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Major League Soccer Cup Final Memories — 10 years Ago

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This weekend, the Seattle Sounders and Columbus Crew face off in the 2020 Major League Soccer Cup Final. Well, it was 10 years ago, that I had the privilege to accompany the team where I serve as volunteer chaplain, the Colorado Rapids, to Toronto, Canada for the 2010 championship match against FC Dallas.

Today, on the From the Touchline podcast, I reminisce and share a couple of memories that I have from my time with team during that championship time so many years ago.

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 the topics of faith, family, and football (soccer).

Also, don’t forget that you can listen in our app, SoccrChapUtd, in the Apple and Google store.

From the Rev: The Red Line

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The Rapids currently sit above the red line – but it’s early in the season, too.

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 a very real threat in this business where performance means everything.

For many clubs and organizations, making the playoffs is the litmus test, the baseline for determining success. The teams that fail to make it – their coaching staff, executive staff, not to mention the players themselves are in danger of losing their jobs, their livelihood. There is often great disappointment for those who try to live above the red line and then fail and fall, especially late in the season.

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The glory of winning the Cup was special, but incomparable with the glory of God.

In reflecting theologically on the red line – there are two thoughts that occur to me. First, that there is a line that we all fall short of regardless of our competence, ability, strength, power, or resources. It is the ideal and standard that God has set before all mankind – Romans 3:23 we see Paul writing, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God… The glory of God, think about it for a moment. What is the most glorious moment you have ever been a part of? For me, the 2010 MLS Cup win with the Colorado Rapids was a “glorious” moment. I remember the confetti and fireworks, the hoisting of the trophy, the cheers and jubilation of the team at accomplishing the task of winning the Cup. But for all of the glory of that moment – it fell short of God’s glory. In fact, it was incomparable to even a fraction of God’s glory. So in a sense, there is a line (I don’t know if it’s red or blue or black) that we can not measure up to. The standard of God’s glory is always before us as an unattainable measure.

However, we have encouragement from the apostle Paul to, press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14). This mark, this goal, this line that Paul is referring to has to do with the way that we live out life as followers of Jesus. There is a goal of knowing and becoming like Jesus – and this line (not achieved by Paul under his own admission) is something that we ought to strive for. It is not something that we give up on. Paul also writes (I Corinthians 9:24-26),

Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step…

It may seem an oxymoron – to strive for the unattainable, to reach for the unreachable, to press on toward the mark – but this is the call of Christ on our lives. It is a call to live above the red line – no matter how far it may seem. May you run the race. May you press on toward the mark – for there awaits an eternal prize for you and for me.

Blessings,

Rev. Brad Kenney

From the Rev: More than Luck

294722_10150322508761091_11106436090_8600080_144848907_nThe other day at the stadium, one of the Colorado Rapids staff members said, “Thanks for the luck!” The team had just scored a couple of goals against an important rival and looked to win it’s first game of the season. The comment reminded me of the superstition that surrounds much of professional sport – from the player wearing the same socks game after game or makes the sign of the cross before entering the field of play to the coach or executive that hires certain staff or makes certain business decisions in order to keep “luck” on their side.

I got the chance to hold and pose with the MLS Cup Anschutz Trophy.

A few years ago, after the Colorado Rapids had won the Major League Soccer Cup (2010) a member of the coaching staff told me, “We need to have you travel with us from now on!” While the time in Toronto was not the first time that I had been with the team on the road, it was the first time that I had traveled exclusively with the team (and not part of a long road trip with the family).

So what does a chaplain do with the superstition that exists and its many forms?

First, making a distinction between superstition and rhythms can be helpful. There are some things that players, coaches, or teams out of superstition and there are other things that a team does in order to develop a rhythm or pattern. For example, warming up before a game with exercises and drills is more of a pattern than a superstition and a way of preparing the body for the task. In a similar way, an individual player may have their own pattern of preparing for a game – from taking a nap, to reading, to even praying. Sometimes, a rhythmic action can become superstitious (for example, a player who prays before a game having success and then determining that the prayer is what made him successful). This is an area where a chaplain must provide clarity and insight.

