FiFa 08

Longtime no see, I have been traveling like crazy trying to make it back to MN. I left Columbus on Nov. 18Th. We had been training since our last game in a mini camp and it concluded on November 17Th with a game against a Mexican team. It was good to be able to play in a game again after not playing in one since the D.C game. I played OK at best. HAHAHA.

I was so ready to go home. My body was in shambles and mental I am drained. I started out on my trek and stopped in Cleveland for a night. I stayed with my old host family, the Whitney's, and played some xbox and Nintendo wii with them. My host mom must have thought it was a holiday so she let the kids stay up late and go to school after second period.

The following day I drove to Chicago through high winds, rain, snow, sleet, and ice. It was crazy. I stayed one night with my sister, Alissa, and went out to eat with her friends Jay and Jet. Afterwards, she of course asked me to set up her wireless surround sound home theater as a "fee" for staying with her.

So far the trip had already felt incredibly long and I was only half way home. I left Chicago and went to Omaha (completely out of my way). I wanted to see some friends there since I have not been back to school in a longtime. I was able to go to a Jimmy Eat World concert with my buds and it was great. It felt good to just be back somewhere familiar. I never thought I would say it, but I have missed school and my friends. I stayed in Omaha from Friday to Tuesday. I was even able to catch a soccer game and see how good the boys where this year. I am not going to lie I was a little disappointed in what I saw. I did not feel they looked like a top 10 team.

On Tuesday I was finally able to make it home and my dad anxiously sent me to work the very next day. Some father huh? I worked one day and then it was Thanksgiving. I want to thank all of you for all the prayers throughout the season. It has been a great experience.

I am not going to write again until I go back to Columbus sometime around January 15TH.

Also last weekend was my birthday and I flew out to Seattle to spend it with my brother. I just wanted to say thanks to him for showing me an awesome time and for getting tickets for the Switchfoot & Relient K concert.

Thanks again,

Andrew

PS Merry Christmas

Some footage from the Switchfoot Concert

My Family Came to Visit!!!!!!!!

To start things off I must say I am about to leave Columbus for the time being. Over the past new weeks a lot has happened for me. My parents were able to come see me play a game finally and I was given my first start against D.C a week ago.

My parents came to town when we were supposed to be playing David Beckham but all we got was a L.A team but no David. It was a great weekend. My parents were able to meet both my host families this summer along with my dog Buffy.

I didn't play in the regular game but played the whole game in the reserve league. It was good to finally show my parents that I have hopefully improved a little bit since they last saw me play. I played the whole game and we killed the L.A team 5-0. I didn't score but had one great shot.

We have also played New England and D.C United. I didn't play in the New England game but I was given the start against D.C for our final of the season. I played left back and I thought I played well. I think I could have done better but my legs were so tired even at halftime. I thought I was in better shape. It was awesome there were 24,000 people. The picture is of me up against the Minnesota memorial next to the Washington Monument. My roommate Adam and I were able to go see some of the sites around there the day we left since our hotel was like five minutes away.

Since then I have done a few speaking engagements to share my stories and the gospel and they have been a blast. I am finally getting comfortable to share in front of 100 people. I now just have to work on organizing my thoughts. I normally just share how God is working in my life and how I some how made it to Columbus to play for the Crew. It basically is all about trusting God.

I am also working on finding a new business idea. I have been searching the web and magazines for new ideas about a cool new business model that I can develop but have had no such luck. I think I am too picky. I have thought about starting up a new eBay business but have not found good suppliers for that so I don't know what I am going to do.

The last week we had all off. I needed to help my body recover from the year. I was also asked back to the team so that is good. I am hoping to go to Ohio State to get my MBA possibly next year as well. Pray that all go well with that and they accept me. I need to start studying again I feel like my brain is getting dummer hahaha. Also pray that I make it home safely. I have been having trouble with my car so I had some work done to it and seems to be running great.

God Bless

Something New

It has been almost a month since my last post and many new and exciting things are happening for me. I have a new roommate, Adam, he moved in the first week in Sept. Things have been going very well for both of us. I am hoping that we can bond a little bit more since we only have another month left together. Adam and myself were able to find a small group at our church. It is perfect for us. We meet on Ohio States Campus. It is great because the small group I was going to before had to many married couples and that made it hard to relate to everyone. The group we go to is called O2 because we need Jesus just like we need Oxygen.



As for soccer, it has been going really well for me. I have been playing really well and have been catching the coaches attention finally. When we played the Kansas City Wizards my coaches were thinking about starting me in the first team game. It was funny because our coach has been calling me Jacob because I reminded him of this All-American at Indiana who now plays for the Colorado Rapids.

