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Make no mistake about it, Adam Grinwis is a Michigan Man. 

Sure, that’s easy to say since Republic FC’s new goalkeeper was born in the Great Lakes State, but what makes him a true Michigan Man is less about the location he calls home and far more about his genuine character.

College sports fans have heard the term before – ‘Michigan Man’ – but what does it mean? And how does one go about earning the title that seems to weigh so heavy in honor?  

The title itself is all about loyalty and commitment. It’s about maintaining humility while carrying yourself with a quiet confidence. It’s about sacrifice and an unwavering devotion to your crest or colors and in the University of Michigan’s case, that’s blue and maize. 

The title is about showing pride in your work and the organization you represent and fight for. That’s what being a Michigan Man is all about and Republic FC’s newest netminder displays each and every one of those qualities and characteristics on a daily basis. 

Make no mistake about it, Adam Grinwis is a Michigan Man. 

Sure, that’s easy to say since Republic FC’s new goalkeeper was born in the Great Lakes State, but what makes him a true Michigan Man is less about the location he calls home and far more about his genuine character.

College sports fans have heard the term before – ‘Michigan Man’ – but what does it mean? And how does one go about earning the title that seems to weigh so heavy in honor?  

The title itself is all about loyalty and commitment. It’s about maintaining humility while carrying yourself with a quiet confidence. It’s about sacrifice and an unwavering devotion to your crest or colors and in the University of Michigan’s case, that’s blue and maize. 

The title is about showing pride in your work and the organization you represent and fight for. That’s what being a Michigan Man is all about and Republic FC’s newest netminder displays each and every one of those qualities and characteristics on a daily basis. 

It was right around that same age when Grinwis was old enough to start playing sports, and soccer was it for him since the very beginning. He also played basketball into his high school days, one of two sports his father Scott competed in while attending Calvin College. 

“My dad played basketball and he’s six-foot-six. Man, I wish I would have gotten the height!” Grinwis joked. 

The shot-stopper didn’t get Dad’s towering height, but he sure got Dad’s grit and determined competitive drive. So much so, that growing up he had to travel all the way to the eastern side of the state if he wanted to play for a highly competitive traveling team. 

“I would say the soccer hotbed was in Detroit and I was in west Michigan, in Grand Rapids which is like three hours away, so in high school when I decided to take it more seriously I had to drive over to Detroit to play club soccer so I had to make that three-hour trip for practice,” Grinwis said. 

Throughout his entire soccer journey, the goalkeeper was always gunning for a spot on a top team and once he hit high school, it was crystal clear he wanted nothing more than to pursue his passion at a major university. 

And for the Forest Hills Central High School ‘keeper, there was only one option. 

“I was super fortunate, my freshman year of high school I knew I wanted to play college soccer at a big school and to have that big college experience, that big athletic program experience,” Grinwis said. “Michigan and Michigan State, my backyard schools during my freshman year were already recruiting me from the get-go. It was nice to get that process sorted out early on because I ended up committing my sophomore year to Michigan.” 

It was right around that same age when Grinwis was old enough to start playing sports, and soccer was it for him since the very beginning. He also played basketball into his high school days, one of two sports his father Scott competed in while attending Calvin College. 

“My dad played basketball and he’s six-foot-six. Man, I wish I would have gotten the height!” Grinwis joked. 

The shot-stopper didn’t get Dad’s towering height, but he sure got Dad’s grit and determined competitive drive. So much so, that growing up he had to travel all the way to the eastern side of the state if he wanted to play for a highly competitive traveling team. 

“I would say the soccer hotbed was in Detroit and I was in west Michigan, in Grand Rapids which is like three hours away, so in high school when I decided to take it more seriously I had to drive over to Detroit to play club soccer so I had to make that three-hour trip for practice,” Grinwis said. 

Throughout his entire soccer journey, the goalkeeper was always gunning for a spot on a top team and once he hit high school, it was crystal clear he wanted nothing more than to pursue his passion at a major university. 

And for the Forest Hills Central High School ‘keeper, there was only one option. 

“I was super fortunate, my freshman year of high school I knew I wanted to play college soccer at a big school and to have that big college experience, that big athletic program experience,” Grinwis said. “Michigan and Michigan State, my backyard schools during my freshman year were already recruiting me from the get-go. It was nice to get that process sorted out early on because I ended up committing my sophomore year to Michigan.” 

