https://darbymag.com DARBY Magazine Wed, 13 May 2026 14:57:06 +0000 https://darbymag.com en https://darbymag.com/HOME Sun, 30 Jan 2022 19:19:07 +0000 DARBY Magazine https://darbymag.com/HOME <img width="900" height="600" width_o="900" height_o="600" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/9a24d96ebe6026ee4f9a0d37ee50ef00483637f2b2fc6ba2791d171a6a488626/WITY_Lockup.png" data-mid="244555579" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/900/i/9a24d96ebe6026ee4f9a0d37ee50ef00483637f2b2fc6ba2791d171a6a488626/WITY_Lockup.png" /> <img width="900" height="900" width_o="900" height_o="900" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/6979efb725283d7aa22874e88fb86cce64a4d6c9ee0eca45177e0b44d408aa5f/DARBY_Issue_5_Covers_Black.gif" data-mid="244449661" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/900/i/6979efb725283d7aa22874e88fb86cce64a4d6c9ee0eca45177e0b44d408aa5f/DARBY_Issue_5_Covers_Black.gif" /> https://darbymag.com/WITY Wed, 04 Feb 2026 22:11:59 +0000 DARBY Magazine https://darbymag.com/WITY <img width="737" height="411" width_o="737" height_o="411" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/506edc1830ed32d9f43726f4dfc18e1214a1c246648ff5f412eeaae3ca70583c/WITY_Lockup.png" data-mid="244449402" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/737/i/506edc1830ed32d9f43726f4dfc18e1214a1c246648ff5f412eeaae3ca70583c/WITY_Lockup.png" /> https://darbymag.com/JOURNAL Sat, 07 Feb 2026 20:40:02 +0000 DARBY Magazine https://darbymag.com/JOURNAL https://darbymag.com/SHOP Tue, 08 Feb 2022 04:15:37 +0000 DARBY Magazine https://darbymag.com/SHOP Continue to our new shop ︎ https://darbymag.com/ABOUT Sun, 30 Jan 2022 19:19:07 +0000 DARBY Magazine https://darbymag.com/ABOUT DARBY is an independent print publication and cultural platform founded in 2019 working to grow and shape the game of football in Canada and beyond. We share the untold stories and the unifying passion that drive our community and culture at home and abroad. Want to get involved? Drop us a line ︎︎︎ https://darbymag.com/Gabriel-What-s-it-to-Ya Wed, 13 May 2026 14:57:06 +0000 DARBY Magazine https://darbymag.com/Gabriel-What-s-it-to-Ya GABRIEL WHAT’S IT TO YA? <img width="4194" height="2796" width_o="4194" height_o="2796" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/1d00df119581d9e24ca603915f0708e879eb2e2df059409bab7684ef2b1d0daa/DAR_GABE_WITY_1.jpeg" data-mid="248294431" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/1d00df119581d9e24ca603915f0708e879eb2e2df059409bab7684ef2b1d0daa/DAR_GABE_WITY_1.jpeg" /> Gabriel Guisado is a creative and media personality, the co-founder of Wavy Footy &amp; 5ASIDE Media, and founder of the R&amp;B event series Vino Vriday. Based in New York, he’s been part of a new generation of football media rooted in and celebrating Black culture, creating space for new voices and perspectives within the sport. We caught up with Gabriel on his recent visit to Toronto to talk about his football origin story, covering AFCON in Morocco and what’s next for him and 5ASIDE. How did football first enter your life? Football first entered my life through my heritage. I’m half Spanish, and in 2006, which was a World Cup year, my family from Spain came to visit. My cousin actually came for a few months first to learn some english before going to England. She came from Madrid, and so that’s the reason I’m a Madrid fan. A lot of people might be bandwagon, this or that. I got it directly from the source. And that’s when I fell in love with it. Not even because of Madrid initially, but because it was a World Cup year. Before that I didn’t watch soccer really at all. I was much more into the NBA and a little bit of NFL. But I was only nine years old as well, so I was so young and wasn’t fully into sports like that. Then seeing that 2006 World Cup which had so many iconic teams. From what Germany was as the host nation, Brazil of course, France, and Spain was right on the bubble of becoming the great all-time team that they were going to be afterwards. Even the US, the men’s national team had a really tough group stage, but it was the first time I felt a connection between an American identity and soccer, because before that, I had no thoughts of it whatsoever. So yeah, I completely fell in love with the game from the 2006 World Cup, and it was my first real passion. That was the first time in life I felt like, ‘oh, this is my thing’. And since then, it’s been my whole life. <img width="2109" height="2636" width_o="2109" height_o="2636" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/e01d427d2b8752fae4ed067da4efff6e133166054c60deffd8a5300a15531e93/DAR_GABE_WITY_3.jpeg" data-mid="248295190" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/e01d427d2b8752fae4ed067da4efff6e133166054c60deffd8a5300a15531e93/DAR_GABE_WITY_3.jpeg" /> <img width="2874" height="3592" width_o="2874" height_o="3592" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7e219e3036c9ba1f56cebc87d2c27040e49fda5378418f95b0c4f0393bf83d41/DAR_GABE_WITY_5.jpeg" data-mid="248295234" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/7e219e3036c9ba1f56cebc87d2c27040e49fda5378418f95b0c4f0393bf83d41/DAR_GABE_WITY_5.jpeg" /> Tell us about your career and what you do now? I’m the co-founder of 5ASIDE Media and Wavy Footy. We’re an