10 years later, U8 Plymouth soccer team sticks together, wins together

Let’s jump on a time machine for a minute and travel back to January of 2016 when a group of elementary school-aged girls from Plymouth and Canton came together for the first time to form the U8 Plymouth Reign club soccer team.

With an emphasis on having fun and learning the intricacies of the sport, the randomly-selected contingent of third-graders (and their parents) quickly bonded, building a chemistry that would endure far longer than most travel sports teams.

That advanced-level chemistry was the key ingredient in what would come swiftly: a very high win rate.

Fast forward to last month when a large core group of this original Reign club team completed a Disney movie-like Final Four run in the United States Youth Soccer national championship tournament, which consisted of the 16 best U.S. teams in the U17 age bracket.

Generating goosebumps

“I get goosebumps talking about this team because it is extremely rare that players stay with their club team for 10 years or more,” explained Reign Head Coach Worteh Sampson, a former professional soccer player who once excelled for, among other professional teams, the Detroit Ignition, southeast-Michigan’s entry in the now-defunct Major Indoor Soccer League.

“Nowadays, a lot of players jump from club team to club team, from one year to the next. That the core of this team has played together since they were 7- or 8-years-old speaks volumes for their friendships, team chemistry, their parents and the club they represent.

“This is a special group — both on the pitch and off. Not once have I seen a player blame a teammate for anything. It’s the opposite with this team: When somebody makes a mistake, their teammates immediately lift them up.”

This year’s Reign team consists of players from multiple metro-Detroit high schools (although the majority call Plymouth or Canton home) — all of whom have fond memories of the team’s early days.

“One of my most vivid memories from the first year was when all the players and their families met up at the (now closed) Plymouth Roc, where we would all dance together and do karaoke,” Salem senior-to-be Aubrey Krischano recounted. “All of our parents and siblings got along so well; it was so much fun.”

Uncommon chemistry

Cami Huhn, a Plymouth Township resident who attends Dearborn Divine Child, talked about the intangibles that have made the U8 Reign so successful over the past decade-plus.

“From the very first practice, we all just clicked,” said Huhn, who has signed a National Letter of Intent to play collegiate soccer for Western Michigan University beginning in the fall of 2026. “And whenever we did have a new girl join the team, we welcomed her with open arms.”

Krischano and Huhn both gave huge props to Coach Sampson, a mentor who has elevated their skills without elevating his voice.

“Everybody loves Coach Sampson,” Huhn said. “We all want to win for him. He’s not a yeller, he’s a motivator, which we all appreciate.”

Playing against boys heightened their physicality

Co-captain Lauren Fowler agreed with her longtime teammates’ assessment of the Reign’s successful run.

“So many of my memories growing up are of my Reign teammates who are now my best friends,” Fowler said. “I remember always playing in the highest league and our coaches pushing us every practice and game, including playing in a boys league which made us more physical and aggressive.

“Coaches in our club always saw our potential and what we could be, encouraging us to work hard.  Practices and games are fun because you get to be with people who are like family to you almost every day.

“Connecting on the field is so easy because we know how everyone plays, we can rely on our teammates and trust in each other. I am so proud of what our team has become and what we have accomplished together.”

Reign vs. Reign

Krischano admitted playing against her Reign teammates during high school games was unique.

“We just had to shut out our Reign ties when we played Canton or Plymouth,” said Krischano, who helped lead Salem to back-to-back ultra-successful seasons during her sophomore and junior seasons. “After the games were over, it was a little awkward for a minute, depending on who won; but an hour later, we were all still best friends.”

One year removed from a somewhat-disappointing early exit from the USYS tournament, the Reign players set lofty goals heading into the 2025 post-season.

“We decided to take it more seriously this year,” Krischano said. “We even got up early and had some 6 a.m. workouts.”

Taking down the Tigers

Playing with a renewed vigor, the Reign advanced to the State Cup finals, where they were matched against the formidable Ann Arbor-based Michigan Tigers.

“They’re the team that knocked us out last year,” Huhn recalled. “They actually beat us by a lot, so we were fired up.”

Fueled by goals from Salem teammates Fowler and Krischano, the Reign prevailed 2-1, advancing Plymouth to the U.S. regionals, where they again upended the Tigers on their way to qualifying for the U.S. Nationals at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex in Orlando.

Despite losing their opening pool play game at Nationals, the Reign were not disheartened.

Far from it, in fact.

Keeping the faith

“After we lost that first game, there wasn’t an ounce of doubt that we could still go on and do big things,” Sampson asserted. “Every player on our roster had the same mindset: We’ll be fine.”

Playing in temperatures that felt like 108 degrees, the Reign won their next game 6-0 and ultimately played a Los Angeles-based team for a chance to advance to the U.S. Nationals semifinals.

“The L.A. team was undefeated, so we had to beat them by two goals to advance,” Sampson explained.

Minutes before the game, Canton junior Lauren McCurdy offered some motivating words that reflected back on a spring game featuring Canton and Salem.

History repeating itself

“Lauren reminded the team that back in the spring Salem had to defeat Canton by two goals to win the (Plymouth-Canton Educational Park) championship,” Sampson said. “And thanks to two goals from Aubrey, Salem did it. That gave us hope.”

The Reign surged to a 3-0 lead before L.A. scored two unanswered goals to pull to within 3-2.

With just a couple minutes to play — and the Reign on the brink of elimination — Huhn secured the ball just outside the box and ripped the ball past L.A.’s keeper and into the net, giving the Reign a 4-2 lead that would hold up, sending them to the semifinals.

“That’s the most excited I’ve ever been after a goal,” admitted Sampson, who has witnessed countless goals throughout his stellar playing and coaching career.

Persevering through heartbreak

Even though the Reign suffered a heart-breaking setback in the semifinal game against the Tigers, their resilience remained intact.

“It just gives us more motivation to get back to Nationals next year, which will be our last.”

Huhn and Krischano admitted there will be tears shed once the team plays its last game together sometime in 2026.

But the tears will be temporary.

The memories they forged together will last a lifetime.

Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.

Thanks to Julie Fowler for providing amazing photos.