between. It felt like a family reunion in the making. I left feeling a little empty after all the fun we had, and I hope we can make this a tradition for the Club Eleven family. Club on three!!” - Jisung Kim [Washington DC Club Eleven Creator]
Photography by Leonel Pillcorema, Peter Bonilla, Colleen Claggett, & Rodolfho Chona.
