The Soccer Odyssey

Clubeleven's journey to explore America's soccer communities

By Where Is Football

March 25^th, 2025

We spoke with Clubeleven founder Pablo Bayona-Sapag about their journey so far.

How did the idea of The Soccer Odyssey come about?

The Soccer Odyssey was born out of three different ideas all coming together in August of last year. The first idea, a roadtrip-style tour of the country focusing on soccer came after Tyler and Pablo traveled to North Carolina back in March of 2024, hitting 3 cities and 3 matches in 3 days, highlighting several of the unique storylines the U.S. Open Cup had to offer in a year when circumstances made it more important than ever to cover its stories.

The second idea, a Nike-style ad paying homage to the trajectory of soccer in America, came during a long drive on the Florida Turnpike from Miami to Orlando, imagining a fast-paced bus cruising on the left lane, catching the attention of everyone that came across it. After Justin and Gabriel spoke, the idea turned into a full-fledged script, and the “Hop On The Bus” video theme was born. Still, it felt like neither of the two ideas could stand alone, and we decided to wait until each idea could be part of a bigger campaign. Luckily, the third idea was the ribbon to tie it all together.

Towards the end of July 2024, we were approached by a friend we’d interviewed earlier in the year for a jersey collector video series. Tobias, an avid soccer magazine aficionado offered to help get our first print magazine off the ground, with the only ask being that we stayed true to our brand ethos: telling the untold stories of soccer in America. And so, The Soccer Odyssey was born. We decided to create a print magazine with a theme of exploration, introduced to the world through the video, and taken on tour by the bus to be shared first-hand with the communities that make up the very threads of American Soccer.

What’s so special about the US Open Cup to you?

We believe soccer, at its heart, is rooted in the idea of anyone having a chance at beating anyone. That’s how the game was founded. The Open Cup is special because it’s the only competition in America where that’s possible. With fragmented, closed leagues dominating the status quo of structured soccer, both amateur and professional, the Open Cup is the sole setting where soccer is played how it was intended to be played.

This context brings a special air to communities big and small across the states. Cities and towns that normally wouldn’t have a chance at national recognition in the MLS are granted the opportunity to shine. It creates a sense of magic and potential that’s missing across the rest of the competitive landscape.

Lastly, the Open Cup also brings the community together at a higher level than a regular season game could, at least for these “lower-league” clubs. Appalachian FC, for example, mentioned making a lot of money in just this one matchday to help push them through the season. Residents who aren't even the biggest soccer fans, or fans at all, make their way out just to be part of the spectacle, providing a prime opportunity for them to become familiar with their local club and hopefully attend other games down the road.

Can you tell us a bit about Clubeleven and the stories you love to tell?

We started back in 2018 with the mission of shining a light on the untold stories of soccer in America, and we’ve gradually become one of the most trusted grassroots soccer brands in the United States. Over the past seven years, we’ve grown into a network of over 30 photographers, videographers, and writers across America contributing to telling stories from every level of soccer in the country. From in-depth athlete interview profiles to tales from the American soccer past to live events to matchday coverage, we like to provide different avenues for people to fall in love with the sport and meaningfully connect with soccer in the U.S.

Most of us are in our mid-20s but have been working in the space for seven years at this point. We’re in a unique place in our lives where we can go out and explore the American soccer space right before what many argue could be the greatest moment for soccer in our country. At this pivotal moment for soccer in the U.S., we’re using the storytelling skills we’ve honed over the past seven years to discover and highlight the threads that make up the heart of the game in America.

As soccer grows Stateside, we’re obsessed with pushing it forward in a way that honors everything and everyone who helped get it to this point. We’re on the ground in communities across the country, having 1:1 conversations with players, fans, sponsors, and organizers—all with the goal of serving the growth of the sport in America and all those who make it so special.

"We don’t think American soccer culture is accurately portrayed today. Just because you don’t see something happening, doesn’t mean it’s not there."

What was the process of actually building this bus like?

The process started in November when we were searching through Facebook marketplace listings for old buses we could convert. After much deliberation, we found our current bus, a former home for a couple in Satellite Beach, FL used to travel across the United States on their own journey.

Our plan was to turn this home on wheels into our very own American soccer museum, where we could showcase our magazine, The Soccer Odyssey, as well as memorabilia from different decades of U.S. soccer history.

Building the interior of the bus in Orlando came down to the wire. Just a few days before departing to North Carolina for our first trip, we were putting up new walls, crafting the shelves, staining wood, adding the art on the ceiling, bolting new parts, attaching lights, and making sure the thing could even run. Now that we’re back from our first adventure, we hope to continue adding to the interior, working to make it a unique experience every time anyone steps aboard. We see it as a living, breathing soccer bus that will continue to evolve with time and with every new destination we reach.

Did you have any points of inspiration or references when deciding to make this project real?

Homer’s Odyssey was of course a big inspiration, as was Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown series.

For the magazine component of the project, we wanted to paint a complete picture of where soccer in the States looks right before the World Cup. American history has always been tinged with themes of exploration, so we turned to The Odyssey—one of the greatest tales of expedition ever told—for inspiration. We wanted the eleven profile stories in the magazine to take readers on a winding journey across all levels of soccer in America, where they can meet trailblazers from our past, present, and future, representing what we believe to be the best parts of soccer in our country. We featured USMNT star Tim Weah, an NASL legend from the ‘70s, a young NWSL player who helped bring the World Cup to North America, a record-breaking player in USL, club executives, referees, fans, artists, indoor players, youth coaches, and more from all over the country.

