Blues Fever

by

Annapolis Blues FC

The Annapolis Blues FC look to capitalize on last season’s success…and electrify its hometown

Back from school, Jackson Ruckman laced up his scuffed cleats and sprinted onto the Navy Marine Corps Memorial Stadium’s freshly marked field. This was a new kind of pitch for Ruckman and his hometown of Annapolis, known more for celebrating legendary football battles than soccer.

Ever since he was five-years-old and gleefully kicked a ball into a goal, Ruckman could count on a few fans cheering him on. After playing for modest crowds in high school and college, he was eager for his debut with a startup minor league team. Yet in a town synonymous with the Naval Academy, where sailing and lacrosse traditions also run deep, he wondered: Would anyone show up?

Glancing at the stands, he got an electrifying answer: a sea of blue engulfed one side of the stadium, as 8,368 ticket-holders set a record for the inaugural home opener. Families sported team jerseys. Six-year-olds danced in conga lines. Neighbors chatted between shouts of “Go Blues.” 

Annapolis had turned out against all expectations to welcome the Annapolis Blues FC—proof that soccer, too, is capturing the town’s heart.

“I got out there and was like, ‘Oh my god,’” recalls Ruckman, a 21-year-old defender for the Blues, who grew up in nearby Edgewater and plays right-back at North Carolina’s High Point University. “I had no idea it would be that big.” 

The Blues are back this summer, hoping to recapture the excitement of their first National Premier Soccer League season, when they won all but one game (with one draw), shattered attendance records, and claimed the Mid-Atlantic conference title. 

“I want the team to be a reflection of the fans: Passionate. Enthusiastic. Never-say-die,” says Coach Colin Herriot, who emphasizes an aggressive attack and vows to “continue to improve.” “There’s been a genuine connection there between the players and the community.” 

The Blues’ success mirrors an explosion in both professional and amateur clubs, as national leagues capitalize on soccer’s skyrocketing popularity. Semi-pro teams have popped up from Oklahoma City to Pittsburgh, with the NPSL alone expanding from six Southwestern teams in 2003 to 92 today. Meanwhile, Major League Soccer packs stadiums; CBS Sports will broadcast the second-tier United Soccer League, and the 2026 World Cup promises more soccer mania.

Annapolis’ lively sports scene beckoned Michael Hitchcock, a Dallas-based sports management entrepreneur and the majority owner. Hitchcock, who started his career in several MLS front offices, has invested in 15 other developmental teams across the country. His latest is in Columbus, Georgia, near Fort Moore, the Army base where he was born. 

“We try to make it authentic, a real high-level experience, but also as much fun as possible,” says Hitchcock, who keeps a photo on his office wall of the Blues’ triumphant championship goal. “Kids can play games, get autographs, take a selfie. That’s the beauty of minor league sports.”

The Blues got off to a buzzy start, rallying fans with social-media promotions and a poll to pick the team’s name. Downtown cafes eagerly displayed banners, while area businesses signed up as sponsors. Forward Brewing and Rise Up Coffee even crafted signature drinks.

In no time, the Blues had found their footing amid the town’s festivities surrounding Navy games, lacrosse playoffs, and Wednesday night regattas. Soccer enthusiasts now tailgate at the stadium like academy alumni. Young families relish cotton candy, gear giveaways, and game-day tickets that sell for $15 per adult and $12 for each kiddo. Fans hail each goal with chants of “Old Bay, Old Bay,” a spicy Maryland twist on the Mexican soccer refrain “Olé, Olé.” 

Supporters anticipate an even greater rise this summer. After last July’s nail-biter conference victory drew another record crowd of 8,480, Hitchcock is hopeful for 10,000 fans. That would be double the typical NPSL turnout, closer to a slow day at Washington’s D.C. United, an MLS team. Despite ample room at the 34,000 seat Navy stadium, though, U.S. Soccer’s convoluted system prevents teams like the Blues from advancing into upper tier leagues, regardless of record or attendance.

