Basswood Counsel Renews Sponsorship
Washington Capital United is thrilled to announce the continuation of Basswood Counsel’s club sponsorship of WCU for a second year. As the club’s returning sponsor, Basswood Counsel plays a pivotal role in ensuring our programs and teams remain accessible to players on the Hill and across DC and the metropolitan area.
“Programs like Washington Capital United help young people build confidence and resilience - foundations that extend well beyond the field. Their focus on inclusion, personal growth, and teamwork mirrors the values we strive to uphold in our work every day. Supporting WCU again this year reflects our commitment to investing in people early and helping communities thrive for the long term.” — Chris Klug, Basswood Counsel
WCU is proud to feature Basswood Counsel on our training jerseys throughout each week on our practice fields around the district. Support from local businesses like Basswood ensures that our Capitol Hill community continues having high-quality soccer programs available in neighborhood locations.
Basswood Counsel is a boutique law firm providing hands-on, strategic corporate, mergers and acquisitions, tax, and transactional counsel—designed to navigate complexity with ease. Founded to prioritize meaningful client relationships over formalities, they collaborate with bold leaders across industries, tailoring their advice to support clients’ unique goals and growth.
Our 2nd Annual Club Night was so fun! We jammed out to DJ Jonny, battled in soccer tennis matches, heard from our Director of Soccer Operations and Board President, ate a mountain of pizza, and played an epic game of Simon Says led by the @washingtonspirit’s @madisonkhaugen!
Our fundraising raffle concluded with a live auction even featuring a junior auctioneer. 🎤 🤩
Thank you to the Washington Spirit and Maddie Haugen for joining us! And thanks as well to all our Board Members, Coaches, Managers, and families for coming out to make our gathering such a success!
#YouthSoccer #DCsoccer #nonprofitsoccer #socceracademy #playerdevelopment
As many of you may already know, our own Coach Osman “Ossie” Orlando will be undergoing a medical procedure on Tuesday, September 1st. During this time, I would like to ask our WCU family to come together and support Coach Ossie and his family with our thoughts, prayers, encouragement, and, for those who are able, financial support during his recovery.
We are incredibly fortunate to have Coach Ossie as part of our technical staff. He is our WCU Development Academy Director and is truly one of the best player developers and talent nurturers I have had the privilege of working with. His impact reaches across every phase of a soccer player’s journey - from the earliest Discovery and Foundation stages through high school, college, professional, and national team levels. But Coach Ossie’s story goes far beyond soccer.
Born in Ghana, Coach Ossie grew up without many of the opportunities and resources that young players have today. There were no readily available fields, soccer shoes, or even soccer balls. But what he did have was determination, commitment, a deep love for the game, mental strength, and an incredible willingness to find a way forward. As a young boy, he would play with whatever he could find - tennis balls, lemons, and, whenever he was fortunate enough to have one, a real soccer ball.
His hard work and determination eventually earned him an opportunity that changed his life. At just 17 years old, Coach Ossie was signed by a team in Ghana’s most established league. Only a year later, he became the starting left winger for the Ghana National Team. He went on to play alongside and against some of the best players in Africa, competing in major Africa Cup and World Cup competitions. In 1974, Coach Ossie made the decision to come to the US - the land of opportunity - to pursue his dream of playing soccer professionally.
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The WCU ATP Program is back! Designed for committed, high-performing players seeking additional development beyond team training, the program focuses on elite-level technical repetition, dribbling and passing at game speed, and athletic movement within a competitive, professional environment. Take your skills to the next level with WCU this Fall! Register at the #linkinbio
#DCsoccer #socceracademy #playerdevelopment #SoccerTraining
And just like that, a new season has begun! We’ve loved seeing all our players back out on the pitch for pre-season training!
#YouthSoccer #DCsoccer #socceracademy #soccertraining #playerdevelopment
✨Vibes have been immaculate✨at the first 2 weeks of WCU Summer Camp.
It’s not too late to join the fun - sign up for one of the remaining 3 weeks! You can register at the #linkinbio ✨
#YouthSoccer #DCsoccer #socceracademy #soccertraining
This spring, we said “see you soon!” to 3 seniors: Iris, Sola, and Riley! ❤️ They have each played with WCU for over 8 years and were all integral parts of the success and joy of the WCU 08G Blue team.
Along with these throwback photos, Coach Alexis shared a few words about what makes each of them so special:
“Iris is a fearless goalie who we could always count on to make big stops and incredible saves. She is also a dangerous forward who can create chances, score goals, and always seemed to have a few goals in her back pocket when we needed them most.
Sola is a true box to box player, making impressive runs toward the opponent’s goal while somehow always having the fitness and determination to sprint back and make big plays on defense. Her engine seems endless, but what makes her special is that she pairs that work rate with real skill on the ball, making her the kind of player who can truly do it all.
Riley approached every game and practice with a positive attitude, one that lifts up and inspires her teammates. She is also a gritty player who works tirelessly to win every ball, battles hard in every challenge, and never backs down from doing the dirty work. On top of that, she has a knack for scoring absolute bangers, and those moments always got the whole team fired up.