agency and platform dedicated to growing soccer in America, and doing so through the lens of black culture. When I talked about falling in love with the sport and growing up in America, I never felt like the representation was there when it came to my country. You know what I mean? Whether that was the players on the team, or from the media side. When I looked around the world, at France, Brazil, or Africa, to me it looked quite Black and it’s really everybody’s sport. So why can’t it be the same in America? That’s when we started the whole concept, when Josh and I saw France win the 2018 World Cup. If we want the U.S team to look like this, how do we do it? It’s not just highlighting the sport and the black excellence, but the culture around it—the fashion, the music, even the politics, and the social identity part of it. So we started with that, with Wavy Footy, which was kind of blog style at first. We started building the community, getting tapped in with other platforms like yourselves—shout out DARBY. That built a lot of online community, but it’s one thing to talk about the culture in written words, and it’s another thing to put your face on it. And that’s when 5ASIDE started and we brought in some other guys in the fall of 2022. Once we started the podcast, that’s when things really popped off—especially around the World Cup. That eventually led to more things, like now I’m a La Liga content creator, as a group we’ve done tournaments with La Liga, we have a TV show with Bein Sports, spent the whole month at AFCON, brand deals with Nivia Men and other sponsors, all the events we host. Now it’s turned into a career, and that’s a beautiful thing. <img width="4857" height="3238" width_o="4857" height_o="3238" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/299fdbdd6870330d8f41eb695f44fbbbb035b9b048f3bc8a299194ff069a7922/DAR_GABE_WITY_4.jpeg" data-mid="248295224" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/299fdbdd6870330d8f41eb695f44fbbbb035b9b048f3bc8a299194ff069a7922/DAR_GABE_WITY_4.jpeg" /> What have been some of your favourite experiences in your career so far? You see it in the jersey. Being in Morocco for the entire month of AFCON, for the biggest AFCON ever, was a complete dream come true for us to be able to do that. Doing it with the exclusive rightsholders in the U.S. meant we had rights holders passes going to the stadiums. So, I mean, we were able to experience everything. We were literally at the opening ceremony on the field, and that’s when it really hit me at that moment. To see such an iconic show and to be front row, it was something you would almost never dream about. You don’t even think about opening ceremonies and the lights and the show and the dancing. French Montana walked by us and it’s the beginning of the tournament so it’s the moment of realization of like, ‘oh, this is really about to go down’. Morocco as a country really embraced us. The hospitality was amazing. A lot of the locals actually thought I was Moroccan, so it felt like a way of also—I don’t know if I’m genetically Moroccan, obviously a lot of African-Americans are still figuring out our ancestry—but that story of being back in Africa and then connecting with a culture, it was really special. Then the football we watched… It was incredible. We ran around the entire country, went to every stadium and every city. We were at the final—one of the craziest matches of all time—I mean, just unbelievable. It was a really powerful moment of just like, a different level of locking in as well, because as fun as it was, it was probably the most gruelling experience of our careers so far. In terms of the editing, and the live stream pre-match, post-match, having to constantly get stuff out. But it was an experience of a lifetime and something I’ll cherish forever. <img width="2874" height="3592" width_o="2874" height_o="3592" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/7e219e3036c9ba1f56cebc87d2c27040e49fda5378418f95b0c4f0393bf83d41/DAR_GABE_WITY_5.jpeg" data-mid="248295234" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/7e219e3036c9ba1f56cebc87d2c27040e49fda5378418f95b0c4f0393bf83d41/DAR_GABE_WITY_5.jpeg" /> Where do you see things going in the future for you and 5ASIDE? I love everything that we’re doing. 5ASIDE has become so expansive; we have the podcast, the TV element with BeIN Sports, and events from watch parties and tournaments to networking nights. We also create content at games and are getting invited to cover major events. For example, I went on the Jordan Brazil trip to São Paulo where Ronaldinho was right in front of me—one of the most special experiences of my life. Moving forward, I want to scale everything we’re doing. Personally, I want to continue expanding my media presence and get deeper into being on TV and digital platforms, not just in the football space but in the broader cultural realm. I have a lot of perspective on culture, humanity, and our lived experiences, and I want to dive into that. For 5ASIDE, we want to continue being that source of inspiration for Black voices in American soccer. People are already telling us they started creating content because of what they’ve seen us do. We’re reaching people who feel like this was what they were missing to finally tap into