Deftones and Goal Projects Sponsor Sacramento Street Soccer Team
Deftones know how to do some good in the world. The Sacramento, Ca legends are giving back to their hometown with a little something for the youth. Along with the global soccer brand GOAL, Deftones have designed and released official 2026 jerseys and a soccer ball for Street Soccer USA’s Los Jaguares, a youth soccer team from the city’s Oak Park neighborhood, where the band themselves are from.
Said collaboration is part of a series the GOAL Projects (the creative studio run by GOAL) has been working on for a little bit—Common Goal. This Deftones release is the third installment in this series, which pairs musicians with local youth soccer teams to help support them.
The band said this about soccer and their collaboration:
“When we heard about this group of kids growing up in our hometown in need of support, we jumped at the opportunity. Soccer and music are both about connection and expression, and having a strong community that nourishes this during developmental years is so important. We’re stoked to be able to give back and make a positive change in their lives, and our hope is to encourage them to continue pursuing their dreams despite any odds.”
Los Jaguares, a co-ed team of 11 to 14-year-olds, is part of Street Soccer USA, a national nonprofit that serves over 75,000 players in 16 cities across the states. Every jersey sold helps to keep soccer free for the kids, hoping to expand access to fields and coaching, and even give other sorts of necessary support like providing healthy snacks.
The most adorable part of this is how Los Jaguares met Deftones at Aftershock back in October, which marked the first time many of the players have ever attended a concert. The band signed their jerseys and chilled with them backstage, which is probably the coolest thing a kid has ever gotten to do.
Everyone involved has good shit to say about the collaboration, obviously including GOAL Projects founder Jake Cohen, who said:
“This program is all about creating local impact with international reach. It’s hard to think of a band that better embodies that than Deftones. For over 30 years, they’ve been an emblem of Sacramento while bringing their music to every corner of the world. Including them in this project lets us celebrate Sacramento culture, support youth facing real challenges, and give fans a meaningful way to engage through soccer and music.”
Managing director of Street Soccer USA Sacramento, Lisa Wrightsman commented:
“Personally, I have always loved the Deftones, and their music was a huge part of teenage years and expression. For the students that are benefiting from the collaboration, it is such a powerful message to be seen, acknowledged and praised by one of our most successful rock bands to come from Sacramento. Oak Park is home to a lot of underserved and underrepresented families, having a band like the Deftones sharing their spotlight and shining a light on them will not only be something they remember forever, but also an opportunity to play more, work hard and be proud.”
Mary Connor, the executive director of Common Goal USA said:
“Creativity and collaboration are at the heart of every song and every soccer match. We are incredibly excited to be a part of this unique collaboration with GOAL, connecting the two powerful forces of soccer and music, and translating these into tangible opportunities for youth across football for good communities.”
We love to see any bit of goodness when everything is so tragically dark. The Deftones x Goal Projects jerseys are available now at both goalprojects.goal.com and shopdeftones.com.
