Lexington Eagles

Chris Eklund

About me:

I grew up in St. Charles, Illinois as the youngest of 3 brothers (Lukas and Joren) to my loving parents (Bryan and Brenda). My dad played soccer at Wheaton College and all of us initially wanted to follow in his footsteps so we all grew up kicking a soccer ball before we could take our first steps. My parents love Jesus and made it their mission to pray for each of us and guide us to what it means to live a life apprenticing under Jesus and a God who loves us so deeply despite our mistakes.

In 2020, I committed to play at Grove City College for soccer. During my time, I created lifelong and life giving friendships, received a bachelors degree in exercise science, and learned what it meant to play soccer not for myself, but as a tool to build relationships and share the love of Christ with others. I attended my first Summer Academy in Chicago in 2022 and I fell in love with sports ministry as well as the tender community that sought after God wholeheartedly. I joined the Summer Academy again in 2023 and the Lord continued to grow my desire to serve him through the global platform of soccer.

What brought me to MAI:

I first heard about MAI through Cody Snouffer, who was the former director of the Chicago office of MAI as well as my high school JV and Varsity coach. Cody and I spent quite a bit of time together and he would always push me to apply for the Summer Academy. I shrugged him thinking it would be an average summer soccer experience, but I was completely wrong.

After my Sophomore year in college, I was nudged to apply for the Summer Academy in 2022 by a teammate and I did as it replaced my internship requirement and I had no summer job plans. However, what followed changed my life. I not only stumbled upon some of my deepest friendships because of that summer, but I fell in love with sports ministry and being a part of a community whos main directive was to learn to love Jesus more and share that love with others. Since that summer, my dream has been to serve the Lord in sports ministry with MAI and taste the wonderful community that the Lord can build because of a game that so many people love so much.

JJ Aalbue

About me:

I grew up in Wheaton, Illinois in a Christian household with my four siblings. I am the middle child of 5 with 3 sisters and a brother. Growing up, the constants in my life were Jesus, family, and soccer. From a young age, I fell in love with soccer, and it quickly became my life dream to play professionally in the US. The Lord has so intricately woven soccer into my testimony and used the highs and lows of this great sport to draw me closer to Him. I was blessed to play for a Christian soccer club from the ages of 9 to 18 where my coaches helped lay the foundation of sports ministry in my life and teach me how soccer was a platform for my faith. I went on to play 5 years of college soccer at two separate Christian universities that both helped grow me in my walk with the Lord while also challenging me in my soccer abilities. I spent 4 years at Grace College where I got to play with my two older sisters, and a 5th year at Montreat College where I played with my second oldest sister and younger sister, while my oldest sister was an assistant coach. I feel extremely blessed to have gotten to share my college experiences with my sisters and share the platform of soccer to worship the Lord with them! In College was when I also got to experience community with the Charlotte Eagles WPSL team in the summers of 2021 and 2022. My time with the Eagles opened my eyes to life after soccer and opened my heart to working with kids and sharing about Jesus! After college, I continued pursuing my dream of playing professional soccer and the Lord opened the door to play in the inaugural season of the USL Super League with Lexington Sporting Club in Lexington Kentucky. During my time playing for LSC and living in Kentucky, I fell in love with the area and slowly felt the Lord leading me towards staying in Lexington but being finished playing soccer once my season ended. That brings me to where I am now. While I am sad my time playing has come to an end, I am excited for this new opportunity to use soccer as my platform of worshipping the Lord in new ways and getting to work with the Lexington Eagles!

What brought me to MAI:

I first got involved with MAI through the Chicago Eagles in the summer of 2020 while training during the off season of college. While I grew up in Wheaton and had heard of the Chicago Eagles, I did not fully understand the mission and vision behind the organization until that summer of training. I later became more involved with MAI when I was a part of the Charlotte Eagles’ WPSL team in the summers of 2021 and 2022. During my time with the Eagles in 2022, I got to serve at 6 or 7 of the Eagles summer camps where the Lord opened my eyes to my love for working with kids and getting to share about Jesus. While my dream growing up was to play professional soccer, after the 2022 summer with the Eagles, I was able to see life after soccer and the Lord opened my heart to returning to the Eagles in some fashion once I was finished playing. After living in Lexington Kentucky for this past year playing professional soccer and making it home, the Lord so kindly opened the door for me to join MAI and serve here in Lexington after I finish up my first professional season.

Josh Morgan

About me
I was born and raised in Knoxville, TN in a Christian home with very supportive Christian parents. I went to Christian private schools all the way through high school, but I never really understood the Gospel. My junior year of high school, one of the former soccer coaches asked me to go on the Charlotte Eagles Youth Tour to Brazil that summer. I accepted his offer because I loved playing soccer and playing in Brazil sounded like a dream. Little did I know that this trip would completely change my life. In Brazil was the first time I ever witnessed the ability to play soccer for the Lord, and that is when the Gospel finally clicked for me. Because of that, on the third night in Brazil, I fully surrendered my life to the Lord and gave everything up to Him. Ever since then, I have been a firm believer in using soccer as a tool to spread the Gospel, and I have obtained a passion for sports ministry. After I graduated high school, I was able to attend Transylvania University in Lexington, KY where I had the opportunity to play soccer all four year, meet a beautiful woman of God that I am lucky enough to call my wife, Charlotte, and continue using my passion for sports ministry to reach others. With the opportunities God has given me in my past, I am stoked to see what He has awaiting Charlotte and me in the future.

