I’ve never been that into soccer—erm, football—but the FIFA World Cup coming to Houston has the entire city feeling the spirit. Even for those in Houston not attending the ticketed games, there are watch parties galore and endless ways to get in on the fun. So, when I received an invitation to learn some skills and train with former Houston Dynamo soccer player and two-time champion Michael Chabala, I thought, why not?

About 20 minutes in, I had my answer. Soccer seems simple in theory, but it’s a true workout—a game of endurance, requiring you to keep your wits, act fast, and sprint an ungodly amount over the course of 90 minutes while trying to kick a ball into a goal.

Still, there was something inspiring about that short time with Chabala and my teammates. Not long into the workout, I was dripping with sweat, gasping for air, and trailing everyone else. But by the end, I had scored two goals, and I was high-fiving teammates who, just an hour before, were strangers. That night, I challenged my husband to a match in the living room, and I ordered two goals for my backyard.

Chabala would have approved. Though retired from professional soccer, he still coaches, hosting soccer-inspired fitness classes through his company Sphere.  He’s also involved in World Cup activations, including the temporary launch of a soccer pitch on Post Oak Hotel’s 36th-floor helipad. “It’s a big opportunity to share the global game with our city …  [and] just bring people closer together,” he says of the World Cup. “God and soccer bring the world together, and it’s a great moment for us to rally around our country and our men’s national team, whether you like soccer or not.”

While catching my breath, I asked Chabala for tips for newcomers (like me) just getting into the sport, and he weighed in on his predictions for the tournament. Here’s what he had to say.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

On getting started: Find your local facility. Find a program. Go kick the ball around with your son or daughter in the backyard, and find friends. This world needs community leaders; it needs people to bring people together. I think sometimes we just stand on the sidelines, right? We need to be the ones who say, ‘Hey, family dinner: come over to my house. Let’s go to the park. Let’s kick the ball around.” Like, why not soccer? Just go play. That’s how we get better in life: just by doing, by practicing, by getting yourself in the game. 

You can get all the training. You can go to YouTube, but there’s nothing better than getting in the game and putting yourself out there. As adults, we stop playing. So, I challenge you, all the adults: go play—whether it’s with your kids or your friends. Go huddle up. 

On learning the rules of the game: The beautiful thing about soccer is that it’s global, and if you go to a different country, go find out the local team and the color, and get yourself in the game, because it makes a bunch of friends. If you’re here in Houston, find your local community, your local bar, your local restaurant, and find out what a game is. Be curious.

On why soccer is one of the best workouts: Soccer is one of the most dynamic sports for a reason. We’re walking. We’re running. We’re changing directions. There’s a reason that Cristiano Ronaldo looks the way he does. It’s a certain physique with the muscle and cardiovascular fitness needed to run for 90 minutes. A professional soccer player runs anywhere between 6 and 8 miles per game right now. It used to be 4 to 6 miles. The game has changed tremendously, becoming more rapid and more demanding in terms of the distance it requires [players] to cover. The skill level now with these guys is 20x! 

On the biggest lesson from his 10-year soccer career: My mantra in life is to play a great game, and what I realized is that the game—life—is not a practice run. I think sometimes we take that for granted; we assume we’ll get another practice tomorrow. If we treat each day like it’s our only game, I think we put our soul into it a little bit more. We enjoy the time that we’ve been given on the field, and more importantly, the teammates that we get to play with. In soccer, you don’t get the choice—the coach picks the lineup—but in life, you get to pick the people that you kick it with. 

His World Cup predictions: USA. I don’t care. We’re going all the way—USA, USA! I would love to see the Netherlands win, just because they’ve made three World Cup finals and haven’t closed the gap. I think they run really well as a team and as a country. They really represent themselves well. I like Colombia just because they love to party, and it’s probably the best group to watch games with. I do love France. It’s hard to deny they probably have one of the strongest lineups and teams. I think Argentina and France will be two of the contenders again this year.