Since January- I began getting approached by several football content "legends of the beautiful game"; and knew this onrushing World Cup bullet train was going to be far from empty.
The first Cup hosted by three nations, with expanded qualified nations from the normal 32 national sides to 48 teams this edition - with the final hosted across the Hudson in East Rutherford at MetLife Stadium, rebranded for advert/sponsor purposes as "NY/NJ Stadium."
Fuckin' FIFA. If they can't grift off you, you're useless to their corruption.
A pop up, white-space-turned-gallery on the LES, iconic footy publisher Copa 90, and corporate Pepsi x 1Football hosted by NBC's voice of the Premier League, and dear friend Robbie Earle with NBC Premier League broadcast co-host Robbie Mustoe doing a "traveling about NYC" style content micro-format show with daily 10 minute uploads with various guests.
This is the result of all that aforementioned shit I used words to describe.
Starting with the collection that had to marry NYC's unique subcultures & The City's iykyk vibe meets global football and Blokecore culture.
This was powered by Pepsi, Yahoo! Sports (I know...Yahoo! is STILL a thing believe it or not. Tbh I was shocked as well.) and global giant 1Football- the app where all up to the minute breaking footy banter, news, kit drops, score lines and more, that has billions of DL's globally.
NYC GALLERY:
MUNDIALHATTAN (Copa 90):
Sucks Cole Palmer didn't end up making coach Thomas Tuchel's Cup Roster for England's Three Lions. There were several matches there were he could have easily been a difference maker for the Brits. Tuchs has blood on his hands for more than one costly mistake- and I don't even rate Chelsea as a Red. But "Chilly" Palmer on the Bodega Ice Box would have slapped.
Two GOATS CR7 vs Messi for their last ever big dance, play chess in the back of a quiet midtown diner. In the ned, neither took home a trophy.
Dark Horse FC : Morocco's Bono & Hakimi take Manhattan.
The last Cup for Brazilian legend Neymar as well. While recent years have seen his iconic form roll off a cliff after injuries & a harsh spell in the Saudi Pro League, which secured him generational wealth but nothing close to success on pitch - he was almost a "Pity Pick" for Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti. He didn't get many minutes before Brazil was KO-ed by the Vikings of Norway.
I wanted to create a desolate Manhattan- where everywhere he looked was more & more "World Cups" and vaulted football trophies & paraphernalia behind glass that Neymar was literally on the outside looking in of.
In true NYC "Post No Bills" fashion- Bills (of course) get posted on the peeling green wooden planking of sidewalk construction that never fucking ends. Morocco's star boy Achraf Hakimi juggles the ball on the Roosevelt Island Tramway above Manhattan, with the Sahara replacing half of the waters of the Sound & Hudson.
SELECT NATIONAL TEAM LIMITED EDT PIECES:
Marrying the "Two Robbies" of NBC's Premier League Broadcast desk with culture creating brands or iconic nods to moments that defined national glory them stem from the country's own lore.
