What ages and program levels does Maryland United FC offer?The academy pathway serves about ages three through eight through Mini Kickers (roughly U4–U6) and the U7–U8 Academy, with county-based sites across Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Prince George’s, and Talbot. Travel teams run from the youngest academy-age bands through U18 for both boys and girls, including Pre-ECNL and Pre-ECNL RL at U11, ECNL and ECNL Regional League tracks, and Premier or Elite teams when numbers allow. Maryland United South adds parallel boys and girls programming in Calvert and Charles County.
Maryland United FC
Upper Marlboro, Maryland
About
Maryland United FC is a youth soccer club with administrative offices at 220 Prince George’s Boulevard in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, and a footprint that reaches families across the Baltimore–Washington corridor and beyond. The modern club grew from Freestate Soccer Alliance, started in 1981 to bring organized travel soccer to families around Bowie before expanding through Anne Arundel County and later merging with Waldorf Soccer Club and other groups in 2013 to form today’s Maryland United FC. Maryland United leads with commitment, courage, and passion and treats player development as work on the whole person—not only the athlete.
What the club offers
The Maryland United Academy serves players about ages three through eight. Mini Kickers covers roughly U4–U6 and the U7–U8 Academy continues the introductory pathway with small-sided play and an emphasis on fun and confidence. Academy families choose county-based entry points—including Anne Arundel, Calvert, Charles, Prince George’s, and Talbot—for practices and games that fit their home community. Older travel programming runs for boys and girls from the youngest academy-style bands through U18, with tiered teams such as Pre-ECNL and Pre-ECNL RL at U11, ECNL and ECNL Regional League tracks in the teen years, and Premier and Elite levels where player numbers support multiple teams in an age group. Maryland United South extends parallel boys and girls options in Calvert and Charles County under the same club umbrella. Beyond league play, the club promotes supplemental offerings such as futsal nights, summer camps and clinics, a USL Youth summer track, tournaments, goalkeeper training, and college-showcase style events for older players.
Training sites and how teams operate
Primary training and match hubs include an exclusive partnership at Liberty Sports Park on Prince George’s Boulevard in Upper Marlboro—six lighted full-size turf fields plus grass fields opened in 2023—and Indian Creek Upper School in Crownsville, with multiple turf and grass surfaces and stadium seating used heavily on weekends and several weeknights. The club also uses a network of auxiliary grass and turf sites across the region (for example Bowie, Columbia, Annapolis, Burtonsville, Elkridge, and Huntingtown) when teams need extra capacity or specific surface types. Boys and girls directors of coaching, technical leadership, and age-group coaches handle day-to-day soccer decisions, with associate and South directors supporting large player pools.
Tryouts, offers, and roster movement
Annual tryouts target the transition at the end of spring: sessions are expected in late April and early May, with the detailed schedule and field assignments usually set around mid-April, while the coaching slate for the coming cycle is announced on a similar timeline. Every player—new or returning—registers for tryouts through Playmetrics (account setup, email verification, and player profiles mirror the club’s step-by-step guidance, including an optional tutorial video). Families should plan to arrive about fifteen minutes before the assigned window with a red shirt, a white shirt, a soccer ball, shin guards, and a labeled water bottle. Offers roll out after the first tryout date; if nothing arrives within about five days after the final session, families reach out to the age-group coach and the relevant director of coaching. Players who miss the main tryout window can contact those same leaders to attend a training evaluation. Accepted players have roughly forty-eight hours to decide once contacted, then forty-eight hours to complete online registration and an initial payment to secure the roster spot. Mid-season evaluation and internal movement help players who grow quickly or need a different competitive fit. Need-based financial assistance may be available for qualifying families.
