The heart of Los Angeles was pumping with passion as the infamous three stripes held its second Tango League event at the Base LA. In addition to some of the LA area’s best ballers, members of the LA Galaxy, influencers, and other lovers of the beautiful game were in attendance for the release of the Adidas “Ocean Storm” line.
Fast-paced and loaded with tekkers, the Adidas Tango League made its return to Los Angeles for the release of Adidas’ brand-new “Ocean Storm” pack, which consists of striking neon yellow and electric blue colorways on its Nemeziz, Ace, X, and Copa models.
In addition to the showcasing of the shoes, a private, eight-team tournament and skills competition was held at Adidas’ newly-minted The Base LA located near the heart of Downtown LA. The rules were simple — you lose, you’re out. Among the eight teams in attendance included Neymar Jr.’s Five veterans Salsa Tango, HBfutsal from Huntington Beach, and Street Ballers from Compton.
A panel of four star guest judges, which consisted of LA Galaxy players Raul Mendiola and Daniel Steres, fitness model Tamra Dae, and former Tango League MVP Pedro Mendoza, watched on as some of LA’s finest street ballers put in work and looked to rise their way up the Tango League leaderboard.
“This is something I would have loved to do when I was younger,” Steres said. “Just come out and play with some friends and shoot around and show what we’ve got. It was a really cool event, hopefully they keep doing this and we get a chance to come back.”
Dae, who has over 1 million Instagram followers, noted that the intense mentality seen during the tournament can be used in other facets of life off of the pitch, and how important these lessons learned through sport are particularly for younger generations.
“The tournament and facility was incredible, and I’m truly honored to be here [and] to be able to use my platform as a female in the social media world to be able to drive soccer to another level,” Dae said. “For younger girls to see that we can as athletes branch out beyond just the field, it’s priceless. I want to spread the message that athletes can have that same mentality and bring it to the game of life and not just the game on the field.”
Players from every team came out and left their hearts on the pitch. The energy was truly something to be felt — there was nothing but raw passion and love for the game. It wasn’t about winning a medal, but more so about the pride that the beautiful game brings.
This pride was on full display in the semi-final match between Compton’s Street Ballers and Salsa Tango, two of the most prolific teams entering the competition. With time running out, the game quickly became more physical as players started getting stuck into tough challenges. Due to a hard foul, Salsa Tango lost a player towards the end of the match, and couldn’t quite recover as Street Ballers came out on top.
Street Ballers rode that momentum into the final, and defeated HBfutsal to earn the crown of Tango League LA Champions.
The Adidas Tango League continues to showcase some the most passionate and skilled players that may not get the spotlight elsewhere.
“I’m just happy to be out here again for Adidas,” said Steven Mendoza of Salsa Tango, who has now competed in two Tango League events. “It’s been a great experience every time. There’s always great competition out here, and everyone fights until the end. We’re here to fight, but we can’t win all of them.”