This up coming weekend brings up come new and exciting news. My parents, brother, and possibly my sister are coming into town for this weekend's game. We are playing the LA Galaxy so it should be a good game. I am not sure if I will be suiting up but hopefully I will.

The reason why I have the HOPE picture on top is I think I still have a chance to play here. We will have to see. I keep on praying for God to bring me my big break.

Hope all is well. Thanks for praying for me.

Crew Vacation...

Over the past week a few things have happened. My team went on a trip together for some team bonding time and a I found out a buddy from my Cleveland is coming to finish out the year with the Crew.

The picture on the left is of my new golfing buddies, Eddie Gavin, Ben Hunter, and Andy G. The vacation consisted of leaving Monday morning from the Stadium to a place called Oglebay in West Virgina. It was a nice place with plenty of fun things to do. Everything cost money but we were given $200 for meals and entertainment. We all got golf half off so it only cost $40 so I went twice on the two day trip. I also went fishing and got to get to know some of the guys on the team. Overall, it was a good experience for me.

Last week I was surprised by one of my old Cleveland teammates as he showed up at practice. Adam was ask to sign for the Crew just like me and I told him overall it has been a good experience for myself. I also will be good for the other brothers on the team. I am hoping if my host families let him he can stay with my host family or near by so we can carpool to practice.

As for my fun with my host family we were able to go canoeing last Sunday. It was awesome. It was about an hour away and we canoed for about 1.45 hours. I went with my host mom, dad, sisters, Jessica and Kristin, and Kristin's husband. We all got soaking wet from splashing each other.

My parents are curious if they can get my job because they seem to think that all I do is have fun and play a little soccer but mostly golf. I think in the last two weeks I have play golf 4 or 5 time. Maybe that is a few too many but oh well. Dad anytime you all feel like coming out we will have to play some golf.

Anyway, on to more important things. I need some prayer requests. I still need some guidance and the next phase of my life. One of my friends said that he is going to go over to Germany in Nov. to tryout for a few teams. He wants me to come with and I want to know if I should take this opportunity. I also am looking for a mission trip in the off season. If I cannot find one I am hoping to get a internship with World Vision o a organization like to do mission work on a little different level. Still looking for those core group of friends out here that I can depend on, but I think I need to be a little more assertive. Can everyone pray then that I will not be so passive like every other guy.

I think that covers everything that I can think of at this time. Stay tuned and I will let you know. I may start a video diary here soon but we will see where that takes me. I may try to integrate that into my little journal thing here.

Long Last Two Weeks!!!!!!!!!

These past two weeks have been super exciting. I have officially moved in with my new host family in Columbus. I have also gotten my first minutes with the Crew as well in the past few weeks.

To start things off I will talk a little picbit about out the ture to the right. My new host sister recently got married. I was "lucky" enough to attend the ceremony. It was a cute little wedding and reception. Currently, my host family is out of town and in Tennessee for a family vacation. I also took one my host sisters and her friends to the Zoo for an event for the Crew.

I also had a couple of Crew games over the past few weeks. In particular I had a game vs. Aston Villa. I was able to get my first real minutes for the Crew. Granted I only played 2 or 3 minutes at the very end I still made an appearance. The very next week on Tuesday we played my old team, the Cleveland City Stars. The score was 2-1. We won. I was also able to score probably the best goal of my life. I received the ball about ten yards outside the eighteen years box and I shot the ball in the upper right corner. I was English Premier Style. I hope I can find some video of it.

This last weekend, the team traveled to Chicago. I did not travel with the team but I believe things are going well for me. We have incredible depth. I also have been talking with our team Chaplin about getting more involved with ministry on the team and around the Columbus area.

I have a few prayer requests. I never believed being a professional athlete would be so fulfilling while at the same time lonely. I would like continue prayer for some close Christian friends around my age. I also would like to have people pray that I can play consistently in practice. Right now that is my biggest weakness. One more thing, I would like prayer for my team that they will open up to the light. If you would like me to give you more personal prayer requests just e-mail me.

Andrew

Team in LA and I am in Cleveland

I found a new host family so I must thank everyone for all their prayers. The family lives in a sub in northern Columbus. My new temporary mom, Donna, works at the local church. They go to a Nazarene church so it is similar to one that I went to back home. My new host dad's name is Chuck he is a fun -interesting guy - (good thing). They have two daughters living at home. One is 21 and the other is 19. We all seem to get along which is awesome. They all have a very sarcastic personality.

