• Recently, Major League Soccer (MLS), National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and United Soccer Leagues (USL) have all announced plans for returning to play. MLS has yet to declare or confirm actual dates, but the reported plan is to have a league-wide, 30-day tournament in Orlando, FL to re-start the season. NWSL have already revealed a schedule for the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup, a 25-game tournament beginning June 27. The USL Championship has announced July 11 as the provisional "return to play" date, though many more logistics need to be confirmed and factored. This week I have been in contact with Soccer Chaplains United chaplains throughout the U.S., and we are also seeing most of the college and high school teams

    Jun 05,
  • The United States Soccer Federation announced last week, that it will cease operations and management of the Development Academy (DA). The announcement comes as a bit of shock to some, a bit of cynicism to others, and a lot of criticism. The USSF noted that the COVID—19 pandemic was the cause of shuttering the DA program. So what does this mean for Soccer Chaplains United and Rubèn Rodríguez, who serves as chaplain to the Colorado Rapids DA? Major League Soccer released a statement on April 16, about launching a new, elite player development league that will seek to take on the MLS and non-MLS DA teams that formerly participated in the the DA. So likely we will see MLS DA

    Apr 23,
  • Well, technically, Major League Soccer (MLS) began on the last day of February for the 2020 season, but close enough. As the season kicked off last week (and the Colorado Rapids were the first game) it started the 25th season for the top flight soccer league in the U.S. The MLS season has had varied lengths in its 25-year history, and most recently the league condensed its season to run league competition games between the months of March and November. 34 games are par for the course — 17 home and 17 away; throw in a few exhibition games, an Open Cup tournament, weekly training sessions and travel and it makes for a busy 9 months. But this is just games!

    Mar 06,
  • I am excited to announce that I've been invited to take part in a panel presentation at the annual United Soccer Coaches Convention. United Soccer Coaches, which rebranded last year, has the largest soccer coach membership base in the world. Coaches from across all levels of the sport gather each year at its annual convention. The convention, in January, usually sees thousands of  coaches gather for education, training, networking, and other soccer-related activities. Major League Soccer typically holds  its annual draft in conjunction with the convention. The draft and convention have also been the location for annual meetings hosted by Athletes in Action of those involved in chaplaincy amongst MLS, the United Soccer League (USL), and National Women's Soccer League

    Oct 03,
  • Today, the summer transfer window for Major League Soccer opens. From July 10 - August 9, MLS teams can make trades and bring in foreign talent. For many teams, this window represents an opportunity to make improvements to a team — some teams bring in a player from another country or from a team within the league in an effort to try bolster team needs and win a coveted playoff position. For fans, many are hopeful that a playmaker or difference-maker brought in can propel their team to victory or help continue to sustain early-season efforts. But on the other side, the summer transfer window also represents a time of need for MLS teams and their respective chaplains or ministry

    Jul 10,

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