Professional men’s soccer or “futbol” has always had great Latino players, but only 7% of female professional soccer players in the US are Latinas. That’s not how things look at the Downtown LA Soccer Club. Most of the girls playing for this non-profit are Latinas and that’s intentional.  The club is trying to overcome the barriers young Latinas often face: like financial burdens and gender stereotypes. On this episode, we meet their star player and her coach, as they fight for their club to remain a safe space. Their rent is up nearly four times, and some of the club’s families have been affected by the increase in ICE raids.

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This episode was produced by Marta Martinez, with production assistance from Diego Perdomo, and edited by our Managing Editor Fernanda Echavarri. It was mixed by Gabriela Baez. Fact-checking for this episode was done by Roxana Aguirre.

Featured image by Diego Perdomo.