the sport. As soccer in America grows, I want 5ASIDE to stay at the forefront, directly reflecting the diversity we see in the game. &nbsp; <img width="768" height="226" width_o="768" height_o="226" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/081f0e412dde785417642b262ca4a1322b207f48a3b47913a7bce951000944c0/Group-3.png" data-mid="248270255" border="0" data-scale="80" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/768/i/081f0e412dde785417642b262ca4a1322b207f48a3b47913a7bce951000944c0/Group-3.png" /> https://darbymag.com/Saint-What-s-it-to-Ya Wed, 06 May 2026 18:02:40 +0000 DARBY Magazine https://darbymag.com/Saint-What-s-it-to-Ya SAINT WHAT’S IT TO YA? <img width="4864" height="3243" width_o="4864" height_o="3243" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d2808bc493a59e21038e253418c26da3c76c8a1d1c611cb805df27c948857347/022A9912.jpg" data-mid="247960155" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/d2808bc493a59e21038e253418c26da3c76c8a1d1c611cb805df27c948857347/022A9912.jpg" /> Saint Harris is a fashion creative and content creator whose work is deeply rooted in football culture, shaped by a journey that brought him back to the game in an unexpected way. After stepping away from football at a young age, he eventually reconnected with it through creativity, using fashion as his entry point into the culture that surrounds the sport. Over time, he’s built a distinct voice by sharing his perspective on styling, identity, and self-expression, growing into someone who not only interprets football through fashion but also actively contributes to how it’s experienced off the pitch. What is your first football memory? I have the perfect first memory of football. I was playing peewee football, and somebody tackled me. I remember getting up and leaving the field that day, and I told my dad I never want to play football again. It took me some years to find my way back. I played other sports, but now as I’ve grown older, it’s become a full circle moment where I’m now fortunate and able to style professional athletes within the space, as well as learn and explore more and play football just with my friends and my community. You mentioned styling athletes. Can you tell us more about your work in fashion? I would say that content creation has definitely pushed me into the world I am in now. The specific work I do is fashion content: inspiring people to wear outfits a certain way, teaching people how my mind works around fashion, and sharing how I perceive the world of fashion. Specifically with football, whether it’s styling jerseys on myself or building my world around the idea of football and styling professional athletes, it has all come full circle. That’s how my life and my career intertwined with the sport. <img width="1906" height="2382" width_o="1906" height_o="2382" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/df694bb5f0fcd3db146f91f935b1fbd0221d36cef24c0c1e3494c1f837f69dbd/022A0099.jpg" data-mid="247960149" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/df694bb5f0fcd3db146f91f935b1fbd0221d36cef24c0c1e3494c1f837f69dbd/022A0099.jpg" /> <img width="3510" height="4388" width_o="3510" height_o="4388" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/5225ccf09befd5e2fc1e5bc44f20316651f8eac8ed0a8d527021517c0bea964a/022A9980.jpg" data-mid="247960158" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/5225ccf09befd5e2fc1e5bc44f20316651f8eac8ed0a8d527021517c0bea964a/022A9980.jpg" /> How do you see fashion and football relating to one another? For me, they go hand in hand. From the very beginning, there’s always—no matter what niche or corner of the world you’re in—there are always pioneers and trailblazers. And going back in times from Johan Cruyff and now going to the days where fashion really started to blow up, especially with the introduction of social media, looking at someone like Hector Bellerin, and then going back and getting players from archives, like Balotelli when he was first coming up and David Beckham, those players started and trailblazed the path of being someone seen as stylish in regards to football. And now, as time has gone on and social media has become so important recently, that side of athletes and what they do outside of football has become so important. And for a lot of athletes, style is very important, as is how they’re perceived outside of the pitch. So that’s where it started, and now so many people build their lives around the intersection of fashion of football. There are so many different designers who solely work on building football gear based on deconstructed jerseys, stitching and sewing jerseys and unique patterns, or even just being a jersey designer themselves. So it’s a world that slowly but surely is continuing to get more recognized. <img width="3841" height="2561" width_o="3841" height_o="2561" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/2d4b754f5dcc9740dd4fed2bf818cdbf48f515b424472322fd9cc48078671a51/022A0124.jpg" data-mid="247960161" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/2d4b754f5dcc9740dd4fed2bf818cdbf48f515b424472322fd9cc48078671a51/022A0124.jpg" /><img