Thanks so much - this is great!!

SAM is a good league - not sure if the Plex is too far for you. They still have camps http://www.samsoccer.org/Camps/index_E.html.

Ask some of your kids friends that play soccer who they play for and where do they practice/play. Location is more important at this stage than anything. He just needs to learn the rules.

Also DC Stoddert (www.stoddert.com) rec league for NW DC. At age 8 even though some kids may already be moving toward travel, suspect in his school grade that there are one or more rec teams, and playing with his friends probably would be more attractive than signing up for a rec league and being placed on a random team that needs players (often can be a bad sign if a team can 't fill with kids from one school or neighborhood, ie the parent coach is a nutcase or no organization or something).

And if he is really interested, and doesn't want to be way behind in terms of having no idea about the rules or how to kick a ball or dribble at least a bit, he could do a one week soccer camp this summer, there are plenty around held at various parks and private schools. If he is already athletic and big, just a few days of a soccer camps or a few clinics will catch him up instantly. For instance Bethesda Soccer Club runs weekly camps all summer at Sidwell Friends lower school campus in Bethesda, link is http://premium.bluesombrero.com/bethesdasoccer/Home/CampsandClinics/tabid/14167/Default.aspx

Takoma soccer. Very low key and fun. Feild locations are clustered around Takoma Park and nearby Silver Spring. Www.takomasoccer.org

MSI Rec is the place to start. He can be assigned to a school or neighborhood team. You might want to sign him up for a camp this summer (soccerplex has them but they are all over) to learn the basics.

My rising third grader is a big, sporty kid but somehow has never played organized soccer. He loves to run and participates in pickup soccer games at recess but I'm fairly certain he knows almost nothing about the rules etc. Can anyone recommend a recreational league in NW DC or MoCo for an 8yo with lots of enthusiasm but little real experience with the sport. I'm a little embarassed to ask since it seems like every child in metro DC gets enrolled in kiddie leagues at birth, and based on what I see on his school listserv, a lot of his peers are moving toward competitive leagues that require tryouts which he presumably would not be well suited for. Thanks!