Greenville Triumph Parts Ways With Coaching Staff
Departures come after team missed playoffs for first time in club history
Greenville Triumph announced the departure of Head Coach Rick Wright and his coaching staff today after missing the playoffs for the first time in club history.
Led by Head Coach Rick Wright for the last two seasons, the staff also included assistants Mark Ward, Ryan McKie and Juan Villegas. Wright took over as Head Coach following the departure of John Harkes following the 2023 season, under whom he had served as assistant since 2019.
Per sources close to the situation, the staff departure was on Friday, just two weeks after Triumph finished in 11th place, five points out of qualification, with a record of 8-14-8.
The club officially announced it as a retirement, and did not mention the assistant coaching staff except to say that a search for “the club’s next head coach and coaching staff will begin immediately.”
The club is undergoing massive changes ahead of the 2026 season, with a new ownership group entering the picture, led by Wallace Cheves and Brazilian soccer legend Ronaldinho. In September, the club announced that founder and President Joe Erwin would be stepping down from operational duties, replaced by Cheves.
Greenville Triumph will move into a new, soccer-specific stadium in 2026, currently under construction in Mauldin. The planned capacity of the stadium is listed at 6,300, revised down from a previous estimate of 10,000. The club has previously played at Furman University’s Paladin Stadium and a stadium at Legacy Early College.
Sources also indicate that there will be a massive change in the roster this off-season. With the departure of the technical staff, contract matters were placed on hold.
Greenville’s 2025 roster was a mix of long-time veterans and younger newcomers. Evan Lee, Brandon Fricke and Tyler Polak are first, second and fourth respectively in all-time USL League One appearances, while 36 year old Leo Castro and 34 year old Sebastián Velásquez are among the oldest players in the league. The 33 year old Fricke led the squad in regular season minutes during the 2025 season.
Greenville is the second club to lose its coaching staff this off-season, after last-place Westchester announced the departure of Dave Carton and his assistants last week. Other non-playoff clubs AV Alta, Madison and Richmond are not expected to make any changes to head coaching staff, although Richmond assistant Mika Elovaara departed to lead 2026 expansion side Sarasota Paradise.
There is no word yet on a replacement technical staff for Greenville at this time, but sources tell us interviews are well underway.