The World Cup helped, Dicker says.
While he was enjoying the games in Los Angeles and also getting to meet the members of the U.S. Men’s National Team in nearby Irvine, he was receiving countless texts from his Charger teammates.
“I had teammates texting me,” he says, “being like, ‘What do I do? What do I need to know?’ Sometimes, I forgot to respond to some of the guys’ texts, and next time I saw them in person, they were like, ‘You’re dead to me. I’m just trying to learn this great game, and I had to freaking turn to Google’. The guys got really into it, which was fun.
“They’re playing [EAFC], learning about players that way, and then also now since the leagues have started, getting back into paying attention to some things. Obviously, we probably aren’t watching all the games every weekend, but being able to ask questions with some of the guys and then randomly talk about it with people has been fun.”
Dicker is taking his passion for talking soccer to a new level, too. He’s started a new weekly podcast with LAFC and USMNT midfielder Timmy Tillman called “Big Kick Energy”. On the podcast, the two will talk about their respective sports and the crossover and passion that unite them. In many ways, it’s a perfect way for Dicker to mix two of the things he’s most passionate about, and to remind people that it’s good to keep multiple passions going at once.
“I think a lot of guys have that outside of football, where they have different passions and different things that bring them joy,” he says. “I think the best of the best all have things and ways that they can disconnect and unplug from the thing that they spend 90 percent of their time on.
“Whether it’s through this podcast we’ve been doing and just chatting about stuff and interviewing people, or going to games. I just brought 40 kids from Long Beach to an LA Galaxy game, which was awesome. It’s about getting to enjoy that with different groups of people and continuing to help share the fandom with the next generation. It’s a very big blessing for me to be able to do and show that you can support two things. It doesn’t have to all be one.”
Over the past few weeks, Dicker’s focus has narrowed, though. The season is coming, which means everything is about to get serious. But, in the quiet moments, the ones away from the practice field and the stadium, it’s not hard to guess what he’ll do to distract himself.
It’s the same thing he did in Shanghai, Austin, Liverpool, Paris, or wherever else he’s been on this weird journey of his. No matter where he is or what kind of ball is at his feet, Dicker is probably thinking about one of the footballs, and even he can’t guess where either game will bring him next.
“I think what people forget to remember is that I love playing football and I think it’s incredible,” he says. “It’s such a blessing to do that, but I’ve also grown up a fan of soccer. I’ve grown up having other passions and other things in my life, and so having a way to disconnect from football, and when I’m not in the building, being able to step away and really get your mind completely off of it, it’s just a blessing.”