South Carolina United play in Irmo, SC just outside of Columbia. Their PDL side, the Bantams, will be playing in their first ever US Open Cup tournament this year. I got the chance to speak with Lee Morris, head coach of the team to learn more about them.

Hey Lee, thanks for doing this interview. Before we get started, what is your position at the club?

I am the head coach for the Bantams, our PDL side. I am also the Director of Player Development. I am involved with all the programs on the coaching side of things. I have worked on putting a syllabus together with Adrian Pinasco, the Director of Boys Coaching, for all our age groups from U11 to U19. We have also worked with Jamie Mclendon, the Foundations Director, to get the syllabus together for the U8 through the U10 running as well.

Lee Morris, Director of Player Development at SC United FC (Photo courtesy of SCUFC)

So you guys have U8 sides and up?

We actually are involved in travel sides and recreational sides. The youngest you can sign up for is a U4 program. SC United is a big machine. We have over 5,000 kids involved in the program. And then of course we have the U23, our PDL team, which is the top of our program at the moment.

We are actually announcing an affiliation with the Charleston Battery soon. This represents an opportunity which could mean a child could join our club at the age of 4, and have a true pathway through to professional soccer. This is obviously a dream for many of our players.

How long have you been with the team?

I have only been here since February of last year. I started out as the GM before moving over to coaching this year. Before that, I played professionally in England (where I am from) for 17 years. After that, I coached for a few years in an academy back home.

What teams did you play for in England?

Well, the one everyone seems to recognize at the moment is Leicester City having won the league last year. I also played at Sheffield United and Derby County. Those are the most recognizable teams anyway.

So how does a professional player in England end up in South Carolina?

When I was back in England, I grew up playing soccer with Rob Strickland, one of the directors here. We got back in touch a few years ago, and when I was looking to come coach in America, I came over to have a look around. I got on with the guys here, and then I wound up coming over.

It’s a really good club, we got people who all feel like they are doing it for the right reasons. They want to make it the best club around for the kids. It was something I really wanted to be involved in.

How long has the club been in existence?

Well, in 2006, NECSA and CSC merged together to form South Carolina United FC. The two clubs realized they could serve all the kids involved better by merging. They were able to implement all levels of teams better, and serve the community together. It’s been growing ever since.

The PDL side began in 2012 as Palmetto FC Bantams. They were founded by Mark Riddle, Steve Freiburger, and Van Taylor, and it was based out of Lander University in Greenwood, SC. In 2014, we took over the franchise, and renamed the team the SCUFC Bantams.

What would you say then is the mission of South Carolina United?

Our mission is to be a full service community soccer club. We want to provide and promote soccer for players at all levels and all ages within Columbia and beyond. We pride ourselves on being run by local people who provide players with unlimited options.

We also like to get involved in the community. The Bantams are involved with Habitat for Humanity: they do house building for less fortunate families. They also get involved with Urban League of Columbia summer youth programs. The Strikers program is our own club project for children with special needs.

Bantams doing volunteer work. (Photo courtesy of SCUFC)

Is this the first year your team has qualified for the US Open Cup?

Yes! We had a really good season last year. It was really exciting at the end to try to get into the playoffs. We played the South Georgia Tormenta the last game of the season. They needed to win, and we needed at least a draw to get into the playoffs. We got the draw in a thrilling 2–2 game. We had a real good go at that and it’s the highest we’ve ever finished.

To have qualified for this tournament and see our name on the same documents as the LA Galaxy and New York Red Bulls is a really exciting thing for a small club like us.

What would you consider a successful season both on and off the field this year?

On the field, one target for us will always be trying to make the eastern playoffs. I think that’s where our hopes lie. Last season was our most successful yet, we know how hard it is for sure, but that has to be the target for us. Another thing as we said before is helping players compete at their highest level. And for some it’s helping them move on to bigger clubs. We’ve had several players move on to bigger clubs including Grayson Barber with Sporting KC’s U17/U18 side, and Nicco Rittmeyer with the Charleston Battery. We have also helped lots of kids get in colleges over the years. We have two brothers on the team, Koty and Wyatt Millard. They have represented SCUFC through the years, and are now on the Bantams. Koty went to the University of South Carolina, and Wyatt will be heading to Navy.

Koty and Wyatt Millard, two brothers who have progressed through SCUFC to the Bantams. (Photo courtesy of SCUFC)

Off the field for us, this will be our last year playing at Irmo High School. We are in the final stages of building our own practice ground at Monticello road. Part of that will be our own stadium that will seat a few thousand which will be big for us. It’s a much more accessible location in a more central part of Columbia. So this year we will just enjoy playing on the west side. We want to build enthusiasm around the Open Cup and show people we are a club they can be proud to support.