When you read "Amor Prohibido" (forbidden love), your first thoughts may go to the iconic first track of Selena's "Dreaming of You" album. But for Bryan Escareño, it goes way deeper than that.

The namesake of his brand goes back to his origins in fashion. When the LA native decided to get into the game, he received pushback from his family, who didn't see fashion as a viable career path. The machismo present in many Mexican families often discourages its children from entering the arts, but Escareño is looking to change that with his creative designs that evoke images from his childhood, but with his own twist.

He's been able to work with the likes of adidas, creating a customized version of the widely acclaimed 2022 Mexico kit, in addition to big names like Tecate, Nike, and Union. But it doesn't matter who he works with, anything that Escareño puts his name behind will have his signature essence — that is, it'll be undeniably rooted in LA.

We spoke to the rising designer and creative mind about growing up playing soccer with Julio (00:01:00), how he got into the fashion world (00:23:21), coming up with the name "Amor Prohibido" (00:27:48), getting to work with big brands, including a recent adidas collaboration (00:36:35), and tips on getting started in the fashion industry (00:49:23), before he takes on Julio's rapid fire round (01:07:00).

This podcast was supported by Bet Online.

Cast

Hosts: Ramsey Abushahla, Julio Monterroza, & Brigitte Flores

Producer: Roy Cho

Subscribe to our newsletter for more interviews and latest news on street football, freestyle, and urban culture, read more about soccer culture on our website, and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook.

In front of a deafening sold out crowd, LAFC willed their way to a 3-2 win over arch rival LA Galaxy in their second round matchup of the MLS Cup Playoffs.

The Urban Pitch Podcast crew was at the Banc to take in all the vibes, and sit down to recap the high octane match (1:00), the Rose Bowl El Trafico match to open the 2023 season (16:08) and the greatest El Trafico matches of all time (34:17).

This podcast was supported by Bet Online and Tricore Sports.

Cast

Hosts: Ramsey Abushahla, Julio Monterroza, & Brigitte Flores

Producer: Roy Cho

Subscribe to our newsletter for more interviews and latest news on street football, freestyle, and urban culture, read more about soccer culture on our website, and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook.

Johana Rosas played and trained with a broken wrist that required surgery for over a month. That's pretty much all you need to know about the way she plays the game. The injury has kept Rosas on the sideline for most of her first professional season with Xolos of Tijuana, but she sees it as a blessing in disguise.

Having played in two youth World Cups and one senior Club World Cup, Abraham Romero has seen the glamor that professional soccer has to offer. But he's no stranger to its struggle either. He was ready to retire following his 2020 season with LA Galaxy II, and despite signing with Orange County SC, he still had to work a construction job during the season to help make ends meet.

In the turbulent world of professional sports, things can change up on you quickly. One moment you've felt like you made it, and the next you're struggling to tread water. Romero's resolve and perseverance have kept him afloat over the past two years, but there is plenty of grinding left to do in his career.

We sit down with the 24-year-old goalkeeper, currently with the Las Vegas Lights, to discuss the rigorous travel between training in LA and playing home games in Las Vegas (02:59), the not-so-glamorous aspects of being a pro athlete (05:25), changing between 3 teams in 3 years and getting assimilated with Las Vegas Lights (10:40), the difference between average keepers and elite keepers (13:30), playing in the U17 and U20 World Cups with the Mexican national team (15:32), what it was like playing alongside Julio in rec league (18:58), the cars he's driving around, and how he got into cars (22:28), playing with both the US and Mexican youth national teams (25:01), how he stays grounded through all the constant change throughout his life (29:00), what is next for him and the struggle of looking for a new team in the offseason (31:10), the great food he had in Mexico and the difference in professionalism between the US and Mexico (38:06), how some of his World Cup teammates are currently faring (41:57), the difficulties of being a kid by himself in Mexico (44:40), and how Zlatan Ibrahimovic got Gigi Buffon to send him a video (46:49), before taking on Julio's rapid fire round (53:40).

This podcast was supported by Bet Online.

Cast

Hosts: Ramsey Abushahla, Julio Monterroza, & Brigitte Flores

Producer: Roy Cho

Subscribe to our newsletter for more interviews and latest news on street football, freestyle, and urban culture, read more about soccer culture on our website, and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook.

