DURHAM, N.C. — The FIFA World Cup is coming to North America in 2026 and NC Courage midfielder Brianna Pinto is hoping that by the time the games come to the United States, soccer will be much more popular in North Carolina.

To make that happen, Pinto and her family are working to raise $100,000 through the Pinto Futbol Foundation to build a mini-hard floor soccer pitch in downtown Durham. 

“I always had a family that loved the game and gave me every opportunity to play,” Brianna Pinto said. “For youth soccer, it operates under a pay-to play model, and a lot of kids will go outside of their club teams to get extra training. And I was very fortunate that I could train with my dad and my brothers every single day.” 

Training with her family meant more than just randomly playing soccer with whomever was around.

Everyone involved put in meticulous effort and hard work during practice. It’s because Brianna, Malik and Hassan all share their father’s love for soccer.

“It means life, it means existence, it means family,” Hassan Pinto said. “When I created the family, I wanted something that would connect us, and the beautiful game is something that connected us. I was young, and I was playing, and I would take the kids out to watch me play, and it just became something that they enjoyed and they, just after a while, wanted to come with me. They just wanted to be part of it.”

It wouldn’t be long before Brianna, Malik and Hassan would create their own soccer careers.

The younger Hassan played for Elon and Duke before going into the professional ranks, playing in the United Soccer League.

Brianna, the middle child, played for UNC, which was coached by Anson Dorrance, who was part of the recruitment process for her father when he played for UNC in the 1990s.

Brianna would go on to be drafted by the NWSL’s Gotham FC before being traded to the NC Courage in 2022.

The youngest Pinto, Malik, went to the Ivy League, playing for Princeton before being drafted by the MLS’s FC Cincinnati, where he currently plays.

Like their father, Hassan said, soccer is everything. However, that doesn’t mean they need to be playing soccer to be involved with game they love so much. That’s where school comes into play.

“I minored in Spanish and majored in international business in undergrad, and that was important to me because I always wanted to be involved in the business side at some point,” Hassan Pinto (the son) said. “So I’ve been positioning myself for the past six months or so to be (on) the commercial side of the game.”

The Pinto family says they’re involved in various aspects of the sport through their platform, the Pinto Futbol Foundation.

Besides raising money for new soccer complexes, they also offer clinics for children to learn about the game, nutrition and exercise.

“I think just leading this foundation has given us a greater purpose in our journey with sport,” Brianna Pinto said. “So for us as a family, we wanted to share our expertise with the rest of our community, and let them know that we’re cheering on Durham.”

The question remains: how long it will be until the Pinto family, consisting of athletic and academic superstars, takes over soccer in North Carolina and the nation?

“No, I don’t think so at all. You know, it’s really special to make our mark on North Carolina soccer and even U.S. Soccer as well, and the MLS and the NWSL,” Brianna Pinto said. “So we just hope to continue giving back and just show people how special this game truly is.”

Those interested in donating to the Pinto Futbol Foundation, you can click here.