LOS ANGELES – Philip Labas checked the odometer when he and his friend Logan Pederson arrived in Santa Monica.
“Whoever wasn’t driving was on the laptop in the passenger seat with the hotspot up on the dash and we were just hauling ass,” Chicagoan Labas said. “Back roads, like lane and a half, trees growing over the road, and it was legit. Original Route 66. We did the math. It was 3,388 miles.”
Yes, 3,388 miles.
From Chicago to Santa Monica, down old Route 66, to trading posts and back roads. Their journey led them to Los Angeles and Sofi Stadium, ahead of the first FIFA World Cup game of 2026.
Pederson, Labas and Ryan Shirah are members of the American Outlaws, which is believed to be the largest supporting group for the U.S. men’s and women’s national soccer teams.
Founded in 2007 in Lincoln, Nebraska, the Outlaws have approximately 30,000 active members and over 200 local chapters. They are a fanatic outlet for the national teams to MLS clubs, to semi-pro clubs.
Most local Outlaw outlets partner with a sports bar that hosts watch parties.
“We’re independent. We’re not affiliated with U.S. soccer,” Shirah said, “We’re not the insiders program. We truly are a separate entity.”
The group’s Route 66 road trip began even earlier, 8,305 miles from Los Angeles in Doha, Qatar.
Coincidentally, their bond started on Facebook.
“Phil and I have been going to matches together for years,” Shirah said. “We really became close during the 2022 World Cup. We kind of slid into each other’s Facebook Messenger profiles and were like, ‘Hey, are you interested in going to Qatar? I’m looking for a roommate.
“Ever since then, we’ve been inseparable.”
Pederson met Ryan “on a Facebook comment,” Pederson said. “(Phillip) knew Ryan, and then we all randomly became roommates in Qatar. Ever since then we’ve been together.”
On match day, Labas leads chants and marches, while Shirah plays the drums from pregame to postgame.
“We’ll do a hype circle where we get old chants going, try to learn some new ones, get everyone excited,” Shirah said. “Then we’ll round everyone up, herd them in, get them ready for a march. We’re literally a traveling circus.”
Leading up to the match against Paraguay on Friday, the American Outlaws showed up and did not disappoint. They pride themselves on being the catalysts on game days.
Their goal is clear: shape the community and do whatever they can for the team.
“How can we impact the team on the pitch?” Labas said. “What are we doing to make the fan experience better? Can we connect with people that have never been to a game before?”
In America, soccer is an outlier. It usually takes a backseat to other sports such as baseball, basketball and especially football. But to the Outlaws, they live and die with soccer.
“How do we make people come back?” Labas said. “That’s what we need. The sport needs to continue to grow. This is an opportunity for the U.S. to show out and elevate soccer as a game in America.”
Shirah points to other sports phenomena, specifically Saturdays in the fall.
“Our culture is kind of a combination of college football and the Olympics,” Shirah said. “You take all the pageantry of college football with the bands and the chants and the songs. You combine that with positive patriotism … that blind optimism that is America.”
His comparison speaks out to current sports culture in the states.
“Let’s not take ourselves too seriously,” he said. “That’s what drives people to say, ‘Hey, this looks kind of fun. Maybe I want to come join that.’”
With passion comes sacrifice, and they recognize the costs.
“We’re in different stages of life,” Pederson said. “He’s got a wife, kids and grandkids. It’s just me and my dog.”
Labas added that “it’s time and money and understanding employers.”
Although these men share a connection with soccer, it will always be more than that.
“I know his wife and kids,” Pederson said. “He’s been to my apartment, he’s met my dad. It’s more than just a game. Soccer’s obviously what got it started, but we’re all in each other’s lives well beyond soccer.”
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