Palmetto State Report: January 29
Soccer News and Notes from around South Carolina
Recent soccer news from the Palmetto State.
The opening matches of the 2026 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup are set for mid-March. The Greenville Triumph will travel to USL2 Asheville City in the first round on March 18 in a rematch of last year’s scoreless draw that saw the Triumph advance 4-3 in penalties. The Charleston Battery will host the Florida Badgers of the UPSL in their first-round match also on March 18. The Battery advanced into the knockout stages in the 2025 USOC and were eliminated in the Round of 32 at DC United. Both matches kickoff at 6:30 PM.
The Charleston Battery played their first preseason match against Charlotte FC last weekend in North Carolina falling 1-3 to the MLS side. The Battery continue to build their 2026 roster by signing former Battery man Laurent Kissiedou (2017) to a multi-year deal. After his debut with the Battery, Kissiedou has played for Memphis 901, Detroit City, and in the Czech First Division for FK Pardubice.
Greenville continues their 2026 roster construction signing the experienced Jamaican goalkeeper Amal Knight to a multi-year contract. Knight recently featured in the nets for the Charlotte Independence and previously played for Lexington SC. The reliable shot-stopper already sits in 7th place in the all-time USL1 league history in saves and will bring his leadership and calming presence to the Triumph defense this season.
Soda City FC opened their preseason dates with a 2-2 draw versus Carolina Core last weekend. Jose Flores and Caree Collier found the nets for Soda in the match.
The South Carolina United Heat will hold Open Tryouts on February 3 at 7:30 PM. The tryouts are Free and players can register in person the day of the tryouts. Tryouts will be held at the Southeast Freight Lines soccer park located at 115 Sunbelt Blvd in Columbia.
The South Carolina Surf will be the UPSL team in the Charleston area this spring. The Surf are taking over the operations of the former Charleston United franchise keeping the USPL active in the Lowcountry. Tryouts will be held February 7 and 8 at the Shea Family Fields in Awendaw. Tryouts start at 5 PM both days.