Maryland Majors Week 9 Preview

Division 1

La Dolce Vita at Academy FC (11/3/19 Latrobe Park 1:00 PM) - Academy FC continues to fight out of the bottom of the table. La Dolce Vita is their next challenge. LDV is looking to make up points to ensure they stay in D1 and to turn around their loss from last week. Academy is looking to add to their win last week. LDV's high attack style will look to thread passes but Academy's possession style will look to keep the ball at their feet.

All Star United at World Class Premier (11/3/19 Latrobe Park 3:00 PM) - The partners face off. This may be one of the last opportunities these two teams will be able to face off. This is WCP’s last season in the MMSL. All Star United will be their partner in the league next season. Both teams look to make the playoffs and let's see who walks away with points? 

Steel Pulse FC at Columbia FC (11/3/19 Milford Mill Academy 4:00 PM) - The defending champions look to stand in the way of Columbia's survival. This is the first of two of Columbia's biggest games. Columbia are looking to find their identity again, they once were a possession-based team but recently have looked for the threaded pass or the long ball. Steel Pulse love the pass over the defense and will punish any slow back line with their speed. It will be interesting to see which style Coach Carlos will use this week against Coach Mike and his boys.

Maryland International at Christos FC (11/3/19 Latrobe Park 5:00 PM) - The counter style of Inter MD will face off with Christos FC's high attack style. Christos loves to find passes in high traffic with quick touches, they expose holes in their opponent’s defense. MD Inter's physicality and speed are their tools. This will make for an exciting match if MD Inter can defend well enough and not expose their gaps when countering. 

Division 2

North Matches:

AFC DOBES at Blue Side FC (11/3/19 Milford Mill Academy 2:00 PM)

JA Raiders FC at Baltimore Kickers (11/3/19 Spring Grove Hospital Athletic Field 6:30 PM)

Robbie's FC at IFK Maryland (Automatic forfeit Points go to IFK)

Key Match: JA Raiders FC vs Baltimore Kickers. JA has recently found a great form recently. They have won two of their three last matches. Tie the third with 2nd place AFC. They are to face off with undefeated Baltimore Kickers. This will be an exciting match. Two very fast paced teams to face off.

South Matches:

Colombia FC at Meade United Football Club (11/3/19 Milford Mill Academy 12:00 PM)

Rockville SC at Limitless FC (11/3/19 Laytonia Recreational Park 6:00 PM)

Motorik FC at Dream Team FC (11/3/19 Laytonia Recreational Park 8:00 PM) 

Key Match: Motorik FC vs Dream Team FC. Motorik looking to keep their prefect forming going. They will head to face Dream Team FC. The new league leaders want to make it a five-game winning streak and add more distance between them and the rest of the table. Dream Team may have something to say about this. Having lost the 9-goal match last week and dropping to third place, they will be playing for everything.

-Geovanny Monterroso

Head over to league website to learn more: https://marylandmajorsoccer.com

Maryland Majors Week 8 Recap

Top Matches of Week 8

Division 1: There was no one match that stood out but the over all weekend was full of drama for division one. Both bottom teams faced off and Academy FC came out with all three points. Christos and Steel Pulse keep high flighting forms.

Division 2: Colombia FC vs Dream Team FC: The 9-goal thriller! This was a match I highlighted on last week’s preview, and did it deliver! These two high possession teams found plenty of opportunities to find the back of the net.

Week 8 Results

Division 1

Christos FC 3 – 0 All Stars United

Academy FC 1 – 0 Columbia FC

Steel Pulse FC 4 – 0 La Dolce Vita

World Class Premier 2 – 0 Maryland International

Division 2

North

Baltimore Kickers 5 – 0 Blue Side FC

JA Raiders FC 1 – 0 Robbie’s FC

AFC Dobes 3 – 1 IFK Maryland

South

Colombia FC 5 – 4 Dream Team FC

Motorik FC ALX 1 – 0 Limitless FC

Meade United 2 – 2 Rockville SC

Effect on the tables:

D1 Group A: No Movement, defending champions still lead the pack.

D1 Group B: Christos FC continue with their undefeated run, WCP back in second. That leaves La Dolce Vita and Columbia FC in 3rd and 4th respectively.

D2 North: The Kickers keep form and stay in 1st place. With the results, no changes to the table, aside from JA Raiders taking 3rd and Blue Side dropping to 4th.

D2 South: The three-horse race sees some changes again. Motorik is now on top, for the first time this season. Colombia having played one game more, with a tie giving them 2nd place, leaving Dream Team in 3rd with one game more to be played. The rest of the table, with no movement.

Division 1 Standings

Group A

1.Steel Pulse FC 4-0-3

2.All Stars United 3-2-3

3.MD Inter 2-4-2

4.Academy FC 2-5-1

Group B

Christos FC 6-0-0

World Class 3-3-1

La Dolce Vita 3-5-0

Columbia FC 1-5-2

Division 2 Standings

North

Kickers 6-0-2

AFC Dobes 4-0-4

JA Raiders 4-2-2

Blue Side FC 4-4-0

IFK Maryland 2-6-0

Robbie’s FC 0-8-0

South

Motorik FC 5-3-0

Colombia FC 4-3-1

Dream Team 4-3-0

Meade United 2-2-4

Rockville SC 2-2-3

Limitless FC 1-5-2

-Geovanny Monterroso

Head over to league website to learn more: https://marylandmajorsoccer.com

Maryland Majors to Announce Expansion

This past Sunday was full of mixed emotions for Maryland soccer. As FC Baltimore Christos was losing to NY Cosmos, the new teams of the division one Maryland Majors were finding out about their promotion. MMSL will be making the official announcement of their expansion to an 8 team first division later this week. For many this may not seem like a big deal, but to the grassroots soccer fans and advocates of promotion/relegation this is a huge deal. In a state league that is pushing to grow and has pro/rel in its core, this is a really huge deal.

Last season the MMSL played with a first division made up of only six teams. The teams who played in D1 were Christos FC, Izee Auto FC, World Class Premier reserves, Super Delegates FC, Academy FC, and, the winners of the spring 2019 season, Steel Pulse FC. However, the inclusion of two other teams would bring some interesting changes to the first division.

There is so much left to learn about this expansion. One thing is for sure, two teams aside from Maryland International will be promoted. In a conversation with deputy commissioner Nigel Fullerton, he explained that “the two teams that are being promoted from division two will be Columbia FC and All Star United.” Personally, adding teams straight into the first division would have been an injustice to the teams who have been in the second division and have been preforming season after season. This was the best decision for the league to take. Promoting the top performer from last season to D1 and add teams to the lower divisions will do two things: one, it will make sure that the level of competition is maintained and two, the league stays true to the teams who have been/still are members.

Though this is an expansion for division one, this is also good new for Division Two. This opens the possibility to add teams to both North and South Division Two. Now, there is no confirmation as to what will happen to D2, but it is fun to speculate about the possibilities. It would be great to see MMSL add more teams from Virginia or even expand into Delaware. If MMSL chooses to stay in Maryland there are plenty of teams to add from the DC-Baltimore region. Other areas that would offer some great additions are Annapolis or Anne Arundel County. There is plenty of talent left to be discovered in Maryland’s counties.

The other change that will be announced is the amount of games that will be played in the new 8 team D1. At first glance, one assumes that they will increase the game count from 10 to 14. This would allow the league to keep to the home/away matches. Also giving the teams more playing time to prepare for the tournaments that come right after the fall season.

However, in the conversation with Fullerton, he would go into detail on how the new D1 would be set up. When asked how the D1 would look like he responded, “the eight teams would be spilt into two conferences with a total of ten games to be played. Six games in-conference and four games out of conference.” This is still a very viable system as it will allow for teams to travel less and still have some exposure to teams in other zones of the MMSL.

The 8 teams confirmed for D1 are Christos FC, Izee Autobody FC, World Class Premier, Steel Pulse FC, Maryland International, Columbia FC, All Star United, and Academy FC. Let’s speculate on the potential setup of D1:

South: Columbia FC, All Star United, Christos FC, and World Class Premier

North: Izee Autobody FC, Steel Pulse FC, Maryland International, and Academy FC

This is assuming these conferences are set up based on location. If this is true, the conference which would be based off the southern region would be considered the group of death. Regardless of the conferences and the team that make them up, D1 of the MMSL is going to be a league to watch this fall. With matches such as a Christos FC vs Steel Pulse FC rematch or a Columbia FC vs Maryland International rematch or a All Star United vs World Class Premier match, D1 will be on another level this coming season!

Who do you have winning the Championship?

- Hector Monterroso

Maryland Majors: Christos Qualify for Championship Match and the D2 Playoffs Continue

Division One

Last week, we saw Christos FC handed their first loss of the season by Academy FC. However, with another win yesterday, Christos takes the top seed. They will be heading to the Championship game for the title.

Steel Pulse FC claim second place and Academy FC are safe at the middle of the table. These two teams take seed 2 and 3 respectively. They will face off to see who takes on Christos in the title game.

Super Delegates are out of the bottom two spots of the table. The World Class Premier, the reserve side of the almighty UPSL side, came close to earning “auto-relegation” to D2. But WCP are not safe yet, we will see them face off in a playoff to keep their spot in the top division next season. They will play against the finalist who doesn’t win the final round of the D2 playoffs.

Izee Auto FC, with a 3-0 Loss against Christos FC, have sealed their fate. They are now set to return next season to D2. Despite a hard fought performance against Super Delegates FC last week, they only walked away with one point. Though as well as they played, a win was not too far from reality. They followed up that game with a loss to Christos FC. We will see them try to earn their way back to division one next season.

Full Table Standings:

Christos FC 8-1-0 (Championship Final)

Steel Pulse 6-2-1 (Playoffs to Championship)

Academy FC 3-4-3 (Playoffs to Championship)

Super Delegates FC 3-5-2

World Class Premier 3-6-1 (Playoff match)

Izee Auto FC 2-7-1 (Auto Relegated)

Division 2

Last Sunday was a magically day for Maryland Soccer. We saw some upsets, a PK shootout, and some dominate performances. It was something you had to see with your own eyes. Here are the break downs of the games:

FC NIM 3 vs 4 Maryland International

The match of the new comers - FC NIM were the favorites to win the match but would go down to Maryland International. The winning team pulled a magical result out of their “futbol-hat.” This was a boxing match! Both teams would answer a goal with another goal. We would see counter-attacking soccer vs transitional soccer. A 4-3 victory would see MD International advance to the next round.

Sure Sport 0 vs 3 AFC 16

This match would see a former ASL side vs the MD Majors New Comers face off. The second upset of the playoffs, just days after AFC 16 earned their playoff spot on a 4-2 victory over FC NIM. AFC 16’s high seemed to continue, which would lead them to win 3-0 against the former ASL side, Sure Sports.

La Dolce Vita 0 (PK4) vs (PK5) 0 Columbia FC

The historical side vs the Howard county powerhouse. This was the match to watch. With two high attacking teams facing off, the game went the way that we expected. Both teams fought for possession, they attacked, and the ball movement was there. However, they could not find the back of the net. The game would end nil-nil. Then came the penalty shootout. La Dolce Vita would start off on the wrong foot, missing the first PK. Columbia FC would take advantage of that, making two back to back before missing their third PK. La Dolce Vita would make four consecutively and would miss their sixth PK. Columbia FC would not - they made 5 out of 6 - earning the win to move on to the next round.

All Stars Utd 6 vs 1 Blue Side FC

The match between the former delegates vs the Mason-Dixon SL champs. The All Stars put on a dominant performance, putting away six goals on the former champs. It is not to say that Blue Side did not fight, because they did. They put on a show with a few chances but only took advantage of one goal. Aside from that is was a United show. They showed everyone that they are All Stars and no longer delegates. United advances to the next round.

Image courtesy of Blue Side FC.

Here is what the semifinals of the playoffs will look like:

AFC 16 Dobes vs Maryland International Athletics FC

Columbia FC vs All Stars United

- Hector Monterroso

Christos FC: Next Man Up

Despite a change at the top, it was more of the same for Christos FC last fall. Chris Wilson, a former player for the club, took over managerial duties from Larry Sancomb, who has moved on to coach FC Baltimore Christos of the National Premier Soccer League, prior to the Maryland Major Soccer League’s Fall 1st Division season.

Despite losing two games early, Christos closed with seven straight wins, including a 2-1 victory over World Class Premier Elite FC in the championship game. The fall title is the fourth in a row and seventh overall for Christos FC.

“The change from Larry to Chris was not a huge one for us, but a positive one,” said Mamadou Kansaye, a holding midfielder who scored on a penalty kick in the final. “Larry was great with us, but it was a seamless transition.”

Jacob Bender scored on an assist from Pete Caringi, III for Christos FC’s other goal in the final. Brad Benzing made five saves with Joe Glos, Mike Scott, Mike Swiercz, Malcom Harris and Alex Bullington strong on defense in front of him. Bullington missed much of the regular season with an injury, and defense in particular was a position where Wilson had to be creative.

“We were missing our outside backs at times due to injuries or just being short players,” Wilson said. “I moved Danny Baxter from outside mid to outside back and he played 90 there in our 3-1 win over World Class Premier Elite FC in the regular season. This fall had some obstacles no doubt, and we knew we would struggle at times for numbers, so this made winning very satisfying.”

Josh Patterson won the league’s Golden Boot, contributing six goals and four assists for Christos FC. Wilson, who joined the club after graduating from Johns Hopkins in 2011, even played three times to cover spots this fall. The club’s depth was tested, but ultimately held up.

“We battled a lot of injuries throughout the season, and we also have a lot of guys coaching in the fall, but our depth speaks for itself and this is a team that is built on camaraderie and chemistry,” said Benzing, a mainstay in goal for Christos, along with veteran Phil Saunders, since graduating Millersville University (Pa.) in 2014. “Sure, we dropped a couple of games early, but we made sure we bonded together. Chris was one of our brothers from the beginning and we knew he was the right choice.”

Kansaye, who moved with his family to Maryland from Mali in 2002, reached the College Cup with UMBC in 2014. Several of his teammates then are also teammates with Christos FC now. He gained notoriety for his free kick goal against DC United in the fourth round of the 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The club was successful then and he sees no reason for that to change moving forward under Wilson.

“This is a group of guys who enjoy each other’s company and love playing,” Kansaye said. “We put pressure on ourselves to win, but there really is no pressure. We understand that we are not 20 years old anymore but many of us have also played at high levels as recently as the past couple of years. We know how to compete.”

The club has been around since 1997, and many of the founding players are still heavily involved with the club, even playing on Christos FC’s over-30 or over-40 sides. When players speak about the club’s brotherhood and why it helped prove that Wilson was the right choice to take over, it’s not in throwaway terms.

“Chris knows all the players and has relationships with each of the guys; the transition went fine,” said Jody Haislip, co-founder and General Manager of Christos FC. “There are certainly different personalities, but many of the current guys have been part of the team for 4-5 years, know Chris, played with him and respect him. He has been with us for eight years and with the success we have had, nobody wants to lose Maryland Majors or Rowland or Stewart.”

Players continue to joke that Christos FC is referred to as the team that never practices or trains together, but that is the case. Wilson sends out a call for players on Monday and gives his squad until Thursday to respond. The success here is a mixture of discipline (guys do train by themselves or in smaller groups during the week), a comprehensive organizational knowledge of the roster, and the club’s historical ability to pick out the right guys.

“We might not practice and train, but we love to compete and we know how to win,” Benzing said. “Physically, people do their own weight training and running. I work 50 hours a week, so I hit the gym every morning, and a lot of us play during the week as well. We never expect to lose. It’s awesome to be part of the things we do now.”

Benzing points to the club’s history, including the support the younger guys get from the veterans, as keys to sustained success.

“We are able to mesh with the older group of guys, which is special as well. We have Christos Weekend, where as many of us who can head down to Ocean City. It is a great time to bond, as are the road trips when we go out of state. They put in the hard work to put Christos FC on the map. They put in a lot of time, and it is weird how they seemingly hand pick talent and find the right type of guy for our brotherhood. I swear, Larry and Jody never held a tryout. You can’t just be good at soccer and join our team.”

