TSC Media Release

15 Players to Watch During the Inaugural USL W League Season

May 6, 2022

KEEP AN EYE ON THESE 15 PLAYERS THIS SEASON

With the establishment of the USL W League, more than 1,200 playing opportunities have been created. Of those 1,200 players, we have chosen 15 to keep an eye on this season as they look to lead their teams to success during the inaugural W League season. These players have been selected for All-tournament teams, Best IX teams and some have even represented the U.S. Youth National Team. 


Learn more about each player below: 


ANNA HADDOCK, TENNESSEE SC

Midfielder Anna Haddock is a rising junior at Auburn University who was recently called up to the U.S. U-23 Women’s Youth National Team roster in March, earning her first cap for her country. Last fall collegiately, Haddock led the Tigers in goals (nine) and assists (eight) and was selected for the 2021 All-SEC First Team. 


CLARA ROBBINS, RACING LOUISVILLE FC

Clara Robbins capped off her senior season at Florida State University as a NCAA National Champion last fall, during which she recorded six goals and eight assists. The midfielder was selected to the 2021 ACC All-Tournament Team and was also named the ACC Tournament MVP, capping a collegiate career for the Seminoles that saw her record 87 appearances for the school. 


ELIZA TURNER, MCLEAN SOCCER

Eliza Turner will represent McLean Soccer this summer after a standout freshman season at Georgetown University. Turner started 18 games for the Hoyas last fall and recorded both a goal and an assist. The midfielder was selected to the 2021 All-Big East Freshman Team having previously been a standout for McLean Soccer’s Academy program in the youth ranks. 


HAL (KATHERINE) HERSHFELT, GREENVILLE LIBERTY SC

Georgia native Hal Hershfelt will stay in South Carolina with Greenville Liberty SC ahead of her senior season at Clemson University this fall. The midfielder played and started every match for the Tigers last season and finished the 2021 season with seven goals. Hershfelt was named to the 2021 All-ACC Second Team as well as the 2021 United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-Atlantic Region. 


JAYDE RIVIERE, AFC ANN ARBOR

Defender Jayde Riviere joins AFC Ann Arbor ahead of her senior year at University of Michigan, where last season she started 19 matches for the Wolverines. Last summer, Riviere won an Olympic Gold Medal while representing Canada at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. A native of Pickering, Ontario, Riviere was also a member of the Academic All-Big Ten in 2021. 


JORDYN RHODES, KINGS HAMMER FC

Kings Hammer FC’s Jordyn Rhodes is an upcoming senior forward at the University of Kentucky. Rhodes started all 19 games for the Wildcats last season and recorded 11 goals and five assists, leading the team in both categories. She was also elected to the 2021 All-SEC Second Team as well as the 2020 All-SEC First Team. 


KATIE SODERSTROM, INDY ELEVEN

Katie Soderstrom is gearing up for her red-shirt senior season at Butler University. During her time with the Bulldogs, Soderstrom has tallied 16 goals and 16 assists in three seasons. That consistent level of performance has seen Soderstrom voted to the All-BIG EAST First Team in all three of her collegiate seasons (2019, 2020 and 2021). 

LAUREN KOZAL, MIDWEST UNITED FC

Michigan State junior goalkeeper Lauren Kozal averaged 4.5 saves per game last fall, tallying a total of 81 saves across 18 appearances, and will be aiming to provide a strong foundation for Midwest United FC as it competes in the Great Lakes Division. Kozal was voted Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year 2021, while also earning United Soccer Coaches All-America honors last December. 


MAKENNA MORRIS, MCLEAN SOCCER

Upcoming Clemson junior Makenna Morris was called up to the United States U-20 Women’s National Team this past December having previously gained experience with the U-15 and U-17 teams. The defender was named to the 2021 Third Team All-ACC team after recording 19 starts and six goals last season for the Tigers. 


MEGAN BORNKAMP, GREENVILLE LIBERTY SC

Megan Bornkamp recently completed her sophomore year as a Clemson Tiger, claiming a spot on the 2021 First Team All-ACC, as well as on the 2021 United Soccer Coaches All-America Third Team. The midfielder started 20 matches and led the Tigers in goals (10) and assists (10) and has now scored 18 goals over two seasons in the collegiate ranks. 


