NORTHWEST TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A new USL academy team partnership is creating a professional soccer pathway in Tallahassee. Tryouts start in the spring of 2026 for the inaugural May season.
WATCH FULL REPORT BELOW:
A new United Soccer League academy team is coming to Tallahassee, creating an unprecedented pathway for local players to reach the professional level.
The USL men's academy team follows a partnership between Sporting Tallahassee, Sporting JAX, and the Tallahassee Reckoning. Leaders say it will give high-level players in the region a chance to develop locally while creating a direct connection to professional clubs in Jacksonville and beyond.
"Having that real, true pathway which actually exists through our club through Tallahassee, through a pro team in Jacksonville, it's here. It's right. It's something that's never existed here before, so it's big news," Jacob Schmoker said.
"Even just this partnership with the Reckoning, I think them already having that on the women's side of the USLW team that they were able to partner with us, and we could offer this now. I'm so thankful for that," Schmoker said.
Schmoker is the assistant boys ECNL director.
The founder of Tallahassee Reckoning, Dr. Ashlee Fontes, says the program is designed to invest in talent at home.
"We're bringing the resources here to Tallahassee. We are bringing the best of the best here to Tallahassee. We're not trying to export our kids anymore to say, 'Hey you want, you got a dream, go chase it. The beauty about Tallahassee is that it's centered around family values, and we love our kids. So we're bringing the best here," Fontes said.
Players like William Blenman say this team could help them reach the next level in their soccer career.
"I really wanna use this to my advantage to develop more like playing at the collegiate level and play a higher level, and you know it means a lot. It'll bring more people in from surrounding counties and surrounding areas to come play for a club that, you know, has the best level in Tallahassee," Blenman said.
Blenman is a Sporting TLH player.
Tryouts for the team are scheduled to start in the spring of 2026, with the inaugural season beginning in May 2026 and running through the summer.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Want to see more local news? Visit the WTXL ABC 27 Website.
Stay in touch with us anywhere, anytime
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Instagram and X.