width="4171" height="2781" width_o="4171" height_o="2781" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f3c74e028ce4cccc1a7388b73fa61b6f70bffb085eefca9076525376013e922e/022A9946.jpg" data-mid="247960157" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/f3c74e028ce4cccc1a7388b73fa61b6f70bffb085eefca9076525376013e922e/022A9946.jpg" /> What drew you to the S.C Corinthians kit you’re wearing? I love unique jerseys. Not every unique jersey is a good jersey, but something with Corinthians, they really take time and effort when it comes to how they design their jerseys and how they want to be perceived, even from a lifestyle perspective. So even with me, what I’m wearing right now, this kit is just the perfect blend of such simple colours and such a simple design, but it works perfectly. And yeah, I love this jersey. I try my best to style it whenever I can. What does the future hold for Saint Harris? I definitely want to share more of my personality going forward. A lot of people know me—or a lot of people recognize me—but they don’t actually know me. So I want to start building out that story more, on top of the image that I’ve been able to develop online and the perspective and the inspiration I’ve been able to give people. Where I see things being in the future is more blurring between different sections and sectors of culture. We see it a lot more now with someone like Travis Scott being directly involved with designing kits for Barcelona. That’s sports, music, and fashion all blended into one avenue and interacting. Whereas a few years ago, you didn’t see that at all. So now I think it’s going to be something very prominent where you’re going to start to see a lot of the larger clubs, for example, AC Milan, collaborating with a Billie Eilish. Even seeing collabs between artists designing and having a capsule collection with a club like Real Madrid, or even Arsenal. I think those kinds of partnerships are going to be even more prevalent as time goes on, especially with the modernization of the sport of football. &nbsp; <img width="768" height="226" width_o="768" height_o="226" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/081f0e412dde785417642b262ca4a1322b207f48a3b47913a7bce951000944c0/Group-3.png" data-mid="247956563" border="0" data-scale="80" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/768/i/081f0e412dde785417642b262ca4a1322b207f48a3b47913a7bce951000944c0/Group-3.png" /> https://darbymag.com/Sophia-What-s-it-to-Ya Mon, 04 May 2026 14:32:51 +0000 DARBY Magazine https://darbymag.com/Sophia-What-s-it-to-Ya SOPHIA WHAT’S IT TO YA? <img width="4776" height="3184" width_o="4776" height_o="3184" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/8d7c944ddd5e6fcb5fb58e2c28b0749b3c1566e463a8094a84126ec8266211c8/022A9700.jpg" data-mid="247869226" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/8d7c944ddd5e6fcb5fb58e2c28b0749b3c1566e463a8094a84126ec8266211c8/022A9700.jpg" /> Sophia Gutierrez is a freelance photographer whose work is shaped by football, family, and culture. Introduced to the game at a young age, her rooted connection comes from growing up surrounded by it, with her family playing a central role in her love for the sport. Now working behind the lens, she channels her creativity and passion into capturing the beautiful game, turning it into something both personal and widely felt. How did you first find football? I grew up playing because of my dad and my brother. My dad is Salvadorian, so it’s a big part of Latino culture to just love football. I feel like it’s in our blood. I started playing when I was four years old, just in house league, and my dad was my coach. He was always training me in the field behind our house, bringing me to The Hangar here to watch my older brothers’ games. And yeah, I grew up just loving it, being around it, having my dad watch Premier League games on the weekend. Just being around footy all the time. What do you love most about the game? What I love most about footy is that there are so many things you can take away for your life — whether you’re a competitive player or a non-competitive player. It brings you so many connections with people. You can make friends, you can find people who help you in all areas of your life. Also, just the feeling I get from playing, I feel like it’s ingrained in who I am because I started playing so young. <img width="3781" height="4726" width_o="3781" height_o="4726" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/d85ab630b3baf361e885b75d91e9e1dede4474d62fa6335548e3546066c0da11/022A9839.jpg" data-mid="247869222" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/d85ab630b3baf361e885b75d91e9e1dede4474d62fa6335548e3546066c0da11/022A9839.jpg" /> <img width="3030" height="3787" width_o="3030" height_o="3787" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/c05b810140067f444b2f2ea6945848479ff07d675ed4adc8f81500c08b49c09b/022A9518.jpg" data-mid="247869230" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/c05b810140067f444b2f2ea6945848479ff07d675ed4adc8f81500c08b49c09b/022A9518.jpg" /> How did you get to start supporting Real Madrid? So, my dad was always watching soccer with my older brother, and he really loved the Galactico era of Real Madrid. That was when Beckham, R9, like the whole team was just stacked, right? And there was that, midfielder Gutierrez, right? JM Guti, and he was always watching him because he has the same name as him. My dad’s name was Jose Gutierrez, and he was always telling me, ‘Look, it’s in our blood, it’s in our name.’ You have a player playing for the biggest club in the world, with our name, and it just always stuck with me. I remember being 7 or 8 years old seeing clips of him with Zidane and all the other guys on Real Madrid and just being like ‘Oh my God, this is magic’. They looked like superheroes to me. How did you parlay your love for the sport into a career in Football? I grew up playing competitively, and there came a time when my dad passed away when I was a teenager, so I really wanted to stay connected with the sport of soccer ‘cause it was kind of like my way to keep him alive, within my family as well. My brother was always bringing me to games, training me when he could, and it was just part of keeping him alive. I wanted to pursue something related to sports, so I studied kinesiology in university, and I always knew I wanted to stay in sports. But I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do. So when COVID hit, I was in my second year of university, and I got my first camera. I kind of just got it because I wanted to do what my dad was doing, taking pictures of our family and nature. So I did that, and it didn’t really click in my head to try sports until a few years later, when I met my boyfriend and he encouraged me to take pictures of soccer players, him and his friends just for fun. The first time I shot in a big venue, something just clicked in my head that this is just magic. It’s so nice to be able to appreciate different players for their skills and highlight them in their best moments, and, yeah, I just fell in love with it in that sense. <img width="4312" height="2875" width_o="4312" height_o="2875" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/ee384b748c073fbc81ba53e5a230571161b5aeadd820aac918d044f127fc690b/022A9675.jpg" data-mid="247869225" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/ee384b748c073fbc81ba53e5a230571161b5aeadd820aac918d044f127fc690b/022A9675.jpg" /> Where do you think photography will take you, or where do you want it to take you? I think growing up, I was always a daydreamer. I was very creative, but I had no outlet for it. It was really drilled into my head from a young age, being the eldest daughter of immigrant parents, that you have to find a good career, you have to do what’s best for your family, and education was what they were telling me was best. I had a very narrow perspective of what my career and what my adult life was going to look like. Just a regular job, probably in healthcare, but that creative side of me was always something I wanted to have an outlet for. It was something always calling out to me. So I think that’s why I enjoy collecting jerseys. I enjoy art. I was always a daydreamer, right? That was something that’s always been in the back of my head. Dreaming of adventure, of going to big soccer games in the future, but I never really had the money or the opportunity to do it because my family wasn't that privileged. Photography just opened up a completely different world to me. I’ve been seeing different people in my community going to different games, on the world stage, in bigger stadiums, and I realized that’s something I could do. That I have that talent in me if I just keep pursuing it and trying my best, people are going to call out. Luckily, I’ve been really fortunate, and a lot of opportunities have been coming my way. I haven’t really had to go out and look for them, so I feel like I’m on a good path because things are just kind of coming to me. &nbsp; <img width="768" height="226" width_o="768" height_o="226" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/081f0e412dde785417642b262ca4a1322b207f48a3b47913a7bce951000944c0/Group-3.png" data-mid="247846476" border="0" data-scale="80" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/768/i/081f0e412dde785417642b262ca4a1322b207f48a3b47913a7bce951000944c0/Group-3.png" /> https://darbymag.com/Justin-What-s-it-to-Ya Wed, 15 Apr 2026 16:58:12 +0000 DARBY Magazine https://darbymag.com/Justin-What-s-it-to-Ya JUSTIN WHAT’S IT TO YA? Photos &amp; Interview: Ararsa Kitaba <img width="1600" height="1067" width_o="1600" height_o="1067" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f2eae968faffb12e37b66dea501e3afc132fd4124e63d47cf767df6843b1c9dc/20260408-A41Y5927.jpg" data-mid="247256227" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/f2eae968faffb12e37b66dea501e3afc132fd4124e63d47cf767df6843b1c9dc/20260408-A41Y5927.jpg" /> Justin Han is a portrait and street photographer based in Windsor, Ontario. With both Chinese and Vietnamese roots, he found his love for Barcelona from YouTube highlights and never looked back. When did your love of Barça begin? I think it started around the 2010–11 final—prime Messi. Being Gen Z, I was on YouTube a lot growing up, and I came across a Messi highlight reel. I just fell in love with the game that way. Naturally, I became a Messi fan, and then a Barça fan. Aside from Messi, what or who else did you connect with at the club? As a creative, even from a young age, it was the style—the tiki-taka—that every Barça fan falls in love with. It’s just different. Even the aura of the badge, the culture of the club—it feels unlike anything