From the Touchline

This upcoming weekend, MLS Next Pro kicks off season three. Today, on the podcast, I am joined by special guests: Jubal McDaniel (chaplain to the Tacoma Defiance and Soccer Chaplains’ United’s very own Pacific Chaplain Manager) and Jonathan Hyde (chaplain to Chattanooga FC). Each of these guys is a volunteer chaplain with Soccer Chaplains United and serving a MLS NEXT Pro team. Today we’ll take a...

Is the chaplain a team’s good-luck charm? Does the chaplain somehow have some “direct-line connection” to God? What happens when both teams have a chaplain? What happens when the other team doesn’t have a chaplain and they win? What does this say about the chaplain, the team, or about God? We start off the pod with a short little audio clip from my away trip a couple of weeks ago. As I sat with th...

Last week, Major League Soccer (MLS) kicked off — this week, most teams that were on the road are hosting their first home match for 2024. The same is true for the Colorado Rapids (my club) and in today’s podcast, I reflect a little bit on the theme and idea of home. A few years ago, I read a wonderful little children’s story entitled, The Trip to Panama . In it, two characters, Little...

As a volunteer chaplain entering my 23rd season with the Colorado Rapids, I have come to find an important rhythm to start a season. You might find it strange, but Deuteronomy 20 has become, for me, an important reference point as I bless athletes, coaches, and others involved in the Beautiful Game. If you’re not familiar with Deuteronomy 20, in the spring time, the nation of Israel has the...

It’s a curious pairing that doesn’t happen very often, but this year Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day occur on the same day. For 2024, February 14th will commingle Christian themes of repentance of sin with expressions of love and this may not be as strange together as it might seem at first! If you don’t know much about Ash Wednesday, it is the start to the season of Lent...

One of the biggest issues faced by elite footballers is the issue of identity. So much time and energy and investment — emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually — goes into the sport, that it can be difficult when our status or position in the game changes or comes to an end. In today’s Lesson From Lasso , we talk about this issue of identity. AFC Richmond’s Roy Kent is havin...

There will always come a point when we need to have a tough conversation with someone. How do we have the “tough talks” and the “courageous conversations” with people? How do we enter into a place with people where we can bring our best even when they are faced with their worst? In today’s Lesson From Lasso , we see AFC Richmond’s Roy Kent faced with a first in...

Forgiveness. It’s massive when we receive forgiveness for something we’ve said or something that we’ve done. It can be like a massive weight comes off of our proverbial shoulders. But how many times should we forgive a person? Once, twice, seven times? In today’s Lesson From Lasso , we quickly examine a parable that Jesus told about a servant who failed to forgive. He faile...

Often times we confuse a simple apology with repentance. Repentance though is a process, a journey. It involves a “re-orienting” of one’s posture and position and going in the opposite (and right) direction. We see Rebecca make the long trek from her upstairs owner’s office to Ted’s coaching office to begin the process of apologizing and repenting. In today’s Le...

In today’s Lesson from Lasso, we look at the work of Kili and Higgins to help Rebecca see that she needs to change. Higgins ends up quitting on the team and leaving his job. Kili, though, hard presses Rebecca to come clean to Ted Lasso. Kili’s posture and push of Rebecca is commendable and a lesson actually that is encouraged for Christians. In this lesson, I encourage us to consider t...

In today’s Lesson from Lasso, I take a look at the issue of revenge. Rebecca, owner of AFC Richmond, is continually seeking the demise of her ex-husbands’ beloved club. However, she never seems satisfied or fulfilled with all her attempts and it is eating away at her and destroying others. In this lesson, I take a brief look at how we are to take on others who attack us, accuse us, per...

Our final Advent antiphon and our last podcast for the year. O come, O come, Emmanuel — “God with us” is the title and name. First used by Isaiah as he attempts to encourage a king who was faced with pressure for all sides. Emmanuel is now a title that Christians associate with Jesus, as Messiah, as the Son of God who has come and who will come again. On the podcast during this season...

