Greenville Triumph announce 1st-ever academy signings
Greenville Triumph SC has been full of smiles in its inaugural USL League One campaign. The expansion side currently sits in third place in the table — above the playoff line — and has a game in hand on the three teams immediately beneath it in the standings. And as glowing as the present is going for the Triumph, they just took a huge step toward bolstering their future.
The Triumph announced the signing of two players to academy contracts Thursday, midfielder Conor Dowler and defender Ben Erkens. The signings mark Triumph SC’s first-ever academy deals.
“Anytime that you get an opportunity to showcase younger players, especially local, it’s really special,” Triumph manager and sporting director John Harkes explained. “It creates a good training environment and a potentially good feeder system, but overall it’s extremely important for the community — to have them involved, with the enthusiasm they bring, it’s special.”
Furman-bound Dowler and Clemson commit Erkens are both products of the local Carolina Elite Soccer Academy (CESA). Dowler currently attends TL Hanna High and also suited up for the NPSL’s Greenville FC over the summer. Erkens, a standout at Wade Hampton High School, was awarded the South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year.
Dowler and Erkens will continue to primarily train with their CESA team, but both are officially eligible for selection in Harkes’ 18-man rosters on match days, per the release.
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