From the Touchline

Sometimes (often times) we simply cannot pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. The simple truth is that we need others. We need a “stretcher crew” to carry us when we cannot go on — spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically. Who is on your stretcher crew?

Today, in this Lesson from Lasso which also airs on the same day that the Ted Lasso show is premiering its 3rd season, I talk about the need for having others believe in us. We watch as AFC Richmond owner Rebecca changes her heart and mind when the warm and welcoming Sam invites her to participate in the team’s ritual cleansing ceremony to right the wrongs of the past. Sam sees and believes a truth about Rebecca that she has come to forget, herself. Sometimes we need others to see and believe what we no longer can.

Ted Lasso, the immensely popular streaming TV show is about to being its third season on Apple TV+ features the antics and quirky, Coach ‘Ted Lasso.’ 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 (soccer) team that he has traveled overseas to coach.

In the ‘Lessons from Lasso’ series, I (Rev Brad) look at some of the different life learning points brought up in the show from a chaplain’s point of view.

From the Touchline is a short-feature (usually 10-15 min) podcast with Rev Brad Kenney, Founder and Executive Director of Soccer Chaplains United and Volunteer Chaplain to the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer.

Rev Brad and occasional guests touch on various issues around the topics of faith, family, and football (soccer).

Also, don’t forget that you can listen in our app, SoccrChapUtd, in the Apple and Google store.

The United Soccer League (USL), notably has a number of different teams all throughout the soccer landscape of professional soccer. From representing the second division all the way into the 4th tier (USL 2) and is ever expanding to bring pro soccer to many smaller cities and communities.

With the USL-Championship set to start the league season this weekend we have a number of our Soccer Chaplains United chaplains on the podcast today to give a quick look back at last year and preview of the year to come.

Special to this episode of From the Touchline, today, we have our first ever head to head competition of Crosses with Rev the little game I like to play with podcast guests. So tune in and listen as we talk about USL soccer today on the podcast.

From the Touchline is a short-feature (10-15 min) podcast with Rev Brad Kenney, Founder and Executive Director of Soccer Chaplains United and Volunteer Chaplain to the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer.

Rev Brad and occasional guests touch on various issues around the topics of faith, family, and football (soccer).

Also, don’t forget that you can listen in our app, SoccrChapUtd, in the Apple and Google store.

Sacrifice is a major theme in team sport — the needs and desires of the individual athlete are always subject to the needs and strivings of the team. The best teams see individuals lay aside and “sacrifice” for the greater, common good. In this Lesson from Lasso, we watch as Coach Lasso tells the team his plan to rid the club of its ghosts. They must right the wrongs of the past by giving up something to honor the ultimate sacrifice that the young men did for going to war.

We talk this podcast about the sacrifice that God made on our behalf and how we can appropriately respond.

Ted Lasso, the immensely popular streaming TV show is about to being its third season on Apple TV+ features the antics and quirky, Coach ‘Ted Lasso.’ 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 (soccer) team that he has traveled overseas to coach.

In the ‘Lessons from Lasso’ series, I (Rev Brad) look at some of the different life learning points brought up in the show from a chaplain’s point of view.

From the Touchline is a short-feature (usually 10-15 min) podcast with Rev Brad Kenney, Founder and Executive Director of Soccer Chaplains United and Volunteer Chaplain to the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer.

Rev Brad and occasional guests touch on various issues around the topics of faith, family, and football (soccer).

Also, don’t forget that you can listen in our app, SoccrChapUtd, in the Apple and Google store.

Major League Soccer, is set to start the league season this weekend and what a year it’s likely shaping up to be — a new deal with Apple TV+, rumors of an expanded playoff format, a new competition happening mid-year with Leagues Cup against all of the Mexican teams in the top division (Liga MX), extra competitions with US Open Cup and Champions Cup, and it’s promising to be a busy year.

If you don’t know by now, I am Rev Brad and this is the Soccer Chaplains United podcast, From the Touchline. Today, I am joined by a couple special guests as Ben Dudley and Troy Ready, volunteer co-chaplains with the Portland Timbers and part of Soccer Chaplains United, jump on the pod to talk about their team — there might be some friendly banter and there will be a season preview of our teams and the league through our chaplain eyes.

