South Florida’s culture cannot be separated from soccer. The Latin American influence that brought salsa and reggaeton to the streets of Miami has also elevated the US profile of the world's most popular sport. You can see it all over the city, with banners expressing support for favorite teams festooned across restaurants and outside houses.
After the World Cup in Qatar, the city came alive with the sport, as Miami Beach’s Argentinian population took to the streets to celebrate their nation’s newest trophy.
But in Miami people aren’t just watching soccer, they’re playing it. However, games here look a little different than they do at the Copa Mundial.
Welcome to the world of pick-up soccer. This version of the game is often played on smaller-sized pitches, yet features as many captivating moments that make the sport increasingly popular. The smaller, quicker matches offer a faster pace of play, with everybody getting more touches.
“The intensity is there, it can be difficult to keep up,” said Marcos Algeciras, a freshman at the University of Miami.
Marcos has played soccer for much of his life, starting at Right Back for Coral Gables Senior High School as well as various club teams. He found pick-up soccer helpful for increasing his endurance in official matches. He also enjoys its more casual environment, as he plays on weekends with his friends.
With games hosted throughout the Tri-County Area, and even as far north as Coconut Creek; Peacock Park in downtown Coconut Grove offers a unique experience. Its tranquil waterfront view is the perfect backdrop for the tricks and skills of soccer’s pick-up games. The cage that the pitch is enclosed in creates a wildly different game, with the ball bouncing off the walls, ricocheting unpredictably.
“Sometimes it gets a little messier than normal, but it’s equally as fun,” said Renzo Stine, a 13-year-old who has been nicknamed “Lil Messi” by the locals. He has attended pick-up games for over two years, using the location to hone his skills for his club team.
On Friday and Saturday nights, the park comes to life with games increasing in competitiveness. While the light-hearted atmosphere of the daytime remains, the matches fill up. Players come together to create make-shift teams and play until the park closes. Games are very fast-paced, with two goals being the score to win. After a team scores two goals, the losing team switches out with another team waiting their turn. The bright lights and crowd of people watching, many waiting to play, turn these amateur matches into championship-like games.
Many talented youth players attend these pick-up soccer games. Especially during the off-season, academy players have to find ways to stay fit and prepare for the rigorous training during the season.
“It’s been the key to me keeping my level up,” Luis Tobar, an academy player at Miami FC, said. He continues to use pick-up soccer games to stay in-season shape. He also uses the games to socialize and spend time with friends.
A mere five miles from Peacock Park is Brickell Soccer and Padel, a venue for pay-to-play pick-up soccer.
The bright lights of skyscrapers fill the backdrop behind the soccer pitch, where on-lookers can watch pure soccer. The medium-sized pitch and color-coded shirts offer a more official match. Players collectively pay $150 to rent a pitch to participate, but that doesn’t stop dozens from coming every night to show off their skills.
Many players stay long after their matches to socialize in the area behind the pitch, which has strung-up fairy lights and a drink stand. Spanish can be heard all around, as the soccer matches transcend the language barrier.
Miami soccer players, of all levels, have found a second home in the fun and fast-paced environment of pick-up soccer.
This story was produced by MediaLab@FAU, a project of Florida Atlantic University School of Communication and Multimedia Studies, as part of a content sharing partnership with the WLRN newsroom. The reporter can be reached here.
