Zach Prince was hired as general manager and sporting director of Greenville Triumph S.C. in January. He was raised in the Midlands and played his college and professional soccer in the Lowcountry. Now he’s tasked with growing the game in the Upstate.
Prince oversees the Greenville Triumph, which plays in USL League One; the pre-professional Greenville Liberty, which previously played in the USL W League but this year is playing an abbreviated club schedule; and the club’s Under-20 youth development program.
Seven months into the job, one month after the opening of a new stadium at GE Vernova Park, and right in the middle of the World Cup knockout rounds, Greenville Journal sat down with Prince at the club’s office on Main Street to talk soccer.
Greenville Journal: You’re seven months on the job. How’s it going so far?
Zach Prince: “It’s going well. Coming into it, you never know all the strengths and potential weaknesses that the club has. Being able to take the time and really understand each individual and where their real strengths are, and what the community really enjoys about a game, what they’re excited about, what really resonates with people in Greenville has been a really fun and challenging time for me. … I can really feel momentum, especially in my first six months, and now to where we are right now, I can feel a lot of momentum moving forward.”
GJ: With the World Cup being held in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, soccer is dominating the conversation this summer. What has caught your attention about the tournament.
Prince: “It’s really cool to see people from other countries come to America, and really appreciate American culture. I think when you know that’s something that is not as celebrated all across the world, and maybe sometimes people don’t see what culture is in America. … American culture is so different in different places that you go. It’s been fun to see some of the people really embrace some of the things that we have in the United States.
“The games have been great. The stadiums [in] Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. are phenomenal, and … the quality of the games that are on the field has been fantastic.”
GJ: Growing up in South Carolina, what was it like progressing up through the youth ranks?
Prince: “I grew up with a single mom, and she’s working two and three jobs to put me through sports. I played AU basketball, played baseball, played soccer, starting to get into travel soccer, and traveling around the state, and then ultimately the Southeast, and then the country. The accessibility to get in is incredibly difficult, as far as financial accessibility. It’s a commitment of time, it’s a commitment of transportation, a commitment financially.
“I look at that time period and say, ‘how can I make a change in the seat that I’m sitting in right now?'”
GJ: What’s next for soccer in the Upstate? What are you focused on?
Prince: “I just think there there’s no limit in terms of how big it can grow, but I think what’s next for me is really tackling the accessibility piece, and so making sure that [there is] either no financial barrier to enter, or very, very low financial barrier.”
GJ: What role does you feel the club plays in developing the game and young players in the Upstate?
Prince: “If our goal is just to develop professionals, we’re going to be failing a lot, right? … That is a part of the goal, to develop professional players and really help them find a pathway and how to get there, but realistically our goal is for positive outcomes. And so if a kid gets a scholarship to go to Furman or Clemson or South Carolina or Coastal Carolina or College of Charleston, Citadel, Wofford – any of these great places that we have as universities in our state – this needs to be celebrated just as much.
“The way we look at it is that development isn’t just on the field. It’s really a holistic development of the person and really looking at nutrition, looking at their mental performance, looking at literacy programs, financial literacy programs. … Making sure we’re getting the right food partners to come in and explain nutrition to people, have a nutritionist on staff. We want to really help people develop overall as a person, not just as a soccer player.”
GJ: For much of the world, the promotion-relegation system – in which winning clubs ascend to higher leagues and losing teams sink to lower leagues – is the professional standard. USL is moving toward that system in the next few years, but MLS remains a closed system. Do you feel a true promotion-relegation system would benefit soccer in the U.S.?
Prince: “I do, yes. More games are more important. … You can be battling to not be in relegation, or you’re trying to get into playoff or promotion. There’s so many different ways that you’re battling, and so every game matters a little bit more. Also, the weight of going down or being promoted up is pretty big. It can be really fun, and that’s ultimately what it is about. We’re in entertainment, you know. We need to make sure that we’re entertaining, and a part of that is the story that comes along with it.”
Who is Zach Prince?
Job: General manager and sporting director, Greenville Triumph S.C.
Hometown: Irmo, South Carolina
Playing career: College of Charleston, 2006-09; Charleston Battery, 2010-16
Position: Midfield
Managerial career: New Mexico United, assistant coach 2019-21, head coach 2021-23; New York Red Bulls, assistant coach 2023; D.C. United, assistant coach 2023-25.