MOLLY MCLAUGHLIN, INDY ELEVEN

Midfielder Molly McLaughlin recently completed her senior season at Xavier University. A native of Granger, Indiana, McLaughlin started 20 matches and recorded three goals during the 2021 season. The midfielder was named to the 2021 All-BIG EAST First Team and was a part of the All-BIG EAST Second team in 2020 and 2019 while making 67 appearances for the Musketeers in her collegiate career. 


MORGAN TURNER, MINNESOTA AURORA FC

Minnesota native Morgan Turner recently wrapped up her fifth year representing the DePaul Blue Demons. The forward recorded nine goals during the 2021 season, completing her career at DePaul with 31 goals. In 2021, Turner was named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team for the second consecutive season as she now returns to her home state to compete for Aurora FC. 


RAENA CHILDERS, KAW VALLEY FC

Raena Childers will be in familiar territory as Kaw Valley FC kicks off its inaugural W League season at Rock Chalk Park after making 18 starts for Kansas University during her freshman campaign. A local product from Grain Valley, Mo., on the outskirts of Kansas City, Childers tallied three goals and an assist for the Jayhawks last fall and was named to the 2021 Big 12 All-Freshman Team. 


RENEE LYLES, PEACHTREE CITY MOBA

A native of Atlanta, forward Renee Lyles will play close to home at Peachtree City MOBA after an impressive freshman campaign at Clemson University last fall. Lyles recorded 19 starts and tallied seven goals for the Tigers, which earned her 2021 All-ACC Freshman team honors, having previously been the 2021 Georgia 5A Player of the Year during her high school career. 


SARAH FULLER, MINNESOTA AURORA FC

A Texas native, goalkeeper Sarah Fuller completed her collegiate career at the University of North Texas in 2021 as she recorded eight shutouts in 17 starts for the Mean Green. She had previously gained the national spotlight at Vanderbilt University, where in 2020 she both helped the Commodores women’s soccer program to their first SEC Tournament title since 1994 and became the first woman to score in a Power Five college football game as the football program’s kicker. 


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Tennessee Soccer Club (TSC) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization based in Williamson County and the surrounding Greater Nashville area. TSC's Mission is "to promote a love for soccer by developing excellence in the game for our players and coaches to positively impact our member families and communities.”


Since 2012, TSC has been the premier youth soccer club in the state of Tennessee and currently serves over 3,500 players participating in recreational, competitive and/or supplemental soccer programs across four locations: TSC Murfreesboro, TSC Nashville, TSC Sumner and TSC Williamson. TSC teams compete locally, regionally, and nationally in leagues such as the Tennessee Youth Soccer League, USYS National League and Mid South Conference, and the Elite Clubs National League. TSC also fields two U23 pre-professional teams competing in USL W League (women’s) and USL League Two (men’s). TSC has won multiple state and national championships in recent years through competition in these leagues. 

March 14, 2025
FRANKLIN, TN – Tennessee Soccer Club announced Friday the addition of National Premier Leagues (NPL) to its expansive player development pathway. NPL is governed by US Club Soccer, a national association member of the U.S. Soccer Federation. US Club Soccer also oversees the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) which TSC competes at the National and Regional League levels. “We are thrilled to join the NPL for the 2025-26 season,” said Director of Soccer Stephen Jordan. “Tennessee Soccer Club is consistently looking to develop excellence in all areas of the game, and the addition of joining National Premier Leagues will enable us to continue to do so.” TSC’s NPL teams will compete in the South Atlantic Premier League (SAPL), joining clubs from Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. “Our participation in this league will enhance our programming and elevate our opportunities for player development across multiple levels of our club,” Jordan added. The NPL, which formed in 2011, is nationwide platform connecting 17 regional leagues and more than 2,500 teams with a national postseason pathway. The annual NPL Finals is the coveted destination of all participants through year-long, league-based competition. Since 2019, the NPL Finals has been hosted at the prestigious DICK’S Sporting Goods Park in Denver, Colorado. This year’s finale will be held July 7-14. The SAPL will begin competition in the 2025-26 season spanning U13 through U19 boys and girls age groups. Read full NPL Announcement here .
February 25, 2025
FRANKLIN, TN – Tennessee Soccer Club hosted its annual Soccer-A-Thon on Saturday at Robert Ring Arena in Franklin, TN to raise money for the Special Olympics Tennessee (SOTN). The event was a resounding success, raising over $15,000 to help the SOTN with its soccer program. The current Soccer-A-Thon fundraiser will keep accepting donations until Friday, February 28th with a mission to raise even more funds for the Special Olympics athletes and TSC. You can donate here . Nearly 50 TSC players and coaches attended to run the hour-long clinic for the Special Olympic athletes. “It always warms the heart to see the interactions between our coaches and players with the Special Olympics athletes,” said TSC Tournament Director & Events Coordinator Jimmy Drain. “Seeing the joy and the smiles on everyone’s faces makes it all worth it." TSC began working with Special Olympics Tennessee in 2016 and has helped raise almost $250,000 toward the cause. “A big part of TSC Cares and the Soccer-A-Thon is sharing our passion for soccer. We are looking forward to next year and hosting another successful event,” Drain added. Tennessee Soccer Club established the TSC Cares program in 2017 as the philanthropic mission of TSC to aid in Building the Community in the Greater Nashville and Middle Tennessee area. TSC Cares continues to partner with local organizations to positively impact our community. To learn more about TSC Cares, or to join us in caring for the community, please visit our TSC Cares page here.
February 3, 2025
By IAIN KING Electrician, skydiver, lifelong Craigmark Burntonians fan, Tennessee youth soccer legend. At the age of 69 Sandy Pollock has lived a life less ordinary. Few sum up our native land’s adventurous spirit, that refusal to stay in your comfort zone more. That’s one of the telling reasons why Sandy was voted the inaugural North American Scottish Coaches Association (NASCA) Coach of the Year. Ayrshireman Sandy was revealed as our winner at the United Soccer Coaches Convention in Chicago where he was presented with a signed jersey from Scotland skipper Andy Robertson by NASCA President Eric McAleer. It was fitting that a group of his coaching colleagues from Tennessee Soccer Club cheered loudly from the back of the room. Sandy smiled ruefully, “I was more than surprised to win this honour, you know when I first joined this group I felt so intimidated. There are so many big-time coaches and accomplished people. It has taken me a while to feel comfortable in this company.” Sandy was brought up in the Ayrshire coal-mining village of Dalmellington, the home of the wonderfully named Burntonians who now play in the West of Scotland League Second Division. His dad played for Troon Juniors and Stranraer, his grandfather moved the family to Ayrshire in the 1930s from Dalkeith after he landed the job as physio at Ayr United. Sandy grew up steeped in football. “I always had a ball tied to my foot, every minute of every day,” he recalls. “When I was going to school ADHD had not been diagnosed but I am certain I had it. I would be in class not hearing a word the teacher was saying because all I could think about was my game that night. I was an ardent Rangers fan but I’ll never forget that after Celtic won the European Cup in Lisbon in 1967 I was watching the game as an 11-year-old kid. As soon as the game was finished I ran across the street to bang on my mate Jim Douglas’ door shouting: 'Come on Peem, let’s get a game going!' I was never a great player but I always loved the game. I was working class and poor but I didn’t know because I always had football. Where I came from gave me my work ethic and my optimism, I deal with problems and get on with life.” Sandy is an electrician to trade, he left school when he was 16 and did an electrician’s apprenticeship at Ayr Tech. It was an inspired decision. He earned a chance to join General Motors in the States as a skilled tradesman. The good times were rolling, great salaries and health benefits and in time GM transferred him from Atlanta, Georgia, to the Saturn Corporation in