When Khiry Shelton was 9 or 10 years old, his grade school teacher conducted a time capsule activity. Every student wrote a letter about what they wanted to be when they grew up, sealed the paper into an envelope and returned it to their teacher.
Years later, when Shelton was in high school, he received the envelope in the mail. The letter, scribbled in his own handwriting, said that Shelton wanted to be a professional soccer player.
Consider it a dream come true.
Shelton, a 27-year-old Sporting Kansas City forward who is tied for the team lead with three goals this season, recently joined sportscaster Glenn Davis on the Soccer Matters podcast to reflect on his eventful upbringing in a military family, his early professional days at New York City FC, his experience competing in the German Bundesliga and his evolution as a player.