Throughout the years, one of the questions people ask about my role as team chaplain for the Colorado Rapids is, “Do you ever kick around with the guys?” Back in the days when I served the Colorado Rapids as a Public Relations Assistant, we used to have an annual event called the “Media Cup.” Here, there were sometimes an opportunity to play small sided games with the Rapids players, coaches, and media members to help promote awareness and build interest back in a day when soccer was trying to come into its own amongst the other professional sports like the NFL, NHL, MLB, and NBA. There was a time, too, in team history, when the Rapids trained at a facility

The typical coaching contract for coaches in Major League Soccer is three years, though the average length of stay is somewhere closer to 2 years (2.3 according to one source). If those statistics are comparative (there is some question to how scientific) to other leagues, then MLS coaches are among the lowest in terms of average length of stay among professional sports leagues (NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB) as suggested by this New York Times article written in 2008. So what has to happen in that 2.3 years that an MLS coach takes the reins? There are several things that a new head coach must undertake, but before looking at a few important tasks, let's look at a few reasons for

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