Greenville Triumph SC is a professional
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
team based in
Greenville, South Carolina
Greenville (; locally ) is a city in and the seat of Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 census, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. Greenville is located approximately halfway be ...
, United States. The club began play in
USL League One
USL League One (USL1) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that had its inaugural season in 2019. The Division III league is operated by United Soccer League, the same group that operates the Division II USL Championshi ...
in 2019.
History
The formation of USL D3 was first announced in April 2017, and league officials began touring the country looking for candidate cities for new soccer clubs. USL D3 vice president Steven Short visited Greenville in July 2017, and told local reporters at the time that Greenville was one of the league's top candidates. In January 2018, the league began announcing teams that would play in their 2019 inaugural season. The formation of a USL D3 club in Greenville was officially announced on March 13, 2018, with local entrepreneur
Joe Erwin
Joe Arnold Erwin (born October 23, 1956) is an entrepreneur and politician from South Carolina. He co-founded and former President of Erwin-Penland Advertising, is a former Chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party (United States), Democrat ...
named as the principal owner. The Greenville team was the third team to join the league after
Tormenta FC
South Georgia Tormenta FC is an American soccer organization based in Statesboro, Georgia, United States. Founded in 2015, the club fields a professional team in USL League One, the third tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, as well as a pre-pr ...
and
FC Tucson, two clubs which already existed and played in the
Premier Development League
USL League Two (USL2), formerly the Premier Development League (PDL), is a semi-professional developmental association football, soccer league sponsored by United Soccer Leagues in the United States and Canada, forming part of the United Stat ...
. The team qualified for the playoffs in their first year of existence.
The team's name, Greenville Triumph SC, as well as its logo and colors were announced on August 9, 2018. On August 27, the team announced that the team would be coached by former
U.S. national team player
John Harkes
John Andrew Harkes (born March 8, 1967) is an American soccer coach and former professional player who is the head coach of Greenville Triumph SC.
A member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame, Harkes was the first American ever to play in the ...
, who had previously served as head coach of
USL
The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, p ...
club
FC Cincinnati
Football Club Cincinnati, commonly known as FC Cincinnati, is an American professional association football, soccer club based in Cincinnati. The club plays in the Eastern Conference (MLS), Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS). The ...
for the 2016 season. Harkes was signed on a three-year contract.
On June 8, 2021, GTSC announced they will be fielding a women's side to compete in the new
USL W League
The USL W League (USLW) is a pre-professional women's soccer league in the United States which began play in May 2022. It was announced on June 8, 2021 by the United Soccer League with eight founding clubs. It follows the USL W-League, a sim ...
beginning in 2022.
On January 28, 2022, GTSC officials announced that after a two year search for a new stadium location, they had settled on a six-acre site in
Mauldin, South Carolina
Mauldin is a city in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 24,724 at the 2020 census. It is a principal city of the Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
Mauldin is located south of ...
at Bridgeway Station. The proposed stadium would consist of 8,100 seats and be used as a multi-sport venue as well. If the stadium is approved by county officials, the project is expected to be completed by the opening of the 2023 season.
Sponsorship
Club culture
The Greenville Triumph's supporters group The Reedy River Riot began in earnest when members of their leadership began discussing strategies to create a professional soccer team in Greenville. A social media blitz of #usl2gvl and a
Change.org
Change.org is a worldwide nonprofit petition website, based in California, US, operated by the San Francisco-based company of the same name, which has over 400 million users and offers the public the ability to promote the petitions they care abo ...
petition in June 2017 began this process. The petition to “Bring Professional Soccer to Greenville” garnered over 900 signatures and caught the eye of the USL leadership and the local prospective ownership group. Their dream was fulfilled in March 2018 with the announcement that Greenville had been chosen as a founding member of the USL D3.
Throughout the conception and build out of the team, the initial membership of the Reedy River Riot began meeting to discuss our vision for a supporters group. Their leadership consists of a group of soccer fanatics based in and around Greenville who have served together in leadership positions within numerous soccer supporter groups in the past. They draw on these experiences to begin the story of the Riot.
Players and staff
Current roster
Staff
:'
Record
Year-by-year
Honors
*
USL League One
USL League One (USL1) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that had its inaugural season in 2019. The Division III league is operated by United Soccer League, the same group that operates the Division II USL Championshi ...
** Champions:
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
* USL League One Regular Season
** Winners:
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
Player honors
See also
*
Greenville Liberty SC
Notes
References
External links
*
{{South Carolina Sports
Association football clubs established in 2018
2018 establishments in South Carolina
Sports in Greenville, South Carolina
Soccer teams in South Carolina
USL League One teams