Affiliate Locations

Connor Georgopulos

About me

I was born in Denver, Colorado and have lived around there my whole life. I have been raised in a Christian family by loving and caring parents with 3 younger siblings. I started playing soccer when I was 3 years old and have been in love with it ever since. I also had some incredible missions opportunities in high school, and on some of them I started to learn how to use soccer as a tool to bring the gospel in a way I had never known. After high school I decided to play soccer at John Brown University, a small Christian school in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. My time at JBU has probably been the best 4 years of my life. I have built incredible relationships and have been on an incredible team that seeks Christ in everything we do, both on and off the field. I also first joined the Chicago Eagles after my sophomore year for the first time. Overall the last several years have been a great time of growth and challenges, and I feel ready for the next step I am taking with the Eagles.

How & why I became a MAI Missionary

I decided to join the MAI staff after two life-changing summers at the Chicago Eagles Summer Academy. During this time I felt the Lord slowly changing both my heart and my own plans. I felt a calling to serve His people and kingdom in some way, and I was given the opportunity to do this through soccer with the Eagles. I feel confident that this is where the Lord has me for this next season and that He will continue to do a great work through this ministry like He has already done. I am very excited to join this ministry and the vision that it has going forward and to use the gifts I’ve been given to join them in spreading the gospel.

Colombia COSDECOL

The Christian Union Sports Club (CUSC) (in Colombia known as the “Social and Sport Corporation of Colombia”–COSDECOL), officially founded in 1991 in Medellín, evolved out of a neighborhood soccer tournament that was organized as a way to reach out to young men who were being recruited into the life of violence and crime spawned by the Medellín Drug Cartel.  Mark Wittig, an American who arrived in Medellín in 1986 with his family to teach at a university/seminary, founded the tournament along with other local friends.

A young leader from the neighborhood, a participant in the tournament, turned his back on the “cartel life” and began to work with Mark in developing a soccer program for adolescents.  While Alvaro Cano would coach the team of young soccer players, Mark would teach them values and principles from the Word of God.   Out of this initial group several became Christians and entered a period of discipleship with Alvaro and Mark.  They later became coaches in the program, and more teams were organized in other neighborhoods of the city.  Over a process of time, the CUSC grew and today has 32 full-time and part-time staff, 130 soccer teams with 3,400 participants from the poorest neighborhoods of the city, a citywide soccer league, a brownie, cookie and cake business that employs 28 young people full-time, and a developing sports and retreat facility. The CUSC has also established sports programs in sixteen vulnerable areas of the country, mainly rural.

Masa & Chie Yokota

About me
Chie and I have two children Joe and Jen. I accepted Jesus when I was 18 years old at Word of Life Bible camp in Schroonlake NY. This is where I met Chie for the first time.

God opened the doors for me to study abroad. First he went to Word of life Philippines for 6 months to learn Bible and English, then I went to Word of life NY for 2 years and Israel college of the Bible for a year. I then attended Grace college for 2 years and Seminary for a year and half to finish my degrees in Intercultural ministries.

Chie accepted Jesus when she was 13 yrs old through a missionary from Indiana. She went to Lancaster Christian high school and went to Word of life Bible institution. She went back to Japan and worked at mission organization for a year and went to Israel college of the Bible for a year.

Nathan Clapp

About me

I am married to my beautiful wife Hayley and God blessed us with 3 wonderful children. I am all about God and family. I am a PE teacher, Men’s head soccer coach, and Women’s head soccer coach at Page High School in Franklin, TN. I grew up in south Nashville in Antioch, TN and because of the diversity and their love for soccer in Antioch I found myself falling in love with soccer as well. My heart has always wanted to give back to the inner city areas of Nashville because of that love for soccer that it gave me. I love God and love others. Oh and I cheer on Liverpool FC! YNWA

