Philadelphia, PA – With the World Cup coming to Philadelphia in Summer 2026, excitement is at an all-time high for local soccer fans ready to see the City of Brotherly Love on the world stage. And two Philadelphia brands are now teaming up to create limited-edition soccer jerseys that represent more than just merch, but a statement piece repping Philly’s pride.
Nik Greenblatt, Founder and CCO of Defy, an award-winning digital branding agency since 2001, and Daniel McLaughlin, Owner of Mission Taqueria, a popular Mexican restaurant in Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse neighborhood since 2016, have collaborated on the stylish soccer jerseys, which are being produced by Philadelphia’s Icarus Football.
The design of the soccer jerseys fuses street culture, Philadelphia’s love of soccer, and the vibrant energy of Mission Taqueria’s food scene to create something Greenblatt and McLaughlin see as more than just an article of clothing.
“Before we came up with the idea of creating these jerseys, I thought that Philadelphia was missing the opportunity to represent itself in a defined manner,” said Greenblatt. “I didn’t see anything in the marketing for the World Cup and 2026 celebrations Like I usually do, so I took things into my own hands and connected with Daniel to see how we could create something special. We reconnected and decided that a collaboration would be a great idea, and the jersey came to fruition. We did something that we thought Philly and the community would love. We set our standards high and are not part of the official Philly World Cup soccer jersey campaign.”
The City of Philadelphia is not directly involved in the jersey or its sales, but the Philadelphia Visitor Center will distribute the jerseys in their retail outlets, as will Lapstone & Hammer at 1106 Chestnut Street.
Greenblatt established Defy in 2001, and reimagined it in 2021, starting the brand in Philadelphia and having it remain here for nearly 25 years. A lifelong surfer, former professional snowboarder (from 1993-98), and a former wrestler, soccer player, and soccer coach, Greenblatt says he is a “born athlete and artist,” with the two always remaining “within the DNA” of both himself and his company. He has been a designer for Burton Snowboards, as well as other action sports brands.
McLaughlin has been operating Mission Taqueria since August of 2016, consistently running one of the busiest restaurants in Philadelphia since its inception. A self-described choreographer of the brand, McLaughlin has always remained very active in the community beyond just the culinary side.
“This is about community. It was love at first sound from me after Nik came to me with this idea,” said McLaughlin. “Mission is going to be celebrating its 10-year anniversary around when the World Cup comes to town, and I had already been thinking of ways to celebrate this stretch from our ninth to tenth year. I wanted to take Mission’s mission into Philly’s cultural placement for collaborations and branch out from just restaurants and into other Philly-founded brans like Defy. This helps start that conversation. This is how I see the future of collabs from Mission, specifically breaking away from tradition. This is not just a soccer jersey drop, but about bringing people together when Philly is on the world stage.”
For the limited-edition jerseys, there are four different designs, with a special edition fifth jersey in the pipeline, and each will be represented in individual jersey drops. “Each drop tells part of the story – culminating in a special edition kit released when the first World Cup match is played on our home turf,” said Greenblatt.
Greenblatt says that the Philadelphia Visitor Center will host an activation for the jerseys, where people can purchase them in person. The Visitor Center will support the event by helping with permitting and hosting an event to bring the community together. The jerseys will also be available for purchase at Mission Taqueria (located on the second floor at 1516 Sansom Street in Philadelphia), and at defyordie.co . During the sales, Mission Taqueria will host events as well to celebrate the jersey releases. Mission will donate a portion of proceeds from sales to love.fútbol, which exists as an effort to ensure every kid has a place to play with a passion. Learn more here. Defy will donate 10% of proceeds to CHYSC where Greenblatt has coached for close to a decade.
There will be a limited amount of 100 jerseys in each style (priced at $90 apiece) available per drop, and pre-order windows for the limited drops will be announced on Defy’s site. Those who purchase all four jerseys will receive loyalty perks such as VIP event invites, and guaranteed access to the special edition fifth jersey. Those who purchase at Mission Taqueria will have access to restaurant perks such as taco vouchers.
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