The 2022 World Cup is upon us, so of course that means that USMNT fans are in a downward spiraling frenzy about the status of their team. After a lackluster international window that featured zero goals scored, the calls for #BerhalterOut are as strong as ever. But is it really panic time for the USMNT?

The (not-so) Washed-Up Crew is back with another episode to answer that question (10:48), along with their thoughts on Mexico (23:20), the 2022 World Cup kits (24:50), Lil Baby's World Cup song (35:27), The push to the MLS Cup Playoffs (42:50), and Angel City FC's playoff hopes and brief season recap (48:16).

This podcast was supported by Bet Online and The Football Boutique.

Cast

Hosts: Ramsey Abushahla, Julio Monterroza, & Brigitte Flores

Producer: Roy Cho

Subscribe to our newsletter for more interviews and latest news on street football, freestyle, and urban culture, read more about soccer culture on our website, and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook.

Whether it's lifting a pair of MLS Cup trophies or playing alongside and against the likes of David Beckham, Landon Donovan, and Cristiano Ronaldo, Bryan Jordan had quite a career in pro soccer. But that's only part of his story.

The LA Galaxy fan favorite has transitioned into careers both adjacent to and beyond soccer, working closely with the Galaxy as well as getting into acting and modeling. The transition that followed his playing career wasn't easy, but Jordan has worked to carve a solid niche for himself while also remaining close to the game.

He joins the Washed-Up Crew to discuss LA Galaxy's playoff push and the up-and-down nature of the season so far (00:02:32), his role with the Galaxy and staying in contact with the club after his playing days (00:10:50), transitioning into a new career post-soccer and getting into acting (00:15:38), playing recreationally now, and trying to turn off that competitive edge (00:20:42), getting into scuffles during his playing days and MLS war stories (00:28:24), his "Welcome to MLS" moment, (00:42:18), and the nightlife during his playing days and rookie hazing (00:49:19), before taking on Julio's hot seat round (00:59:30).

This podcast was supported by Bet Online and The Football Boutique.

Cast

Hosts: Ramsey Abushahla, Julio Monterroza, & Brigitte Flores

Producer: Roy Cho

Subscribe to our newsletter for more interviews and latest news on street football, freestyle, and urban culture, read more about soccer culture on our website, and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook.

Even before she was making incredible penalty saves in heated rivalry matches, we knew that San Diego Wave's Kailen Sheridan was a baller. One of the top goalkeepers in the NWSL and a reigning gold medalist with the Canadian national team, Sheridan has been on our radar for quite some time.

So when she stopped Savannah McCaskill's penalty shot in the 74th minute of the most recent Chanclasico rivalry match against Angel City FC, it wasn't that much of a surprise. (It didn't make it any less impressive, however.)

Now in her sixth year in the NWSL, we talk to Sheridan about her gold medal experience at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (02:10), the CanWNT - USWNT rivalry and winning the top goalkeeper award at the 2022 CONCACAF W Championship (16:06), the mental side of goalkeeping (18:56), playing alongside well established stars with the CanWNT (25:18), the Canadian men's national team and the upcoming Qatar World Cup (29:19), the Equal Pay settlement recently signed by the USWNT and the push to do something similar in Canada (35:16), the vibes with San Diego Wave (38:41), her ex-teammate DiDi Haracic's growth from backup to full-blown starter (44:34), the Angel City FC - San Diego Wave rivalry (46:37), and the growth of NWSL and where she'd like to see the league improve next (50:33), before going through Julio's hot seat round.

This podcast was supported by Bet Online.

Cast

Hosts: Ramsey Abushahla & Julio Monterroza

Producer: Roy Cho

Subscribe to our newsletter for more interviews and latest news on street football, freestyle, and urban culture, read more about soccer culture on our website, and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook.

It's another rookie on the show! For the third straight week, we have a first-year player looking to make their mark on their respective league. After Chicago Red Stars' Sam Fisher and Portland Timbers' Justin Rasumssen, Nashville SC center back Ahmed Longmire joins the Washed-Up Crew in search of that not-so-elusive Urban Pitch boost.