It is now on to the spring cup season for the club. Although Christos FC is out of US Open Cup play – the club lost on the road at Virginia United in the third round of local amateur qualifying in November – for the first time in three years, Wilson has his squad primed and ready for the Rowland Cup and Stewart Cup.

“It’s tough. And we have to put best foot forward every week,” Wilson said. “Teams are looking to beat us and get past us, but I think we may have the best Christos team we have ever had. We have to put it together and get some more giant championship trophies for the store.”

Wilson is referring to Christos Discount Liquors, the club’s original supporter and its namesake. Walk in and you see several of the club’s hardware on the left, behind the cash register. That includes the Rowland and Stewart Cups. Christos FC has won each tournament each of the past three years and has byes in both through sometime in February.

The Rowland Cup, established in 1914, is Maryland’s Open Cup Competition. The winner represents Maryland at the USASA Region I qualifiers of the Werner Fricker Cup. A total of 14 teams are expected to compete, including eight from Maryland Majors, one (Blue Side FC) from the Mason-Dixon Soccer League and five from the Washington Premier League. All three Maryland State Soccer Association Leagues are represented. Christos FC has won this cup seven times.

Christos FC is also one of 11 teams expected to compete for the Stewart Cup, which it has won six times. The winner of this tournament moves on to compete for the Amateur Cup and the Fritz Marth Trophy. Christos won this trophy in 2016 after scoring twice in extra time to defeat the Milwaukee Bavarians, who are the current trophy holders.

“We are the hunted and we know that we have to prepare ourselves, even apart from each other, because everyone wants to kick the crap out of us,” Haislip said.

Kansaye, who also played for the Baltimore Bohemians in the Premier Development League and briefly with the United Soccer League’s Charlotte Independence, loves cup season.

“Quality teams come out with the best they have and the pressure builds,” Kansaye said. “The great feeling of winning never goes away. It never gets old. We take a lot of pride in representing the Baltimore area. That blue-collar mentality plays a huge role for us. I am playing for pride and trophies.”

Wilson has that first Maryland Majors trophy under his belt as manager. He wants more.

“It’s one-and-done and I love it; every game matters,” Wilson said. “The ability to win a national championship has always meant the world to us. I want to have the best 18 available to make another amateur cup run. It is a big deal for us. I wear my Christos FC gear and a lot of people know we are from Baltimore now. It is a huge soccer market, from the youth on up, and we love playing for the area all over the country.”

- Brian Burden

Maryland Majors: A History of Development

Every fan’s story starts with a single moment when everything clicked and the connections fell into place: that moment when a fan is born. Lower league soccer wasn’t for me even two years ago. I was the host of a small soccer podcast that focused on Major League Soccer, followed the English Premiership on the side, played FIFA on Playstation, and that was the extent of my soccer fandom. I was barely aware that soccer existed at the regional and local levels, and certainly didn’t follow clubs or leagues from them. But then there was the match that most non-fans remember when asked about amateur soccer: Christos vs. DC United in the 2017 U.S. Open Cup.

Christos fans celebrating with the club after scoring against DC United. (Courtesy of SI)

When that story broke, I remember talking about it on the podcast. I followed DC United and, while I wasn’t steeped in the history of the Open Cup, wanted to see them advance. The video of the free kick in the 23rd minute, holding onto the lead ‘til the 80th minute, even the final score, 4-1 - it all inspired me to dig into amateur soccer. In some ways, it led to this site. That club, Christos FC plays in the Maryland Major Soccer League, a regional league in Maryland, and while its storied USOC run ended that day in June, the story of the league goes way back into the past and extends far into a bright future.

The Past and the Present

The Maryland Majors was organized as an entity in 1965, so, in its current form, the league has existed for 53 or so years. But 1965 is only the year when the Maryland Majors title was given to the league. MMSL was a direct descendent of the Baltimore Major League and Baltimore Unlimited League, which date back to the early 1920's. During this early era of American soccer, Baltimore was home to “more than 100 teams in 14 leagues at its peak in the early 1930s.” Those clubs and leagues were contemporaries of the old American Soccer League, which dominated the northeastern United States with clubs like Fall River and Bethlehem. From those early roots, Maryland Majors has grown to one of the best-run regional leagues in the country.

