From the Touchline

Birthdays are a time to celebrate and honor people. Although, in football, some may dread their birthday because It is a reminder of aging in an industry that favors those who are young, fit, and powerful. But taking the time to honor people is key to the success of the individual athlete and the team as a whole, and someone’s birthday is an ideal time to tell them or show them that you care...

All around the world, one thing that is perhaps as common as the love of the Beautiful Game is a desire for peace; a desire for safety and security — and sometimes football affords us a sense of this in the confines of the game. But in the elite levels and the business practices in the football industry, there’s a lot of fighting, back-stabbing, and more that goes on. Today, on the From the...

Personalities play a massive role amongst a football team — whether the elite athlete or the magnanimous manager. And the football locker room isn’t necessarily a friendly place for the timid or meek of the earth. So what kind of personality do you bring to football? Have you ever done a deep dive into how you are wired? Or, have you ever had to assemble a team or work with some “large...

How well do you receive forgiveness? How easy is it for you to move on from a mistake or critical error as a footballer or coach? Have you developed any particular memory habits or routines and rhythms to help you overcome and achieve? Well, today we consider Coach Lasso’s words to defender Sam Obisanya — “Be a Goldfish!” Ted Lasso, the immensely popular streaming TV show in its...

New things often have a different language, different words, and other little nuances that may or may not be easily know or readily understood — what are the vernacular differences that you’ve experienced? Even American English isn’t the same as British English! And in the game of football, there are many different words and phrases and sayings that can be hard to understand —&nbs...

What do you do to build relationships in your life? At home? At work? Do you enjoy food? A game or some type of event? In today’s, Lessons From Lasso, we are going to take a look at the rhythm and routine that Lasso forces on to AFC Richmond Owner Rebecca in an attempt to influence and change the culture and hearts of the people at the football club. Ted Lasso, the immensely popular streamin...

Today’s Lesson from Lasso is about watching where you step. Sometimes when we go a new venture it can be a dangerous thing to step outside the door, if we aren’t careful we can get run over — by a car or some thing or some one or worse. If we don’t pay attention to our surroundings we can be caught off-guard, ambushed. Ted Lasso, the immensely popular streaming TV show in its sec...

Mental health is a rising concern amongst athletes in the beautiful game from professional, elite levels all the way down to the youth. With the various pressures (internal and external) how can athletes today cope with everything they see and feel, especially amidst a global pandemic that has been very isolating? Today, on the From the Touchline podcast, Dr Brad Miller, a Licensed Clinical Psycho...

Cristiano Ronaldo’s return to Manchester United has started with a bang! Three goals in two games, a social and journalistic media frenzy, an all-time record for number of shirts bearing his name and number being sold and Untied fans around the world excited to see his return. Homecoming stories are some of the best stories aren’t they? We see homecomings on social media and even read...

The death of Afghan teenager, Zaki Anwari, as he fell from a plane while trying to escape the Taliban takeover in Kabul was saddening news as the world looked on to the despairing events of a few weeks ago. Zaki, described as a strong center back and bright student — had high hopes and aspirations and these came face to face with a grim reality as Taliban forces surged into the city of Kabul. Toda...

Life in football — whether in the professional or the amateur side — can feel quite lonely at times. For the one just dismissed or moving to a team half way around the globe. For the player who just can’t seem to catch a break. For the one in hospital or on the sidelines languishing in a return from an injury — in these moments and in a thousand more it make no difference that you...

Probably there are few people who don’t know who Lionel Messi is — he’s world renowned as a footballer. Well, his loyalty and life are so intimately tied to Spanish club Barcelona FC that the news a few weeks ago came as a shock to football fans, as well as to Messi and his family — he wouldn’t be retuning to Barcelona as financial details couldn’t be worked out. Today...

Finally! We move on to Episode 2 of Season One of Ted Lasso. Do you remember how you felt on the first day of school? Or, maybe it was the first day at your new club, your new team? Excited? Nervous? Both. Coach Lasso and Coach Beard share their feelings and help each other with “first day jitters” and we look at those feelings as part of our Lessons from Lasso series on the podcast to...