Longmire joins Ramsey Abushahla and special guest co-host Brigitte Flores to discuss growing up in Las Vegas and inside tips for a Vegas trip (01:19), his college experience and transferring from Utah Valley to UCLA (04:47), getting drafted and making a transition to the pro game (13:46), his thoughts on MLS as a whole (22:00), his time on loan with Orange County SC, and his infamous red card (23:25), making his return to Nashville and his impending MLS debut (29:56), the dynamic within the club and fanbase (32:34), and the nightlife in Nashville and what he gets up to off the pitch (35:13), before going through Brigitte's rapid fire round (49:45).

This podcast was supported by Bet Online.

Cast

Hosts: Ramsey Abushahla & Brigitte Flores

Producer: Roy Cho

Subscribe to our newsletter for more interviews and latest news on street football, freestyle, and urban culture, read more about soccer culture on our website, and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook.

City booooooys! The ubiquitous rally cry has connected a network of like-minded individuals, most of whom have the latest Drake and Jack Harlow albums at the top of their most listened to playlists. Those just happen to be two of Portland Timbers defender Justin Rasmussen's favorite artists, so when he returned the rally call it was really no surprise.

The Las Vegas native is in his first professional season with the Portland Timbers, where he's seen time with both the first team and Timbers 2 in MLS Next Pro. He's shown plenty of promise as well, from scoring a banger of a goal in preseason to making a string of first team starts in May. Rasmussen joins the Washed-Up Crew to discuss how Las Vegas is a sneaky good soccer town (00:01:54), going the college route to getting drafted in MLS (00:03:56), differences between training in college vs. the pros (00:07:30), going to Bishop Gorman, a nationally recognized high school (00:09:14), the soccer-baseball team beef (00:15:00), getting adjusted to life in MLS (00:17:45), playing with Timbers 2 in MLS Next Pro and the biggest differences from MLS (00:27:17), the only time he's ever gotten a red card (00:38:24), his first MLS start vs. Austin FC (00:41:16), the vibe in Portland and what he gets up to outside the pitch (00:50:06), and his status as a hypebeast and how he got into sneakers (00:59:38), before taking on Julio's hot seat round (01:03:35).

This podcast was supported by Bet Online.

Cast

Hosts: Ramsey Abushahla & Julio Monterroza

Producer: Roy Cho

Subscribe to our newsletter for more interviews and latest news on street football, freestyle, and urban culture, read more about soccer culture on our website, and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook.

An athlete's rookie season is an eye-opening experience. In many cases, they go from being the best player on their amateur team to a new face fighting for a role in the pros. Chicago Red Stars midfielder Sam Fisher knew she was up for the challenge of making the jump to the pro ranks, and she's adjusted nicely to her new home.

Across 11 appearances and four starts, Fisher has contributed a goal and an assist apiece in her debut campaign with the Red Stars, who are among the many NWSL teams log-jammed in the playoff hunt. Playing alongside the likes of Mallory Pugh, Morgan Gautrat, and Dani Colaprico, Fisher is among good company, and has taken the mentorship of her fellow teammates to heart.

In the latest episode of the Urban Pitch Podcast, she joins the Washed-Up Crew to discuss growing up in Simi Valley and attending Grace Brethren high school (01:20), transitioning to the college game at Notre Dame and playing college sports during COVID (07:15), entering the NWSL draft and realizing that going pro was a possibility (13:30), eye-opening moments in the NWSL and getting adjusted to the pro game (17:24), playing with top level talent with the Chicago Red Stars (19:50), the vibes within the team and how they get along outside the pitch (23:22), Chicago Red Stars' pregame fashion runway (24:55), playing in LA against Angel City FC and in Soldier Field in Chicago (30:15), the growth of the women's game (34:33), her "Welcome to the NWSL" moment (36:04), getting adjusted to life in the midwest (37:17), and the best parts of living in Chicago (40:30), before going through Julio's hot seat round (42:59).

This podcast was supported by Bet Online.

Cast

Hosts: Ramsey Abushahla & Julio Monterroza

Producer: Roy Cho

Subscribe to our newsletter for more interviews and latest news on street football, freestyle, and urban culture, read more about soccer culture on our website, and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook.