In order to better prepare for the current season, three Washington University men’s soccer players joined the St. Louis Lions this summer.

“The three of us just sort of did something different this summer,” said senior co-captain David Klein, one of three to play on the team. “It wasn’t just about working out on our own, working with the ball, running and lifting, it was like, ‘Five days a week we’re playing with good competition and we’re going to get fit that way and we’re going to get really good at soccer that way.’”

Klein, junior Michael Chamberlin and senior Cody Costakis practiced and played with the Lions, the St. Louis based Premier Development League (PDL) soccer team, for its 2010 season.

“The chance to play against other people and to practice, not just by yourself…and to get used to the speed of the game with a group of players who are playing at a high level makes you a better player,” Chamberlin said. “It really is a hard experience to replace.”

The league, which is designed to provide professional-level competition and experience for college footballers during the offseason, is the top level of men’s amateur soccer in the United States. The PDL draws in many Division I athletes, as well as international players and veteran soccer players.

“You always want players to find places to play in the summer,” Bears head coach Joe Clarke said. “It’s not that easy to do, but any time they can, it’s an advantage. Playing in the PDL, it’s a good level. If you want to be come a good player, the more difficult the environment that you play in, the better, so it was a great situation for all three of them.”

Though the three didn’t get any in-game playing time and were officially left off of the Lions’ roster, just practicing with the team daily was a huge benefit, according to Chamberlin.

“Just having that competition every day and being able to go out and train extensively every day makes you a better player,” Chamberlin said.

This past March, Clarke urged Klein and Chamberlin to try out for the team. Clarke, a friend and former teammate of Lions’ coach Tony Glavin, “put in a good word” and later helped Costakis join the Lions.

“[Glavin] was more than willing to listen to me when I told him that I had some guys that were going to come out and try out for the team and asked him to take a look at them,” Clarke said. “Of course, they’re all really hard working players and [Glavin] wants kids that work hard, so he was more than willing to have them as a part of his group.”

Though Klein has been injured and is limited in practicing lately, he, Chamberlin and Costakis have been able to build a strong chemistry while practicing and playing together daily.

“It was definitely good for us, to, all three, be playing together over the summer,” Chamberlin said. “The more you play with a person, the more you’re able to predict what they’re going to do and the more you’ll develop a chemistry with them.”

The Lions finished this past season with a 5-7-4 record, fifth in the Heartland Division, missing the playoffs. But it remains to be seen whether the team’s impact on Klein, Costakis and Chamberlin will help bring the Bears success and a playoff appearance of their own.

“I think that the three of us are positioned to play the best soccer we’ve ever played this year because we played so much this summer and at a pretty high level,” Klein said. “That was sort of my goal. This is my last year, I want to be the best soccer player I’ve ever been and on the best team I’ve ever been on, and I think that by [playing with the Lions], we positioned ourselves to do that.”