Maryland State Soccer Association 2021 Cup Season

After weeks of delays due to snow and ice-covered fields, the Maryland State Soccer Association’s 2021 state cup season got back into the swing of things this past weekend.

ROWLAND CUP

The Rowland Cup, Maryland’s Open Championship, completed the second game of the group stage. The results of those games locked down the teams moving on to the knockout rounds with the final group stage games only determining those rankings.

Yinz United easily handled Colombia F.C. 13-2 and Steel Pulse FC beat All Star United 2-0. Returning champion, Christos FC, seeking its fifth Rowland Cup in six years, crushed Baltimore Kickers 11-1 and Columbia FC defeated Maryland International FC 5-0. With these results Yinz United and Steel Pulse will advance out of Group A and Christos and Columbia will advance from Group B. The semifinals are scheduled for March 23 and 24 with each group winner facing the runners-up from the other group.

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

STEWART CUP

The First Round of the Stewart Cup, Maryland’s official amateur cup competition, was scheduled to begin on February 7 but the bad weather postponed those matches until this Sunday. The first Quarterfinal match between All Star United and Maryland International will also be played this Sunday. The three winners from the First Round will play in the remaining Quarterfinals matches on March 21 against the other clubs that received a bye. Christos FC is looking to win its sixth straight Stewart Cup.

MORTON CUP

The Morton Cup finished its slate of second-round group games this past weekend. In Group A, Dream Team FC blanked D.C. de Districtonia 10-0 and Frederick Spires FC beat DC Flames FC 5-1. Those results put Dream Team at the top of the group with six points. Districtonia and Frederick Spires both sit at 3 points with the Spires ahead on goal differential. Those two clubs will meet in the final game of the group stage to determine which of them will advance to the knockout rounds.

In Group B, Motorik FC moved to the top of the group and assured its place in the knockout rounds by defeating JA Raiders FC 6-3. In the other group match, Columbia FC 2 blanked TrendSetters FC 3-0. In the final group match, Columbia just needs to draw against Motorik to advance, but can also advance if the Raiders lose to the TrendSetters. In order to advance, the Raiders need to beat the TrendSetters, hope Columbia loses, and have the goal differential be in their favor. The semifinals are scheduled for March 16 and 17 with each group winner facing the runners-up from the other group.

MARYLAND OVER-30 CUP

The MSSA also released the schedules for the Maryland Over-30 and Over-40 Cups both of which are back from a one-year hiatus. The Maryland Over-30 Cup was established in 2011 and the winner will advance to the USASA Region I qualifiers for the Gerhard Mengel Cup. The Maryland Bays are the current holders of the cup.

Five clubs entered this year’s cup. Maryland United will face Colombia FC in a Quarterfinal match on March 21 at Laytonia Park in Gaithersburg. The remaining three clubs received byes to the semifinals to be held on March 28 also at Laytonia Park. In the semis, Baltimore Kickers will take on Christos FC and the combined Fighting BOBs/Yinz Legends O30 squad will take on the winner of the Quarterfinal.

MARYLAND OVER-40 CUP

Established in 2018, the Maryland Over-40 Cup is the state’s newest cup competition. The winner of Maryland’s cup will advance to the USASA Region I qualifiers for the national Over-40 Cup. Christos FC is the current holder of the cup.

Three clubs entered this year’s cup. In the semifinal match, Colombia FC will face Baltimore Kickers on March 31 at Troy Park. The winner of that game will face Christos FC in the final.

Washington Premier League Winter 2020-21 season update

All matches during WPL’s winter season are being played at the Draper Drive Soccer Park in Fairfax, Virginia. Through mid-February, fall champion Conquistadores continue to sit at the top of the table with 17 points on a record of five wins and two draws. FC 1749 is second with 15 points on five wins and two losses with Capital City FC third with 12 points and a record of three wins, three draws and one loss.

United Women’s Soccer League Two Mid-Atlantic Conference update

In mid-February, UWS League Two announced that two more clubs would join the new Mid-Atlantic Conference. Steel United PA is a youth club in the Philadelphia area and its UWSs team will play their home games at Cardinal O’Hara High School in Springfield, Penn. Based in Baltimore, Coppermine S.C. was founded in 2014 and its UWS2 squad will play at Coppermine Norris Field. The addition of these two clubs brings the UWS2 Mid-Atlantic Conference to eight teams for the upcoming spring season.