else. Player-wise, beyond the obvious Messi, Neymar, Xavi, Busquets—I loved Dani Alves. He had that Brazilian flair, and even though he’s considered one of the best right-backs ever now, I still think he doesn’t get the flowers he deserves. Same with David Villa. Absolute class. If you know ball, you know—prime Villa was unreal. And Pedro too. Those guys were just as important to that team. <img width="1067" height="1600" width_o="1067" height_o="1600" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/2b225f414e43fe145732eca568ec43622c46ae159454a901061b6eeaf38b79c0/20260408-A41Y5958.jpg" data-mid="247256223" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/2b225f414e43fe145732eca568ec43622c46ae159454a901061b6eeaf38b79c0/20260408-A41Y5958.jpg" /> <img width="1067" height="1600" width_o="1067" height_o="1600" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/c7a42203762ceb9a25c062cda2f2ddcdf9d6ffaac0e7a28a6229fc5620d209e7/20260408-A41Y5678.jpg" data-mid="247256196" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/c7a42203762ceb9a25c062cda2f2ddcdf9d6ffaac0e7a28a6229fc5620d209e7/20260408-A41Y5678.jpg" /> After that 2010–11 era, how did your relationship with Barça evolve? It’s tough because that era was Barça at its peak, especially for me watching it live. I can’t really speak to anything before that—I didn’t experience the Cruyff era. But I think my love was tested and kind of rekindled later. After that peak, Barça went through a rough stretch. It felt like Messi was carrying the team, especially in 2018–19. A lot of people write that season off, but he had an insane run—some of those goals were ridiculous. There were embarrassing moments too, but that period really tested me as a fan. After Messi left, the rebuild started. Laporta came back, brought in Xavi and now Flick, and we’ve got this incredible young core—arguably the best in the world. Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Fermín López, Gavi. We played Espanyol the other day and the average age was around 24. The oldest was Araújo at 26. It feels like we’re getting back to our identity—La Masia, the style, the culture. That youth, that raw talent—it really represents what the club is about. In Windsor, when Barça struggles, are you catching heat or dealing with it alone? Honestly, it’s not too bad. I do remember when we lost 8–2 and you sent me a voice note laughing for like five straight minutes. I was depressed at the time, but looking back, it’s actually hilarious. A lot of my friends are Madridistas, so there’s constant banter—“UEFAlona” and all that. But that’s football. It makes it more fun. In Windsor, I don’t know too many hardcore Barça or Madrid fans. You see more Premier League and Serie A support, probably because of the Italian community here. <img width="1600" height="1067" width_o="1600" height_o="1067" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/fe46330d50f12a33e2c6b90ddacd3262322d8910bc7bf11a0e50b344d11a8e81/20260408-A41Y5930.jpg" data-mid="247256205" border="0" data-scale="86" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/fe46330d50f12a33e2c6b90ddacd3262322d8910bc7bf11a0e50b344d11a8e81/20260408-A41Y5930.jpg" /> As a creative and photographer, how would you describe your style? Right now, it’s pretty raw. I’m just about to graduate, and for the past four years I’ve been focused on school, so photography took a bit of a backseat. But that’s been a blessing in a way—it made me appreciate it more. I got into street photography, which has been really therapeutic, especially during such an academic-heavy time. Just walking around, experimenting with angles, lighting, different subjects—even random things—it’s been fun. Bringing it into Lightroom and playing with edits changed how I approach my main work, which is portraits. Now I just focus on having fun. I used to stress about consistency and defining my style, but I’ve let that go. It kind of takes care of itself when you’re just creating and pulling inspiration from everywhere—football included. <img width="1067" height="1600" width_o="1067" height_o="1600" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/15089817f26bd8f70461e00b03bc6299ea3858bb64f00862018bbab9d949d66e/20260408-A41Y5947.jpg" data-mid="247256224" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/15089817f26bd8f70461e00b03bc6299ea3858bb64f00862018bbab9d949d66e/20260408-A41Y5947.jpg" /> <img width="1067" height="1600" width_o="1067" height_o="1600" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/9044011990ffd838d717495063981755a2bb8f5c2b62d50eccd17a5814c5ea2d/20260408-A41Y5732.jpg" data-mid="247256206" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/9044011990ffd838d717495063981755a2bb8f5c2b62d50eccd17a5814c5ea2d/20260408-A41Y5732.jpg" /> When you travel, do you come across street football culture? Yeah, even if I didn’t capture it on camera. Europe is different. I was there a few years ago, and you feel it right away. Everything’s more condensed, the cities are older—you just feel football in the air. It’s a game anyone can play, and in a lot of places, kids gravitate toward it because it’s accessible. You see people outside, playing, hanging out. In Windsor, everyone’s driving—you don’t really see that as much. So it was refreshing, especially as someone who values that