The team entered the American Soccer League in 1988 under the name Washington Stars and merged with the Maryland Bays in 1990.
Washington, the team grew out of the Fairfax Spartans which won the 1986 National Amateur Cup.
[2] In March 1988, the team became a charter member of the third American Soccer League under the name Washington Stars.
Bruce Murray, a member of the U.S. National Team who earned 88 caps had a hand in both US goals at the 1990 World Cup (a goal against Austria and an assist against Czechoslovakia), played for the Stars in all three seasons.
The Washington Stars mascot was a human dressed in a black skin tight suit with silver moon boots, silver cape, and a large foam head in the shape of a star.