IFK Mariehamn

Two pieces of good news today to help break up the workday.

First, Maryland won its quarterfinal ACC tournament tie against Clemson. London Woodberry was once again absent from Maryland's squad, although Ethan White returned to the starting lineup. The Terps' backline continued to be a bit makeshift as Alex Lee was only able to put in twenty minutes, with Greg Young relieving him for the balance of the game.

The story of the match would appear to be Billy Cortes' continued star turn at right back in Woodberry's absence. Cortes' goal and assist accounted for both of Maryland's goals and put the Terps through to the semifinals to face Virginia.

Second, Goff reports that Josh Wicks will sign a contract to join IFK Mariehamn. If true, Wicks should be in the mix to replace Willis Ochieng.

If Wicks goes to Mariehamn, he'll be the third player with Real Maryland ties to join the team, following Giuseppe Funicello and Mason Trafford.

IFK Mariehamn presents a great opportunity for Josh. For reasons that still elude me, Wicks has drawn the ire of a number of DC United supporters. We were at the US Open Cup final against the Seattle Sounders. We saw the "stomp" on Montero. We were disappointed, but that is not my lasting memory of Josh Wicks as a member of the team. Much like Louis Crayton, Wicks played for the club's supporters and went out onto the pitch with enthusiasm every time he suited up.

The most endearing thing about Josh is how much his love for the sport is apparent. We've seen Josh in the stands at Ludwig, where he happily signed autographs for young kids at a college game, and in the stands at Richard Montgomery, taking in a Real Maryland game along with a sparse group of other supporters.

I hope that Wicks ends up at Mariehamn and I hope that he's been able to work through those things that have stood in the way of his success in the sport. We're rooting for him and, obviously, Real Maryland east.