There are several pictures on a shelf in Maryland women’s soccer coach Ray Leone’s office. Some of the shots include Leone with American soccer legend Landon Donovan and his daughter with Premier League great Kolo Toure.
On the wall opposite that shelf is a Maryland scarf from The Crew. It hangs alone.
Leone has traversed the U.S college soccer landscape, starting out as a head coach at Berry College in Georgia, making his way through Creighton, Clemson, Arizona State and Harvard before settling with the Terps early last year.
A native of nearby Severna Park, Leone played soccer at Severna Park High School before embarking on his 31-year coaching journey around the country. Now he’s back in Maryland, the place he always wanted to be.
“The longer I coached, the more I wanted to do it,” Leone said. “I really wanted to immerse myself in the highest level I can.”
When Leone arrived in College Park, he took over a downtrodden team that went 6-12-1 the previous season. The Terps have taken a step forward under his leadership, winning seven games so far this year as he tries to rebuild the program.
Click here to read more about coach Ray Leone’s journey to Maryland women’s soccer.
