Welcome to the Palmetto State Soccer Report
Your weekly one-stop for the very best in South Carolina soccer.
South Carolina has a thriving soccer community and this weekly column will focus on all the key matches and major soccer headlines in the Palmetto State.
Expect to follow…
One of the most successful USL Championship programs calls the Lowcountry home. The Charleston Battery were founded in 1993 and are one of the two (Richmond Kickers) longest continuously running professional soccer franchises in the US. The team has recently enjoyed two deep USL playoff runs in 2023 and 2024 and Patriots Point has become a home-field fortress for the Black and Gold.
The Greenville Triumph claimed the USL League One title in 2020 and the boys in Green from the Upstate are set to build on their previous success and move into their own soccer stadium BridgeWay Station in 2026.
The SC United Bantams in Columbia and the Charlotte Independence in Rock Hill always represent well in the USL League Two ranks while the Greenville Liberty, Carolina Ascent, and SC United Bantams do the same in the USL W League.
In the UPSL, the defending Spring 2024 Premier National Champions Soda City FC and the Fall 2022 Premier National Runner-Up SC United Heat hail from Columbia. The Heat made some noise in the 2024 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup versus professional teams and Soda City will look to follow in these footsteps in the 2025 tournament.
Other UPSL teams from Spartanburg to Greenwood to Summerville provide high-level amateur soccer for the local fans.
Massive international events like the 2024 Rivals in Red tour stop in Columbia saw Manchester United play Liverpool in front of over 75,000 fans in a preseason match at a packed Williams-Brice Stadium.
In addition to the current soccer headlines, there will also be classic rewind features to remember the storied teams, matches, and players of the past that includes the Myrtle Beach SeaDawgs, Greenville Lions, SC Shamrocks, Upward Stars, and Columbia Heat.
Check back each week to see the latest soccer news and the epic soccer memories all from the Palmetto State.
See you at the game…