THIS IS EPISODE 141 OF THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST
Jesse Bradley is the pastor of Grace Community Church in Auburn, Wash., near Seattle. A graduate of Dartmouth College, Bradley is also a former professional soccer goalkeeper, playing in Zimbabwe, Africa and Aberdeen, Scotland.
In his spare time, he’s also a radio host, podcaster, author and speaker. He has released two books, “Rooted in Grace” and “A New Season,” available everywhere books are sold.
Bradley is married to Laurie, and together they have four kids.
On this episode of the podcast, we talk with Jesse about his love for soccer, growing up without God in his life, becoming a professional goalkeeper, almost dying in Africa, and making that transition to becoming a pastor.
Kenji Gorré with Curaçao, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)
Imagine Wyoming, the least populous state in America, fielding a team that could compete at the World Cup. Crazy, right?
Now imagine a country with 1/3 of Wyoming’s population not only competing but earning a point in the standings. It’s almost unthinkable. But that’s just what happened on Saturday night in Kansas City at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, when Curaçao earned a 0-0 draw against Ecuador.
Curaçao — a tiny island in the southern Caribbean Sea with a population of a little more than 185,000 people according to Worldometer — got off to a rough start in its first-ever World Cup match last week, when it lost to powerhouse Germany, 7-1. But on Saturday, the Blue Wave made history by holding Ecuador without a goal to earn a point, the smallest nation ever to do so. The match featured a World Cup record-breaking 15 saves in a 90-minute match from Curaçao’s goalkeeper, Eloy Room.
All of Eloy Room’s FIFTEEN saves in his historic performance against Ecuador! 🇨🇼🤯 pic.twitter.com/JTEjVRdKqs
Ecuador dominated possession on Saturday (74.6%), but Curaçao still had its share of chances. In an effort to inject some offense into its already-incredible defensive performance, the Blue Wave brought on fresh legs in the 75th minute in the form of 31-year-old former English Premier League forward, Kenji Gorré.
Gorré, whose mother is from Curaçao, was born in the Netherlands and raised in England. He made one Premier League appearance with Swansea City in May 2015. He’s been with the Curaçao national team since 2016 and was involved in a team-high six goals (three goals and three assists) during qualifying. His father, Dean, is a former pro soccer player from Suriname and currently an assistant coach for Curaçao.
Ahead of Curaçao’s first-ever World Cup appearance in the expanded 48-team field, Gorré made time to appear on Sports Spectrum’s “What’s Up” podcast to talk about his soccer career and his faith in Christ.
“One thing that God’s really taught me is that we have to have an audience of One, and that is playing for Jesus,” he said on the podcast. “That is playing not for your name to be glorified, but for His name to be glorified and understanding that it’s actually not about me.”
Gorré has sought to help infuse the Blue Wave with a faith-filled mindset in his team’s approach to the World Cup.
“This can only be God that has led us to this point. One thing that’s so beautiful is that He’s the real foundation of what we have built on as well,” he said. “We pray every morning, we pray before the games, and that’s just something that has become a tradition of ours. We give glory to Jesus in everything that we do.”
Gorré is very vocal about his faith in Christ on Instagram, where he declares that he’s “living in victory” and includes a cross emoji.
Gorré admitted on the podcast that, for much of his life, his identity was wrapped up in excelling as a soccer player. It wasn’t until six years ago that the Gospel was shared with him, God gave him ears to hear, and He began to move in powerful ways in Gorré’s heart.
“There was something supernatural in that moment that God was doing in me that I realize, ‘Wow, I am a sinner and I need saving,’ because I felt like I was going to Heaven based on being a good person,” he remembered. “Because (previously) everything was in my power.”
“God doesn’t always give you what you want, but He gives you what you need.” @KenjiGorre from the @TheBlueWaveFFK shares what the Lord has been teaching him!
Curaçao continues to capture the heart of the soccer world as it makes its improbable run through the World Cup, but Gorré said his ultimate mission extends far beyond inspiring people with a soccer ball.
“[It’s] for Him to be glorified and lifted high in the world of football, and may He use me the way that He desires to,” he said. “Less of me, more of Him. May I decrease and may He increase.”
The smallest nation ever to appear in the World Cup is still alive in Group E and would advance if it could beat the Ivory Coast (1-0-1) on Thursday. The match will be played in Philadelphia at 4 p.m. ET.
Kirk Cousins in 2026 with the Raiders. (AP Photo/John Locher)
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST HOSTED BY MATT FORTE, FEATURING KIRK COUSINS
Kirk Cousins is preparing for his 15th NFL season after signing a free-agent deal with the Las Vegas Raiders. The four-time Pro Bowler was originally a fourth-round pick in 2012 by the Washington Redskins, spent six seasons in Washington, then six with Minnesota and two with Atlanta before joining Las Vegas in March.
