If you follow American soccer, you know Joe Cannon as one of the best goalkeepers in MLS history and a man who's featured between the posts in sold-out stadiums across North America (for both club and country). He’s been the last line of defense for superstar teammates like David Beckham, Landon Donovan and Chris Wondolowski, to name just a few.

At 36, Cannon is now plying his trade for MLS’s newly minted Vancouver Whitecaps, a team partly owned by Canadian NBA star Steve Nash, and he remains among the league’s elite netminders ...

... What many folks don’t know, however, is that Cannon and his twin brother used to shred the slopes of Sun Valley as alpine ski racers -- frequently referred to as “the next Mahre brothers.”

I recently caught up with Cannon after a match between his current Vancouver squad and the San Jose team he captained the past three seasons. My piece on our conversation about playing ball, ski racing, and hangin’ with the Beckhams (and Will Smith and Tom Cruise) will be out this fall.