"For people who might just be hearing about our club for the first time, this is such an exciting time to come on board and get involved with our teams."

City Editor Danielle here. It feels like a time of unprecedented excitement and growth for the Greenville Triumph. With so many recent headlines, I spoke with Vice Chairman + Chief Brand Officer Doug Erwin about the impact of each story on the future of soccer in Greenville.

"I think we're entering a really transformative period for the club, and I think the excitement is palpable right now," Erwin said. "For the first time since early on in our club's history have a road map of where we would like to go and where we think we are going."

On the reformatting of USL One

ICYMI — The United Soccer League (USL) will implement a promotion and relegation system (think: like the English Premier League) in the 2027-2028 season.

"Certainly for our hardcore fans, this is something they've been clamoring for pretty much since the team was started. The potential intrigue that it brings throughout the season, the national and international attention, will really just boost the profile of our club."

On Ronaldinho's appearance at the stadium groundbreaking

ICYMI — the Brazilian soccer legend joined the club's ownership group in fall 2024 and attended the groundbreaking of the club's new 10,000-seat stadium this month.

"We were really blown away by the groundbreaking ceremony, and not just the amount of people that came out to see Ronaldinho, but the passion for what he's meant to the game of soccer across the world and what it means to have him here in Greenville.

A lot of people were comparing it to Pele coming to Greenville in the 1980s to help open up Furman's soccer stadium, just having a star of that magnitude that is such a uniter in his sport. It's a validation for what we're trying to do with the Triumph and Liberty and the togetherness, joy, and fun we're trying to bring to the community."

On granting a Make-a-Wish

ICYMI — the Triumph signed seven-year-old soccer phenom Kamden, a kid who made a Make-a-Wish to be the "greatest soccer player ever."

"We're passionate about getting getting out the community with our staff with our players. I would say this Make-a-Wish project is probably the coolest thing we've ever done. Just being humbled and that someone wanted their wish to be with the Greenville Triumph is so cool.

It's so rewarding to be able to bring smiles to people's faces, and I think the Make-a-Wish game is is gonna be one of us not the course the coolest game we've ever had."

Erwin wants Kamden's debut game to be the biggest crowd in Triumph history. It's this Saturday, March 29. Get your tickets.