Jägermeister Cup: Greenville, You're Our Only Hope
How the only USL League One representative made it through the group stage.
This past weekend, Greenville Triumph did the unthinkable, and won Group 6 of USL’s Jägermeister Cup. With the group win, they advance to the knockout stage, and are the only USL League One club to do so.
It’s the second year of the tournament, but first to include all USL Championship clubs. Like the inaugural run, the tournament started with a group stage, mixing regional clubs from both levels.
Greenville has struggled in regular season play, currently sitting just outside the eight team playoff bubble. But the Cup has been a different story. Here’s how they did it.
April 26th: South Georgia Tormenta 2-1 Greenville Triumph
However, even the Cup run didn’t start off well, with a loss to league rivals South Georgia Tormenta. It was Greenville’s third loss in a row across league competitions. After a convincing 3-0 win over Union Omaha on March 12th, goals slowed to a trickle. There was a 1-0 win over Charlotte in there, but over five matches, Greenville scored only two goals, and gave up eight.
Greenville gave up two first-half goals against Tormenta, one a penalty kick, and both at the hands of Mason Tunbridge. In addition, Evan Lee missed a penalty attempt that would end up the difference maker. A late goal from Rodrigo Robles (Greenville’s only shot on target) wasn’t enough.
A regulation loss in a four match group stage can be devastating. Indeed, only one other team (Sacramento) with a regulation loss will be advancing as a group winner.
The rest of the group schedule looked daunting: a Miami FC side on a rebound after one of the worst seasons in league history; USL Championship powerhouse and regular season points leader Charleston Battery; and FC Naples, an expansion side that had punched well above its weight in the first half of the season.
But the team regrouped and went back to league play. While they still failed to find a win over the next three league matches, they did find their scoring touches again. There was a 3-3 draw at Richmond and a 2-2 draw with AV Alta, but heading back into the Cup, they dropped a 1-0 match at Texoma.
May 31st: Charleston Battery 0-1 Greenville Triumph
Charleston Battery saw an upset in its group stage opener, falling 1-0 to an upstart FC Naples. Heading into the second match of group play, both Greenville and Charleston were already faced with a must-win scenario. A loss would not technically eliminate either, but would make advancement nearly impossible. Indeed, no team with more than one loss is advancing via either group winner or wild card.
Even worse for Greenville, they’d have to do it at Patriot’s Point in Charleston, a home where the Battery rarely loses. They’d also be facing one of their former goalkeepers, Christian Garner, who split duties in 2024 with Greenville’s current number, Gunther Rankenburg.
But in the battle between former teammates, it was Rankenburg who came out on top.
Charleston controlled the pace of much of this one, with 73% possession. For much of the first half, it seemed like it was only a matter of time, especially with Golden Boot contender Cal Jennings on the pitch, and MD Myers waiting on the bench.
Charleston peppered Greenville with 15 shots in this match, five on target. Rankenburg saved them all. Charleston also held Greenville to only two shots in total.
One of those shots found the back of the net, and it was all Greenville needed. Near the end of the first half, Michael Gonzalez found Ben Zakowski wide open, on side and on a breakaway, and one on one with Garner, sent a left footed shot into the goal past the charging keeper.
Head Coach Rick Wright made a couple of tactical, defensive-minded substitutions at the half, sending in Toby Sims and Evan Lee. In the second half, Rankenburg would make three saves, while the defense made three key blocks.
Clean sheet secured, hope alive.
June 28: Greenville Triumph 2-0 Miami FC
Greenville still hadn’t completely shored up its league play by the time Miami FC rolled into town in late June. Since defeating Charleston, they drew with FC Naples, and lost their rematches with Omaha and Charlotte, failing to score in either. They weren’t giving up so many goals now though, with just four conceded in as many matches, a far cry from the eight over the three match stretch heading into the group stage opener.
Miami FC also entered this match leading the group, having defeated Tampa Bay in penalties, and FC Naples in regulation. They were a different team than the one that finished with only three wins in the entire 2024 season.
Wright opted this match to go with backup keeper Seth Torman, whose lone regular season appearance to this point was the 1-0 loss at Omaha just sixteen days earlier. Torman was also in goal in the opening Cup loss against Tormenta. For added insurance, Wright also rostered academy keeper Aiden Blinzler.
Greenville’s defense kept the pressure off Torman in the first half, where he faced only one shot on target. Greenville’s offense, meanwhile, made Miami FC keeper Bill Hamid work. The former DC United star saved three in the span of four minutes, four in total through the first half.
Greenville struck immediately in the second half, when Toby Sims took an errant pass in Greenville’s half, and sent a long shot down the pitch to a surging Rodrigo Robles. The forward found the volley, and sent it lobbing over Hamid from the top of the box.
Miami turned on the jets for most of the rest of the second half, forcing Torman to make five more saves by the 81st minute. But in the 85th minute, Carlos Anguiano put the finishing touches on the match, scoring on a long range shot after some back and forth between himself, Chappa Herrera and Ben Zakowski. Torman made one more save to secure the clean sheet, and Greenville suddenly looked like a group contender.
July 26: Greenville Triumph 2-1 FC Naples
Greenville entered this match with the best shot of any remaining USL League One side to advance. The Tampa Bay Rowdies led the group with seven points, and were facing the already-eliminated Charleston Battery. As the points leader, Tampa Bay controlled its own destiny, and would advance with a win in regulation. Even a win in penalties could do the trick, and in hindsight, would have pushed them through.
Greenville also had an eliminated opponent, but had the extra advantages of being at home and facing a USL League One club. It was a must win, and even a win would have to rely on Charleston knocking out Tampa Bay.
South Georgia Tormenta and Miami FC were the wild cards in this group’s scenario’s, facing off in Miami with both sides still in contention. Tormenta could advance with a win with two or more goals scored and a Tampa Bay loss with no goals, and a Greenville loss with three or fewer goals scored.
Indeed, for a few minutes, this exact scenario appeared to be playing out, and Tormenta headed to the top of the live table. They went up 2-1, while Greenville and Naples were tied 1-1 and Tampa Bay was down 1-0.
In any case, Greenville did all they needed to do. After Tyler Pasnik scored in the second minute for Naples, the defense locked down and only allowed three more shots, none on target. Meanwhile, and perhaps out of desperation, Greenville rained 23 shots on Naples, and two made it past Joel Serrano. Leo Castro headed the first one home late in first half stoppage time, while Chevone Marsh broke away in the 67th minute, sending a left footed shot past Serrano. A missed penalty kick by Chappa Herrera a few minutes before was all but forgotten.
Tampa Bay, with a match that started 30 minutes after Greenville’s, would go on to lose to Charleston, thus ensuring Greenville’s passage and the elimination of themselves, Tormenta and Miami.
Next Up: Knockouts vs. Indy Eleven
Soon after play ended, the league released the pairings for the first knockout round. Greenville is set to host Indy Eleven, winners of Group 3, on August 19th or 20th. More details will be forthcoming from the clubs and the league on exact scheduling.
UPDATE: the league announced this morning that Greenville is unable to host due to stadium availability. The match will be at Indy Eleven on Wednesday, August 20 at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Indy Eleven cruised to winning its group, with regulation wins over Madison, Knoxville and FC Tulsa, and a PK win over Birmingham Legion.
They’ll enter the match as the obvious favorite, but it’s not the first time this tournament Greenville will play as the underdog.
Can they do it again?