From the Touchline is a short-feature (10-15 min) podcast with Rev Brad Kenney, Founder and Executive Director of Soccer Chaplains United and Volunteer Chaplain to the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer.

Rev Brad and occasional guests touch on various issues around the topics of faith, family, and football (soccer).

Also, don’t forget that you can listen in our app, SoccrChapUtd, in the Apple and Google store.

Today on the From the Touchline podcast, I am joined by special guest and friend, Dillon Powers. Dillon is a midfielder for Orange County Soccer Club which plays in the United Soccer League — Championship division in the US. The team, based in Orange County, California, won the USL championship back in 2021 and Dillon enters his third season with the club after stints in MLS, Scotland, and Ireland.

I’ve known Dillon ever since he broke into Major League Soccer and was named MLS Rookie of the Year in 2013. This cagy midfielder joins me today to give more insight into what preseason looks like for the professional elite footballer and shares ways to get through the preseason and season — not just on the pitch, but off of it as well.

We dive into Dillon’s playing career and history, some fun tidbits about his life, we talk preseason preparation, and we play a fun little game of “Crosses with Rev” as a fun way to wrap up the interview.

From the Touchline is a short-feature (10-15 min) podcast with Rev Brad Kenney, Founder and Executive Director of Soccer Chaplains United and Volunteer Chaplain to the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer. Rev Brad and occasional guests touch on various issues around the topics of faith, family, and football (soccer).

Also, don’t forget that you can listen in our app, SoccrChapUtd, in the Apple and Google store.

In our last Lesson from Lasso, we touched on superstition and curse being overpowered by blessing. This week, we talk about how to handle and cope with devious deception that can happen in football.

There are many places in the Beautiful Game where there is the lure and temptation for something to be gained or achieved or received. What happens though when those promises fall short? What happens we get abused or hurt by the people in and around the game we’ve grown to love? Today on the podcast, I suggest that people in football consider the power of prayer, the place of faith and other resources that they may have to cope with dangerous deceptions around the game, and I encourage a steadfast trust. The words of God through the prophet Micah (6:8) are helpful reminders, too, for those of us in places and positions of influence and power.

Ted Lasso, the immensely popular streaming TV show in its second season on Apple TV+ features the antics and quirky, Coach ‘Ted Lasso.’ 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 (soccer) team that he has traveled overseas to coach.

In the ‘Lessons from Lasso’ series, I (Rev Brad) look at some of the different life learning points brought up in the show from a chaplain’s point of view.

From the Touchline is a short-feature (usually 10-15 min) podcast with Rev Brad Kenney, Founder and Executive Director of Soccer Chaplains United and Volunteer Chaplain to the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer.

Rev Brad and occasional guests touch on various issues around the topics of faith, family, and football (soccer).

Also, don’t forget that you can listen in our app, SoccrChapUtd, in the Apple and Google store.

Lesson 43 and we tackle the supposed curse that hovers over AFC Richmond — the treatment room has a dark history and is the source of a superstition effecting players and staff, alike. Our favorite new person, Danny Rojas, is in jeopardy as he has an injury and the team looks to ward off the evil spirits and ghosts that are plaguing the club.

Football (and most all sport for that matter) is filled with superstition. How do we combat the curses and fight off evil (whether from modern day or the past)? Today on the podcast, we look at the power of curse versus the power of blessing and we see from some examples in the history of the people of God, how we need not fear as we ask God to fight against the curses in life on our behalf. Truly, God is the only way to “reverse the curse.”

Ted Lasso, the immensely popular streaming TV show in its second season on Apple TV+ features the antics and quirky, Coach ‘Ted Lasso.’ 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 (soccer) team that he has traveled overseas to coach.

In the ‘Lessons from Lasso’ series, I (Rev Brad) look at some of the different life learning points brought up in the show from a chaplain’s point of view.

From the Touchline is a short-feature (usually 10-15 min) podcast with Rev Brad Kenney, Founder and Executive Director of Soccer Chaplains United and Volunteer Chaplain to the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer.

