Bay FC celebrated Latino Heritage Month, which spans Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, by honoring Latin American and Hispanic cultures at the Latino Heritage Match against Orlando Pride on Sunday, Sept. 27.
The fun started before the match with a performance by the Mamboléo Latin jazz band, featuring singers Ysenia Martinez and Citlali, at FanFest – dubbed “Plaza del Bay FC” for the afternoon. Fans made friendship bracelets with special Latino Heritage charms, played games put on by our partners, and enjoyed a variety of food from the trucks on site.
Kicking off the match, Ysenia Martinez returned to the stage to sing the national anthem. Fans in the Supporters section were given custom Lucha Libre masks to celebrate the popular Mexican style of wrestling. During halftime, the San Jose-based Grupo Folklórico Los Laureles gave a beautiful dance performance that fans will remember for a while. Since 2007, Los Laureles Academy has been a leading dance school for participants of all ages and has brought the artistic creations of Mexico to life.
The Latino Heritage Tee, our Item of the Match, was designed by Vanessa “Agana” Espinoza, a large-scale mural, graffiti, and contemporary street artist. It was available for purchase at the stadium and 100% of net proceeds benefited the San Francisco Latino Task Force.
Formed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization has grown into a permanent coalition dedicated to advancing equity, health, and economic opportunity for Latino, Black, Pacific Islander, and other historically underserved communities in San Francisco.
Learn more about how Vanessa intertwined ancestry, growth, and shared roots to life through her design as well as a recap of her time at the match:
Dive deeper into the symbolism and inspiration of her design:
View Vanessa “Agana” Espinoza’s Instagram Post
Heading up to game day, defender Aldana Cometti and forward Agostina Holzheier, who are both from Argentina, taught and tested their teammates’ knowledge and pronunciation of Spanish to delightful results:
