The Courage are cruising into the final game before the summer break on the heels of a thrilling game-winner in stoppage time courtesy of midfielder Brianna Pinto. Even as she fell to the ground, she stayed persistent, getting back up and knocking one to the back of the net through a sea of legs.

That hustle and scrappiness is Pinto in a nutshell.

But her impact goes far beyond the field. One of Pinto’s biggest goals is to make sure everyone feels welcome on the pitch. It’s why she joined the Black Women’s Player Collective (BWPC), started the Pinto Futbol Foundation with her family, and advocated for the 2026 World Cup to take place in the United States. She took a look at the FIFA governing body, realized it didn’t reflect the current state of the game, so she ran for a seat on the U.S. Soccer’s Athletes’ Council. Of course, she won.

If there is any question of who belongs, look no further than a mini pitch built by the BWPC in Pinto’s very own school district. Pinto is among a handful of North Carolina soccer standouts featured in a mural that surrounds the mini pitch at Hillside High School in Durham, N.C.

“It'll be standing for quite a while,” Pinto said. “Just to be there and serve as a source of inspiration for the next generation of kids coming up, I think that's really cool.”

Growing up, Pinto was often the only Black player on her team, but when she was drafted by Gotham in 2021, she joined one of the most diverse teams in the league.

“That was the first time in my life I had been around so many people that looked like me in this sport,” Pinto said. “I think that was an incredibly empowering moment.”

The veterans on that team, like Midge Purce and Mandy Freeman, encouraged Pinto to get involved with the BWPC, an organization that aims to create more opportunities for Black girls in sports and beyond. It was a natural fit for Pinto – a group of Black female athletes coming together, lifting each other up, and creating community across the league.

“It reminds you that you belong and that you have a place here in this league, that you will be supported and uplifted in your full humanity,” Pinto said. “I think this league is so special because we have such intelligent women that really fight for the next generation of athletes to have it easier than we had it.”

This year, the BWPC has partnered with Cortney Herron, a Los Angeles-based painter, who designed custom Juneteenth shirts that teams will wear in honor of the holiday. Fans can buy the shirts at the NWSL Shop, and a portion of the proceeds will benefit the BWPC.

These kinds of initiatives are possible because of the advocacy of players that came before Pinto. She said it has gotten easier thanks to them, but there is still a long way to go.

“An unfortunate reality is the younger players are benefiting from the work of the older players,” Pinto said. “It's our responsibility to keep pushing the game forward so that it becomes a place that everybody wants to play. I believe the end of NWSL is the best league in the world, and in order to stay there, we need to make it a place that everyone wants to be.”

With the Pinto Futbol Foundation, she is effecting change in her own community. Both of Pinto’s parents were Division I student athletes at the University of North Carolina, Pinto’s alma mater. Her two brothers also competed collegiately and professionally – one with the USL Championship and the other with the MLS.

The Foundation provides a way for the Pinto family to pour back into the community and to make the game accessible to those who might not otherwise be able to afford to play.

“I hope to have a very, very long and fruitful career, but when I look back on it, I hope that I maximize the resources that were given to me and shared with other people. I hope that I inspire girls to chase their dreams, no matter where they're from or what their socioeconomic background is,” Pinto said.

In the case of the Courage’s home game against the Houston Dash, it means bringing a group of their campers to watch her and her teammates. For many, it will be their very first NWSL game thanks to a partnership that blends her foundation and the BWPC.

Now four years into her professional career, Pinto knows if the 10-year old version could see her now, she’d be thrilled. But more often than not, when reflecting on how far the game has come, Pinto is thinking beyond herself.

“My grandparents, for example, in the stands, they would have never had the opportunity to play a professional sport for a living,” Pinto said. “[They’re] wearing our jerseys on their backs and sitting next to a young Black girl who maybe is aspiring to be in our shoes one day on the field.”

Carrying the torch isn’t a responsibility Pinto takes lightly, but when the Pinto Futbol Foundation campers arrive at MedWake Soccer Park on Saturday, they’ll be able to see that their wild dreams are possible.

The Courage play the Dash at 7:30 ET on June 21. The game is available to stream on NWSL+.