Rev Brad and occasional guests touch on various issues around the topics of faith, family, and football (soccer).

Also, don’t forget that you can listen in our app, SoccrChapUtd, in the Apple and Google store.

Not long into episode six, we meet the affable and lovable, Danny Rojas. The joy-filled, Mexican footballer from Guadalajara helps swing the mood for Coach Ted Lasso and the rest of the AFC Richmond locker room as he runs out onto the field, declaring “Football is life!”

For many, many people in and around football — athletes, coaches, fans — football is life, and sometimes to a detrimental degree; however, there is One who declares to be life and not just the temporal, earthly kind but that and much more — the eternal version. It’s Jesus. Today on the podcast, we look at three different claims and statements that Jesus makes that tie him into life and then come to a final conclusion on how football can be life (or at least a big part of it).

Ted Lasso, the immensely popular streaming TV show in its second season on Apple TV+ features the antics and quirky, Coach ‘Ted Lasso.’ 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 (soccer) team that he has traveled overseas to coach.

In the ‘Lessons from Lasso’ series, I (Rev Brad) look at some of the different life learning points brought up in the show from a chaplain’s point of view.

From the Touchline is a short-feature (usually 10-15 min) podcast with Rev Brad Kenney, Founder and Executive Director of Soccer Chaplains United and Volunteer Chaplain to the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer.

Rev Brad and occasional guests touch on various issues around the topics of faith, family, and football (soccer).

Also, don’t forget that you can listen in our app, SoccrChapUtd, in the Apple and Google store.

Episode six (season 1) opens with Coach Lasso dealing with the after shock of an official ‘separation’ for wife, Michelle. He finally takes off the wedding ring which has gained some camera prominence up until this point. The ensuing day is fraught with struggle for Lasso as he looks to cope. His response? He decides to ‘bury’ himself in his work. No, correct, that — bury is too morbid…’bathe’ is better.

What do we do when things aren’t going well at home, or at work? Men, especially tend to retreat and dive more fully into places where they believe they can experience achievement or success or receive praise to compensate for the hurt and loss. But does that form of coping really help? Today, I look at the ancient words of Isaiah as he gives God’s word to a people who were struggling with loss. They are words of exhortation and hope at the same time.

Ted Lasso, the immensely popular streaming TV show in its second season on Apple TV+ features the antics and quirky, Coach ‘Ted Lasso.’ 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 (soccer) team that he has traveled overseas to coach.

In the ‘Lessons from Lasso’ series, I (Rev Brad) look at some of the different life learning points brought up in the show from a chaplain’s point of view.

From the Touchline is a short-feature (usually 10-15 min) podcast with Rev Brad Kenney, Founder and Executive Director of Soccer Chaplains United and Volunteer Chaplain to the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer.

Rev Brad and occasional guests touch on various issues around the topics of faith, family, and football (soccer).

Also, don’t forget that you can listen in our app, SoccrChapUtd, in the Apple and Google store.

Last summer, I was blessed to visit Cambridge, England for a Sports and Christianity Conference. While I was there, I was interested to learn a unique piece of football history. Apparently, the first known instance of codifying (or writing down) the rules of association football happened in Cambridge. In 1848, a group of Cambridge University students wrote out a set of 11 rules. They nailed these to the trees surrounding Parker’s Piece, a large grassy park in central Cambridge.

Today, on the From the Touchline podcast, I look at the final rule, Rule 11:

Every match shall be decided by a majority of goals.

Our final life and faith lesson from these Cambridge rules will take a look at what this means for a person of faith. Is the world adage true, the one who dies withe most toys wins? Or, is life about more and something different. Listen to today’s podcast to hear more about this Cambridge Rule of 1848 and a life lesson from it.

From the Touchline is a short-feature (10-15 min) podcast with Rev Brad Kenney, Founder and Executive Director of Soccer Chaplains United and Volunteer Chaplain to the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer. Rev Brad and occasional guests touch on various issues around the topics of faith, family, and football (soccer).

Also, don’t forget that you can listen in our app, SoccrChapUtd, in the Apple and Google store.