God has always been part of Los Angeles FC striker Christian Ramirez’s life. He grew up in a Catholic home going to church with his parents.

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However, it wasn’t until Ramirez began his professional soccer journey that he really made his faith his own. After finishing his college career at Concordia University Irvine in 2012, he signed with the Charlotte Eagles, a Christian club whose mission is to “glorify God and see lives transformed by communicating the message of Jesus Christ through the global environment of soccer.”

“It wasn’t until my time with the Charlotte Eagles that I found my way because everyone there was so knowledgeable about the Bible and believing in God,” Ramirez told Cross the Line. “I had always believed in Him but had shown it in a different way, so I absorbed a lot during my time there just because of people were so open to speaking about it without forcing it upon me.”

The following year, Ramirez joined Minnesota United of the North American Soccer League. In three seasons, he led the league in scoring twice. Minnesota United moved to Major League Soccer in 2017 with Ramirez as the team’s main scoring threat. He recorded 14 goals and three assists in the club’s first season in MLS.

In January 2018, Ramirez received his first call-up to the United States men’s national team. Last August, he was traded to another expansion team, LAFC.

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Ramirez, a California native, is settling in nicely in his first full season with LAFC. He’s appeared in nine of the team’s first 10 games, contributing two goals and an assist. LAFC, currently at the top of the Western Conference, leads MLS in points (23) and goals scored (26).

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As LAFC and Ramirez continue their push toward the MLS Cup, the 28-year-old strives to put God first in everything he does.

“When you try to do things on your own is when I have failed,” Ramirez told Cross the Line. “I just have to put myself second to God and to be selfless in the way that I live my life, whether that is on the field or off it with people I am dealing with. I try to do things the way that I feel God would.”

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