The Royals played in the D3 Pro League of the United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues, the lowest level of professional soccer in the U.S. Players in D3 can be paid, but the Royals players received no financial compensation for their efforts. Most worked full-time jobs while playing for the Royals.
Author Dave Ungrady has written a behind-the-scenes and honest account of the struggles athletes endure at the minor league level. Most sports fans see the glory and excess that prevail in the top levels of professional sports today. In "Unlucky", the reader will be exposed to the grit and sacrifice a minor league soccer player must endure.
Ungrady, a former collegiate soccer player and track athlete who turned 40 last year, also trained with the team the entire season with the hope of playing in one game. Part of the book documents his struggle to stay fit for a professional debut.
Never before has anyone written about minor league professional soccer while training with a team. Ungrady lived the team experience, attending meetings and road trips and practicing up to four times a week while working full-time. "Close access and time commitment were important to understanding the motives of the players," he said. "When you train with a team, you become part of the team. It's the best way to fully understand what the players feel and how they play the game."
Playing for the Royals helped Ungrady achieve a lifelong dream of becoming a professional athlete. "I wish it happened when I was a lot younger," he said. "But, as a writer, it was one of the most gratifiying experiences of my life."
