New emerging soccer club to have connection with Mary Washington
3 min read
Club leaders reached out to Amorose and offered him a spot on the team.
by: COLE RASMUSSEN
Contributing Writer
A new pre-professional soccer club is taking to the field in the Fredericksburg area.
In early 2026, Fred City Soccer Club was formed as a pre-professional club for both men and women interested in professional soccer.
The club was founded and is co-directed by soccer enthusiasts Victor Fuster, Jason Graham and Gilberto Baez.
Each founder has background experience that plays a role in the inner workings of the club. They have been working on this project for over two years behind the scenes.
“We have a collective kind of dynamic skill set in this region and across these areas and that’s kind of how we all work together,” said Fuster.
Victor Fuster is the Board President of Stafford Soccer, a nonprofit program that provides opportunities for players from 3 to 19. Baez is the founder of the Commonwealth Cardinals, a soccer club established in 2022.
Graham, a former City Council member and technological businessman, has used his year off the council to help form this club.
“Current [student-athletes] are absolutely eligible to play. The level of play in USL2 and USLW affords us the ability to have college players play and they retain their NCAA eligibility,” said Fuster.
The men’s team is part of USL League Two, a semi-professional soccer league. The women’s team is part of USLW, the women’s semi-professional league.
“We’re extremely excited about the potential of having some players from the Mary Washington women’s and men’s teams as part of this going forward,” said Foster.
Recruitment is still ongoing for both players and coaches. The club plans to build an estimated roster of 30 players on each team.
UMW class of 2026 alum and All-American soccer player Sammy Amorose signed to play with the Fred City Soccer Club in Sept., after spending his post-grad year as a personal trainer and soccer coach for Stafford Soccer.
“I would definitely recommend it to current and former players from UMW because it can only help them with the season and it has potential to help them play professionally after they are finished at UMW,” said Amorose.
Player tryout information has not been released as of Oct. 21.
Technical staffing positions, such as coaches, have not yet been announced.
Potential athletes and coaches who would like to participate in the club can fill out an interest form on their website.
The club will have a direct connection with The University of Mary Washington, as the club will host their games at the Roy Gordon Field in the Battleground Athletic Complex.
“We expect the university to be a fundamental part of this organization. I don’t think we’d be able to do this without the university’s support, to be perfectly honest,” said Graham.
With games planned to start in May 2027, the club is currently working to get its name out there and get more people involved.
Their goal is to engage the community and get more young people involved in soccer.
According to their website, “Fred City Soccer Club was founded in 2026 with a vision of developing and inspiring players to reach their fullest potential while fostering pride throughout the community and creating an enduring environment of opportunity, belonging and inclusion.”
The club hopes to engage with students to help foster further connection among the larger Fredericksburg community.
“I think it was really important to continue to bring something to the community where people can come together and create that sense of community. It’s so great to see; sports is one of those places where it doesn’t matter your background, it doesn’t matter your ideology, everyone can come together and have a common goal,” Graham said.
