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The Team Behind the Team: 2025 USL2 Staff 04.28.2025

Mike Azira - Head Coach Head coach Mike Azira is set to return to Brilla. Having played for Brilla before continuing his career professionally in the MLS and USL Championship,...

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Sharing the gospel through soccer

Mississippi Brilla FC uses soccer to reach people at all levels: from the inner city to the pros. Not only does Mississippi Brilla FC own and operate the state’s only USL League Two franchise, but the organization also performs ongoing inner-city work through its Urban Soccer Project.

About Our Ministry

Brilla Soccer Ministries was founded in 1996 on a soccer mission trip to Costa Rica. Brilla’s purpose is to share the good news of Jesus Christ through the game of soccer. Whether in a foreign country, playing in the states, or in a camp setting, our goal remains the same – to shine for Jesus. Brilla is the Spanish word for “shine,” which reminds us that Jesus said:

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven — Mathew 5:16

Since its inception in 1996, Brilla’s ministry has included a competing amateur team, summer church camps, and annual international mission trips. In 2007, the ministry of Brilla expanded its outreach through the purchase of a Premier Development League franchise (later rebranded USL2). In 2009, Brilla was contracted to manage the youth soccer program in Clinton, Mississippi, which became known as Brilla Juniors. In 2010, the organization founded the Urban Soccer Project, which brings the excitement of soccer and the love of Jesus to children in the inner-city Jackson metro area.

The Beacon, the alumni publication of Mississippi College, featured a story in 2009 on Brilla Soccer Ministries’ Founder and President, Rusty Bryant. The article proved to be one of the most informative and well-written pieces on the history of Brilla Soccer Ministries.

View Beacon Article