There’s no hiding the facts — divorce rates in professional sport, including football, are immensely high. The life on the road, time spent away from spouse and children, the glory, the fans, the chasing of dreams and so many more reasons bring cracks and pressures to marital and family life that are unique. In truth, the athletes and those in the game are entertainers — but it all take...

Do you travel much? Have you ever been away from home and living out of a suitcase? Are you the kind of traveler that leaves everything in your suitcase or do you unpack your bags and use the drawers? In this week’s Lesson from Lasso, Rev Brad unpacks the bags a bit and looks at the spiritual and mental aspects of doing so. Ted Lasso, the new and immensely popular streaming TV show on Apple...

Not long into the show, we understand that not many love Coach Ted Lasso coming to AFC Richmond. The fans, the players, the media — even the club owner who has brought Lasso in had an ulterior motive. While it might be a stretch to call her an enemy of Ted Lasso, it certainly isn’t a stretch to say that she doesn’t seem to mind Lasso (and others) being casualty to her attempts to run t...

A recent Men in Blazers podcast had a line from show host Davo ( Michael Davies ) which got me thinking. When speaking to some of the racist abuse that came as a result of the Euro 2020 final, Davo said, “I have no solution, so I feel it’s pointless to talk about.” It’s not likely that Davo was saying that racism as an issue isn’t worth talking about — instead, I...

Heartbreak in England. Celebration in Italy. The 2020 European Championship (played in 2021 due to COVID) has ended the month-long campaign and crowned a winner. It was a football-fest filled with amazing storylines — adversity overcome, unique times and ways for footballer and fan to re-engage with the game with the after-effects of a global pandemic still being felt. But which storyline most gra...

A few months ago, The Athletic featured a story on Norwegian footballer, Pal Enger. Enger, known more for his heist of Edvard Munch’s famous Scream painting than for his football, is the subject of today’s From the Touchline podcast. Enger’s story around football and his life of crime outside of it, got me thinking — do we really know our teammates well? And how does what we know...

As we continue with our Lessons from Lasso series, one of the first changes Coach Lasso brings to the fictitious AFC Richmond, is a slight modification to the locker room decor. If you have never been in a locker room for a professional team (I have been invited in, as a guest at times) — there is something special and sacred about the space. Even coaches and managers will try to preserve somethin...

We all need a companion, partner in life. For Coach Ted Lasso and his new coaching adventure in English football (soccer) at AFC Richmond, that person is Coach ‘Beard.’ In an early moment of solidarity we see Coach Lasso and Coach Beard push their desks together before beginning the work of coaching the team. Whom do you have in life who is someone who has ‘pushed their desk&#821...

History matters and the importance of history quickly comes to the forefront in the fictitious life and world of Coach Ted Lasso as he begins his soccer managerial career with AFC Richmond. Ted Lasso, the new and immensely popular streaming TV show on Apple TV+ features the antics and quirky, ‘Ted Lasso’ character brought to life in his own TV show series. Lasso first appeared a number...

Ted Lasso, the new and immensely popular streaming TV show on Apple TV+ features the antics and quirky, ‘Ted Lasso’ character brought to life in his own TV show series. Lasso first appeared a number of years ago as a comedic character as NBC purchased the broadcast rights to the English Premier League. Played by Jason Sudeikis, Lasso (as a coach) brings change to the difficult football...

Greg Aydt enters into his third season serving as volunteer chaplain for Memphis 901 FC and as part of Soccer Chaplains United. 901 FC, a team that plays second division soccer in the the USL-Championship here in the U.S, is located in Memphis and Greg always has an interesting historical story that he ties into the team and into chaplaincy. Listen today as Greg and I talk about Tom Lee, my disc g...

Clint Moore is one of the newer chaplains for Soccer Chaplains United. He volunteers with New Mexico United, playing in the the USL-Championship — the second division of professional soccer in the U.S. United are just a hop-skip and a jump down I-25 (a major interstate in the US) and this fast-paced and exciting team with an amazing fan base already have developing rivalries with league counterpar...