The Philly Experience: “God Did Exactly What He Wanted to Do”

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — It’s not normal for the general public to walk freely on the hybrid grass and turf at Lincoln Financial Field, home of the National Football League’s Philadelphia Eagles — let alone be given the chance to pray on that field.

But that’s exactly what happened to Brit Haseltine and more than 20 people gathered with him. 

Haseltine is the executive director of the Delaware Valley Eagles, a subdivision of Missionary Athletes International (MAI). He was at the field with others in late February 2026 to pray for upcoming summer matches hosted there during the 2026 global soccer tournament that captured the hearts of fans and the attention of billions worldwide. 

“Originally we were supposed to stay in the stands,” Haseltine said. “We walked the whole field.”

The group was blessed with access through some special connections in the Philadelphia athletic community. 

MAI is a gospel-centered ministry that introduces people to Jesus Christ, teaches them to follow him and empowers them as leaders through the global environment of soccer. Haseltine’s Delaware Valley Eagles are one of 10 divisions represented in the ministry, which worked to leverage the massive soccer event as an outreach strategy, using Cru®’s Victory Beyond The Cup as their catalyst. 

Haseltine said Tommy Schumacher with Fellowship of Christian Athletes pitched the concept to him at a United Soccer Coaches Convention the year before. The opportunity was one that Haseltine recognized he and MAI couldn’t miss. 

“I was a little hesitant at first, but then it was just clear in my prayers and thoughts that we were planted here and we had a year to get our feet underneath us for a reason,” Haseltine said. “I very much felt like we were supposed to be advocates to the local church as the local soccer ministry …at least letting people know the magnitude of what is going on and spurring the church on to use the event to share their faith.” 

During the global soccer tournament, Haseltine and MAI team members prayed at the public festival hosted for fans in Philadelphia at Lemon Hill in East Fairmount Park.

They held seven soccer camps themed to connect with the global tournament and hosted 10 church clinics. He said Victory Beyond The Cup was a part of everything they did this summer. 

The events also welcomed a special convergence of three of MAI’s divisions — Philadelphia, Orlando and Lexington, Ky. — serving together during powerful times of outreach to thousands gathered in the city. Orlando’s team was led by Austin Shainer and Lexington’s team was led by Josh Morgan. 

“It was amazing. Josh and Austin typically will take their teams overseas — we have partners in Colombia and Brazil — but they decided for at least part of their summer to spend it in Philly with us,” Haseltine said. “They brought in 70 players and coaches and were here for about 10 days and we just sent them everywhere and anywhere.”

Shainer shared there were a number of churches that came together and expressed that they wanted to use soccer to share the gospel.

“We got to partner with those churches through a few different ways, like soccer clinics at churches as well as some schools,” Shainer said. 

The MAI teams included their players from all over the world, representing 60 high school students and college students, most who Shainer explained had never shared the gospel, let alone with strangers. 

“It was so incredible the conversations that happened,” he said.  

Morgan brought his soccer team to Philadelphia prior to their summer tour to Medellín, Colombia, where they partnered with a local soccer ministry. He sees power in soccer to serve as a universal connector between people.  

“I rolled a ball out anywhere in the country — I'm instantly friends with the people that I'm playing with,” he said. “No matter what language we speak, no matter what economic background we come from, no matter what religion we are, no matter what we look like, what we sound like, where we come from, what our stories are because it's such a global game and all you need is something to kick. Soccer is a sport that travels across any kind of boundary that you'd want to cross.”

Haseltine shared that one outreach strategy they used while Orlando and Lexington were with them included visiting the public festival in Philadelphia, where they prayed two by two before handing out The Four® bracelets, foam fingers and gospel booklets, which helped them have more personal conversations with people. 

The stories connected to this summer have deeply encouraged Haseltine, especially one involving a man and his church. 

He shared that his team met a man through one of their prayer gatherings whose church is primarily Colombian. The church members attended a Colombian game during the global soccer tournament and all of them wore their soccer jerseys as fans. The man said he was able to get 70 people from the very small church to go out and share their faith. Even the children shared their faith with police officers. 

“It was this monumental moment for his small church to come together and create some good momentum that he hasn't had in a while,” Haseltine said.  

Haseltine shared he feels the Victory Beyond The Cup strategy resourced and reached people, but it also equipped him in Philadelphia to minister long after the global event wrapped up.

“I'm just very content, grateful and I feel confident that God did exactly what he wanted to do and nothing more and nothing less,” Haseltine said. “It was quite different than I expected but it was the best thing that could have happened.”