New professional team getting Real in Maryland

By: Charles Boehm - Potomac Soccer Wire Staff Writer
December 14, 2007

Emphasizing diversity and grassroots development both on and off the field, an ambitious new professional franchise is looking to carve out a place on the Washington, D.C. soccer scene this spring.
 
Real Maryland F.C. will begin play in the Second Division of the United Soccer Leagues in April, but the buzz is already building as the newborn club builds a roster from scratch and reaches out to area soccer fans this winter. Having already announced the team’s identity, colors, and first signing – former Major League Soccer star Ronald Cerritos – in September, RMFC officials discussed their latest progress at a press conference in Silver Spring, Md. this week.
 
With a substantial media contingent looking on, General Manager Bienvenidos Martinez announced that the team will play its home matches in Boyds, Md. at the Maryland Soccerplex’s Championship Stadium, then introduced three new player signings: Barbados international Daryl Ferguson and Colombian league veterans Nilson Perez and Joseph Pena Tempo. Martinez also revealed that the team nickname – a feature required under USL rules – will be “the Monarchs” or “Los Monarcas,” a tag which harks back to the state’s colonial roots under Lords Calvert and Baltimore.
 
There’s plenty of hard work ahead for this new venture, which slots in as the third USL-2 club in the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia region, alongside the Richmond Kickers and Baltimore-based Crystal Palace USA. But those in and around the club are brimming with confidence as they look to tap into a rich vein of talent – and support – around the D.C. suburbs.
 
“Montgomery County is one of the richest areas in the United States in soccer,” said head coach Silvino Gonzalo, who joins Real from the Northern Virginia Royals of the Premier Development League.
 
Gonzalo’s sentiments were echoed by Roger Fernandez, who will lead RMFC’s “Super-20” side, a feeder squad for the senior team as well as the first age grouping of what should eventually be a full academy-type setup.
 
“Since the project was shown to me, I’ve been going around the whole state, driving hours trying to see different players,” said Fernandez. “Going to high school games, college games, I notice there’s a lot of talent in this state.”
 
As its name would indicate, Real Maryland possesses a distinctly Latin flavor and its thoroughly bilingual leadership is committed to making inroads in the area’s burgeoning Hispanic community as it seeks out promising young players as well as fans. But the club is keen to reflect the entirety of the region’s remarkably diverse population.
 
“Even though we have a very strong Hispanic flavor, we want to embrace every community in the state of Maryland,” said owner and president Victor Moran. “As you can see, the growth of soccer in the United States has been very powerful in the last ten years and we want to reach into every community.”
 
Club officials revealed that they were nearly overwhelmed by the spectacular turnout at their first open tryouts on November 24. Some 100 players from across the United States and several foreign nations turned up at the Soccerplex, undeterred by chilly temperatures and eager to make an impression on Gonzalo and his staff. The numbers were such that many were asked to return to the second round of tryouts on December 22 in order to receive a fair evaluation.
 
“I think we have a very good soccer market in this area,” said Martinez. “The mission of Real Maryland is to reach out and be part of the [soccer] subculture, the community. I think it’s going to attract a lot of people – a lot of young people…We want to create a family environment. So I think we have a great shot of making a very successful franchise.”
 
The club hopes to fill Soccerplex’s Championship Stadium to its 3,200-person capacity for all 10 home games in 2008 and is exploring several avenues to build a strong fan base. No ticket will sell for more than $15 and ticket packages will be structured to encourage family outings, with adult season tickets likely to include free admission for children. Real is also working with Montgomery County’s economic development office on the prospect of shuttle bus service from the Shady Grove Metro station to the Soccerplex on game days.
 
The team itself will begin training on February 4, and with only eight players on the roster so far, Gonzalo thinks it’s too early to predict what style of play his squad will put forward. But the veteran boss did make one prediction.
 
“The only thing I can guarantee you is it’s going to be attractive and, we hope, winning,” said Gonzalo with a grin.

Charles Boehm has covered D.C. United and the rest of the Washington-area soccer world for more than three years. A native of Dallas, Texas, Charlie made D.C. his home following a hard-working -- but hardly spectacular -- NCAA Division III college career and subsequent Peace Corps stint in the small, soccer-crazed, island nation of Grenada, where he also coached and played in the Grenadian Premier League (such as it is). He is excited to join Potomac Soccer Wire and welcomes feedback at cboehm@potomacsoccerwire.com.