Today on the podcast, Kirk joins Matt Forte to discuss his new home in Las Vegas, the decision to join the Raiders, being a steward of his football career, prayer in his life, and being a dad to two boys.
U.S. goalkeeper Matt Freese, Oct. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Team USA got off to a strong start in the 2026 World Cup with a 4-1 win over Paraguay in the opening game of group-stage play Friday. And in the process, U.S. goalkeeper Matt Freese did something no one had ever done before — becoming the first active Major League Soccer goalie to make a World Cup start for the U.S.
It was the latest attribute in what’s been a gradual climb to the top levels of his profession for the New York City FC goalkeeper.
“It was a great night for sure,” Freese told MLSsoccer.com postgame in Los Angeles. “I had a great view for what was happening in front of me. The guys up top and in the midfield, everyone was vibing well and connecting really well. I think it was super evident everyone was on the same page, just the flicks and the one-touch, two-touch passing was crisp and really good. So a great first step.”
Not only was it his first World Cup start, but with the U.S. serving as a tournament co-host, he got to do it in front of American fans — a sold out crowd of 70,492 at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
“I always try to keep my eyes down, so that I don’t get amazed too much and out of my own focus, thinking about a crowd and stuff like that,” he told MLSsoccer.com. “But today, walking out onto the field — I had gotten some texts from a few mentors that said, ‘Make sure you take a moment to take it in,’ because they know I otherwise I wouldn’t. And so I did. Just looked up, and it was a breathtaking sight.”
The 27-year-old Freese studied economics and computer science at Harvard before turning pro following his sophomore season to sign with the Philadelphia Union — his hometown team — ahead of the 2019 MLS season. There, he started 13 matches over four years before being traded to NYCFC ahead of the 2023 season. He won the starting job a year later and emerged as one of the league’s rising goalkeeping stars.
He earned his first invitation to a national team camp in January 2025, where he was behind Matt Turner, the 2022 World Cup starter, as well as others. Manager Mauricio Pochettino selected Freese for the 2025 Gold Cup, and over the past year he’s started 15 of 18 matches, with Turner handling the other three.
Freese was only tested with two shots on goal the whole game against Paraguay, and allowed just the one second-half goal. He’ll look to keep the momentum heading into the U.S. men’s national team’s second group-stage game, Friday against Australia, which defeated Turkiye 2-0 on Saturday.
“I like to take everything very steady, and never get too high, never get too low,” Freese told MLSsoccer.com. “But from a group perspective, I think a focus is on cohesion and the chemistry that we’re building, and I think you could see that on the field tonight.”
A big part of what helps keep Freese grounded is his faith in God.
“I always remind myself God’s got me,” he said recently on Sports Spectrum’s “What’s Up” podcast. “God’s looking over me and watching over me. … And I think this is a very big way faith has motivated me as well as guided my career and my soccer journey — is the fact that God’s given me so many opportunities in general. But to focus on soccer, God’s given me so many opportunities within this game and within my career.”
Faith has been a part of his life as long as he can remember. As a child, he attended Catholic mass in his youth soccer team’s jersey because he had games right afterward. As an adult, that rhythm of going to mass and doing Bible studies never really stopped.
But he can look back to earlier in his career to see where his faith began to blossom and become as strong as it is now.
He didn’t see the field much during his first season with the Philadelphia Union in 2019, then the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the entire 2020 season. He used that time as an opportunity to rediscover his love for soccer and made a plan to come out of the pandemic a better player.
“I’ve learned so much about failure, so much about success, so much about teamwork and selflessness, and a will to compete and a will to suffer,” Freese told Sports Spectrum. “And I think all the failures, successes — everything I just mentioned — that’s been created by God. And so in that way, it’s indirectly teaching me about so many things off the field and I’m super grateful for that.”
Others have seen the growth as well, including Andy Young, who serves as the team chaplain for both the Union and the USMNT.
“I’ve seen his identity become more deeply rooted in who he is as a son of God rather than simply as a soccer player,” Young told Sports Spectrum for a Summer 2026 magazine feature on Freese. “Out of that, he’s developed a genuine desire to bless others, to be a light, and to share the message of Jesus with the people around him.”
Freese participates in Bible studies with both his club and national teammates and said despite being a busy athlete, he knows how important it is to prioritize his time in Scripture. This year, he’s been going through the Bible in a Year plan with Father Mike Schmitz.
“There’s just this kind of automatic connection that you make when you talk about deep subjects like faith and the Bible on a weekly basis with a teammate,” Freese told Sports Spectrum. “You’re going to trust him a little bit more on the field, or at the very least you’re going to care more about them. You’re going to be very invested in their success.
“I’m invested in all of my teammates’ success, but there’s a little bit that just kind of happens subconsciously when you make that deeper connection through faith.”
The U.S. and Australia kick off at 3 p.m. ET Friday in Seattle on FOX.