But the opportunity to attend the prestigious public university in Ann Arbor was something that Grinwis wasn’t going to take for granted. If anything, he knew full well he was extremely fortunate that his hard work on the soccer pitch allowed him the well-deserved chance to be a cherished Wolverine. 

“If you went to my high school and were incredibly intelligent, you were lucky to get into Michigan,” he explained. “Soccer is a blessing, it opened up a lot of doors for me and I’m extremely thankful for soccer.”

For as grateful as the goalkeeper is, every door that’s been opened by the beautiful game and every opportunity that’s been presented to him has been rightfully earned, and Grinny has the results to prove it.  

Over his high school career, Grinwis was a reliable rock in net. After four seasons at Forest Hills Central, the ‘keeper set the Michigan High School Athletic Association all-time shutout record with 53 career clean sheets and was a four-time All-Conference and All-District selection. Grinwis also was selected to the All-State team three times and earned first team honors following his final season. 

When he went off to U of M, he was redshirted his freshman season but went on to have four phenomenal years in goal representing his dream school. In particular, his sensational sophomore season earned him second team All-Big 10 honors as well as a spot on the All-Big Ten Tournament Team following a campaign that was headlined by a Big 10-best 100-save season – the eighth most saves in the nation. When his senior season came to a close, Grinwis was honored with the 2014 Michigan Club Man of the Year award. The quintessential type of award that a Michigan Man would receive. 

But the opportunity to attend the prestigious public university in Ann Arbor was something that Grinwis wasn’t going to take for granted. If anything, he knew full well he was extremely fortunate that his hard work on the soccer pitch allowed him the well-deserved chance to be a cherished Wolverine. 

“If you went to my high school and were incredibly intelligent, you were lucky to get into Michigan,” he explained. “Soccer is a blessing, it opened up a lot of doors for me and I’m extremely thankful for soccer.”

For as grateful as the goalkeeper is, every door that’s been opened by the beautiful game and every opportunity that’s been presented to him has been rightfully earned, and Grinny has the results to prove it.  

Over his high school career, Grinwis was a reliable rock in net. After four seasons at Forest Hills Central, the ‘keeper set the Michigan High School Athletic Association all-time shutout record with 53 career clean sheets and was a four-time All-Conference and All-District selection. Grinwis also was selected to the All-State team three times and earned first team honors following his final season. 

When he went off to U of M, he was redshirted his freshman season but went on to have four phenomenal years in goal representing his dream school. In particular, his sensational sophomore season earned him second team All-Big 10 honors as well as a spot on the All-Big Ten Tournament Team following a campaign that was headlined by a Big 10-best 100-save season – the eighth most saves in the nation. When his senior season came to a close, Grinwis was honored with the 2014 Michigan Club Man of the Year award. The quintessential type of award that a Michigan Man would receive. 

Grinwis had attended his dream school and left an unforgettable mark on the program so near to his heart, but now it was time to pursue a new dream. This too was a childhood dream, one fueled by a passion similar to his burning desire to be a Wolverine, and that was to one day stand between the pipes on the pitch during a Major League Soccer match. 

However, after college it was never a certainty that Grinwis had a guaranteed role in net. Everywhere he went, he had to compete, battle and win his place on the roster. One of the greatest goalkeepers in the state of Michigan was now a trialist hoping to find a new home and a club to commit himself to. 

Before becoming the traveling trialist, Grinwis did compete at the USL PDL level with the Michigan Bucks during his college career and was equally as stellar with the Bucks as he was Big Blue. He was PDL Rookie of the Year and Goalkeeper of the Year in 2012 and two years later was chosen as the MVP of the 2014 PDL Championship Game, a match his side were victorious in, 1-0, over the Kitsap Pumas – “poetic tenure to end my time with the club,” he said. 

Grinwis had attended his dream school and left an unforgettable mark on the program so near to his heart, but now it was time to pursue a new dream. This too was a childhood dream, one fueled by a passion similar to his burning desire to be a Wolverine, and that was to one day stand between the pipes on the pitch during a Major League Soccer match. 

