Why a 2–1 loss may be the most significant match in Triumph history
No one likes to lose.
Fans show up to a sporting event expecting to see their team win. The players and coaches train hard and put together a game plan to achieve victory. The business side of the franchise knows that winning leads to sales; of tickets, merchandise, concessions, sponsorships, and more. Everyone wants to win.
On Wednesday night, the Greenville Triumph did not win.
And yet, as I sat in my seat taking in the spectacle of that third round Lamar Hunt US Open Cup match between the Triumph and Major League Soccer’s Charlotte FC, it felt like a victory to me. There was something about that night that stands out amongst all of the previous Triumph matches I have watched or been present at. It was something that seems hard to put into words, but that is the task I have set before me, so here it goes.
When I started covering soccer in Greenville all the way back at the end of 2017, I had a singular focus: to help grow this game that I love in my city. Along the way, I have made countless friends I would have never met otherwise, experienced the highest of highs in seeing my team win a championship, done borderline insane things like fly halfway across the country by myself to watch the 2019 League One final (that we lost by the way), and even injured myself TWICE in the making of various tifos. You know what else has happened? I have fallen more in love with this game, something I would not have thought possible at the outset.
I have also failed in many ways with this “responsibility” I placed on myself. There are plenty of excuses to be made about having two kids in the brief history of the Triumph and that impeding on my podcasting and blogging time, but the truth is, it’s just really hard to maintain momentum with any of this.
I invited a friend to come to the match with me this go around. I actually sat in my seat for the whole match instead of roaming the end lines as “media,” something I have only done on maybe two other occasions. I enjoyed being a fan, first and foremost. And as we were walking out of Legacy last night, I was telling my friend that for me, growing the game doesn't mean getting people to like my team. It’s just about introducing a love of the sport.
And that’s when it hit me.
Four thousand and sixty four. Standing room only. Sold out crowd.
What happened on Wednesday night in the Parker district was incredible. The atmosphere was second to none. The closest I have seen this city to that atmosphere was at the first ever match in club history. And when Jake Keegan’s shot hit the back of the net in the 59th minute, it was louder than I have ever heard it in there.
The game of soccer is growing in Greenville. It is working.
This is not to say that I have had even a fraction of a hand in this growth, but it has reminded me of why I do the little things that I do.
So, for now, I’ll continue to host post-match Twitter spaces where you can “call in” with your thoughts (join us here), and write up some pieces like this from time to time when I feel like I have something worth saying or a story worth telling. But I want to thank the team, the coaching staff, the front office, the Reedy River Riot, every other fan in the stadium, and even the traveling Charlotte FC fans who helped contribute to the electric atmosphere.
There is still work to be done to see this sport grow to where I want it to be. But a random Wednesday night in late April showed me that we can do this thing together!