LOS ANGELES – At Nike’s Toma Live La Noche LA Finals “THE POOL” on Sunday night, 60 of Los Angeles’s top youth street footballers competed for a chance to represent the city in the North America Toma Finals competition. The winners were crowned regional champions in 1v1, 3v3, and 4v4 street soccer.
It was the culminating event in the Los Angeles Toma La Noche months-long tournament series, which included four competitions: The Lawn, The Hill, The Beach and The Bridge, across various LA neighborhoods as part of Nike’s broader Toma El Juego, a year-round initiative.
"[Nike] is putting such a big emphasis on youth soccer, especially in the states, that a lot of people overlook, and they're making sure to not overlook it, which is amazing," said Abdiel Pagan, a soccer content creator who has worked with Nike.
"I wish that when I was a kid, these opportunities were around. Now being on a different side of the soccer community, being a creator, I'm glad that I somewhat get to be a part of it."
But LA’s “THE POOL” was more than a soccer event- it created a space for culture and community to be highlighted through sport. Nike transformed the Griffith Park Pool into a custom-built small-sided football arena under the lights, allowing attendees to see the game from all sides.
Amongst the crowds of fans were some of Nike’s top athletes, including Zlatan Ibrahimović, Clint Dempsey, DeMar DeRozan and Mathis Albert.
Angel Montalvo and Steven Blanco
L to R: Zlatan Ibrahimović and Clint Dempsey at Toma La Noche – LA Finals at Griffith Park Pool, Los Angeles, June 7, 2026.
Shawna Gordon (a former A-League player and founder of Football for Her) and Pere Segarra (a former Spanish player and founder of Tiki Taka Futbol) were in the front row to support their respective competing crews.
Teams from six crews went head-to-head in knockout 3v3 and 4v4 matches. The girls' tournament took place first, followed by the boys' events. Later in the night, competitors went head-to-head in 1v1, with two winners earning a spot at the national finals.
LA Hooligans FC’s girls and Best LA's boys crews, which included players from Football for Her and Tiki Taka, were crowned the regional winners of the night and took home custom-designed scorpion trophies made by local LA artist, metalsmith and jewelry designer Georgina Treviño.
Angel Montalvo and Steven Blanco
LA Hooligans FC girls hold trophy after winning the Nike Toma La Noche – LA Finals at Griffith Park Pool, Los Angeles, June 7, 2026.
Mina Nagashima, 17, scored the winning goal of the girls’ finals.
The winning crews wore jerseys designed by the Kids of Immigrants (KOI) brand, which hosted a previous Toma La Noche stop at the Melrose Hill.
After the winning crews were decided, the pool turned into a concert pit as Chino Pacas and Clave Especial performed short live sets.
Angel Montalvo and Steven Blanco
Chino Pacas performs during Nike Toma La Noche – LA Finals at Griffith Park Pool, Los Angeles, June 7, 2026.
TOMA BRINGS CULTURE AND CREATIVITY
Product drops and Nike gear, including the futsal jerseys designed by the community to celebrate the cities and groups that shaped the tournament series, were on display and available for purchase.
Joey Barba, the co-founder of PAISABOYS, a Los Angeles-based streetwear brand, attended the “THE POOL” finals. PAISABOYS hosted the Toma La Noche: “THE BRIDGE” event on March 28 under the 6th Street Bridge in LA's Arts District.
"I feel like Nike does a really good job of giving these kids the opportunity to show their skill. A lot of these kids don't go to like private soccer clubs and stuff like that. So this is like a huge opportunity, a huge stage for them," Barba told The Sporting Tribune.
The brand draws inspiration from the Mexican immigrant and Mexican American communities, aiming to transform the word “paisa” into a symbol of cultural pride. A special Nike x PaisaBoys Mexico-inspired football kit featured in Nike’s recent ‘Rip the Script’ ad. Through collaborations with Nike and Toma La Noche, the brand has brought streetwear and latine identity to the forefront of sports in the city where it was founded.
Angel Montalvo and Steven Blanco
Joey Barba posing with NIKE X PAISABOYS jersey at the Toma La Noche – LA Finals at Griffith Park Pool, Los Angeles, June 7, 2026.
"We're honored to be a part of it. And we realize that, like, this is our dream job, you know. It's every kid's dream to be working with Nike this closely, and we don't take it lightly," said Barba. "We appreciate every opportunity they give us. And we just want to represent our people in Mexico and, you know, Mexicans and cultura in the best way possible."
Also featured in the ad was Mateo Alcantar, the 15-year-old baller who won one of the tournaments during the first edition of TOMA last year.
Angel Montalvo and Steven Blanco
Mateo Alcantar at the Nike Toma La Noche – LA Finals at Griffith Park Pool, Los Angeles, June 7, 2026.
"It feels amazing. It kind of feels unreal. I really don't know how to feel right now," said Alcantar, reflecting on his part in the ad.
Competing in TOMA has given him opportunities that young footballers rarely see. "I never thought any of this would happen to me, like it was never even in my mind," he told The Sporting Tribune.
Alcantar grew up with the sport thanks to his family's love of the game, and has seen himself grow since he played in Compton FC's Toma event.
"As soon as I was able to walk, I was just always on the ball," said Alcantar. "Over the past year, I've grown by getting more comfortable on the ball. Just being more confident and playing for fun."
Sunday’s final in Los Angeles was one of three Toma La Noche finals taking place and served as Nike’s main studio broadcast (hosted by Duda Pavao and AJ Ramos), with simultaneous finals in New York City and Mexico City (CDMX) all streamed via a free-to-access one-night livestream on Amazon Music, Prime Video, and Twitch. In total, 10 countries were represented across Toma Live, with the Toma LATAM Finals taking place at the CDMX experience.
THE HISTORY OF TOMA EL JUEGO
Nike’s Toma El Juego is a street soccer platform that is free and open to all, showcasing thousands of 14-through 18-year-old players with the goal of bringing athletes, fans and their communities closer to football and developing a new generation of 'local legends'.
The platform launched in Los Angeles in June 2025, activating overlooked public spaces such as bridges and beaches to create pitches and immersive soccer experiences rooted directly in local communities. Players competed with already established clubs, including Compton FC, Tiki Taka, Football For Her and the Venice Beach Football Club.
"When we first started Toma, a lot of it was figuring out how do we bring a sense of identity to this game that maybe kids haven't been able to be part of before, and I think a lot of it is working with organizations that are in the communities already that are aligned to similar values and missions as we are," Ian Shepard, Head of Marketing at Nike told The Sporting Tribune.
"A lot of times we talk about making sure that it's for the benefit of the neighborhoods...it's about letting them, you know, put their stamp on it and put their identity around it too, so it's really a collective kind of community mission what we have in Toma."
Now, the tournament has expanded globally, spanning more than 20 cities across six continents, including Los Angeles, Miami, Mexico City, Seoul, Santiago and Lima. Toma El Juego will continue to build off the past two years.
"Our intent is to continue with the platform and continue what we've started and continue to make sure that it feels authentic and neighborhood-driven and community-driven, keeping it really hyper-local, and as we move into the next big sport moments that are going to be happening next summer, our aim is to figure out the ways that we can continue with this movement," said Shepard.
The LA Champions will compete in New York City in late June at the Toma Season One Finals against players from across the U.S. and Canada.