I am continuing to pray that I can become closer to my fellow brothers on the my new team. I am also praying that God will bless all those on the team that have not come to understand what I believe. I would love if everyone would continue to pray for comfort and for guidance as I try to establish some type of weekly Bible study on the team.

The picture is of my previous host family from Cleveland. They where such a blessing so I have high hopes for my new family. I will continue to pray that God will keep on blessing them as they move forward in a new direction as my old host dad takes on a new job.

As many of you know I didn't make the travel team this week for our game against Chivas in LA. I was however, thankful that Coach took me aside and talked to me. Everyone needs encouragement every once in a while. He said I needed to keep plugging along and it would come. This past week was rough in terms of practice. I didn't play as well as I had been playing. I needed to relax and play my game. This advice was what coach told me and I will take it to heart to see what next week brings.

Pray for my team, myself, and our fans. I believe I can make a big impact in this new city, Columbus.

Offical - Columbus Crew

It has been a busy last week weeks. Sorry I have not written in a little over two weeks. I have been all over the east coast and have even switched teams. I will talk about that later.

A few weeks ago we (the Cleveland City Stars) went on a long and grueling road trip. We started in Charlotte, NC for a night with a host family and then left the following morning to Wilmington, NC for our game. We tied 2-2 and we could have totally score more. It was frustrating. The same night as the Wilmington game we drove back to Charlotte because we had a game the very next day.

After checking into our hotel at 3 am we were able to get a little bit of sleep. Before our game we had an unusual thing happen. We had chapel with the Charlotte Eagles the team we were playing. It was a unique experience as I had never done anything like it before. The game did not go as planned we totally dominated, but we lost 1-0. After the game I was able to meet up with a few friends, Lulu and Julia.

The Charlotte game was on a Saturday and we had an Open Cup game on Tuesday again the Richmond Kickers possibly the best team in our league. We happened to lose that games as well. It means we are out of the open cup.

In a week we drove 2200 miles in total. On Wednesday of this week I decided to switch teams and move to Columbus, OH and play for the Columbus Crew. It is a good opportunity for me. I arrived in Columbus on Wednesday night and was able to practice with them on Thursday morning. I have now signed everything I needed to sign and should be added to the roster on Tuesday July 3rd.

Overall, things are going really well. I would however like to ask for prayer requests. I need to find a host family down in Columbus in the next two weeks. I am getting paid more in Columbus than in Cleveland but I want to be able to interact and impact a family. So please pray that I can find on in the upcoming days.

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

I would like to thank everyone that has been praying for me. I can really see some prayers being answered. Over that last week I have had a many things happen. On Friday my friend Kaitlin came down to play a game in Akron, OH , which is only 20 min from me. It was nice to see her again and to talk to her. Things are going well for her. Her team beat the Cleveland Internationals.

On Saturday, I started again for our soccer game. I did not feel very well so I wish I played better. I played left back and played the whole game. It kind of stinks because I was given my opportunity but did not take complete advantage.

After the game I went over to my friend Jason's house to hangout. It was nice to see a familiar face again and to talk about life. He just came back from a vacation that toured China.

On Monday, We flew to Kansas City, MO for a Open Cup game against a Professional Development League team. We won 4-0, but I strained my groin on Monday so I didn't want to play very much in the game because I should leaving soon to tryout with the Crew. My dad was also able to come down to see me play and to meet my coaches and team for the first time. After the game I went out with my dad and my friend Sara from college. My friend Sara came in town to see me play and to go to Worlds of Fun which is similar to a Six Flags. We then went to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the Cleveland Cavilers lose again.

This week I finally have been really anxious to play. I want to be able to show these guys how well I can play. I have yet to play close to my potential out here. Pray for me and wish me luck.

Chicago

This weekend I was presented with a special offer as many of you have heard. I was put on loan to the Columbus Crew for a game against the Chicago Fire. I will start however, with what happened during the week leading up to the big weekend.

During the week I was able to work hard to earn a possible starting spot on the team. In practice I tried extra hard to make sure my coach saw a reason why I came to play in Cleveland.

My team also saw our reserve team leave for Haiti this week. I have been praying for a guy on the team who is struggling to find himself. He is hoping God will show him awesome things while down there. I am anxious to see how his life has change while in Haiti. It used to be the richest country in the western hemisphere at one time in history.

My team also went to Harrisburg, PA, which is about five hours away. We played a game on Saturday and I was able to start. I played 75 or 80 minutes and even had an assist. After the game we left to go back to Cleveland and got in around 3:30 am.

