Baltimore Kings News Release
Thursday August 3, 2017
Baltimore, MD –

The Baltimore Kings have added another local player to the professional team, inking former Towson University (NCAA DI) standout Trey Cooper to a one game contract.

Cooper will play against the Washington Fire on September 16, 2017 at Concordia Preparatory School in Towson, Maryland in the Baltimore Kings’ first professional game.

Cooper, an Spanish-American international, played high school soccer at James Blake High School in Montgomery County, MD, and was named Ythlete of the year, winning the Maryland State Cup. Cooper also was a three-year honor roll student and was named to the All-Gazette First Team in 2011.

As a freshman, Cooper started three games for Towson University in their last season before the NCAA DI soccer program was cut. Cooper then spent a season with Real Maryland U-20's in 2014. He then played for Spanish club San Fernando Club Deportivo in preseason in 2014 and 2016. Most recently, Cooper played for the Baltimore Kings’ U-23 team in the summer of 2017.

"Trey spent this entire summer with the U-23 team and was a leader in our backline. His physical presence and composure with the ball at his feet allowed us to win possession and keep the ball out of the back. Our first two signings [David Warburton and Trey Cooper] both came from our summer U-23 program. We remain committed to providing an environment where players have the ability to move up the ranks through our club, rewarding the players that perform. We hope to put these guys up on a stage where they can move on to full-time playing opportunities."

Cooper joins David Warburton (Loyola University - NCAA DI) as the first two professional signings in Baltimore Kings’ history.

More player signings will be announced later this week.

Tryouts for the Professional Team will be held on Saturday August 12, 2017 at Riverdale Baptist High School in Upper Marlboro, MD - TRYOUT REGISTRATION LINK. 

About the Pro Team
Baltimore Kings Pro Soccer Club - a Non-League, Independent Pro Soccer Club

• The Baltimore Kings' Pro Team does not compete in a league.
• Players are offered 1 game contracts where they are paid per game.
• Players play in the game, get paid, and move on.
• Signed players report to training the week of the game. Like National Team duty, called into camp the week of the match.
• Games will be played only several times per year. Like an MMA fighter's fight schedule, only fighting a few times per year.
• This model attracts two-types of players:
  1. Local players that have a full-time job, but would still like to compete at a high level and get paid to play in a game in front of fans from their hometown.
  2. Players that are out-of-contract, looking to move on to full-time playing opportunities.
• Opponents? Unrestricted play against teams across all divisions, international teams, and other non-league independents.
• The club also has a Semi-Pro Futsal Team, a U-23 Men's Team for players looking to retain their NCAA eligibility, a Women's Team, Competitive and Recreational Adult Teams, and Youth Teams.

The Scouting Process
Players within our organization go through a very structured player scouting process. It's important that interested players understand the process and the importance of timing. The following are the steps you can take on the path to joining our club:

1. Contact Us: Fill out and submit a "Contact Form" on our website so that our staff can review your information. If you have a CV (player resume), highlight video, game film, or list of accomplishments, please include all of this in your completed Contact Form. All Contact Forms are reviewed, categorized, and sent to our coaching staff.
2. Come to Tryouts: Attending one of our tryouts is the best way to be seen and evaluated by our coaching staff. We would like to see you play in-person to evaluate your current playing form against other aspiring players. Online registration and a list of upcoming tryout dates can be found on our website: https://campscui.active.com/orgs/BaltimoreProSoccer.
3. Send us your Schedule: If you currently play for a pro, semi-pro, or amateur men’s team, send us your schedule so that we can keep our Player Database updated.
4. Come to a Game: It is of great benefit for you to see us play and get a first hand look at the level of play, the team's style, and the atmosphere surrounding a game.
   
   

The Selection Process
Once tryouts have concluded, players will be contacted with the selection results. Players who have been selected to represent the Baltimore Kings will be offered a contract detailing their base pay and a commission structure (signed players who play in the game will also receive a tryout refund - detailed in contract). Players who are not selected will remain in our player scouting database and will be encouraged to attend future tryouts. The signed Pro Team players will begin training the week leading up to their weekend game. In the months leading up the game, the club will market the event and work to create a great atmosphere surrounding the match. The game will be filmed and shortly after the match, highlights and the full-length game film will be posted online and distributed to each player for their own use. Once the game is played, players will be paid and are free to join or rejoin any team they would like. We will market our players and (if desired) help push them towards full-time professional opportunities with other clubs. Once a player has played for our Pro Team, they will remain in our Pro Player Pool and will be considered for a “call up” for future games (similar to National Team duty for international soccer). As an independent, event-based team, the Pro Team will only play a handful of games per year (e.g. 1 game in the summer, 1 in the fall, 1 in the spring, etc.).

Timing
Our primary way of identifying and evaluating potential players is through our tryouts. It is imperative that interested players keep track of and attend our tryouts. Do not wait until the last minute to contact us. If you contact our staff only a few weeks before our game, we will have already completed signing players for that upcoming match.

Mission
We will take a conservative, controlled, and personal approach to win one supporter at a time and build a successful professional soccer club in Charm City. In Baltimore's history, there have been over 20 failed professional soccer clubs. Unlike other league systems around the world, winning does not ensure longevity. Professional soccer leagues in the United States currently do not allow for promotion and relegation among teams and even in years immediately after winning a championship, clubs have folded. Success on the field is one of many objectives for the Baltimore Kings, but more importantly it is paramount to create and maintain a strong foundation to base our achievements.