However, after college it was never a certainty that Grinwis had a guaranteed role in net. Everywhere he went, he had to compete, battle and win his place on the roster. One of the greatest goalkeepers in the state of Michigan was now a trialist hoping to find a new home and a club to commit himself to. 

Before becoming the traveling trialist, Grinwis did compete at the USL PDL level with the Michigan Bucks during his college career and was equally as stellar with the Bucks as he was Big Blue. He was PDL Rookie of the Year and Goalkeeper of the Year in 2012 and two years later was chosen as the MVP of the 2014 PDL Championship Game, a match his side were victorious in, 1-0, over the Kitsap Pumas – “poetic tenure to end my time with the club,” he said. 

“I basically had to go tryout in Rochester, they talked to my agent and said they were looking for another goalkeeper, we’ll let him come through, and they had like six goalkeepers competing and they only needed one” Grinwis said. “I had to go through the ringer, I kind of compare it to the Hunger Games, so now every time a trialist comes in I always have so much respect for them because I’ve been through it. After about six weeks I was the last one standing and they gave me a chance. It’s a grind, man!”

After two seasons in Rochester, Grinwis was back to grinding. He was ready for a new challenge and a new chance to chase that MLS dream. Following the advice of his Rhinos coach, he joined Saint Louis FC and was fully focused on proving his worth. 

“I had an injury unfortunately so I had to go back to that preseason trial and go in and prove it again and I went to Saint Louis for six weeks and again, I was told they needed a backup goalkeeper, there’s three, four guys there so I had to go through that ringer once more,” Grinwis explained. “I tried out, outlasted the other guys and they ended up signing me and throughout that season the starting goalkeeper and I went back and forth for who was playing. Even though I was signed to be the backup, slowly but surely I worked my way into games and when I did get the chances I played pretty well.” 

‘Pretty well’ is a pretty humble way for Grinny to put it, because realistically, his performances in Missouri caught the eye of MLS. 

“After my year in Saint Louis, the goal was to get to MLS, just like it was every year, but towards the end of the year I had been contacted by Orlando City’s goalkeeper coach because we had played them during preseason the year prior and he came up to me after and said ‘good game, we will be watching you’ or something like that and then he reached out to me and asked ‘hey, we might be looking for a ‘keeper next year, what are your plans?’ so I was hopeful but not overly optimistic because nothing is guaranteed until the contract is in front of you.” 

Nothing is guaranteed, only earned, and Grinwis had finally earned that MLS contract. He did have to give it some thought though, because Orlando wasn’t the only interested party to put a tempting offer on the table.  

“It was a crazy process because I had some other really entertaining USL offers after that season in Saint Louis, but I always wanted to play MLS so when that Orlando City contract came through, it was a dream come true,” he said. 

Grinwis made it, but similar to his recent roles in Saint Louis and Rochester, he was going to have to fight for every minute. He managed to seize the starting role at the end of his first year but was hoping to see more league chances in his sophomore season. The goalkeeper was rewarded with the task of manning the net for U.S. Open Cup matches, and Grinwis grabbed that chance with both goalie gloves. 

“By the end of my first year I had worked my way into a starting spot playing the last few games so coming into the next year I thought I would be in the market to maybe play and ended up not getting rewarded like that but did get rewarded with the Open Cup and it felt like I was training every day for the last two years for that opportunity,” Grinwis said. “I knew I was going to get that run of games whether we made it to the final or lost the first game so I made it a point to do everything I could to help my team win so I could play in as many games as I could that season.” 

“I basically had to go tryout in Rochester, they talked to my agent and said they were looking for another goalkeeper, we’ll let him come through, and they had like six goalkeepers competing and they only needed one” Grinwis said. “I had to go through the ringer, I kind of compare it to the Hunger Games, so now every time a trialist comes in I always have so much respect for them because I’ve been through it. After about six weeks I was the last one standing and they gave me a chance. It’s a grind, man!”

After two seasons in Rochester, Grinwis was back to grinding. He was ready for a new challenge and a new chance to chase that MLS dream. Following the advice of his Rhinos coach, he joined Saint Louis FC and was fully focused on proving his worth. 