Springhill, Tennessee. Sandy’s natural skill in working with others had seen him grow into teaching roles in his day job. When son Ian came along and his team needed a soccer coach his old man was the natural choice. Sandy said, “We had a great little team and we wanted to give the kids more so we formed a travel club called Williamson County United. It grew so quickly and we eventually became a far bigger entity called Tennessee Football Club in 1998. I was still working at GM when I ran the Chicago Marathon at the age of 47. I loved the experience but I was disappointed because I missed qualifying for Boston by three minutes. When I was training for that I would get up for my 6-8 mile run at 3:45 am. I’d get to work at 6 am for my shift through to 2:30 pm and then rush to training at Centennial High School, where I was the Head Coach for a decade, for training from 3 pm-5 pm. Then it was on to the club facility for two sessions from 5:30 pm-8:30 pm then I’d go home and get ready to go again.” At least when he was running a marathon he kept his feet on the ground. One of his other passions, saw this most humble of men living with his head in the clouds. He reveals, “I have made over 600 plus SKY DIVES in my life, I really enjoyed that as a hobby. It was thrilling but then I started coaching and I guess that took over a little.” When the global financial crisis battered the United States in 2008 Sandy came to a career crossroads. Shutdowns loomed and GM were offering him a buyout or a transfer to Detroit. He said, “At the very same time Brentwood Soccer Club, where my friend was Director of Coaching, showed interest in me. Detroit which was the last place I wanted to go after being in the south for so long. All of a sudden I was working full-time in football.” Sandy threw himself into his second career, earning his USSF A License, educating himself on internships like an unforgettable 10-day stay at Dutch giants Feyenoord that he relished. These days Sandy is the U15-U19 Boys Director at Tennessee Soccer Club and the story of the birth of that organization sums up this special Scottish football man. Sandy reflected, “I’d been at Tennessee Football Club and then I’d gone to also work at Brentwood Soccer Club. The rivalry between the clubs was massive but it was not nice, we’d have parents going crazy at games between the teams, bitter competitions for try-out players. It wasn’t right. In 2012 the coaching groups at both clubs got together and we decided to put an end to it and have a merger. We managed to get through that process and 13 years later we have 3,000 players and 28 full-time staff.” From working on fundraisers to buy Christmas presents for kids in need to his newest project, Sandy’s big heart shines through. His next coaching gig? He will be an Assistant Coach of Major League soccer franchise Nashville SC’s Unified Team. What does that mean? Sandy explains, “Every MLS club has one, they contain Special Olympics athletes and partner players and they travel with the first team and play at the MLS stadiums after the main games. It’s an incredible initiative and they have MLS players as ambassadors, it’s the coolest project.” In Joe Ehrmann’s iconic book Inside Out Coaching there are two key questions he believes seep into the soul of those in our profession. Why do I coach? Why do I coach the way I coach? Sandy answers: “I coach for moments like the one I had just last night. I’m watching a 9 v 9 game on our training field and I hear a guy shout from the field behind: “Sandy!” “There was a guy there coaching his own kid one to one and he was a player I coached when he was 16. Now he’s out there with his 12-year-old son passing on the love of the game. That’s so satisfying. The way I coach has changed so much. At the start it was all about ME, then after a few years I realized it has to be the opposite. Now I don’t say much, I watch them make their own decisions and I try to help them at half-time or whenever I can quietly influence them. I remember when I was on that internship at Feyenoord I watched the former Dutch international Gaston Taument coach a game and he said almost nothing. He told me afterwards he had done all his coaching on the training field and this was his time to let them express themselves. That has always lived me. All I tell parents at the start of the season is that their kid will have fun in a positive environment and he will come out of it a better player by the end of the season. Will we win? Who knows? I under-promise and over-deliver! I am in the youth game and the pros are completely different but my idols are Sir Alex Ferguson, Walter Smith, Jock Stein, Bill Shankly. I feel those Scottish legends displayed the best of my country and what I believe in.” Sandy, a close friend of former Bournemouth, Norwich City and Scotland striker Ted MacDougall, reached out to NASCA to attend the first gathering in 2014. The two pals made the trip to Philadelphia for the United Soccer Coaches Convention and they loved every minute. Sandy grinned, “I just love the banter of those Panels and the guests we’ve had on the Speaker Series have been unbelievable. Being a part of those Zooms is special and such an education. It was through NASCA too that I did the SFA Talent Identification course with my son Ian which I thoroughly enjoyed. NASCA ties all the Scottish coaches in North America together and I feel that’s invaluable. In a way it’s a full circle that I’ll be back in Philly next year for the 2026 Convention to see someone else get this incredible Coach of the Year honour. I’m looking forward to that already.”
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