We had a great experience with the SAM League this fall. I think playing in a league instead of just doing tournaments helped the team improve based on having a game each weekend and training throughout the week to prepare. We were able to continue building on things we saw each week. The soccer plex is an amazing facility and the league was very organized and offered incredible grass fields to play on as well as good competition.

The Knights experienced some struggles in the 2024 season in our transition to 9 v 9. Although the Knights made improvements the second half of the season, coaches felt there was plenty of opportunity to continue to improve. The SAM league seemed to be an optimal opportunity to keep the team together through the fall recreational season and seek the development the coaches knew the athletes/team was capable of. The team trained approximately four days a week in search of what was missing during the 2024 campaign. The SAM league certainly did not disappoint on its end. The fields were immaculate. The opponents were evenly matched. In an era where referee’s are becoming more difficult to retain, the SAM league referees were consistent and did an incredible job every week. The SAM league designates a “Quiet Weekend” in which coaches are urged to not coach from the sideline to active players for the weekend. The league believes when players are left to “figure it out”, player communication occurs more frequently, is more effective, and in turn ingrained in their memory better. It was very difficult for coaches to idly stand by during the game and offer no direction, but the SAM leagues claim proved to be true. The players did a fantastic job of communicating and working their way through in game adversities. Although wins and losses are the most common metric for determining success, the real win was the amount of development experienced and growth in leadership from the athletes themselves. As coaches, our excitement for how far this team has grown since the end of the 2024 season until now is only matched by our excitement for what comes next. The coaches appreciate the commitment by players and parents alike. Congrats Knights on an undefeated season and championship win!! 

Our first year competing in the SAM league was a good experience. The coaching staff and players all learned a lot. What we liked most about the league was that we were able to play most of our games on the best natural grass surface in the state. The Maryland Soccer Plex is top-notch! We finished the league as finalists; in second place, to a strong DMV Wolfpack team. I would like to do it again in the spring, promoting our team to the top division. 

The Arrows just finished up our first successful season of the SAM soccer league in Germantown, MD. We should compete in the u13 age bracket. There weren’t enough teams to make a division, so they moved us up to u14. The girls won their 3rd place game on the last day. Out of 10 very good and mostly bigger teams! We trained through the week and were tested every weekend. The girls gained a huge amount of experience in a short amount of time. Besides experience, we gained confidence and raised our fitness and soccer IQ to a level we haven’t reached yet! We are expecting the girls to use this experience to propel us into a successful tournament season, which starts next month in Ellicott City at the Southampton Cup.

AVID Rampage had a wonderful experience competing in the SAM Select League at Maryland Soccerplex. The league provided a great opportunity to expose the players to other cultures of soccer, including the opportunity to play matches against an all French private school and a team of all Brazilian descent.

AVID Rampage finished their season 5-2-1, with impressive showings. Significantly, AVID Rampage were nominated and awarded the Fair Play Sportsmanship award for the u10 division. I’m extremely proud of the boys for earning this award and demonstrating that they are not only committed to developing as athletes, but as young men as well. We intend to return to the SAM Select league in the future and look forward to more competition in upcoming seasons.