“I had an injury unfortunately so I had to go back to that preseason trial and go in and prove it again and I went to Saint Louis for six weeks and again, I was told they needed a backup goalkeeper, there’s three, four guys there so I had to go through that ringer once more,” Grinwis explained. “I tried out, outlasted the other guys and they ended up signing me and throughout that season the starting goalkeeper and I went back and forth for who was playing. Even though I was signed to be the backup, slowly but surely I worked my way into games and when I did get the chances I played pretty well.” 

‘Pretty well’ is a pretty humble way for Grinny to put it, because realistically, his performances in Missouri caught the eye of MLS. 

“After my year in Saint Louis, the goal was to get to MLS, just like it was every year, but towards the end of the year I had been contacted by Orlando City’s goalkeeper coach because we had played them during preseason the year prior and he came up to me after and said ‘good game, we will be watching you’ or something like that and then he reached out to me and asked ‘hey, we might be looking for a ‘keeper next year, what are your plans?’ so I was hopeful but not overly optimistic because nothing is guaranteed until the contract is in front of you.” 

Nothing is guaranteed, only earned, and Grinwis had finally earned that MLS contract. He did have to give it some thought though, because Orlando wasn’t the only interested party to put a tempting offer on the table.  

“It was a crazy process because I had some other really entertaining USL offers after that season in Saint Louis, but I always wanted to play MLS so when that Orlando City contract came through, it was a dream come true,” he said. 

Grinwis made it, but similar to his recent roles in Saint Louis and Rochester, he was going to have to fight for every minute. He managed to seize the starting role at the end of his first year but was hoping to see more league chances in his sophomore season. The goalkeeper was rewarded with the task of manning the net for U.S. Open Cup matches, and Grinwis grabbed that chance with both goalie gloves. 

“By the end of my first year I had worked my way into a starting spot playing the last few games so coming into the next year I thought I would be in the market to maybe play and ended up not getting rewarded like that but did get rewarded with the Open Cup and it felt like I was training every day for the last two years for that opportunity,” Grinwis said. “I knew I was going to get that run of games whether we made it to the final or lost the first game so I made it a point to do everything I could to help my team win so I could play in as many games as I could that season.” 

The cup run lasted substantially longer than just a single game, as Grinny guided his side to the semifinals of the U.S. Open Cup, a feat the Floridian club had never accomplished before. Despite only logging minutes during cup fixtures, the goalkeeper was beginning to see another positive side of working in professional sports, away from the pitch. 

“Even if I wasn’t playing as much as I would have liked to, I was really happy to be part of a club that was so imbedded into the fabric of the city which is one of the main reasons why I was so attracted to Sacramento,” Grinwis explained. “Orlando City was a lot like Sacramento, very plugged into the community, they do a lot with the foundation to give back and help us use the platform we have as players to contribute to the community which is such a rare opportunity that you get and certain clubs offer that.”

Grinny has a giving spirit about him, and even though he’s only been in California’s Capital City since he signed with the Indomitable Club in January, the ‘keeper’s been actively involved in the local community. In early March, Grinwis volunteered his time to participate in St. Baldrick’s Day, an annual fundraiser for childhood cancer research where individuals shave their heads to encourage others to donate to the cause. 

The cup run lasted substantially longer than just a single game, as Grinny guided his side to the semifinals of the U.S. Open Cup, a feat the Floridian club had never accomplished before. Despite only logging minutes during cup fixtures, the goalkeeper was beginning to see another positive side of working in professional sports, away from the pitch. 

“Even if I wasn’t playing as much as I would have liked to, I was really happy to be part of a club that was so imbedded into the fabric of the city which is one of the main reasons why I was so attracted to Sacramento,” Grinwis explained. “Orlando City was a lot like Sacramento, very plugged into the community, they do a lot with the foundation to give back and help us use the platform we have as players to contribute to the community which is such a rare opportunity that you get and certain clubs offer that.”

Grinny has a giving spirit about him, and even though he’s only been in California’s Capital City since he signed with the Indomitable Club in January, the ‘keeper’s been actively involved in the local community. In early March, Grinwis volunteered his time to participate in St. Baldrick’s Day, an annual fundraiser for childhood cancer research where individuals shave their heads to encourage others to donate to the cause. 

“From my experiences in USL before going to MLS, you looked at a select few clubs and thought ‘they do it right’ and Sacramento was a club that when you looked at them, you knew they were doing it right,” Grinwis said.