What brought me to MAI

The summer of my junior year in high school, 2013, I went to Brazil with Charlotte Eagles Youth Tour and that was my first ever missions/sports ministry trip. On that trip is where I gave my life to Christ and learned the joy that comes form playing for Jesus. Then the following summer, 2014, I went back on Youth Tour with the Charlotte Eagles to Brazil to learn more about sports ministry and how I could use the sport I have been playing all my life to reach the lost and spread the Gospel. After that trip, I was hooked on sports ministry. As I graduated high school and went to college, I felt like I was too old for Youth Tour, but I still wanted to spend my summers playing soccer and serving the Lord. So the summer of 2015 I decided to go to Germany for a couple weeks with a few guys from the Charlotte Eagles. After running soccer camps in Germany, I felt like God was calling me to sports ministry. So I dropped my plans for an engineering degree, changed my major to psychology, and told God, “Here I am, send me.” Then the next summer, 2016, I was pointed to the Chicago Eagles Summer Academy and I absolutely loved it. I fell in love with the kids in the neighborhood and being able to watch them experience Jesus and have their lives changed. Also, in the same summer, I went to the Olympics in Brazil with a small team from the Charlotte Eagles and used sports ministry to share the Gospel with Olympic athletes, coaches, and fans. It was incredible to see that no matter how old someone gets or how successful they become, their life can still be changed by Jesus. The summer of 2017 I found myself back with the Chicago Eagles to see if this was where God wanted me. I felt at home up in Chicago and knew that was God’s way of telling me that I am home. I am excited to see how God uses me in Chicago and I am ready to serve in any way I can.

Sam Taylor

About me:

I was adopted from South Korea as an infant into a Christian family from Central Pennsylvania who taught me to love others and to love Jesus. My parents both worked in the medical field but had a heart for missions which led them to a small island off the North coast of Honduras. While I was there, I saw what it meant to have a love for Jesus and how I could combine my passions for music and soccer. We came home after spending a year there and I continued to foster the growth that started in Honduras by building my relationship with Christ and by playing for more competitive club soccer teams. After graduation, I spent three years studying Youth Pastoral Ministries at Clarks Summit University but decided to transfer to Lancaster Bible College to study Sport Management with a focus in Coaching and Ministry. I played soccer in college for five years and played multiple other spring sports as well but struggled with injuries that kept me from competing. Despite the many changes and setbacks that I faced, my heart for people and soccer has only grown.

What brought me to MAI:

During my freshman year of college, my soccer coach sent out an email with some opportunities to play with a team over the summer. The Chicago Eagles Summer Academy was one of the options and I was instantly drawn to the idea of competing with other high level athletes, going to Brazil, and doing ministry. In 2021 I was blessed enough to be apart of the Summer Academy and saw how God worked through the game of soccer in people from different cultures and backgrounds. That summer lead me to return to Chicago and be apart of the Summer Academy in 2022. During those two summers, I learned about who I am in Christ and how God can use me to do great things for His kingdom. After spending two summers with the Chicago Eagles I fell in love with the work that they are doing in their communities and want to be part of it. I spent 2 years working with the Chicago Eagles. Over the past two years with the Chicago Eagles, I’ve had the privilege of serving as a youth coach and supporting the creative team. During that time, God placed a strong conviction on my heart to use media and marketing to grow His Kingdom. I’m will now be working with the Lexington Eagles and am excited to bring those skills and experiences into this new role as we share the Gospel and build community through sport and creativity!

Valentín & Kiersten Gómez Coll

About us:

Valentín was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he played club soccer until he came to the US to play college at Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, TX. Kiersten was born and raised in Denton, Texas, then later played college at The University of Texas at Tyler in Tyler, TX. She first became involved with MAI through the Chicago Eagles for two summers as a player with Summer Academy and three summers with Youth Tour as a coach.

We later met on a soccer mission trip in New Zealand in 2023 where we experienced the global impact of soccer and enjoyed coaching and serving together. We dated long distance for a year and a half after the trip and then married in December of 2024.

Soccer has always been a deep passion for us—but even more so, we are passionate about using every gift God has given us to share the greatest gift of all: Jesus. Our desire is to make disciples who make disciples, using our talents and experiences from playing and coaching this beautiful sport.

What brought us to MAI:

Even before we were married, we both felt called to sports ministry and shared a dream of serving side by side in full-time ministry. Through the ministry of MAI | Lexington Eagles, we’ve seen our vision come to life—connecting our love for Jesus and for soccer in meaningful ways. Now, as we live in the heart of the Lexington community we’re called to serve, we’re excited to be a part of the ways God will use the platform of soccer to transform lives and impact families throughout this city.