We will definitely miss these three next year but know they are going to do great things at Colorado State University, UCLA, and University of Rochester!” ⭐️
#YouthSoccer #DCsoccer #socceracademy #playerdevelopment #SoccerTraining
The WCU 16G Blue team played with heart and hustle, and came away as CHAMPIONS at the Icebreaker Tournament ! With 17 goals scored and only 1 goal against in the group stage, they rolled into the final with momentum, clinching the trophy with a 2-0 win! Congrats to Coach Ashley and the 16G Blue!
The WCU 15B Blue team had a blast at the Alexandria Soccer Association's ASK Tournament ! score 20 goals keep 1 clean sheet win 4 games CHAMPIONS! Congrats to Director of Soccer Operations and Coach Tudor and the 15B Blue!
WCU Coaches had the pleasure of learning from German Football Federation instructor Maik Drzensla during a 3-day intensive this winter. Hosted by Global Soccer Development and DC Soccer Club, the coaching education course shared the German perspective on training efficiently and techniques for developing creative players. Our coaches look forward to implementing what they learned with their WCU teams!
We recently wrapped up our Winter Futsal Training Program at Catholic University’s Athletic Center. Players from our travel teams and beyond spent the past few months leveling up their skills every Saturday, and are revved up for their spring seasons.
We are excited to welcome two new coaches to the WCU Technical Staff. Fresh from a successful season with the DCI Varsity Boys team, Coach JP Dias has come on board as coach of the WCU 14B Red team. Coach Kalani Takamura returns to give back to his youth club as a coach in the Development Academy. Please join us in welcoming them to WCU!
We’re so proud of our three teams that competed in tournaments this weekend! The WCU 2015 Boys Blue were undefeated through four games on their way to winning the championship at the Nation’s Capital Cup ! At the same tournament, our 2012 Boys Blue secured two strong wins. Meanwhile, at the Columbia Fall Classic , our 2015 Girls Blue showed off their determination, teamwork, and growth mindset to finish the weekend with a 5-0 win! Congrats to all our players and teams!
WCU players are making waves in the DMV! The WCU 17G Blue team’s Mayté was recognized by the Washington Spirit in their most recent “Junior Spirit Player Spotlight” :
We had a fun-filled night gathering with our players, parents, and families at The Fields at RFK to celebrate our club on November 3rd! It was wonderful seeing the larger club community all together. We competed in soccer contests, ate lots of pizza, danced to the music of Coach/DJ Jon Orlando, and raffled off amazing prizes. Congrats to all our soccer contest and raffle prize winners! Your raffle donations raised more than $1,000! Please join us in thanking and supporting the generous organizations and individuals who donated items for our Club Night Raffle: Washington Spirit DC United Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company Executive Office of the Mayor of DC Scotty Bodywork Massage The St. James ZomTum: Laos Thai Bistro Betsy Brandon Emily Stern WCU Coaches Jon, Ossie, Tudor, Amanda, Sophie, and Mario
We had a blast at WCU's Summer Camp! Across four weeks at The Fields at RFK, our Travel and Development Academy players - along with new friends - joined us for soccer fun in the sun! From leveling up skills to scoring golazos, campers had an action-packed week of fun and learning with Coaches Ossie, Delfo, Alexis, Amanda, and Tudor. We can’t wait to spend the next school break with campers continuing to grow their love for the game!
We were thrilled to welcome exciting additions to our administrative team and coaching staff over the summer, as we continue to grow and strengthen the Washington Capital United community! Please join us in giving a warm welcome to Sophie Aung , Mia Isaac , and Mario Quevedo , each bringing unique experiences, outstanding credentials, and a shared passion for developing young players both on and off the field. Sophie Aung joins us as Club Administrator and Development Academy Assistant Coach. With a background in coaching youth across D.C. and an impressive decade-long career in arts administration and public programming, Sophie blends creativity, organization, and heart. Her experience with Soccer on the Hill, Player Progression Academy, and the Federal Triangles Soccer Club demonstrates her deep commitment to the game and to community. Sophie holds a USSF Grassroots license and is working on the USSF D license later this fall/winter. Coach Mia Isaac comes to us fresh off an NCAA Division I career at the University of Maryland, where she also earned a degree in Kinesiology. With two years of coaching experience and a growing list of credentials, Mia brings energy, empathy, and a development-first mindset to her teams. Her emphasis on communication and creating a positive training environment will be an incredible asset to our young athletes. Coach Mia holds a USSF Grassroots license and is working on the USSF D license. Coach Mario Quevedo adds six years of diverse coaching experience at the club, school, and academy levels including time with Crush FC, Real Madrid Camps, and PSG Academy Camps. Originally from Venezuela, Mario has coached across the U.S. and helped dozens of young players pursue their dreams of college soccer. His international perspective, leadership, and dedication to player growth are a perfect fit for WCU’s mission. Coach Mario holds a USSF Grassroots license and is working on the USSF D license. We are incredibly excited to have these passionate and talented individuals join our team. Each new addition enriches our community and helps WCU continue to offer a dynamic, supportive, competitive, and forward-thinking soccer environment for all.