Christmas is almost here, just a few days remain. Today, we listen and reflect on the sixth and next to last antiphon: O come, Desire of nations… This title for the Messiah, for Jesus, begs the question: is he really the Desire of the nations? We look at the words of Haggai the prophet to learn more. On the podcast during this season of Advent we have been exploring themes within a particula...

This week, we can sense and feel that Christmas is drawing nearer. As listen and reflect on the fifth antiphon: O come, thou Daysprings, come and cheer… we look at this unique title that is given to Jesus through the words of Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist. On the podcast during this season of Advent we have been exploring themes within a particular ‘hymn’ that has hel...

We continue exploring the Advent Antiphons and the Western church has finally started the season of Advent with the second Sunday upcoming. This week, we look and listen to the fourth antiphon: O come, thou Key of David, come… On the podcast during this season of Advent we have been exploring themes within a particular ‘hymn’ that has helped worshippers prepare for Jesus’s...

For the past few weeks, we’ve been exploring the Advent Antiphons. This week, we look and listen to the third antiphon: O come, thou Rod of Jesse, free… During this time of year (as we approach Christmas), for the podcast we will look at a particular ‘hymn’ that has helped worshippers prepare for Jesus’s arrival. Since the 8th century, the Church has been singing the...

November 15 marks the beginning of Orthodox and Celtic Christian observances of the season of Advent. 40 days before Christmas — likely the sights and sounds of the season are already visible; however, the consumeristic nature of this time of year might have you seeing more than just holiday red. The truth is, we are waiting for more than a present or gift. We await a Messiah, a Savior. It is Jesu...

November 15 marks the beginning of Orthodox and Celtic Christian observances of the season of Advent. 40 days before Christmas — likely the sights and sounds of the season are already visible; however, the consumeristic nature of this time of year might have you seeing more than just holiday red. The truth is, we are waiting for more than a present or gift. We await a Messiah, a Savior. It is Jesu...

Every year around the middle of November, I talk about Saint Martin. Martin (as you hopefully know) is the patron saint of France and of chaplaincy and it’s from his life and story that we understand and see the origins of chaplaincy. In sports and especially in football (soccer), these days, there is more and more attention on “coaching trees.” These are a bit of historical reco...

One year on from our first publication and we’ve revised and republished our first devotional. Last year, for the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup, Soccer Chaplains United published an 8-week devotional designed to cover Advent and Christmas and the World Cup, all at the same time. The original devotional which is still available on Amazon (and in Spanish and Portuguese ) went through some sl...

The 2023 Major League Soccer playoffs begin today with the 8th and 9th seed play-in games and even though Colorado Rapids and the Portland Timbers are out of the playoffs, there is plenty to talk about. Or, at least when you get Ben, Troy, and Brad together — there’s stuff to talk about. On today’s episode of From the Touchline , the three MLS chaplains talk about some of the highlight...

The USL-Championship is the second division of professional soccer in the United States and, currently, Soccer Chaplains United’s largest contingent of chaplains (9 of 28) serving teams in this league. With the playoffs set to start this next weekend, I’ve invited the USL-C chaplains on the podcast today to give a quick look back at the 2023 season and preview the playoffs ahead. On th...

October is Pastor and Ministry Appreciation month and today, on the From the Touchline podcast, I (Brad) want to take a minute (well a lot of minutes) and share about the special people that make up Soccer Chaplains United. We now have a team of 28 people who are working and serving as chaplains to the sport of soccer and each of them comes with a special set of gifts and talents and contributions...

In this new series entitled, The Technical Area , Rev Brad shares some specific applications for certain biblical passages that help apply faith to football in simple, practical ways. Today’s lesson, is on Mark 3:13-19. Here, Jesus is selecting, from amongst many people who are following him, a select twelve: the Apostles. These are going to be men who live with Jesus, travel with Jesus, lea...

The MLS Next Pro regular season has come to a close and today, on the podcast, I am joined by Jubal McDaniel (Tacoma Defiance) and Kevin Hasenack (Colorado Rapids 2). We take a look back at the 2023 season and look ahead to the playoffs. The chaplains share some of the highlights and challenges from the year and how they think it might end up for their teams. We all finish with a time of prayer fo...