The Field: A Story About Finding Your Own Way (Champions Pathway for Children) Hardcover – March 28, 2026

Nikko Reyes is twelve years old, five-foot-nothing, and the fastest player on any concrete pitch in Queens. He has earned his place at a US Youth Soccer development camp against kids with proper academies, proper boots, and everything he never had. But his coach sees something Nikko can’t yet: a player who runs away from himself every time the ball comes to his feet.So he sends Nikko somewhere unexpected — a mountain in Mongolia, and an ancient monk who teaches no drills, runs no training sessions, and has never once watched a game of football.What follows is not the story of a player who learns to run faster or shoot harder. It is the story of a boy who learns to carry water without losing it, to sweep a floor without forcing it, and to play a stone-and-rock game against a wise old man — and finally, for the first time, to play without performing.Through ten beautifully crafted chapters woven with ancient Zen koans and parables from across the world, The Field guides young readers toward a truth that no scoreboard can measure: that the best you will ever play begins the moment you stop trying to be seen, and simply play.Rich with mindfulness, resilience, and the timeless wisdom of martial philosophy, this book is for every young player who has ever stood at the edge of something big and felt small. For every city kid who showed up to a game where the other players had better pedigrees — and played anyway.The field is always waiting. Go and play. Read more