Palmetto State Rewind: Soccer Franchise Edition Part 1

Remembering the former soccer clubs that called South Carolina home

On any given Saturday, the soccer fan in South Carolina can see matches in almost every major city from eight different national leagues. Almost twenty teams call the Palmetto State home in 2025. This wasn’t always the case. Here is a look back at some of the historic clubs that put South Carolina soccer on the map.

Franchise, Years of Operation, League Affiliation, Home Venue

Columbia Heat 1993-1995 USISL Outdoor/Amateur, Stone Stadium USC

The franchise began in 1993 as the Columbia Spirit and rebranded to the Heat for the 1994 and 1995 seasons. The team posted mediocre results all three seasons but did make a solid playoff run in 1994 into the Sizzling Nine round of play after finishing 6^th in the Atlantic Division table. The team folded after the 1995 campaign.

Myrtle Beach Boyz: 1995, USISL Pro League, Doug Shaw Memorial stadium

The Boyz only played one season but had some huge success in their brief existence. Not only did they set the stage for the Sea Dawgs, they launched the USL coaching career of Wilmington Hammerheads legend David Irving (USL Pro National Champs in 2003), featured USISL Defender of the Year Troy “Chopper” Edwards, and advanced all the way to the Semi-Finals where they lost to the Minnesota Thunder 3-2 in OT.

Myrtle Beach Sea Dawgs: 1997-1999, USISL D3, Doug Shaw Memorial stadium

The club was highly successful in year one and won the USISL D3 South Atlantic Division crown in 1997 with a 14W-3L-0T record. This was followed up by a second-place finish in 1998 before tough times hit the club in 1999 when they finished in seventh place. 1999 is remembered for a different reason as the club hosted an MLS preseason tournament that featured DC United, the Chicago Fire, and Kansas City Wizards. The team folded before the 2000 season.

Myrtle Beach Mutiny: 2012-2018, NPSL/USL PDL, N. Myrtle Beach Sports Complex

/The Mutiny was operated by youth club Coast FA for seven consecutive seasons playing first in the NPSL before finishing up in the USL PDL League. The team were exceptional the final four seasons of play winning the NPSL South Atlantic Division in both 2015 and 2016 before winning the PDL South Atlantic Division in 2017 and 2018. The Mutiny also qualified for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup in both 2016 and 2018. Despite all the success on the pitch, the Mutiny ceased operations after the 2018 season.

Carolina Elite Cobras: 2012-2015, USL W-League, Columbia College, MESA Soccer Complex, Kroc Center Greenville

The Cobras were founded as the Central SC Cobras in Columbia in 2012 and played at Younts Soccer Stadium on the campus of Columbia College before making the move and affiliation with the Carolina Elite Soccer Association for their final three seasons. The 2012 team was voted W-League Rookie Franchise of the Year and finished third in their conference. Irish International and former pro Sylvia Gee played for the team as Tabitha Padget was named All-Conference. In 2013 the team moved to CESA’s MESA complex and turned in their best finish as a franchise making it into the national Final Four after they pulled a string of upsets to advance in the national tournament. Blakely Mattern was named W-League Defender of the Year with teammates Elizabeth Rose Hull and Ashley Swinehart making the All-Conference team. The 2014 season saw the team miss the playoffs in third place by just one point. In 2015 the team won just one match and ceased operations before the 2016 season.

Lowcountry United FC: 2018-2019, UPSL, Woodland High School

Lowcountry FC charged into the expansion UPSL Mid-Atlantic conference winning it all in 2018 with a 12W-1L-1T record. The club had built up to this stellar UPSL debut as they had become a dominant force in the local Charleston Adult Soccer League as well as through a series of tours in the region to play UPSL and NPSL opponents. The team finished just one win away from the National UPSL tournament in the spring of 2018 and due to not having a permanent home field went on hiatus for the fall 2018 season. The Spring of 2019 the team had secured a home venue at Woodland HS in Dorchester but had an average campaign with a 3W-4L-2T record and missed the playoffs. The team despite their initial success and off-the-field buzz did not continue into the fall 2019 season.

That’s all for today…next week we’ll remember all the former teams of the Upstate… from the Shamrocks to the Upward Stars and everyone in between.