Registration checkout, fees, and financial programs
After a verbal accept, families receive team-specific Playmetrics checkout where they can pay the full-year balance at once or spread charges on a monthly plan. Paying in full carries a seven percent discount off the total balance. The first installment is due immediately when accepting a May or June offer; remaining monthly drafts hit on the fifteenth of each month from July through January, pulled automatically by bank debit or card—cash and checks are not accepted at the office. Accounts more than seven days late incur a fifteen-dollar monthly late fee, and extended delinquency can trigger suspension under board policy. Team assessments vary by age band, gender pathway, and tier (for example ECNL versus Premier or South Charles options), and the exact total appears in Playmetrics checkout for each offer. Standard team fee packages generally cover league entry (including ECNL, EDP, CMSSL, and USYS platforms where applicable), insurance through MSYSA and US Club, grass and turf rental, goalkeeper training, HUDL and VEO video tools, Sports Recruits access for recruiting-age players, college seminar support, the Maryland United winter league, most coach travel for non-ECNL tracks, referees, administrative and coaching compensation, field maintenance, and office overhead. Uniforms are always extra, with mandatory Nike and Soccer Post ordering information sent around June, and ECNL boys and girls tracks handle certain coach-travel tournament costs differently than other tiers. Sibling discounts run about seven percent on the combined balance for three or more children in the club and about three point five percent for two. The Financial Assistance Program reviews need-based applications on a rolling two-to-ten-day timeline, requires tax and hardship documentation, caps awards below one hundred percent of fees, expects at least ten volunteer hours from approved families, and routes questions to the club bookkeeper. Jen Pagliaro handles billing and discount questions; Athena Gramates serves as club registrar for carding and registration paperwork.
Philosophy, communication, and family support
Maryland United describes a holistic model: high-energy environments at signature venues, a possession-oriented and high-pressing game model, and a pathway pyramid that moves players from foundation years (about U9–U11) through a development block (about U12–U14) into competitive phases (about U15–U18) where roles within a team game model matter most. Training blocks often stack adjacent age groups so coaches can collaborate and keep a consistent club style. Families receive email updates, calendar pushes through Playmetrics, and invitations to parent meetings, and the club promotes individualized development planning so players hear how to grow within their team. Stability through leadership continuity, clear communication, and long-range planning—including preparation for school-year age grouping changes—anchors the club in a fast-changing youth soccer landscape.
Explore more teams
Compare Maryland United FC with other youth soccer options in your area before making a decision. These directory links make it easier to review local clubs, broader Maryland programs, and nearby team options in one place.
Frequently asked questions
Where does Maryland United FC train and play?Core facilities are Liberty Sports Park on Prince George’s Boulevard in Upper Marlboro and the Indian Creek Upper School complex in Crownsville, each hosting heavy weekend and weeknight use. Additional grass and turf locations across the region—such as Bowie, Columbia, Annapolis, Burtonsville, Elkridge, and Huntingtown—supplement training and games when teams need extra space or specific surfaces.
When are tryouts and how do families register?Tryouts concentrate in late April and early May, with the detailed schedule and field assignments usually set around mid-April alongside coaching announcements for the new cycle. Every player registers through Playmetrics before attending. After tryouts, staff extend offers on a rolling basis; families who miss the main dates contact the age-group coach and director of coaching to schedule a training evaluation.
What does a season year of club soccer cost and how does payment work?Team assessments depend on age, gender pathway, and competitive tier, and the exact balance appears in Playmetrics once a player accepts an offer. Families may pay in full for a seven percent discount or choose automatic monthly drafts on the fifteenth from July through January after an immediate first payment when accepting in May or June. Uniforms, some ECNL coach-travel charges, personal travel, and add-on tournaments sit outside the standard bundle. A fifteen-dollar late fee applies each month an installment is more than seven days overdue. Sibling discounts apply at roughly seven percent for three or more players in the club and three point five percent for two. Need-based Financial Assistance Program awards are capped below one hundred percent of fees and require documentation and volunteer hours.
What is Maryland United FC’s mission and coaching philosophy?Maryland United pairs the tagline commitment, courage, and passion with holistic development: confident leaders and community contributors, not only skilled players. Training emphasizes dominating games with the ball, a high-pressing identity, and a pathway pyramid that builds foundation skills in younger ages, deepens habits and tactics in the middle years, and sharpens competitive roles for high-school players. Adjacent age groups often train in coordinated blocks so the club style stays consistent.
How can families contact Maryland United FC?General soccer questions for academy programming can start with a call to +1 301-263-4935 or email to the academy leadership. Registration, carding, and roster paperwork flow through the club registrar at athena.gramates@mdunitedfc.org. Billing, payment plans, sibling discounts, and financial assistance questions go to jen.pagliaro@mdunitedfc.org. Boys soccer leadership reaches colin.herriot@mdunitedfc.org, girls leadership reaches harry.canellakis@mdunitedfc.org, and Maryland United South questions go to laurence.smith@mdunitedfc.org. The administrative office sits at 220 Prince George’s Boulevard, Upper Marlboro, MD 20774, and operations questions can also go to pat.noel@mdunitedfc.org.
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