The red line - it is every coach's nemesis in Major League Soccer. It's simple: teams above the red line when the season ends gain entry into the playoffs for the MLS Cup. Teams below the red line go home early. Every coach handles the red line differently - some watch it closely from the beginning of the year to the end. Others pay it no attention (or, so they say) choosing rather to take it "one game at a time." Some coaches play through a thousand scenarios and calculate how many points are needed to be above the red line when the season ends. But amidst formulaic calculations and all manner of worry and concern, the red line represents

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. - Paul to Timothy (II Timothy 1:7) One of the greatest challenges that I face in my role as chaplain (whether as a hospice chaplain or professional sports chaplain) has been overcoming a spirit of fear, of timidity when it comes to people. Perhaps you have heard the phrase "it's nice to be wanted" but for the chaplain many times they are not necessarily wanted, or people do not necessarily know that they want or could benefit from a chaplain. This is more challenging in the professional sports environment because people are not typically as broken - they have health, they earn a high

As I recently watch a road game for the Colorado Rapids, the team was working to come from behind. Down 1 goal to 2, the team was struggling to avoid a record 10-game road stretch without a point (either a win or tie). Then in the 86th minute, with little left in the time of the game it happened: Rapids' Smith Goal As I watched the game-changing event unfold, I thought, "Good finish" and told the team as much in my weekly e-mail to them. That phrase (common amongst soccer fans) though made me stop and reflect on what it means and what it looks like to finish well. Not just by putting the ball in the back of the net on