DMV Soccer Report

Oh Maryland, my adopted home state.

I’ve lived in the DMV area of Maryland for 15 years now. Which is only 3 years less than what I spent growing up my childhood state of New Jersey (which is inarguably the greatest State in the Country).

But even I can admit that I’ve grown fond of this swamp because I’ve built my life up here. It’s also where I re-fell in love with the game of Soccer. Through co-ed with my wife and then eventually a men’s rec division squad, I played all year long in my 20s and fell in love with the game here. Then eventually watching soccer took over my early viewing loves of New York Knicks basketball and New York Giant Football.

And now here I am writing about 4th tier Maryland Soccer.

Leagues to Watch

• NPSL Mid-Atlantic - Personally, this has always been my favorite league. But that was mostly due to the fact that the Annapolis Blues and Virginia Dream both being in that league. Now the Blues have moved on to USL-L2 and left that rivalry behind. But NPSL Mid-Atlantic still has some great teams. Particularly, Alexandria Reds, DMV Elite FC, FC Frederick, and the Virginia Dream field teams year after year.

  

• USL-League Two - the Blues jump into a very competitive league this season. These are teams in the USL ecosystem that would have an easier time jumping pro at that level if they establish themselves at this level. Obviously, the Blues project would be an attractive addition for League One. But Christos FC is a club with a long history in the state, having produced a #1 pick in the MLS draft with Ben Bender and several MLS players. In addition to one of my favorite 3rd tier players, Jake Dengler. They also recently announced they will play at the Under Armours’ facility up in Baltimore which has a great location right on the water there. Nova FC has also produced a number of current and former MLS players and has qualified for US Open Cup many times.

• UPSL DMV North and DMV South-A - Admittedly, UPSL hasn’t been something I’ve traditionally paid much attention to. However, I’m very aware that there is an enormous amount of quality in that league. The good thing about supporting a UPSL squad is that the match-ups are also hyper local. There are also a ton of very large Maryland youth academies with first teams in these divisions. So you have first teams from Rockville Soccer Club, MSI Pro, Bridge Sports Club, MoCo 1776 FC.

• The honorable mentions for local league are the Maryland Super League, Virginia Super League, and the American Premier Soccer League (APSL). It’s really amazing HOW MANY teams play 4th division in this area.