Second, accurately teaching on the character and nature of God. This can be an area that seems very gray. “Does God care who wins and loses a game?” is often a question asked by many (theologians and atheists, alike). If the answer is no, then teaching players and coaches and staff to pray “Give us this day our daily bread.” will seem an inconsistent message. As professional athletes and those involved in sport rely upon successes in order to earn a wage and provide for their families, if a chaplain or theologian (or others) dismiss notions of God caring about providing for them it can do serious damage to one’s spirituality and faith. On the flip side, though, there is a need to also help those same people understand the heart of God and the things that God values. For example, when James writes:

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. (James 1:27)

Here, we can see the value that God places, the priority that is carried within His heart. This is why teaching and reflecting on theological issues is important in sports chaplaincy – so that there can be the maintaining of proper perspective, proper priority.

If you look closely, (left side of picture) you can see my arm (black coat sleeve and white shirt underneath) raised in celebration during the Rapids MLS Cup 2010 celebration. It was a proud moment and difficult not to get too caught up in it all…

Finally, for chaplains themselves, we ought to be careful not to become prideful or boastful about any successes or victories that might be achieved. This is not merely for those involved in sports chaplaincy – any involved in vocational ministry might become enamored with success and might begin believing that they had something to do with it. It is vital to remember that God is sovereign and He wills and moves in ways that are higher than our own devising or understanding. It is God who causes the rain to fall (on the just and unjust) and His purposes are often worked out beyond our immediate comprehension. There may be times when we see the beauty of HIs working things together, but rarely in the moment (especially in moments of suffering).

These are just a few of the ways that a chaplain should engage those being served and help them to see that there is more, really, at hand than “luck.”

Blessings,

Rev. Brad Kenney

From the Rev: MLS Cup

When the whistle finally sounded, it was Sporting Kansas City that had overcome Real Salt Lake to take the Major League Soccer Cup Final for 2013. The game went to penalty kicks – the second such championship game for RSL – as both teams were looking for their second title.

It has been three years since the Colorado Rapids claimed the title over FC Dallas in the cold confines of Toronto’s BMO Field. Read a Rapids’ staff reflection here. There has been much that has changed in those three years – in MLS as well as with the Rapids. As I reflect back on the team I offer some reflections that you might not exactly expect.

1. There is always a story behind the story – for every person standing on the field, on the sidelines, or in the stands there is a story to be told. Perhaps it is two men fighting for the same position, the same spot on the team; or, maybe it is a coach whose job has been in jeopardy throughout the season – win it all or he’s done; and there are dozens of stories about those in the stand – wives praying that their husbands win the game so there can be a contract extension and another year of stability; moms and dads hoping that their son can overcome the injuries and defeats and finally accomplish the goal; staff members who have toiled long hours to see an organization set up for success on so many different levels; and supporters who have spent thousands of dollars following and supporting their heroes. Each of these stories build into the emotion and drama that feels like a dramatic roller coaster.

2. Winning it all doesn’t solve everything – I remember tears on players’ faces after learning within 12 hours that they were going to be exposed to an expansion draft. Champions for 12 hours – and then the club had to designate who would be sent to different teams. Questions of value, importance, and honor dropped some like weights when they found out there return the following season was unlikely. Coaches had even less time before they were forced to make decisions about breaking up the championship group. There was no time for a sit-down, tell-it-to-your-face conversation. Families that were celebrating the night before were wondering where they would be by the end of the day.

3.  Men are always in search of more – closely tied into the reflection above, there were some powerful feelings in the days and weeks after the Cup. For some, they commented on feeling a sense of emptiness, others had questions of “Is this all there is?” While winning the Cup meant the accomplishment of lifelong dreams for many, there was an overwhelming sense that somehow one’s significance had not greatly improved or changed – in fact, some felt even a greater despair.

