With both a passion for soccer and the dream of becoming a sports broadcaster, Radley Theolien went into MLS All-Star week as not only an athlete representing the New England Revolution Unified Team, but as a man-on-the-ground reporter.  

After waking up at 3:00 AM on Monday, August 8th to catch the 5:45 AM flight to Minneapolis, Radley had just 30 minutes upon arrival to drop off his suitcase, change, and be on the road to the National Sports Center in Blaine, Minnesota. He joined a myriad of reporters at the 2022 MLS All-Star Press Conference, where he had the honor of asking the first question—which he directed to MLS All-Star Team Captain, Chicharito from the LA Galaxy, and three-time MLS All-Star, Walker Zimmerman from Nashville SC.

“What does it mean to you to be an MLS All-Star?” Radley asked from the front row of the press room.  

While this was a unique opportunity for Radley, it was only the beginning for the budding broadcaster. Following his own training session with the Special Olympics All-Stars on Tuesday morning, Radley ran (yes, literally RAN) to the adjacent training field to meet up with the New England Revolution Marketing and Communications team before the professional MLS All-Stars began their training. He was able to interview New England Revolution All-Star and reigning MLS MVP, Carles Gil about his own All-Star experience.

The day didn’t stop there. Radley has previously made it known that his all-time favorite New England Revolution player is Taylor Twellman – now a broadcaster with ESPN. So, you can imagine his surprise when he saw Taylor walking straight for him during the All-Star training session. Even though this interview was unscheduled, unplanned, and a complete surprise, Radley asked some of the best questions of the week… and who knows, maybe we’ll get to hear the two talk again soon on Radley’s podcast, “Rad Sports Talk Show.”

Wednesday, August 10th, was Radley’s big day as an athlete… it was match day. It was time for Radley and the other Special Olympics MLS All-Stars who made up the East to compete against the West. Radley was chosen as part of the starting 11, and took the pitch as left forward. He, along with Unified Partner Ian Miller of Attleboro, MA, helped to lead the East to a 3-0 victory.  

On the bus, when most players took their celebratory pizza and cinnamon sticks, Radley wanted to jump right back into reporter mode. He sat down with Chicago Fire’s Unified athlete David Ha, who scored the third goal for the East in the final minutes of the match…and I promise this interview is something you do NOT want to skip over.

Radley maximized his All-Star week not only as a Special Olympics athlete, but also as an aspiring sports reporter. He maintained professionalism on the pitch and in the press room; and you should definitely keep an eye out for more media exposure to come for this All-Star. You can check out his podcast, Rad Sports Talk Show, or follow his account on Twitter @Radgoat7

Want to see him in action!? He, Ian, and the rest of the New England Revolution Unified team will take on the Atlanta United Unified team on Saturday, October 1^st at Gillette Stadium following the Revs match against Atlanta.