more now. If you could change Windsor’s football culture, what would you want to see? There are a lot of people who love and play football here, but it’s still pretty niche. Not many people know where to go or how to get involved. From my experience, it can be a pretty showboaty environment—sometimes even toxic. I just like playing for the sake of playing, but it’s hard to find people at your level or people who aren’t trying to prove something. It’d be great if people came together more and made it more accessible. When @fordcityfc started those casual runs, it was huge. Before that, it was mostly tight circles or organized leagues. Just more casual, welcoming environments—people kicking a ball around, keeping it simple. <img width="1067" height="1600" width_o="1067" height_o="1600" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/44d2b0835bfe8bec7ea9152d1ae464da6cac05d590580f5fdef26e0230a0c99a/20260408-A41Y5781.jpg" data-mid="247256219" border="0" data-scale="73" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/44d2b0835bfe8bec7ea9152d1ae464da6cac05d590580f5fdef26e0230a0c99a/20260408-A41Y5781.jpg" /> &nbsp; Does anyone in your family follow football? My dad does, casually. He watches the World Cup and throws on highlights now and then. We’re Vietnamese, so he’s always like, “Vietnam’s on the come up, bro—they’re actually decent.” It’s funny because he mostly watches highlights, so he’s a bit optimistic—but it’s nice. What was it like growing up without a national team to fully support in the World Cup? We grew up pretty frugal, so for a long time we didn’t have internet or cable. If we caught games, it was usually at a restaurant or somewhere random. I’d usually support Japan or another Asian team—just the closest connection to Vietnam. After that, it was whoever I thought was cool or recognized from FIFA. I’d play at friends’ houses, and that’s how I got to know players and teams. With the World Cup coming to Canada, do you plan to attend? I’d love to, but ticket prices are crazy. Toronto’s the closest city, but getting around during big events is tough, especially driving. So I’ll probably watch from home—but we’ll see. Never say never. Post-World Cup, what are your hopes for Canadian football and local communities? The simple answer is I hope more people get exposed to the sport and in turn the overall quality of football in Canada on a competitive level gets improved. And like I said before, maybe encourage more human interaction. In a digital age, we lack that, especially here in Windsor where it's very car dominated. People aren’t out on their feet as much. Ever since Qatar, it feels like Canadian football has been on the rise. We’ve got a lot of players in Europe now. Eustáquio was at Porto not too long ago, Davies at Bayern, Johnston in Scotland, and more coming through. There’s real momentum. By the next World Cup, I think we’ll have a much stronger, more developed squad. If guys like Davies stay healthy and David hits his prime, there’s a lot to be excited about. <img width="768" height="226" width_o="768" height_o="226" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/081f0e412dde785417642b262ca4a1322b207f48a3b47913a7bce951000944c0/Group-3.png" data-mid="247248486" border="0" data-scale="80" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/768/i/081f0e412dde785417642b262ca4a1322b207f48a3b47913a7bce951000944c0/Group-3.png" /> https://darbymag.com/The-Footy-Culture-What-s-it-to-Ya Thu, 02 Apr 2026 16:36:06 +0000 DARBY Magazine https://darbymag.com/The-Footy-Culture-What-s-it-to-Ya THE FOOTY CULTURE WHAT’S IT TO YA? <img width="3373" height="4216" width_o="3373" height_o="4216" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/dfa904d98dafd1c5de03c58b0f0ed323b4e18345c80f4cfbbb0eead1a60fd8bd/022A7640.jpg" data-mid="246791848" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/dfa904d98dafd1c5de03c58b0f0ed323b4e18345c80f4cfbbb0eead1a60fd8bd/022A7640.jpg" /> Born from childhood friends playing and talking about soccer in Vaughan, Ontario, The Footy Culture has become one of Canada's leading soccer podcasts. Hosts Matthews Lysik-Machado, James Matusinec, Daniel Quintero, David Quintero, Jason Lysik-Machado, and Christopher Spadafora offer passionate takes on global football. Years later, the show remains committed to its roots: six friends who love talking footy, while interviewing big names and actively working to grow the culture across North America.When did you guys all become friends and meet for the first time? Matthews: It all started on a street called Kelso Crescent in Vaughan, where we grew up. Around 2003, 2004, we all lived on the same street. Basically, I met this guy, James first. He lived right across from me. We became friends, and then down the street a little bit from me, the twins, Dan and Dave. So we all met on the street playing footy, and that’s basically how it happened. That’s how we met. And then afterwards, we met Chris just playing footy. We knew him through playing and then just became friends through high school. And then Jay, of course, my brother, was obviously involved in the group at that point. And that's basically how it started. How did the idea of the podcast come about? Daniel: We wanted to do something different that we haven’t really seen in the