Weeks after League One Day One, Greenville Triumph finally announced their initial roster decisions for 2023.
Leading offensive talents Jacob Labovitz and Venton Evans had their options picked up after successful first seasons with the club. Labovitz had 12 goals and 2 assists, while Evans had 6 goals and 3 assists. We had the players ranked fourth and seventh respectively on our power ranking of unsigned offensive players.
Core midfielders Lucas Coutinho and Aaron Walker, and core defenders Brandon Fricke and Evan Lee will be returning under contract. Fricke was a second team all league defender, while Lee was a first team all league defender. Another member of the core defense and comeback player of the year nominee, Nate Schultz returns on an option.
Rounding out the returnees under options include supporting players Jamie Smith (DF), Alex Cox-Ashwood (FW) and Jared Mazzola (GK). The club indicates that Mazzola is set to compete for the starting job after serving as backup to Paul Christensen and Ben Hale in 2022.
The club starts their season hosting Richmond Kickers in Greenville at a stadium yet to be determined on March 25th. They will also visit Forward Madison on April 15th for their home opener.
Current Roster
Goalkeepers: Jared Mazzola
Defenders: Brandon Fricke, Evan Lee, Nate Shultz, Jamie Smith
Midfielders: Lucas Coutinho, Venton Evans, Aaron Walker
Forwards: Jacob Labovitz, Alex Cox-Ashwood
Transactions
Returning under contract: midfielder Lucas Coutinho, defenders Brandon Fricke and Evan Lee.
New contract: midfielder Aaron Walker
Optioned: forwards Jacob Labovitz and Alex Cox-Ashwood, midfielder Venton Evans, defenders Nate Schultz and Jamie Smith, goalkeeper Jared Mazzola
Declined: defender Jimmy Filerman, midfielders Peter Pearson and Miles Fenton, forwards Nico Brown and Jake Keegan
Retired: Paul Christensen