{"id":1763,"date":"2026-06-24T07:07:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T07:07:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=1763"},"modified":"2026-06-24T07:07:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T07:07:12","slug":"hawaii-soccer-trailblazer-brian-ching-reflects-on-historic-world-cup-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=1763","title":{"rendered":"Hawaii soccer trailblazer Brian Ching reflects on historic World Cup journey"},"content":{"rendered":"
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HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The drama and intensity is picking up in the 2026 World Cup as Team USA sets its sights on the knockout round.<\/p>\n

Read more Mid-Pacific Institute launches nationwide search for next president<\/a><\/p>\n

The global event continues to captivate millions of soccer fans, and it brings back memories for Oahu\u2019s Brian Ching \u2014 the first Hawaii native to land on a World Cup roster.<\/p>\n

Ching retired in 2013 after a storied 12-year professional career and, to this day, remains the all-time leading scorer for the Houston Dynamo.<\/p>\n

The father of three continues to live in Houston.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a journey,\u201d Ching said. \u201cIt\u2019s dawned on me I think about a year ago, I think I\u2019ve lived here longer than I\u2019ve lived in Hawaii, which hurts.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019s represented the islands well on a national and global stage.<\/p>\n

In 2001, he became the first Native Hawaiian selected in the Major League Soccer draft and, soon after, the first from Hawaii to be named to the United States national team and FIFA World Cup rosters.<\/p>\n

The Kamehameha-Kap\u0101lama alum still remembers the chicken skin he felt when he took the field at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor some reason in that moment, it was hearing the national anthem in that stadium,\u201d Ching said. \u201cIt just allowed me to reflect and I was like, wow, it allowed me to kind of be like, you did a good job, you\u2019re doing okay. For me, that was probably one of my most profound moments.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Search underway for father-son hikers off Hanauma Bay Ridge Trail<\/a><\/p>\n

Ching is already a Hawai\u02bbi Sports Hall of Famer and, this fall, he will be the first MLS player inducted into the Houston Sports Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n

As he reflects on his pro journey, he says the lessons learned along the way resonate most.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really taught me how to work hard to achieve something,\u201d Ching said. \u201cI think that one of my greatest strengths is my ability to just put my head down and grind and just get things done. Soccer has given me a lot and created a lot of good habits. I attribute it to a lot of my success.\u201d<\/p>\n

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As a trailblazer for Hawaii\u2019s young athletes \u2014 and for those hoping to follow his path \u2014 the six-time MLS All-Star offered this advice:<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to work harder than 90 percent of the people out there because it\u2019s not easy,\u201d Ching said. \u201cLife throws so many different things at you. Sometimes it helps you, a lot of times it\u2019s difficult. It\u2019s how you deal with those things that dictate if you\u2019re gonna be successful or not.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more First Alert Forecast: Change in pace with wetter trades and gusty winds<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Oahu\u2019s Brian Ching reflects on his storied 12-year professional career, which includes taking the field at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1762,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1763","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nHawaii soccer trailblazer Brian Ching reflects on historic World Cup journey - Hawaii Moving Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=1763\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Hawaii soccer trailblazer Brian Ching reflects on historic World Cup journey - 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