His soccer travels have taken him across the country and back again, but a humble and grateful Grinwis has finally found a home in the Indomitable City.  

“Being here in Sacramento, exploring the city, it just feels homey,” Grinwis said. “Maybe because it feels a little bit midwestern, maybe it’s the trees, I don’t know what it is, but it’s been a warm welcome and I haven’t felt too far from home even though I’m on the opposite end of the country. As a player, it’s such a roundabout journey and when you get to a club, you hope that’s where you’ll be for five years, six years, but it can change in a second so I couldn’t be more grateful to be here.”

Grinwis might be far from Michigan nowadays, but the goalkeeper is closer to embodying the genuine values of a Michigan Man more than ever before. 

“From my experiences in USL before going to MLS, you looked at a select few clubs and thought ‘they do it right’ and Sacramento was a club that when you looked at them, you knew they were doing it right,” Grinwis said.

His soccer travels have taken him across the country and back again, but a humble and grateful Grinwis has finally found a home in the Indomitable City.  

“Being here in Sacramento, exploring the city, it just feels homey,” Grinwis said. “Maybe because it feels a little bit midwestern, maybe it’s the trees, I don’t know what it is, but it’s been a warm welcome and I haven’t felt too far from home even though I’m on the opposite end of the country. As a player, it’s such a roundabout journey and when you get to a club, you hope that’s where you’ll be for five years, six years, but it can change in a second so I couldn’t be more grateful to be here.”

Grinwis might be far from Michigan nowadays, but the goalkeeper is closer to embodying the genuine values of a Michigan Man more than ever before. 

When Sam Werner comes barreling down the wing with possession and rifles a dangerous cross into the box, he makes it look effortless and easy. 

In only his first season with Republic FC in 2019, the shifty midfielder managed to deliver 230 crosses on the USL Championship season – the third-most in the entire league – and collected the second-most assists on the team last season (five). 

Talk about a positive first impression. 

But the work Werner contributes on the pitch is far from easy, and the Bozeman-native has had to work hard every step of his soccer journey to earn his place on the Republic FC roster. This deep drive and personal devotion to pursuing professional soccer stems from his childhood days growing up in Montana. 

When Sam Werner comes barreling down the wing with possession and rifles a dangerous cross into the box, he makes it look effortless and easy. 

In only his first season with Republic FC in 2019, the shifty midfielder managed to deliver 230 crosses on the USL Championship season – the third-most in the entire league – and collected the second-most assists on the team last season (five). 

Talk about a positive first impression. 

But the work Werner contributes on the pitch is far from easy, and the Bozeman-native has had to work hard every step of his soccer journey to earn his place on the Republic FC roster. This deep drive and personal devotion to pursuing professional soccer stems from his childhood days growing up in Montana. 

And it was there in Big Sky Country where Werner recognized if he wanted to make it as a pro, a dedication to hard work was non-negotiable.

“Montana wasn’t all that high on the list of states that competed across the country in terms of producing great soccer players and I knew that tactically I was going to be a little bit behind just because I wasn’t playing year round like other people were and the level of play was a little bit lower in Montana,” Werner said. “In the winter, you don’t have grass all too often so I would ski half a day with my buddies, then go to the gym then over to the racquetball courts and just kick the ball a million times against the wall to get my touches in all winter.”

Clearly from an early age, the SRFC winger was fully self-aware of his current soccer situation but he wasn’t going to let his surroundings dictate his development. Whether it be the level of talent around him or the harsh outdoor winter conditions, nothing was going to stop Werner’s commitment to growing his game. 

“The philosophy my Dad and I had was ‘there’s never an excuse for me not to have the most technical skills’ because I could spend all day inside the racquetball courts or just juggling in our living room,” the Republic FC winger said. 

After his sophomore year of high school, Werner moved to Portland to live with his Grandfather and compete for an opportunity with the Timbers Academy, a self-proclaimed necessary step in his competitive soccer development. 

And it was there in Big Sky Country where Werner recognized if he wanted to make it as a pro, a dedication to hard work was non-negotiable.

“Montana wasn’t all that high on the list of states that competed across the country in terms of producing great soccer players and I knew that tactically I was going to be a little bit behind just because I wasn’t playing year round like other people were and the level of play was a little bit lower in Montana,” Werner said. “In the winter, you don’t have grass all too often so I would ski half a day with my buddies, then go to the gym then over to the racquetball courts and just kick the ball a million times against the wall to get my touches in all winter.”

