Maryland State Soccer Association 2021 Cup Season

The Maryland State Soccer Association launched its 2021 state cup season in January with three of the association’s competitions: the Rowland Cup; the Stewart Cup; and the Morton Cup. Three other MSSA cups, the Hagan Cup (Maryland Women’s Championship), the Maryland Over-30 Cup, and the Maryland Over-40 Cup, were not announced as part of the schedule.

The Rowland Cup received 16 entries, of which the eight teams eliminated in the first round would move on to the Morton Cup. The Stewart Cup received 11 entries.

ROWLAND CUP

Established in 1914, the Rowland Cup is the oldest cup in Maryland. The Rowland Cup is formally recognized as the Maryland Open Championship and the holders of the cup are considered the state’s club champions. The winner of the Rowland Cup advances to the USASA Region I qualifiers for the Werner Fricker Cup.

Returning champion, Christos FC, is seeking its fifth Rowland Cup in six years. The 2019 trophy winner, Yinz United, is the only club other than Christos to win the competition since 2016.

*Teams winning advanced to Group Play for the Rowland Cup. Those clubs eliminated qualify for Group Play for the Morton Cup.

STEWART CUP

The Stewart Cup was established in 1932 and is the state’s official amateur cup competition. The winner of the Stewart Cup advances to the USASA Region I qualifiers for the US Amateur Cup. Christos FC is looking to win its sixth straight Stewart Cup.

MORTON CUP

The Morton Cup was established in 2013. In past years, the Morton Cup was for teams that did not enter either the Rowland or Stewart Cup. In 2021, the format has been changed and teams that do not make it to group play in the Rowland Cup will qualify for the Morton Cup. This competition is a state cup and the winner will not advance to any regional qualifier. All Star United are the current holders of the Morton Cup.

Washington Premier League Fall 2020 Helge Boes Cup final
The final of the Helge Boes Cup, which determines the Washington Premier League champions, were held on Sunday, December 13, at Falls Church High School. The PR Performance Fitness - Conquistadores shut out PRP-20 2-0 to claim the fall championship.

Washington Premier League Winter 2020-21 season update
The WPL began its winter season in mid-December with eight teams taking part in the competition. All matches during the winter season are being played at the Draper Drive Soccer Park in Fairfax, Virginia.

After six weeks fall champion Conquistadores sit at the top of the table with 13 points on a record of four wins and 1 loss. Capital City FC and FC 1749 are tied for second with 12 points each. Doradus FC is currently in fourth place with 8 points.

United Women’s Soccer League Two Mid-Atlantic Conference update
In early January, UWS League Two announced two additional clubs would join the new Mid-Atlantic Conference. Based in Woodbridge, Va., Northern Virginia FC was founded in 1998 and formerly fielded the Northern Virginia Majestics in the USL’s now-defunct W-League between 1999 and 2010. The club’s men side, which previously played in the USL as the Northern Virginia Royals first as a D3 pro squad then later in the PDL from 1998 through 2014, was due to play in both the EPSL and USL League Two but was unable when both competitions were suspended due to COVID restrictions.

Founded in 2014 and based in Middletown, Dover, and Smyrna, the Delaware Union Soccer Club will field a new U23 women’s team to expand its youth and player pathway programs. The two new clubs will join the other four teams previously announced to expand the Mid-Atlantic Conference to six teams.

Maryland Major Soccer League update
The MMSL’s fall 2020 season was put on hold during the final week of its regular season in early December due to COVID restrictions. With the advent of the MSSA’s cup tournaments in January, we reached out to the MMSL for any comments on the resumption of league play. The league responded with no new updates about the fall season and also that the spring 2021 season is currently on hold due to COVID restrictions.