Greenville Triumph SC inks 2nd-ever player, striker Jake Keegan

Set to debut this year in USL League One, Greenville Triumph SC’s roster-building phase has commenced. After recently signing its first-ever player in defender Tyler Polak, the expansion club announced its second signing — and first attacking player — on Thursday in veteran striker Jake Keegan.

Keegan joins the Truimph fresh off a stint with Irish club St. Patrick’s Athletic. Prior to that, he spent a couple years at then-NASL side FC Edmonton, which took a hiatus in 2018 in order to join the Canadian Premier League.

“We are excited to bring Jake to Greenville Triumph SC,” head coach and sporting director John Harkes said in a release. “He brings great experience from his time in Ireland, and he is a crafty forward with great technical ability. As a striker, we’re excited to have a player in Jake that makes quality runs into the box and loves to score goals.”

Keegan is a little undersized for a No. 9 at just 5-9, but has a good feel for moving in and around the box and can be dangerous going at goal. His hold-up play and passing have never been his fortes.

The well-traveled native of Stormville, N.Y. has also played in Germany in addition to Canada, Ireland and the U.S. He hopes to replicate some of his finer career moments in Greenville.

“During my time in Ireland I was lucky enough to be the part of an inaugural season with Galway FC, who were a rebrand of Galway United,” Keegan said. “Our club was promoted the first season and it is one of my favorite memories in soccer. Hopefully we can achieve similar success in Greenville this season.

“I’ve been fortunate to score a decent amount of goals throughout my career, and I aim to continue that attacking success in Greenville.”

Keegan provides Greenville Triumph SC a capable scoring option off the bench at worst, and is experienced and talented enough to take on a starting role as well. Given his modest production in the NASL, the Division 3 level seems appropriate for his skill set.

It’ll be interesting to see how Harkes continues to fill out his roster ahead of the club’s inaugural campaign. With just one defender and one forward under contract so far, look for plenty more player announcements from the Triumph in the coming weeks.

Greenville Triumph SC’s first USL League One regular-season match is a March 29 away date at Tormenta FC, with its home opener to follow April 6 against Lansing Ignite.

Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KJboxing.

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