As the Blues gain momentum, they’re elevating a youth sport often overshadowed here, especially by lacrosse. Their devoted fan base reflects not just a generational shift but also the growing influence of Annapolis’ Latino community, now 18 percent of the city’s 40,000 residents—and its passion for soccer. Amid the town’s bustle, soccer quietly thrives, with hundreds of kids practicing on middle-school fields, and adults organizing Sunday games.

Claire Bowdren co-founded Eastport’s Forward brewery, whose name is featured (along with a crab logo) on the team jerseys. She credits the Blues for tapping into “a network of soccer enthusiasts and players that was already here, but just wasn’t as recognized.”

For Ruckman and his teammates, the summer games are mostly about honing skills for the upcoming college season. Most of the 32 rostered players are Division I standouts, with some from Division III schools and a handful recruited through popular open tryouts. 

But the Blues also offer an unexpected step up for young men who assumed college was the pinnacle, after dedicating years to travel ball and out-of-state tournaments. And for talented players from the Annapolis area, who left in pursuit of higher competition, it’s a homecoming. 

“It’s just a different feeling to play where you watched Navy football, Navy lacrosse, and now I’m on that field,” says Ruckman, who graduated from the McDonogh School, where he boarded to compete with Baltimore-area private schools. “The Blues are pretty close. We do a lot of outreach, so now kids get to see soccer and think: ‘I want to play on this team someday.’”

Players don’t get paid and sacrifice summer weekends to early wakeups. But their return is better than free Rise Up coffee: a chance to distinguish themselves at Annapolis’ biggest arena, where they might catch the eye of scouts. Just ask Jacob Murrell, last year’s striker, who scored the final penalty goal in the championship—and was promptly signed by D.C. United.

“I’m trying to do what he did,” confesses Alex Wroblewski of Murrell’s leap to the major league. Wroblewski, who is 21 and also a striker at the University of Maryland Baltimore County, joined the offense, impressed by both the “intensity” and “togetherness of the team.”

After 11 years of coaching at the highly ranked Maryland United youth club, Herriot, the head coach, had no trouble recruiting a starting lineup. He personally knew dozens of elite players, including those like Ruckman who had played for him. Meanwhile, there are plenty of up-and-coming prospects in Maryland and D.C., where the umbrella youth soccer association now boasts 75,000 registered players (both boys and girls), compared to 54,000 in 2014. 

In the Blues’ second year, Herriot is determined to not only win the conference again but also to advance in the NPSL regional playoffs. He pledges another season of relentless attack, saying: “We want to be really proactive with the ball. We want to control possession, to try to dominate.”

Diehard Blues fans anxiously await every move, erupting into applause and high-fives at every daring through ball or spectacular save. But others find more enjoyment in the togetherness—and sheer ebullience—of the games. 

“Everyone was there!” exclaims Christine Lasser, owner of an Annapolis nanny-placement service, who bought season tickets with her husband, Eli, last year. “We had no idea it would be this popular. I literally ran into people I hadn’t seen in 10 years.”

On Saturdays, the Lassers stroll to the stadium with their three young children, all decked out in Blues gear, from their Murray Hill home. Eight-year-old Reid, a Maryland United player affectionately dubbed “Speedy Reidy” by his coach, finds the games “really fun because the players were so good.” The best part? Dashing on the field afterward to get his ball autographed. 

Annapolis Alderwoman Karma O’Neill, who represents the neighborhood encompassing the stadium, had the same experience. She, too, credits the Blues for the impromptu camaraderie.

“Every game I go to, I’m shocked by how many people I know, and if I don’t know them, I start seeing them around town,” she says. “There’s just this incredible energy. It’s a good family game, not rowdy, not a big frat party, just good clean fun.”

For the full Annapolis Blues’ season schedule and to purchase gameday tickets, click here.