Clearly from an early age, the SRFC winger was fully self-aware of his current soccer situation but he wasn’t going to let his surroundings dictate his development. Whether it be the level of talent around him or the harsh outdoor winter conditions, nothing was going to stop Werner’s commitment to growing his game. 

“The philosophy my Dad and I had was ‘there’s never an excuse for me not to have the most technical skills’ because I could spend all day inside the racquetball courts or just juggling in our living room,” the Republic FC winger said. 

After his sophomore year of high school, Werner moved to Portland to live with his Grandfather and compete for an opportunity with the Timbers Academy, a self-proclaimed necessary step in his competitive soccer development. 

If there was any thought of the hard work subsiding following his move to the west coast, Werner was forced to squash that notion pretty quickly. 

“I had this summer after my sophomore year where I had these two weeks back-to-back where I went to a tryout that I had set up with the Timbers, got invited and joined the academy, flew straight from that to a Stanford soccer camp and my Dad still wishes he had saved the text because I was so tired from the Timbers tryout that I had been texting him the first day of [Stanford] camp asking him to please come get me, I’m too tired!” Werner joked. 

But Dad didn’t show, and the exhausted midfielder didn’t quit. Good thing too, because Werner was rewarded handsomely following the college camp. 

“I pushed through that week and ended up getting a scholarship offer at the end of the camp so in just those two weeks I shored up the next six years of my life,” Werner said. “I moved to Portland at the end of that summer and the rest is history.” 

Werner was beginning to see the fruits of his tireless labor, but the best was still yet to come. At Stanford University, Werner went out on top. A feat that so few athletes can say they’ve accomplished, especially while attending their dream school. 

But Werner can. 

Heading into his senior season, the winger was already a back-to-back National Champion but his unquenchable thirst for College Cup glory would not have been complete without a third consecutive title to his name. 

If there was any thought of the hard work subsiding following his move to the west coast, Werner was forced to squash that notion pretty quickly. 

“I had this summer after my sophomore year where I had these two weeks back-to-back where I went to a tryout that I had set up with the Timbers, got invited and joined the academy, flew straight from that to a Stanford soccer camp and my Dad still wishes he had saved the text because I was so tired from the Timbers tryout that I had been texting him the first day of [Stanford] camp asking him to please come get me, I’m too tired!” Werner joked. 

But Dad didn’t show, and the exhausted midfielder didn’t quit. Good thing too, because Werner was rewarded handsomely following the college camp. 

“I pushed through that week and ended up getting a scholarship offer at the end of the camp so in just those two weeks I shored up the next six years of my life,” Werner said. “I moved to Portland at the end of that summer and the rest is history.” 

Werner was beginning to see the fruits of his tireless labor, but the best was still yet to come. At Stanford University, Werner went out on top. A feat that so few athletes can say they’ve accomplished, especially while attending their dream school. 

But Werner can. 

Heading into his senior season, the winger was already a back-to-back National Champion but his unquenchable thirst for College Cup glory would not have been complete without a third consecutive title to his name. 

“I feel like it was kind of written in the stars because I feel like our [graduating] class at Stanford was the catalyst to all that success and so it was only right that we got to go out like that,” Werner said.

Not only did he have the luxury of hoisting championship silverware following his last game as a Cardinal – a riveting 1-0 win in double overtime against Indiana – but Werner scored the game-winner with his final kick of his decorated college career. His performance earned him 2017 College Cup Offensive Most Outstanding Player, 2017 Top Drawer Soccer College Cup Best XI honors, as well as the Bob Murphy Award which is “presented to the student athlete whose unforgettable performance in an athletic contest will secure a place in Stanford history”. 

“I always joke that I peaked at that very moment,” Werner said with a laugh. “I really don’t remember what happened. There was so much emotion in that one moment that I really just blacked out and my memory of the goal is from the view of the camera because I really don’t remember from my eyes what happened.” 

After ending his collegiate career on the ultimate high, Werner’s transition from Palo Alto to the pros was a little rocky. 

Portland, where Werner was technically a Homegrown product of, did not sign Stanford’s recent soccer hero so the winger made the move to Israel for a trial with an Israeli Premier League club – Hapoel Hadera – for a few months. 