It is in the moments when the glitter and confetti ceases to fall, the lights go dim and then dark, the raucous noise of  fans goes quiet and we are left to ourselves – here is where we find that we must still wrestle with the internal questions that have always existed. We find, truly, that the glory of the moment is so quick and fleeting. Even as team chaplain, I have found myself feeling some of the same emotions described above. While there has been much joy, there has also been pain around the triumph to tragedy movements around what many might claim as the organization’s most glorious achievement – MLS Cup.

In reading, perhaps you have experienced this for yourself – an achievement in the academic setting or the workplace or home. Maybe you have seen loved ones go through the deflation of hope that has come when a personal or professional achievement was found to lack the meaning and significance that was believed to be inherent within. These all point to the human need for something greater, for something transcendent. In truth, it points to our need for God – greater than shiny silverware and trophies – God’s presence and work in our lives is about Divine mastery and artistry. C.S. Lewis, mentions this in his work, The Problem of Pain:

“We are, not metaphorically but in very truth, a Divine work of art, something that God is making, and therefore something with which He will not be satisfied until it has a certain character. Here again we come up against what I have called the “intolerable compliment.” Over a sketch made idly to amuse a child, an artist may not take much trouble: he may be content to let it go even though it is not exactly as he meant it to be. But over the great picture of his life—the work which he loves, though in a different fashion, as intensely as a man loves a woman or a mother a child—he will take endless trouble—and would doubtless, thereby give endless trouble to the picture if it were sentient. One can imagine a sentient picture, after being rubbed and scraped and re-commenced for the tenth time, wishing that it were only a thumb-nail sketch whose making was over in a minute. In the same way, it is natural for us to wish that God had designed for us a less glorious and less arduous destiny; but then we are wishing not for more love but for less.”

And, so, in our “great picture of life” – whether we have MLS Cup trophies, significant climbs up the ladder of corporate success, a beautiful and flourishing family – all of these things are subject to the working of God as He continues to shape and make us His beautiful creation. They (trophies and triumphs) are all shadows and as empty and fleeting, too, in comparison to the real need for God – for, truly, only in Him can we truly experience victory as champions.

Blessings,

Rev. Brad Kenney

From the Rev: Why the Rapids Might Win the Cup Again

The odds are not in their favor. The team is not favored to win and there are doubts of them even making the playoffs. According to one site, the Rapids have a 4.2% chance of winning the Major League Soccer Cup at this point right now. The same might have been said of the 2010 side that won it all and took home the league’s most prized trophy – they weren’t supposed to win. Some say that side received the “luck of the draw.” Other bemoan the league’s constant change of decisions with playoff formats that allowed the Rapids to gain the final through the Eastern Conference playoffs (although they weren’t the only team from the west to do so).

But there was something that set the 2010 side apart from other years, other seasons. There was something special in the team that overcame much adversity to win it all and claim their first ever championship. The difference? From this Rev’s viewpoint, that team was much like a family. Let me explain.

Families are not some glorious idealistic that all teams ascribe to – families are messy, dysfunctional and often falling apart and imperfect. But good families, in spite of their differences find ways to overcome. They find common ground on which to stand. They have a strong faith and love in one another and in something greater than themselves. They are willing to sacrifice for each other. They laugh and cry, they celebrate and mourn – together.

The 2013 Colorado Rapids are becoming more like a family – the recent observance of Head Coach Oscar Pareja’s birthday might be a slight indication of the change in the team. It has taken some time for the team to get to this point – which is usually the case. Pareja’s tenure began in 2012 and there has been a period of adjustment for players and staff alike. That time of transition is starting  to come to a close and the team is getting closer and closer to each other and becoming more and more like family every day. And that may just be enough to push a team with little or no chance all the way to the game’s highest level.

