Greenville, SC – A week and a half after a dominant 5-1 victory, the Greenville Triumph SC returns to the field on Saturday, July 1, to face a streaking Forward Madison side for the second of three scheduled meetings in 2023. The match will kick off at Furman’s Paladin Stadium at 7:00 PM EST. The match is presented by Bud Light and features a fan-designed patriotic t-shirt giveaway for the first 750 fans over 21.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Kickoff: 7:00 PM ET, Paladin Stadium, Greenville, SC, presented by Bud Light
Streaming TV: ESPN+
International Stream: YouTube
Social Media: Greenville Triumph SC on Twitter
App: Download the Triumph app for free on Apple or Android
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
The Greenville Triumph Soccer Club returns to the field after a history-making performance against the Chattanooga Red Wolves last week, with Lyam MacKinnon recording the league’s first four-goal game in a 5-1 victory. The win was Greenville’s second straight, and the club is now unbeaten in its last five. The streak will be put to the test on Saturday against a red-hot Madison team riding a four-match win streak and sitting atop the league table.
Though much of the five-goal performance’s praise was focused on MacKinnon’s historic night, the offensive performance reflected a much-improved scoring offense for the Triumph in 2023. Greenville leads the league in scoring through 14 matches, a departure from the stellar defense that has been the most-lauded characteristic of the club throughout its first four seasons. It’s no coincidence, then, that the club is on a run of its best form of the season as the defense is beginning to regain its usual high-quality form as players return from the injury bug that hampered the defense across the first two months of the season. Good health from a talented defensive roster and first-year starting goalkeeper Jared Mazzola continuing to sharpen his skills has the Upstate side firing on all cylinders as it heads in to a July that will be a stern test for the team as they look to move up the league table.
The first test comes in the form of Forward Madison, who vaulted to the top of the League One table after a 1-0 midweek victory on Wednesday against South Georgia Tormenta. The victory was the team’s fourth straight, but they’ll need to recover quickly in order to keep pace with a rested Triumph side after a week and a half off. Greenville will need to focus on forward Christian Cheney, Madison’s leading scorer with five goals. Cheney, who played for Central Valley in 2022, scored multiple goals against Greenville last season and will look to move his name up the Golden Boot race list this Saturday.
The Triumph midfield will be challenged by a Madison side that has featured five midfielders at times this season. With two offenses highly-capable of multi-goal efforts, the match could be won and lost on possession and turnovers in the midfield. With only six points separating Madison and Greenville in the table and the Triumph side hungry to move back above the playoff cut line, Saturday’s match should be a big indicator of the playoff potential of both clubs as the season nears the halfway mark.
NEWS AND NOTES
Club and League History: Lyam MacKinnon’s four-goal game was the first in league history. His first three goals came in quick succession, as the Villanova alum recorded the fastest hat trick in league history. MacKinnon became the fourth Triumph player to score three or more goals in a match, joining hat tricks from Carlos Gomez, Marios Lomis and Jacob Labovitz.
Team Updates:
Out: Jamie Smith, Tevin Shaw, Hassan Gabo
Probable: Brandon Fricke
