By LES Johns

The four years at Wake Forest had a profound impact on men's soccer alum Amir Lowery (2004). 

On the field, Lowery was a part of teams that advanced to NCAA play four-consecutive seasons while claiming a pair of ACC regular season titles. That experience paved the way for a nine-year professional soccer career for Lowery. 

The grateful D.C. native is trying to give back in multiple ways. Lowery serves as the player relations manager for the Major League Soccer Players Association, while also the co-founder and executive director of the nonprofit Open Goal Project. 

With his spare time, as if there is any, Lowery is also running for Congress in 2020 against an incumbent who's been entrenched for 30 years. 

"My professional experience was a learning experience for me," Lowery, who played for seven different clubs during his career, said. "I negotiated some of my own contracts and dealt with a league that underpaid players coming out of college. We navigated some tricky waters to keep ourselves afloat and in the game. It wasn't easy to make just $12,900 to play professional soccer in 2005 coming out as a college graduate. But I wouldn't trade any moment of that. 

"I feel fortunate to have experienced every level of American soccer. It's given me a strong and powerful background to do additional work in youth soccer and in other areas of the game. Once you get to that level, you're at the top of the pyramid. You can't expect to always be at the top. For younger players, I try to share with them to embrace the journey and embrace the experience of playing soccer."

The Open Goal Project helps provide playing opportunities for inner-city soccer players in Lowery's hometown of Washington, D.C. It's a project Lowery started after noticing a lack of lower-income and minority players on youth travel teams in his area.  

"Pay-to-play sports has been a big hot-button issue in recent years," he said. "We attack the pay-to-play system. We're addressing systemic inequities and systemic racism within youth sports. We want to make sure that kids from underserved backgrounds and lower-income communities still have the same access as their peers with more means. This is a passion project of mine. 

"For me, it's something that's critical to the growth of US soccer. We have to find a way for it to not cost excessive fees for young people to play soccer. That's the problem that we're addressing."

Addressing these inequities benefits everyone along the way, from the individual players all the way to professional clubs across the country. 

"Everybody," Lowery said about who gains from this initiative. "The whole soccer ecosystem benefits. 

"We take a holistic approach, and we want soccer to be the vehicle that gets them on track to be successful young adults and puts them on track to higher education."

Despite already tackling two major projects with all his energy, Lowery threw his proverbial hat in the ring earlier this year by announcing a run for Congress, looking to unseat a 30-year incumbent. 

"I don't shy away from challenges normally," he said. "I grew up here and have been in touch with politics being a D.C. native forever. I've watched our congresswoman for several years and believe strongly we need new leadership, fresh ideas and a new perspective. 

"We need leaders who go beyond the status quo and go into the community at a deeper level. That's getting your hands dirty. I think the government and Congress needs to look more at local community solutions rather than broad, blanket solutions. That takes more work and more effort. We need people who are going to present positive, creative ideas and who will move things in a positive direction. I know I'm the best person for that job."

As he attacks his leadership position with MLSPA, works to impact the lives of young soccer players with the Open Goal Project and as he works to represent D.C. in Congress, it's the values he shared at Wake Forest that guide him. 

"The core values of the program, the family atmosphere that's infused in the team the moment you get there — those are the elements that really stick out," Lowery said. "That's what makes that bond strong. When you get to campus, start training and get into the flow at Wake Forest, you understand you're a part of something different. 

"None of us have left Wake Forest and experienced a similar unit. Nothing mirrors the family environment and the real commitment to the team. It just can't be replicated anywhere else."