I left for the airport at 8:30 in the morning on Sunday to fly to Chicago to play for the Crew. Alissa and I went to the Columbus Crew vs. Chicago game and I had an all access pass to anywhere in the stadium.

Monday morning was the big game. I was not expecting to play a whole bunch. The coach called on me to start. I played the whole game at left back. I thought I played alright but new I could play a whole lot better. After the game the coach asked if I would be interested in coming and practicing with them or basically tryout. I said I would love to - so pray for me that when they watch the game tape they will see that I actually played really well. Oh yeah, Alissa was able to attend the game as well so we have some pictures if you would like to see.

It is amazing how up and down I could feel in just a few weeks. Until next time.

Andrew

My Host Family

This last week was very busy with Memorial Day and the weekend. Cousin Tim decide to make the trek up from Peoria, IL to come hangout with his friend and watch my game. We tied 0-0.

The last week has taught me a lot about myself. I have found out that I need to be in better shape and play better in soccer. I talked to my coach and he wants to play me at left forward this weekend. We will see if that happens.

On Memorial Day we had practice which was long and hard. We then had some people over to my host families house for a BBQ and to hangout. It was fun. We played some game in the lawn which was fun but I don't remember the name of it.

The picture is of my host sister and brother. Their names are Sara and Josh.

This upcoming weekend we go to Harrisburg, PA for a game that should be our first real challenge. I am hoping to start.

Have a great day and God bless,

Andrew

Cleveland

I had a very eventful week. This was the first full week living with my host family. It has been eventful. We have played everything from four square to basketball. The picture is of me signing autographs at a camp we did on Friday night in Bay Village. It is the coolest city I have been to while in Cleveland. It is right on Lake Erie. It has a unique little beach with a light house right next to it. I have a few photos so I will try to put a few up.

We also had our first home game on Saturday. We are expecting a sellout but it rained. We won 3-2. I got a play about 25 minutes and was able to make an impact on the game. I am hoping to get more playing time in our next game. We will have to see how practice and everything goes.

I do not know how many of you know this but I am working with Pro-Soccer-Ministries while I am out here. We are going through a series of videos from http://www.simplystrengths.com/plystrengths.com/. They are used in a lot of corporate companies right now but are bases on Biblical teaching. They are really awesome. They were created by the former CEO of Gallup and he is a Christian. They are compelling and go against typical corporate teaching. Check them out....

I have a few prayer request. I have had a great job offer and I am praying that if God wants me to take that position that He would keep it open until I am done in September. Also please pray that I can keep my focus on what is important and let me be a positive influence for my teammates and my host family.

Thanks,

AP

The past week I have been super busy. I finally found out what my schedule will be like for the entire summer. I have Bible studies twice a week and they are intense. I love them. We have been working with the Salvation army downtown on a few project sites to bring an after school progam to some under privilege children. We have been able to every week bring a message about hope and passion to the kids.

This past weekend I also graduated from college with a double major in Finance and Management Information Systems. I walked on Saturday morning. My parents and I then went to Grand Island. We went to visit Grandma Peterson. She is doing great.

Saturday was my last day at Creighton....

The college undergraduate chapter of my life is complete.

First Day in a New City

I have finally arrived in Cleveland. My trek began on Friday with my drive home to MN. I then got up on Saturday and drove to Chicago to stay with my sister Alissa for the night. We went out to dinner with her friend Keith (weirdo) at the Weber Grill downtown Chicago. On Sunday I drove to Cleveland. I was fortunate enough to get a speeding ticket on the way, which is always fun. I also went through $20 in toll money which is insane.

I played with the team today for the first time in practice. They are probably about as good as the guys at Creighton. We then had a Bible Study on how soccer and our relationship with God should be one. I thought it was really cool.

The picture on the left is of myself and Aaron. Aaron Tredway is the goalie for the team and President of Professional Soccer Ministies. (The organization that I am playing for)

I finally got to hangout with the guys a little and I think they "accept" me. A few of us went to the beach today and had some fun. Some of the guys started throwing mud at each other. It was bad news. On a lighter note.....

I have been fortunate with my host family. They are awesome. They have a pool table, ping pong, and Foosball. They are really nice. They have four kids and I will be the oldest brother for the summer. The ages are 17, 15,12, 8. They are all boys except for the 8 year old, she is the cutest little girl ever. Thing are looking very bright.

Beginning A New Life

I am starting my new life here after college soon. Starting May 7th I will beginning playing soccer in Cleveland. I am hopefully then in September going over seas to play soccer of there. Please keep me in your prayers.

AP