Action from a 1926 game between Canton and Newark. (Baltimore Sun)

Currently the league is home to 21 teams, adding two this offseason (Fortitude FC and Meade United). While the name might suggest that the clubs are only from Maryland, this fall, the league expanded outside the state with, according to Commissioner Bill George, “The goal of offering USASA elite competition to clubs around the DC beltway. In doing so we brought in our first team based out of Virginia - Motorik FC ALX.” But that expansion may signal more to come outside the league’s base in Maryland. “We are open to other clubs from the mid-Atlantic joining whether it is Delaware, Pennsylvania (particularly the central York area which is only an hour from Baltimore), West Virginia, or Virginia.”

The MMSL is set up with two divisions. The 1st Division has six clubs, a small number of teams, but the commissioner actually touts this as an asset - “The top six teams in Div. 1 are all quality and there is not much drop off like we used to have years ago when we had a nine to twelve team 1st Division.” Those six teams are fighting for the right to remain in the 1st Division as the league uses a promotion and relegation system between its divisions. The 2nd Division has two conferences and a total of thirteen teams (though that number may have changed with the expansion clubs). Through a system of playoff matches, each season sees a club (or two) rise to the 1st Division to battle with big boys. A 3rd Division may be in the future of the league, if expansion continues.

If you read down the list of league winners, you’ll see an unbroken history of soccer excellence, a regional league that keeps true to its roots while pressing for new ground in the future. There’s a future story about a club named “Max Blobs,” back to back champions in ‘64 and ‘65, but that story hasn’t been written yet. But that connection to history and legacy makes even more sense when you consider that the league commissioner is a product of his league.

A Product of the League

Bill George, MMSL Commissioner

Bill George, commissioner of Maryland Majors since 2013, played in the league in the early 2000’s before moving into coaching with Pipeline SC. But much like his league, his history in the sport goes much further back. After a successful youth soccer career (club, ODP, and HS) growing up in central New Jersey, George went on to play four years of college soccer at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. After finishing his college career, he continued as a college coach at both Emory and at Ferrum College in Virginia and earned his USSF "C" license. He developed his understanding of the business side of the game, focusing on marketing - first working for the Atlanta Silverbacks in the old A-League and later with the San Jose Earthquakes of MLS.

Off the field, Bill George has been a practicing attorney since 2006 and has additional sports management and soccer experience working at IMG (sports management firm) and the Maryland Stadium Authority. Since 2008, George has been involved with the Maryland State Soccer Association (currently holding the position of Secretary) and United States Adult Soccer Association (Delegate).

For George, the goals of his league lie in focusing on product on the field: “first class administration, great fields, officials and the highest level of competition possible.” Beyond that base, the leagues will “aim to promote the clubs and players to help them meet their individual goals whatever they may be. Most importantly, George envisions the league as a “good citizen in our community and contributing members of the Maryland soccer community.” With a history so deep-rooted in the state, it’s no surprise that MMSL values the community that gives the league life.

Looking Back, Looking Forward

I asked the commissioner about that match that caught so many peoples’ eyes in 2017 and what effect it had on Maryland Majors. “The amount of coverage that Christos rightfully garnered benefitted the League as well in terms of exposure. Christos has proudly played in the Maryland Majors for twenty years and we are proud of their accomplishments and proud of any of our clubs that do well in national tournaments. The League worked closely with Christos and the Maryland State Soccer Association to organize many of the busloads of Baltimore supporters that travelled down to the SoccerPlex for that memorable game vs. DC United.”

There’s something exciting about a regional league backing  one of its clubs in a competition unrelated to league play. George and the rest of Maryland Majors leadership take this part of their job serious- their clubs and players have the backing and support of the league. That model has made MMSL one of the finest regional leagues in the country. Trace the line back through modern clubs like Christos, through the mid-century clubs like Max Blobs, back to even older leagues, it’s a timeline that’s more than table results and league winners, it’s thousands of players that have come through this league. It’s a history of player development and mentoring that defines Bill George and Maryland Majors Soccer League.

For more information on the league visit their site or their social media.