How & why I became a MAI Missionary

I was blessed to grow up in a Christian home with great parents. The area I grew up in Nashville had many different families of different Nationalities. Growing up and loving my friends around me I always was excited to learn about their culture. Falling in love with soccer and it being the worlds top sport God put a heart and desire in me to link my faith and soccer together. God has had it on my heart for years and has finally brought the opportunity and timing for me to get involved with the Nashville Urban Eagles. I was blessed to be involved in 3 Brazil Tours with the Eagles and MAI. In prep for those tours we did our pre camp with the Charlotte Urban Eagles and I felt like God was showing me what we could bring to Nashville inner city soccer. When God opened the door to work with the MAI and the Eagles Brazil Tour, after that first night in Brazil a passion for missionary work rose up in me that I really can’t explain. The only way to put it in perspective is, I overwhelmingly knew I was right where God purposed me to be. God has continued to open opportunities for me to do mission work to Brazil and now he has opened the gates for me to go back to Nashville and serve in that community. I have always had something stirring in my heart for Nashville because it was the diverse soccer in Nashville that made me fall in love with soccer and God has brought me into my career through that experience.

Tom & Jodi Gerlach

About me

Tom’s resume includes a combined total of 31 seasons from a multitude of organizations, both boys and girls. At the high levels, he has head coached in the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL) and assistant coached at Tusculum University (NCAA Division II). Tom has also head coached high school boys at Christian Academy of Knoxville (CAK) and Christ Presbyterian Academy (CPA), girls high school soccer at CPA, and both boys and girls Division I club soccer. Tom has been named “Coach of the Year” 15 times, he’s had 14 state final appearances, 9 state championships, and he holds the record for the most consecutive high school state championships (5). When it comes to community and committee involvement, Tom has an extensive list. He is the Director of Eagles Academy Nashville and International Youth Tours with the Charlotte Eagles (both part of Missionary Athletes International). He sits on boards including the United Soccer Coaches Association Faith Based Coaching Board, the Tennessee High School Soccer Coaches Association Executive board, the United Soccer Coaches Association Award of Excellence committee, and chairs the Pinnacle Award for the United Soccer Coaches Association. He also chairs the Division II-A All State rankings as well as the All State team. He will also be a presenter at the United Soccer Coaching National Convention in 2019 and 2020. Tom resides in Nashville, TN with his wife, Jodi, and two children.

How & why I became a MAI Missionary              

My life was drastically changed when I went on tour as a player, and I saw that some of my own players could have the same experience if I was able to provide that opportunity for them. Through connections with the Week of Champions and my college soccer coach Stephen Jones, I was able to contact David Sanford and pursue my passion for sports ministry.

Tom & Olena Merchant

About me

Grew up in Maryland
Grace Brethren Christian School – Clinton, MD – graduated 1990
Liberty University – Cross-cultural Studies – graduated 1994
MAI tours and camps in USA and Europe since 1989
Full-time MAI staff since 1997
1997-1999 Chicago
1999-2003 Moscow, Russia
2003-2007 Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine
2007- Rivne, Ukraine
Married Olena Forsyuk (Merchant) 2001
2 daughters – Michelle and Melody
Partnering with and assisting the Christian Football Club “Nadiya” (Hope) and supporting soccer ministry in Ukraine as a founding member of the Christian Football Union of Ukraine (CFUU / ХФСУ)

How & why I became a MAI Missionary

I joined tours to Denmark, Norway and then Russia and all over Europe. I also worked some camps in the States before focusing on Russia and Ukraine. God showed me that I can and should use the skills and talents that He has given me to serve Him and society. My life has been saturated with soccer and God has inserted me into the Slavic map. Pray for these people. Life here is not all about fun and games. It’s tough. People have eyes but do not see; ears but do not hear. And many seem to prefer being blind and deaf. But there still are some honest seekers and youth that need God’s love, grace, mercy and forgiveness of sins.

Zack Miller

About me:
– originally from Northern Virginia
– grew up loving all sports, but soccer is my favorite
– went to James Madison University
– for 5 years I lived in Nazareth, Israel and worked for Young Life
– I’m pretty laid back and enjoy the short term focused lifestyle

How & why I became a MAI Missionary?
I love Jesus and soccer. After sharing that with my mentor he told me about another one of his YL guys who is the exec director for the Eagles. After talking with him (Cliff) realized MAI has great recourses and tool to share the gospel using soccer as an relationship initiator