In the same way The Odyssey takes you on a comprehensive voyage with lessons and anecdotes along the way, we wanted our magazine to evoke those same feelings of self-discovery, challenges, and triumphs that make that classic book such a compelling read. We wanted this collection of stories to stand the test of time and be something that soccer fans can read today or 100 years from now, and still resonate with them at a human level.

As we geared up to capture these stories for our magazine across eleven cities, we also realized we could embark on an Odyssey of our own. The magazine could just be the starting point to an even bigger journey, where we could take our renovated bus to shine a light on more soccer communities and tell more stories as we travel the country. For this portion of the project, we turned to Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown for inspiration. Similar to how Bourdain used food as an “excuse” to tell enthralling, human stories from all over the world, we wanted to do the same with soccer and the stories we’ll be telling as we roll through the country on our bus.

What is the legacy or impact you want to be from this odyssey? And how do you want to build upon it in 2026?

We don’t think American soccer culture is accurately portrayed today. Just because you don’t see something happening, doesn’t mean it’s not there. We’ve been fortunate to cover American soccer for seven years at every single level possible—from the Copa America final last summer to NPSL matches in the deepest corners of our country. A lot of times, what many people criticize isn’t happening with soccer in America is actually sitting right there, just below the surface. It’s something that took us time to realize and uncover, but once we did, it was like a whole new world opened up before our eyes.

If there’s any impact or legacy we’d like this Soccer Odyssey to have is to bring that same sense of joy and wonder that we get when we visit all these soccer communities to others. We should be proud of all the diverse, lively, and creative ways all these wonderful communities—big and small—are working to build a solid foundation for soccer to thrive on our shores. Hopefully, the stories we tell on our voyage across America can inspire others to embark on their own journeys with soccer, whether it’s by playing, becoming a fan, or pursuing creative projects within the sport. In 2026, we hope to continue finding new and engaging ways in which we can encourage audiences to follow and be a part of this special moment in American soccer. But as Tim Weah told us when we interviewed him in Turin, the 2026 World Cup is just “a beautiful starting point,” not the destination. There’s a lot of work we hope we can continue to do beyond it.

Can you tell us a bit about what the Asheville soccer community has been through this past year for those who don’t know?

For those that don’t know, Asheville suffered cataclysmic damage brought upon by Hurricane Helene in September of 2024. Helene was the deadliest continental hurricane to hit the US since Katrina in 2006, and Asheville was hit historically hard. 30 inches of rain brought the two rivers in the area to height crests not seen since 1916. That unbelievable influx of water, combined with category 4 hurricane winds, turned an eclectic enclave for artists, hikers, and beer breweries into an unrecognizable apocalypse. By the end, it’s estimated that $53 billion in damages was dealt to the mountain town. Many were cut off from the outside world for weeks. Generations of families were washed away in an afternoon.

Simply put, this level of devastation should have been geographically impossible. Asheville sits high up in the Appalachian Mountains in Western North Carolina—at an elevation of 2,134 feet. Asheville is 250 miles from the nearest coast. And yet, the sheer power of this natural phenomenon carved new routes for rivers. Witnesses recount the active scene to look like something out of the bible, while the cleanup more closely resembled a war zone. The magnitude of it all was still apparent as we drove into the city for their Open Cup match last week.

What did this night mean to this community?

The Open Cup fixture marked the first sporting event the city hosted since Hurricane Helene. For the soccer community, this meant, at the very least, a few hours of feeling like life was normal once again. The old adage that soccer is the most important of the least important things in life seemed to ring true amidst the mountainous backdrop.

Beers were poured, laughs were shared, and songs were sung as Asheville City SC took on Greenville Triumph, a team competing a whole division above them. Many of the players in Asheville City SC had represented the club for years, often staying with host families during the season (which runs in the summer) and forging strong connections with the community. The barrier between players and fans felt nearly non-existent, perfectly reflected by how the field and the fans were only separated by a mere rope throughout the entire match.

For Asheville City SC, it would’ve been a huge upset to pull off the win, and for most of the game, it felt like they could. The players were hungry to earn a victory for a community that deserved a moment of respite after an arduous recovery process since Helene. For the fans, the game felt like an escape, a way to return to normalcy, if only briefly. For us, as outsiders looking in, it felt like both players and fans were eager for a chance to have agency over their destiny again—even in something as simple, yet profound, as a soccer match.

Anything else you’d like to mention or tell us about this first step on the journey?

We’d like to thank all the fans, local businesses, and club staff who welcomed us with open arms in Asheville, Boone, and High Point.

Every magazine sold at those destinations (and online) will help us reach our next destination for the second round of the Open Cup, so we’re very grateful for everyone’s support. 1 mag = 100 miles.

How can fans follow along or even see the bus in real life in the coming weeks?

Fans can follow along on our journey through our Instagram, YouTube, and weekly newsletter. We’ll be announcing our next stops on those channels, and we’ll be keeping things pretty flexible. We’ll take input from fans to let us know where we should head next, so stops will be announced as close to the gameday or soccer event as possible. We might not even decide to make a stop until the morning of a game. The only rule we have is that we’ll stop at least at every Open Cup round this year.