Taylor is a husband, Catholic convert, and former Major League Soccer player with over 100 MLS appearances throughout a six-year career that took him to four continents and more than 10 countries. He retired from professional soccer in 2018, and now shares the beauty of the faith through his testimony and Church teaching. Taylor spent 10 years in locker rooms of the highest level, from the University of Maryland, to D.C. United, to the U.S. Men’s National team, and was faced with living and sharing his faith in some of the most secular environments. After living a life apart from God for many years, he experienced the unique challenges of converting from within a professional locker room, learning to share his faith, and eventually evangelize effectively. Now a full-time student at the Augustine Institute pursuing a master’s degree in Theology, Taylor looks to engage those far from God, strengthen those who waver in their faith, and inspire young people to embrace their role as the future of the Church. With a special interest in athletes of all levels, Taylor aims to help those who are searching for, or struggling to live out, their faith in God from the context of a locker room in a charitable way.
In 2015 Taylor experienced his first real encounter with God through the lens of the Catholic Church during the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. For the duration of the course, the Church’s teachings challenged his previous worldview that revolved around his value being found in material success and the opinions of others. Weighed down by a desperate need for success and the effort it took to maintain it, Taylor found freedom in a life lived for God. One of the fruits of his conversion was a freedom from the fear of failure, resulting in his most successful MLS season, and landing him a spot on the U.S. Men’s National team camp roster in 2017. With his faith growing and career blossoming, Taylor found joy in his sport and life for the first time.
Opportunities for Taylor to speak about his Catholic faith began to arise, primarily in interviews and short public speaking engagements. Taylor and Brittany became team sponsors in the RCIA program at St. Peter’s on Capitol Hill in D.C. and continued as volunteer mentors in the program for two years. During D.C. United’s 2018 season Taylor began organizing and leading Bible studies with his teammates and was asked to lead one for the club’s staff as well. As Taylor became more outspoken about his life of faith, speaking opportunities continued to present themselves. Taylor has since spoken at events for Catholic parishes and high schools, as well as protestant audiences. He has appeared in the National Catholic Register, Christian Sports Journal, Catholic Athlete’s for Christ’s “Cathlete” digital blog, and EWTN’s “Blessed2Play” radio show.
Through a series of injuries, God’s will was made clear that it was time for him to leave the professional sports world. Following the 2018 season Taylor retired from professional soccer, his wife left her communications career in Washington, D.C., and the two set off for a 500-mile pilgrimage known as the Camino de Santiago. Six weeks later the couple completed their trek and moved back to Denver, Colorado seeking to do God’s will in their lives by offering their talents, expertise, and experience back to Him.
