Yuri Morales, SCORES’ Chief Program Officer, knows his way around a soccer pitch. Before joining SCORES in 2008, he enjoyed a professional soccer career that took him from Viborg FF in Denmark to the Portland Timbers (then A-League/ now MLS), to the Puerto Rico Islanders, and finally back to the Bay Area with the California Victory (USL). But by his late twenties, injuries had set in, and a tryout for the Earthquakes was unsuccessful.

So he decided to pivot. Yuri joined the front office of the Earthquakes, and through that role met SCORES Bay Area founder Colin Schmidt, who convinced him to join SCORES as Soccer Director for San Francisco. In 2012, Yuri stepped up to lead both the soccer and poetry programs as Program Director for San Francisco, adding more regions as time passed. Now as SCORES’ Chief Program Officer, he oversees the soccer and poetry programs for SCORES sites stretching from San Rafael to Watsonville.

We talked to Yuri about his transition out of professional soccer, his ongoing involvement in high-level beach soccer, and his passion for supporting SCORES Poet-Athletes in creative expression.

You retired from professional soccer, but not from high-level play. You went from turf to the beach. How’d that happen?

It was through a friend of mine, Ronnie Silva. We played high school soccer together in Santa Cruz and later with the Portland Timbers. The Timbers were looking for good players and I had recommended him. He’d gotten into beach soccer in Santa Cruz and was about to go to the CONCACAF qualifier tournament with the US Beach Soccer National Team for the 2006 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. After one of the players got injured, Ronnie asked the coach if I could join the team. So the first time I played a beach soccer match was with the US team.

So I jumped into that. I started scoring goals. I didn’t know the game very well, but I knew how to score, and they were happy I brought that to the table. I felt incredibly lucky, grateful, and determined to go as far and quickly as possible. I saw the experience as a great way to have a career and stay competitive while trying something new. In 2010 I lived in Switzerland for six weeks playing for a European club, Zurich Beach Soccer – that was really fun. I ended up MVP and the top scorer that year in the Swiss Beach Soccer League. I recently found out that I’m still the third all-time top scorer for the US Beach Soccer National Team with 35 goals.

By 2014, it was time to step away. It had gotten harder to balance my family life and job with SCORES with the time spent away with the national team. I was homesick a lot and felt unsettled. Playing soccer was feeling more like a job than a game. I knew it was time for a new chapter.

What does it feel like to be playing with the US Beach Soccer National Team on the world stage?

We played in some big stadiums. I remember playing against the Brazilian National Team on Cocoabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro. I don’t remember exactly how many people were there, but it could have been 30,000 people screaming. The atmosphere was electric —Brazilian drums playing, everybody wearing the Brazilian national team jersey and singing songs so loud! Brazil was the best team in the world, then and now, and their fans are incredibly passionate. For them, it’s about so much more than the game; it’s their lifestyle, their culture, and their source of pride. It was overwhelming and intimidating–I was a young player, new to the game – but also an intense and amazing experience.

You learn to forget that people are looking at you, that you’re being watched, that you’re exposed. Even though that’s why they’re here – to watch. That’s what a soccer game is. But they can’t really see “you”.

One of the things that strikes me in your SCORES work is your clear passion for the poetry side of the program. That’s not necessarily what one might expect looking at your background.

I'd say a couple of things come to mind, but first I'd say that in general people think of athletes as unintelligent – there's this kind of stereotype of the jock, the dumb jock. And I love how SCORES tries to break that down, the idea of an insensitive, brutish athlete with no emotions or feelings. I always felt more comfortable with math than reading or writing. I would start sweating profusely when I even thought about raising my had in class to say anything. I still feel that way. It can be challenging in a classroom or a boardroom or wherever to speak up in front of people or express yourself and feel good about your ideas and your writing. So I can relate to that challenge personally.

As I’ve gone through my life and career, I’ve recognized that I enjoy new challenges. For me, coaching soccer was something I’d done since I was 12 years old. It was my lane, my sweet spot. Teaching poetry, writing poetry curriculum, getting kids excited and inspired to write poetry, and celebrating their creations still feels like a brand-new adventure every year. It keeps it fresh because I’m learning new things too. We’ve spent many years tinkering, revising, piloting, and trying new things to develop the best framework for our poetry program. I love seeking out expert opinions on poetry and trying to translate those learnings into new ways to engage the kids.

Sometimes I’ll see a poem submitted and think, Wow, this kid really got it. They were able to talk deeply about the origin of their name or express the gratitude they feel for their family or pets in a sweet loving way. It moves me because it feels good to know that poetry is helping kids express themselves in ways they might not be able to during the school day.

“Teaching poetry, writing poetry curriculum, getting kids excited and inspired to write poetry, and celebrating their creations still feels like a brand-new adventure every year.

”

— Yuri Morales

You and Coach Dom have started a new project, the SCORES Poet-Athlete Podcast. What’s the scoop?

Dom has millions of ideas, and at some point came up with the idea of a podcast. He’s got a background in radio and he has this gift. And usually, you need a backup person to make the idea happen. That’s me. I don’t like to be on stage, he does, and he vibes off that. We work well together and we joke a lot. He’s Snoop Dogg cuz he’s got the flow, and I’m Dre cuz I’m more of a producer. In the Wu-Tang Clan, I’m Rza and he’s Inspectah Deck.

Our hope with the podcast is that it can help tell the stories of SCORES, the stories of the organization and the people behind the scenes, and the stories of the kids. Podcasting is an outstanding medium to do that. We want to help more people understand what we do and what it takes to do what we do. And we love the idea of highlighting the kids’ poetry and continuing to provide a platform for them to shine.

To hear the Poet-Athlete podcast, tune in here.

Last question: What’s some advice you’d give your younger self?

Slow down and enjoy the process.

This advice would be directed to my young adult self. In the past, I tended to react more quickly, before thinking fully or taking the opportunity to consider all my options. Or to think about what might be going on for the other person or the consequences of my decisions. To give an example, my first professional contract was with a team called Viborg in the Danish Premier League. I had a coach who was working on my development, and he gave me the opportunity.

I thought I was destined for Manchester United. I thought I wanted to go as far as I could, as quickly as I could, partly because I was homesick, but also out of ego. In reflection, I wish I hadn’t left that team so quickly and had been more patient with my development as a professional player. I wish I’d taken the time to focus on the training process and the joy in the game. I was too focused on scoring goals, and being the hero.

But the value of slowing down permeates other areas of my life too. There’s value in taking a breath before responding to an email, especially if it triggers me in some way or if there’s conflict. Instead of diving straight into solving a problem, I’ve learned to ask more questions and to slow down. It took me a long time to learn, and I try to incorporate it more as I’ve gotten older. Slowing down has helped me distinguish sense from nonsense and taught me not to take things so personally. I can connect and relate to people better rather than being so reactive. It’s helped me have a more stable, consistent, and happy existence in my life.

To read more Five Questions With conversations, go here!

Far left photo - Yuri and his daughter, Neavie