space — this was six or seven years ago. We wanted to build the culture around the game. We were always talking about footy to begin with, and Jay was actually the one who said, “Guys, why don’t we just start a podcast?” We were always talking about soccer anyway. So why not just put a mic in front of us and talk about what we do on a daily basis? Sometimes it’s funny because we even say, “Guys, leave it for the pod,” because we still talk so much footy in the group chat. But yeah, it’s something we were doing from the very start. On the streets, at home, chilling, so we just got together and started recording. <img width="3786" height="4732" width_o="3786" height_o="4732" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/be939e6e6098134f99366e261dcbbb12e461edf443c93ae0de85cbdbd7865d57/022A7766.jpg" data-mid="246791841" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/be939e6e6098134f99366e261dcbbb12e461edf443c93ae0de85cbdbd7865d57/022A7766.jpg" /> <img width="2881" height="3601" width_o="2881" height_o="3601" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/40c8047142a5d87955f890e6941783b5e7903b19680b4f0a8a73db4d233bee36/022A7857.jpg" data-mid="246791844" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/40c8047142a5d87955f890e6941783b5e7903b19680b4f0a8a73db4d233bee36/022A7857.jpg" /> Does anyone want to talk about their passion for football and when it started? Jason: I can speak for myself and my brother, Matthews. We have a Brazilian father, so we were forced against our will to love the game. But yeah, growing up, we were taught that Brazilian football is the essence of the beautiful game. There’s a lot of passion and entertainment when you’re growing up watching it, it’s exciting. We grew up in Vaughan, Ontario, and although a lot of people say Canada’s maybe a hockey country, Vaughan is a soccer city. I didn't know any hockey players growing up. I didn't know any basketball players growing up. We only knew soccer players, so that's our roots.Daniel: Our family came to Canada from Ecuador, and soccer is the biggest sport there. So just growing up with a family who was devoted to the sport, even playing the game alongside my brother from the very start— playing at youth level, playing Spanish league—until now, still playing the game. It’s been a huge part of our lives and it’s built us into the people that we are today. What would you say has been the best part of doing the podcast? Jason: I’d say the best outcome has been a lot of the relationships built within the community. We’ve been able to craft a lot of nice relationships with players, coaches, and other creators in the space. We’ve been able to interview a lot of cool athletes, Premier League footballers, international footballers, Champions League ballers, Canada national team players. Those relationships have been fun to create, but also with like-minded brands in the space, brands like Nike— one of our favourite brands growing up—we were able to form a relationship with them. It’s something we’ve always dreamed of doing which is awesome. So I'll definitely say, yeah, the relationships built along the way and the community that we were able to build and be a part of in Toronto, Canada, and North America. <img width="3729" height="4661" width_o="3729" height_o="4661" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/248c04a1469578b197f479cda8b1db981aa96fa8e41759f0e8c566beb871fcb1/022A7696.jpg" data-mid="246791835" border="0" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/1000/i/248c04a1469578b197f479cda8b1db981aa96fa8e41759f0e8c566beb871fcb1/022A7696.jpg" /> &nbsp; What clubs do you each support? James Matusinec: Borussia DortmundDaniel Quintero: Manchester UnitedJason Lysik-Machado: BarcelonaMatthews Lysik-Machado: BarcelonaChristopher Spadafora: JuventusDavid Quintero: Barcelona As a podcast, do you think you guys let your club biases get in the way at all? Christopher: Me personally, I’m not biased with my club, but every other person in this podcast is super biased. It’s super hard to like argue with them because they’re just biased with their own team. Matthews: We all know that’s cap. We all know I’m the least biased fan here. I keep it a thousand no matter what, and that’s it. David: You guys are all liars. We are definitely all biased. I can be real. Yeah, there’s always a little bit of bias when you talk about your own club. What do you guys think the future holds for the podcast? James: I think, obviously, for all of us, I think our dream is to continue growing the community, and continue growing the culture here in Canada. Obviously, the World Cup is a huge moment, but I think for us, we think it’s just the start of the game continuing to grow in this country. We’re so multicultural and football is the world’s game. So we want to keep growing that community, keep growing that culture, and make sure that we are a centre point for Canadian soccer. <img width="768" height="226" width_o="768" height_o="226" data-src="https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/081f0e412dde785417642b262ca4a1322b207f48a3b47913a7bce951000944c0/Group-3.png" data-mid="246791762" border="0" data-scale="80" src="https://freight.cargo.site/w/768/i/081f0e412dde785417642b262ca4a1322b207f48a3b47913a7bce951000944c0/Group-3.png" />