•   CrossTraining will begin taking applications for the 2012 season's Timothy Project on Tuesday, May 1. The application process has been simplified from last season. Applicants will need to complete an online submission form which will be reviewed by CrossTraining Team members. Projects that meet with organizational values and criteria receive priority in consideration for either financial sponsorship, donated equipment, or promotion through the CrossTraining network. The Timothy Project is CrossTraining's way of giving back - up to ten percent of annual donations go toward projects and individuals using soccer to help their communities around the world. Now in its' third season, the Timothy Project is part of CrossTraining's fiscal agreement with START Ministries. START, the fiscal sponsor of CrossTraining,

    Apr 29,
  • In 11 seasons of serving as team chaplain, and three seasons in media relations with the Colorado Rapids, I feel like I have "seen it all." In those years, there have been many highs and many lows, that I have had the sacred privilege and honor of observing and participating in. But, there is perhaps no greater place of tension as a chaplain than ministering to those who are "waiting in the wings." Every professional team has them - those players who work tirelessly (sometimes even harder than the starters) to gain a starting position. And in no other sport is it more difficult to get a chance than for those who fill out the reserve squad for a football

    Apr 28,
  • When David Beckham first stepped foot on American soil to play for Major League Soccer, there was a division of opinion. Some said Beckham was merely the latest in a long line of world-renown footballers, past their prime, looking to make a last stab at financial gain before retirement. There were other pundits who claimed that soccer had officially made it in America and that the Beckham brand would forever change the American landscape and attitude toward a sport with a sketchy history of attraction in the U.S.A. Now, five years later, the jury may still be out on many points of the argument but there is at least one thing (there are more) from this chaplains perspective that Beckham's

    Apr 20,
  • As I watched this afternoon's match up between the Colorado Rapids and the Seattle Sounders, there was one thing on my mind: Brian Mullan. Many are aware of the controversy surrounding Mullan and the Sounders' Steve Zakuani whose leg was broken in a tackle last April. Zakuani has been rehabbing and recovering and was relegated to watching today's match from a players box suite in a suit and tie. Mullan, who did not speak with media before the match, shared briefly after the game a few comments. In the hours immediately following last April's injury, Zakuani was at risk and needed surgery immediately to relieve pain and pressure from the break. I know many on the Sounders were holding their

    Apr 14,
  • A Wall Street Journal editorial written in 2009 by Steven H. Webb Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Wabash College proclaimed "Soccer is Ruining America." Webb's claim? That "American energy, drive, and competitiveness are being undermined to the point of no return" by the global sport that "is a foreign invasion." Amongst the arguments against the deprivation of soccer in America, was one that I find curious enough to comment on as it was listed as the first point of argument in his article and also included references to God and the Christian faith. I have included the paragraph for context below:  Now, admittedly there is a degree of sarcasm and perhaps some dry, academic humor from which the author is speaking.

    Apr 10,

Upload Date