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

I'm pleased to announce that Kalyn Phelps has recently joined the Soccer Chaplains United Board of Directors. Kalyn played for Air Academy High School in Colorado Springs and captained the team for three years. She went on to play collegiately at the University of Northern Colorado which was a Division 2 NCAA school at the time. She played all four years, captaining for two and playing mainly as a center midfielder. She has spent time coaching at the high school and youth levels, as well. Today, as a mother of three, she most recently coached her daughter's U9 team for Pride Soccer Club in CO Springs and she still enjoys playing the game. Flashback photo to Kalyn's playing days at

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

Jordan Rivera recently completed the process to being serving as a volunteer chaplain to New Mexico United, a team playing in the United Soccer League — Championship (USL-C) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. USL-C is part of the second division of professional soccer in the United States and New Mexico United has, historically, been one of the stronger and more exciting teams to play in the league independent of any Major League Soccer (MLS) club affiliations. Established in 2018, NMU is a constant contender in the Western Conference of what is USL-Championship Jordan, originally from Ecuador, was tabbed by current volunteer chaplain Clint Moore to help assist with Spanish-speaking needs throughout the organization — from the first team through the academy. Growing up,

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