He didn’t sign with the club, and for the first time in Werner’s career, the midfield maestro wasn’t sure if his playing days were nearing an end. 

“I feel like it was kind of written in the stars because I feel like our [graduating] class at Stanford was the catalyst to all that success and so it was only right that we got to go out like that,” Werner said.

Not only did he have the luxury of hoisting championship silverware following his last game as a Cardinal – a riveting 1-0 win in double overtime against Indiana – but Werner scored the game-winner with his final kick of his decorated college career. His performance earned him 2017 College Cup Offensive Most Outstanding Player, 2017 Top Drawer Soccer College Cup Best XI honors, as well as the Bob Murphy Award which is “presented to the student athlete whose unforgettable performance in an athletic contest will secure a place in Stanford history”. 

“I always joke that I peaked at that very moment,” Werner said with a laugh. “I really don’t remember what happened. There was so much emotion in that one moment that I really just blacked out and my memory of the goal is from the view of the camera because I really don’t remember from my eyes what happened.” 

After ending his collegiate career on the ultimate high, Werner’s transition from Palo Alto to the pros was a little rocky. 

Portland, where Werner was technically a Homegrown product of, did not sign Stanford’s recent soccer hero so the winger made the move to Israel for a trial with an Israeli Premier League club – Hapoel Hadera – for a few months. 

He didn’t sign with the club, and for the first time in Werner’s career, the midfield maestro wasn’t sure if his playing days were nearing an end. 

“When I got back from Israel, I was so burnt out from being on trial for a really long time and it was heading into the U.S. offseason, so I didn’t know what was going to happen soccer-wise, so I actually got a job in San Francisco and thought maybe I’m done with soccer,” he explained. 

“I was living and working in SF for a couple of months and I remember I walked out of work one day and it was early December and I gave Todd [Dunivant] a call just to check in because I was supposed to hear back from them to see if I was going to continue being a working man or keep playing soccer and he said ‘we’re drawing up the contract right now and I’ll have it to you in a little while’. It was definitely a moment of purgatory there where I could have been done with soccer and I’m certainly glad that I’m not,” Werner said. 

That one phone call reunited Werner with the game he committed his life to, and Republic FC General Manager Todd Dunivant remembers that special moment very well. 

“We pulled the trigger on Sam pretty quickly and those are the special phone calls that are really fun to make,” Dunivant said. “Sam works so incredibly hard and he loves to compete, loves to battle, loves to win. We love having someone here who cares so deeply about the work he puts in, those are the players you want on your team.”

Thankfully for all fans of the boys in Old Glory Red, Werner swapped his brief stint in business development for the Republic FC flanks and hasn’t looked back.

As the accomplished winger enters his second season with the Indomitable Club, it’s now glaringly apparent that all the hard work the man from Montana has put in over the years is finally paying off. 

“When I got back from Israel, I was so burnt out from being on trial for a really long time and it was heading into the U.S. offseason, so I didn’t know what was going to happen soccer-wise, so I actually got a job in San Francisco and thought maybe I’m done with soccer,” he explained. 

“I was living and working in SF for a couple of months and I remember I walked out of work one day and it was early December and I gave Todd [Dunivant] a call just to check in because I was supposed to hear back from them to see if I was going to continue being a working man or keep playing soccer and he said ‘we’re drawing up the contract right now and I’ll have it to you in a little while’. It was definitely a moment of purgatory there where I could have been done with soccer and I’m certainly glad that I’m not,” Werner said. 

That one phone call reunited Werner with the game he committed his life to, and Republic FC General Manager Todd Dunivant remembers that special moment very well. 

“We pulled the trigger on Sam pretty quickly and those are the special phone calls that are really fun to make,” Dunivant said. “Sam works so incredibly hard and he loves to compete, loves to battle, loves to win. We love having someone here who cares so deeply about the work he puts in, those are the players you want on your team.”

Thankfully for all fans of the boys in Old Glory Red, Werner swapped his brief stint in business development for the Republic FC flanks and hasn’t looked back.

As the accomplished winger enters his second season with the Indomitable Club, it’s now glaringly apparent that all the hard work the man from Montana has put in over the years is finally paying off.