Chaplain Rubèn Rodríguez, the volunteer serving with me and with Colorado Rapids, closes this chapter with a heartfelt letter signaling his stepping away. Rubèn came to work with me after stepping in for a Rapids Development Academy Life Skills training night. I remember watching as he commanded the attention of the young boys that were gathered and we talked through a difficult issue of discrimination and some of the impacts on the game. Not long after, he agreed to come on board as chaplain for the DA and when Gerardo Alvarez, my assistant at the time, moved on, he helped me with first team duties as well. Nicknamed the "preachers" by stadium security, me (left), Rubèn (middle) and Gerardo (right)

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 counterparts — Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC as well as Major League Soccer side, Colorado Rapids. United played the Rapids a few years ago in the inter-league US Open Cup and won in Colorado to advance deep in the tournament. This year, as Clint enters into his third season as volunteer chaplain. He joins me,

Pastor Kurt Trempert is one of the longest standing volunteer chaplains for Soccer Chaplains United and he serves the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, a team that plays in the the USL-Championship, the second division of professional soccer in the U.S. The Switchbacks are an affiliate for the Colorado Rapids and so there is often a shuttling back and forth of players on loan between the two clubs, situated about an hour and half drive down Interstate-25. This year, Kurt enters into his seventh season as volunteer chaplain. He joins me, Rev Brad Kenney, on the From the Touchline podcast today ahead of the team's grand home opener this week (Friday) and the brand-new Weidner Field located in downtown Colorado Springs.

Jubal McDaniel serves as volunteer chaplain for the Tacoma Defiance, a team that plays in the second division of professional soccer in the U.S., the USL-Championship. This year, Jubal enters into his first full season as chaplain. He joins Rev Brad Kenney on the From the Touchline podcast today ahead of the team's home opener to talk a little bit about what makes Tacoma "defiant" and how the team is doing just one game into the season. 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

Jubal McDaniel serves as the Volunteer Chaplain to the Tacoma Defiance (USL-Championship) in Tacoma, WA. With a late-2020 placement and that coming in the middle of a pandemic, his first steps to serve the Defiance were put on hold as the team ended the 2020 campaign. The door was opened; however, for Jubal to get a brief introduction to the team via Zoom with two weeks remaining in the season. But, as is the case in USL, there is frequently a lot of change. The head manager moved on to a new opportunity, several athletes moved to other teams around the country and, in many ways, 2021 would be a bit of a re-start. With the 2021 season quickly approaching,