Alex Lee's winding path from UMD and back again

It was supposed to be a fun night out in Washington D.C., getting a bite to eat with University of Maryland men’s soccer teammates to then go watch former Terp Rodney Wallace play in a D.C. United match before heading home to College Park. It was later that night, though, when Rockville native Alex Lee would find himself in a hospital fighting for his life after being hit by a car.

“The only thing I remember was about two minutes before when we were walking across a bridge and the next thing that I remember, I woke up in the hospital,” Lee said.

As he was using a crosswalk, Lee was hit by an inattentive driver going 40 mph. He jumped at the last second before impact, hitting the windshield and was launched 15 feet into the air before landing head-first. When submitted to George Washington University Hospital, doctors found he was suffering a subdural hematoma, a buildup of blood outside the brain, which can be life-threatening. Lee was taken into surgery, where surgeons cut his skull open to relieve pressure and remove excess blood.

Lee’s younger brother Nate was hanging out with a friend that night when he got the news of Alex’s accident. Nate wasn’t sure of how severe Alex’s condition was until he saw him at the hospital the next day.

“It was tough, because him being a role model and someone to look up to, seeing him in the hospital bed was definitely really tough,” Nate said. “That’s when it really hit, knowing he was in a lot of trouble.”

Lee was unable to play the rest of his sophomore season at UMD, spending six months recovering from his injury before he could return to the field. He’d go on to play out the rest of his collegiate career, even being named a team captain his senior year.

Upon finishing his time at Maryland in 2011, Lee went on to be drafted by Major League Soccer’s F.C. Dallas in 2012.

His first year as a pro player, however, did not pan out the way he hoped. Lee carried a quad injury he picked up his senior year at UMD into Dallas. His injury, along with being the second choice right-back, limited Lee’s ability to leave a strong impression on the coaching staff that year. Dallas released Lee at the end of the season, leaving the former Terp without a team.

Lee sought opportunities elsewhere, finding a new lease on his young career through an opportunity with United Soccer League side Richmond Kickers in 2013.

It was then-head coach and current Kickers director of soccer Leigh Cowlishaw who was impressed by Lee in a trial match with the team, ultimately deciding to sign him.

“To be honest he was an absolute no-brainer from that first game,” Cowlishaw said. “He was exactly the type of attacking fullback I love to have in my team. He had an unbelievable motor, he was a relentless competitor, could put in some quality service and very difficult to beat one v. one, so we saw a huge upside with him.”

Lee spent six seasons with the Kickers from 2013 through 2018. His most notable achievement with Richmond was in his first year with the team, forming part of a record-breaking USL team that went on a 22-game undefeated streak, which still stands as the longest run without a loss in the league’s history.

“I’d never been on a team playing with that type of confidence,” Lee said. “Even when we went down one or even two goals, I never felt like we were gonna lose.”

On the contrary, Lee’s least memorable moment of his career was in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup tournament, losing to amateur side Christos F.C., a team based out of a liquor store in Glen Burnie, MD. The unimaginable 1-0 loss the Kickers suffered two years ago was news that reverberated around the American soccer community.

“That was probably the worst loss of my career to be honest,” Lee said. “I would’ve played D.C. United at the [Maryland] Soccerplex where I grew up playing. I was super upset. We were super embarrassed as a team. Any negative feeling you can associate with losing we pretty much felt.”

While playing for the Kickers, Lee had the opportunity to do something many professional soccer players dream of accomplishing during their careers: representing their country by playing for their national team. Lee was born in the U.S. but chose to represent Guam, the birthplace of his grandmother. This was possible through FIFA statutes regarding eligibility rules for national teams, stating a player is eligible to represent more than one country based on the territory their parents or grandparents were born in. Guam was one of the territories that fell under U.S. jurisdiction according to FIFA.

Lee chose Guam over the U.S. for two reasons: opportunity and familiarity.

“I didn’t think I’d get any looks with the U.S.,” Lee said. “A.J. DeLaGarza, who I played college [soccer] with was on the Guam national team. I didn’t even know Guam had a national team until I saw him playing.”

Lee wasn’t the only one in his family who got to represent Guam, as his twin brother Justin and younger brother Nate were also presented with the same opportunity. Furthermore, the three Lee brothers made their Guam debuts in a World Cup qualifying match against Hong Kong in March 2015.

“It was surreal, really,” Lee said. “Me and both of my brothers were starting, so we’re walking out onto the field together. It’s such an honor, playing for Guam and representing the island.”

Younger brother Nate echoed his brother’s feelings of getting to share the field together representing Guam.

“It’s been four or five years [since our debut] and I still can’t put it into words,” Nate said.

Lee has not only served as a motivator and role model for his younger brother but has been able to do the same in the Guam locker room.

“I’d say he’s the most competitive person I know,” Nate said. “For myself and the rest of the team, he’s always someone that can always raise the level.”

Former Guam national team head coach and newly-brandished Kickers head coach Darren Sawatzky had nothing but praise for his former player’s ability to leave his mark during a game.

“[He’s] versatile, has some bite, something that’s missing in a lot of players these days,” Sawatzky said. “Sometimes players try to be a little bit pretty [with their play], but when needed, there was a tackle. When needed there was a chippy comment, which helped keep our team in the game.”

“I’ve had some of the best soccer experiences I’ve ever had with the Guam team,” Lee said.

Ten years after his accident, Lee made his way back to the University of Maryland to study dentistry, following in his father’s footsteps, who owns a practice in Olney, MD. Along with going back to school, Lee currently plays for Christos F.C., the team that handed him the worst moment in his career, where he is once again teammates with his brothers.

Christos recently earned a 3-2 win in a qualifying round Open Cup match against Pennsylvania-based side Steel F.C., which sees them through to the main event of the tournament next spring. After being on the wrong side of their noteworthy tournament run in 2017, Lee hopes to form part of an improbable run himself.

“We expect to win,” Lee said. “I never step on the field thinking that we’re gonna not win, not even tie. We want to win every single game that we step on the field. I feel like that’s the mentality from everyone on the team.”