The two local organizations at the forefront of a push to bring Baltimore men’s soccer into the professional ranks have a big match coming up against each other this week.
Founded in Anne Arundel County in 1997, Christos FC takes its name from Christos Discount Liquors in Glen Burnie. The top-flight amateur club is best known for its run into the fourth-round of the 2017 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, when it briefly led Major League Soccer’s D.C. United before tiring and falling, 4-1.
The club now also hosts a summer team of mostly college-aged players in a league affiliated with the United Soccer League—a second-tier professional circuit below Major League Soccer. But the organization hasn’t forgotten its amateur roots. Men with day jobs fill out the Christos roster in the amateur/semi-professional American Premier Soccer League (AMSL)—where it competes in the Mid-Atlantic Conference against the 2023-founded Baltimore City F.C.
“The city’s fan base is eager for soccer at the pro level, and I believe that with the right investment and continued grassroots support, Baltimore could one day support a professional club,” says Christos FC president Darius Taylor, who played collegiate soccer at UMBC. “Christos FC is proud to play a role in helping to develop players and grow the soccer culture here, and we’re excited about the possibilities for the future.”
Baltimore City F.C. was founded two years ago by German immigrant Nicholas Siler, who serves as managing director, and director of operations Joe Nixon, an English immigrant who played collegiate soccer at Shippensburg University. The main driver in the creation of Baltimore City F.C. was their growing impatience that elite soccer players did not have a chance to grow and showcase their talent here. Nixon, for example, often had to drive an hour to find a team that trained during the week.
“We played recreationally before we started B.C.F.C.,” Nixon says of the group that ultimately begat Baltimore City F.C. “It was a point of frustration because we were playing with a lot of talented players—both men and women. For them not to have the opportunity to play at the next level and continue their development in the game constantly—and have coaches that want to develop them as players and people—there was a massive gap in Baltimore.”
This past fall, Christos FC finished second in the APSL’s Mid-Atlantic Conference. In the spring, however, Baltimore F.C. turned the tables and took first place.
With the APSL playoffs approaching, Baltimore City F.C. and Christos FC will meet this Saturday, June 7 at 7 p.m. at Patterson Park’s Utz Field in a game billed as the “Charm City Derby.” (For the uninitiated, a “derby” is soccer term for a match between two local foes—traditionally long-standing rivals, like the Manchester United and Manchester City of the English Premier League.)
The tradition of professional outdoor soccer in Baltimore is far more extensive than most fans realize today—although nothing ever quite stood the test of time. Often, it’s a story of one club disbanding, despite success on the field, with another team stepping into the void. It’s also worth noting that Baltimore’s immigrant community was at the forefront of the city’s professional soccer endeavors throughout the 20th century—and remains so today.
Here’s a rundown: Baltimore Orioles F.C., a team owned by the original 19th-century baseball Orioles, played in the first-ever professional soccer league in the U.S. for one season in 1894 before promptly folding.
A number of years later, Canton S.C. (originally founded as Baltimore’s True American Club) joined the then-popular and professional American Soccer League for the 1934-35 season. They later changed their name to Baltimore S.C. and captured the American Soccer League 1939-1940 championship. They remained in the city until 1947-48 season, when the club moved and became the Trenton Americans.
The Baltimore German, another American Soccer League entry, was founded in the 1938-39 season. With the country’s entrance into World War II looming, they changed their name to the Baltimore Americans before the start of the next season. The Baltimore Americans won the league championship in 1945-46, but withdraw from the league during the 1948-49 season.
Another German American club, the Baltimore Kickers, was subsequently founded by German immigrants Eddie Thau and Werner Juergensen in 1953. Located at Moravia Road and Gunther Avenue in the Frankford neighborhood of northeast Baltimore, the club still exists today.
Then, there were the Baltimore Rockets, who played under that nickname from 1953-1957 before rebranding as Baltimore Pompeii S.C. Filled with Italian-Americans, the team took flight in 1957 and played one of the longest U.S. Open Cup matches in 1958 before defeating Sport Club Eintracht, a German-American team from Queens, by a goal. They ultimately lost in the Open finals that year, in a match played in Baltimore, to the Los Angeles Kickers, 2-1. That team disbanded three years later.
The following decade, the Baltimore St. Gerards, named after the Catholic chapel of the same name in O’Donnell Heights, joined the American Soccer League. Playing their home games at Archbishop Curley High School, they won the 1966-1967 ASL league championship. But after its second year, the club folded.
The same year the St. Gerards folded, the Baltimore Bays, owned by the current-day Baltimore Orioles, became a founding member of the National Professional Soccer League. They played two seasons at Memorial Stadium and one at Kirk Field before dissolving.
Finally, a non-affiliated Bays club—founded by Greek American broadcaster Jim Kavrellas, the play-by-play man for the NBA’s Baltimore Bullets—played in the ASL during the 1972-1973 season. Known as the Baltimore Stars the following year; they soon disbanded, as well. The Baltimore Comets of the NASL were born the same year, but played only one season at Memorial Stadium before moving to San Diego.
Today, the Maryland Stadium Authority is entering the pitch. They’re studying the construction of a potential soccer stadium site on the 60 acres at Carroll Park Golf Course and the 13 acres at Baltimore Peninsula, per The Baltimore Banner. The proposed 7,500-seat stadium would be the home of D.C. United’s developmental MLS Next Pro team and could open as early as 2028. A bill of $200 million for the project sits on the table, however, and there isn’t currently any definitive word on who—or what agency—would fund it.
Meanwhile, the hope for Baltimore City F.C. and Christos FC is that they can keep growing local interest in developing a professional team. The inaugural Charm City Derby could be a significant step in that direction.
“My sincere hope is that we all work together more closely across every aspect of this wonderful sport,” says Christos FC general manager Larry Sancomb. “I take pride in watching young men and women grow both as players and as outstanding individuals. Our culture in Baltimore emphasizes developing future stars and leaders who will shape the next chapter of our city’s great soccer heritage.”
Kyle J. Andrews is an athlete, coach, and freelance reporter in the Baltimore area.