The Dream I Chased at 29: from Google to the MLS

At 29, I decided to become a professional soccer player.

Not as a kid. Not in college. At 29.

I already had a job at Google. I had flown solo as a private pilot. I had built a career most people dream of.

But I couldn't shake my dream, the one I had carried since I was a kid, and I didn't want to grow old wondering what would've happened if I had tried.

The Training Begins

So I built a plan.

Gym at 6:30 to 9am, five days a week.

Soccer every evening.

No alcohol. No sugar. No excuses.

I was working full-time at Google while living like an elite athlete. I read training plans from sport legends. I copied routines from Cristiano, Nadal, and even Michael Jordan’s coach. I meditated. I ice bathed. I visualized.

I sacrificed everything. Even a summer trip to see my family. Because I believed in one thing:

If I gave it everything, I'd have no regrets.

The First Tryout

November 11, 2016 — San Francisco.

I was early. I always was. I watched the games before mine and didn't see anything that scared me. I knew I could outperform what I was seeing.

My game came. They put me as a striker.

We won 3–2.

I scored two goals and assisted the third. I heard one of the scouts say: "Wow, what a goal!".

I left the field with my heart full. In my mind, I made it.

But that evening, I got an email from the SF Deltas: “Thank you for participating”.

That was it.

No callback. No explanation.

Confronting Rejection

It felt like a car crash.

I went to bed right after reading the email.

I was confused. I was devastated. I was angry.

But I wasn't done.

I showed up to the final tryout the next day anyway. I brought my gear.

I asked why I didn't get in.

"You're really good", they told me. "But we're looking for younger players".

I was 29. The cutoff, apparently, was invisible — but very real.

Seeking Answers in India

After that setback, I went to India.

To Rishikesh — the capital of Yoga and Meditation — in search of clarity.

I wanted to meet a guru. To understand my path.

After a long journey, I arrived at the temple… only to be told the guru wasn't there.

I persisted. Left a note. Waited all day.

Eventually, I was invited to a closed evening session. Then, to lunch with the guru the next day.

I told him everything:

About the dream. The discipline. The setbacks. The fire inside.

He listened quietly. Then looked at me and said:

“Become nothing”.

That was it...Years after, I still think about what that really meant.

The Final Tryouts

I came back more focused than ever.

I trained harder. Went to tryouts in Orlando, LA, Seattle, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago.

I got rejected from every single one... "I was too old"—they kept saying that.

But I kept going.

And in April I had one last opportunity. There were no more tryouts in the US, except one last shot, close to home.

In San Jose, with the San Jose Earthquakes' second team and I made it.

I got invited to the preseason camp.

It was literally my last chance and I got it. It felt magical.

The coach was Joe Cannon, a legend who won two times the MLS Goalkeeper of the Year and played in the US National team.

The End of the Road

Pre-season was intense, during working hours at Google.

I took days off to be able to train and compensate with extra hours during the week.

I knew that at some point, I had to choose between Google or playing as a PRO.

I held my own. I showed up every day with fire.

But as pre-season came to a close, the first team needed to send players down, and I was let go.

Joe told me: it was my age.

I was 30.

The second oldest player was 21.

The Takeaway

I didn't make it to the MLS.

But I became someone I never imagined I could be.

My coach told me my biggest strengths weren't physical, they were mental.

Speed, sure. But also my attitude. My resilience.

More than anything, I learned how to reach the Flow State.

That rare feeling where time disappears, distractions fade, and you're fully present: body, mind, and soul.

That's why I loved soccer since I was a kid. And that's what I found again during this journey.

Flow isn't just for athletes. You can feel it in art, in work, in writing... in anything that requires creativity and belief.

And the way to reach it?

Consistency. Practice. Trusting the process.

And most importantly, Enjoy the Journey.

I didn't become a PRO soccer player.

But I became the kind of person who knows that impossible is just a matter of perspective.

And maybe… that was the point all along.