Hello and welcome to the first-ever DMV Soccer-Related Thoughts here on Honeyball Soccer!
Now since this is the first time that this idea is here on Honeyball let’s give a little history and insight (Don’t worry: I will keep the pontificating and corny jokes to a minimum. Although, limiting the references to mid-2000s emo and pop punk bands, I cannot commit to…) into what the DMV Soccer Thoughts series is all about.
In short, it all goes back to a simple love of the game of soccer. In particular, the love of soccer in my hometown of the Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area. I love going to games of all stature and sizes. I love the local teams, the history, and the culture. It is one of the many reasons why I got into a career in soccer media. I have seen firsthand how the game has improved so many people’s lives in the area, including my own. While I call the DMV home I was originally born in West Virginia, not exactly the bastion of cultural diversity (although a lovely place in its own right). When I moved to southern Maryland, at about the age of 8, I had kind of a cultural awakening. Think Dorothy going from gray-scale Kansas to colorful Oz. Soccer helped me adapt to learning the many new cultures in the DMV, and ever since then I have been hooked.
What got me into soccer was the diversity, the style, and the flair. Those growing up in the DMV in the 1990s obviously remember the fabled D.C. United era of Marco Etcheverry, Raul Diaz Arce, and Jaime Moreno, but those who played soccer on any sort of level know it was much deeper than just one team. The DMV is a melting pot of people from all across the country and the world. This has made it one of the powerhouses not just in youth soccer, but also college and the professional ranks. Chances are on any weekend in a park you will see players from a potpourri of different places and walks of life. It remains an incredible place to follow the game.
Yet it still feels like it is underrepresented in the American soccer conscious. There are a myriad of reasons for that and all well worth a discussion. Whatever the reasons, the DMV seems to be forgotten among the booming soccer areas here in the United States, and that is a shame.
About five to six years ago, while working as a substitute teacher, I decided that I wanted to change that. So I started a Twitter series called, Three DMV Soccer Related Thoughts. It was a way to talk about things going on in the DMV and also to shine a light on some of the cool (and not so cool) things going on in the region. It was also an opportunity to share some of the fun stories of the past, to talk about what makes the DMV soccer region unique.
Here at Honeyballer we will be taking the idea to the next level with reader mailbag pieces, Support Your Local DMV Soccer Club, and some other fun ideas down the road. My aim is to do a piece on Tuesday and Thursday and maybe something over the weekend as well.
So with all of that being said, here are my Three DMV Soccer-Related Thoughts for Tuesday!
DMV Soccer Thought #1: Challenge Accepted By The Spirit
Like pretty much everyone else in the DMV I have been carving out time, at all hours of the day, to watch the Washington Spirit. It has been quite the ride with the Spirit going 2-1-1 in the NWSL Challenge Cup.
Let’s go with the Spirit first. In four short games the young side have basically shook off any notions that the team might go through a sophomore slump. Ashley Hatch, Kim Staab, Bayley Feist (who had a superb goal against the Houston Dash on Sunday), and Tegan McGrady have all had fantastic tournaments so far. What’s interesting is that although the two wins have been great, the level of composure that the young side showed against the North Carolina Courage might have been the most impressive. Thankfully with their seven points they have a firm grasp on the number two seed, which means they will avoid the Courage until the final.
The one big question about this team though will be how they cope with losing Andi Sullivan, who unfortunately tore her meniscus against the Dash. Head Coach Richie Burke has been quite good at limiting Rose LaVelle’s minutes during group play. However, her veteran leadership is going be critical during the knockout stage of this tournament.
DMV Soccer Thought #2: The NISA Independent Mid-Atlantic Cup Is Coming To The Maryland SoccerPlex and That Is Good For DMV Soccer
Last week, the National Independent Soccer Association (NISA) announced that the Maryland SoccerPlex will be hosting their first-ever Mid-Atlantic Cup. The four-team tournament will feature the Maryland Bobcats, FC Baltimore, the New York Cosmos, and New Amsterdam FC.
This tournament is big for a couple of reasons. First, it is the level of competition. The Bobcats and FC Baltimore are two of the top clubs in Maryland soccer. The Bobcats won the 2019 UPSL Fall Championship while FC Baltimore are one of the top sides in the region in the NPSL. Adding in the Cosmos, whose name speaks for themselves, and New Amsterdam FC, a fledgling club from NISA, gives this competition an extra bit of difficulty and intrigue.
Also, for those outside of the DMV, the Maryland SoccerPlex is one of the more interesting soccer facilities in the country. Situated in the middle of a suburban neighborhood. It is an 18 field soccer complex with literally one way to get in and one way to get out. As you can imagine, with hundreds of families coming in every weekend to play youth and travel soccer, that can get rather annoying. It has also been home to the Washington Spirit and to D.C. United U.S. Open Cup games that almost always get delayed due to lightning and rain and a 1030pm curfew.
The tournament is slated to kick-off on July 28th and is part of the broader NISA Independent Cup. You can check out their full website here for dates, times, and what appears to be streaming options.
DMV Soccer Thought #3: Federico Higuain made my morning.
Let’s be honest: The first half of yesterday’s D.C. United-Toronto FC match was terrible. Now, in the grand scheme of things and considering all of the madness that led up to the game, a bad half of soccer isn’t the end of the world. But that was some pretty dire stuff from United who allowed two goals and saw Junior Moreno get sent off.
Then Federico Higuain came on and did this:
Now look: One incredible goal DOES NOT take away from the fact that D.C.’s defense was rudderless and just generally awful. Nor does it explain why center-back Frederic Brilliant leads the team in goals (replacing Wayne Rooney with Ola Kamara, a guy who struggled to score goals in China is not looking great). However, the early season pickup of Higuain is looking like a solid pick-up, especially considering that he is also doubling as an assistant working with youngsters like Griffin Yow, Moses Nyeman, and Kevin Paredes.
Higuain has always been known for these little moments of magic and if he can continue to put together 10-20 minute shifts it may actually give D.C. an attacking spark.
Honeyball Soccer 