Blessings,

Rev. Brad Kenney

From the Rev: Losing Longevity

The Colorado Rapids recently announced the trade of long-time player and captain Pablo Mastroeni. Mastroeni was the longest-tenured player with the Rapids and served as team captain since 2004. Mastroeni came to the Rapids as part of the Major League Soccer (MLS) contraction which occurred in 2001 and in his letter to the fans, he shares some of what Colorado has meant over the past 12 years.

Some of you know that I serve, also on staff at Cherry Hills Community Church as a pastor in pastoral care. Because of church finances and transition, the church recently had to lay off several employees and a couple of pastors as well. Some at Cherry Hills had served on staff for over 10 and upwards of 20 years. This time of transition is part of a larger transition where Cherry Hills’ Senior and Founding Pastor Jim Dixon, of 30+ years is retiring. The happening of both events are the source of my reflection this week.

There are many reasons why change and transition happens and perhaps the circumstances and timing of the events above are too dissimilar for any great insights; however, as I began reflecting there seemed to be some crucial things that are lost when a person of tenure leaves a longstanding position. Amongst these things is the loss of corporate memory. Corporate memory is the knowledge gained (either through experience or training, etc.) by an organization’s employee. When you let go of an employee (by layoff or trade, for example) you lose the history, problem solving, the “we’ve been here before and here’s how we handled it” type of information which really can be invaluable to an institution. Organizations can hire younger, smarter, cheaper replacements, but they lose the wisdom that is gained through experience.

Mastroeni hoists the Cup at the fans celebration after the 2010 MLS Cup win.

A second loss is a loss of organizational identity. When you have people who serve you for a long time in a particular role, especially when they do that job well, they start to take on an identity which becomes attached to the institution. Being a Bronco (NFL) fan for most of my life, John Elway was the identity that was attached to my fandom and for most others – the quarterbacks that have followed since have not garnered the same success or place in the fans heart as Elway did for so many years. And Elway was beloved even in spite of his failure (until late in his career) to win the big game, the Super Bowl. His success in bringing two Super Bowl championships to Denver only solidified his place in Denver sports history. Mastroeni will be remembered as captaining the Rapids during 2010 MLS Cup win. The staff and pastors at Cherry Hills who have been laid off or are retiring will be remembered for their work to love and be with people from birth to death and the many spaces of life in between. Losing these people does something to the identity of the organizations they worked for and served for so long.

Another loss that occurs when losing people who have longevity with an organization is the loss of corporate stability. Undoubtedly, athletes age and their abilities to compete are often overshadowed by those younger, faster, and stronger. Pastors and others in different vocations sometimes grow and become better (wiser, more patient, etc.) through time. They are sometimes described like a wine that gets better with age. Although, sometimes longevity can produce complacency as well; however, these individuals bring a sense of stability. They experience organizational highs and lows, they bring emotional balance as they “steady the ship” during difficult times and as they encourage teammates and co-workers, fans and parishioners to “stay the course” in all sorts of moments of organizational struggle or difficulty. Athletes past their prime are still valued for the leadership and influence that they bring to a locker room or team.

There are perhaps more parallels that might be drawn when considering the loss of longevity, and for those reading that are in positions of influence, power, or authority you might find that there are experts out in the field that can speak more to retaining or minimizing the losses that happen during these types of changes or transitions. As a chaplain with the Rapids, my role is to help those that I serve out of the richness of my own longevity (with the club, as  Christian, as a father, as a husband, etc.). As a pastor at the church, I still serve, although my tenure is not considerable there yet as these are the defining and shaping moments whereby we learn how to steady the ship and bring a sense of peace and stability to the difficult situation of transition. And when we find ourselves square in the sights of an organization that is cutting ourselves loose after years of service – of course, the place where we can look to without hesitation is to God. He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, the I Am that I Am – He is the One with true longevity. And He can see us through, even in the midst of such losses. In the Ancient of Days we can retain that sense of corporate memory. In the Image of the Invisible God, we can retain a sense of identity. In the Prince of Peace, we can discover a source of stability. And God helping, we will survive moments of transition when we lose longevity.

Blessings,

Rev. Brad Kenney

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