For this week’s Under the Lights we head off to Columbia, South Carolina to get to know Soda City FC of the UPSL. General Manager Andrew Richardson was kind enough to walk us through the organization’s set up and explain their unique badge…

Can you tell me your origin story; when was the club founded and why?
The earliest talks about developing a team came in the late fall-early winter of 2017. Our President (Tony Baker) was approached by another UPSL franchise gauging his interest in starting a franchise in the Columbia, SC market. From there, the ownership group began to form as our initial four (Patrick Burnette - VP, Andrew Richardson - GM, Marcus Hunter - CFO) began to establish our intentions and goals as a club, and we officially joined the UPSL (as well as launching our website and social media accounts) on April 17, 2018. The goal for SCFC when we were founded was simple, and remains the same to this day: We wish to grow and extend the footprint of soccer in our community, and use soccer as our platform to develop a stronger Columbia for generations to come.

There are hundreds of lower league soccer badges but yours stands out to me - what do all the pieces represent? Is that snow?
Our badge was a group effort with some very cool details! The light blue color represents the water of the three main rivers that wind throughout our city. On the top of the logo sits the front view of the South Carolina State House which is perhaps the most iconic landmark of downtown Columbia. The white pieces within the blue borders are affectionately known as the Soda Bubbles -- Columbia's abbreviation is "Cola", which has advanced over the last few years into a nickname of "Soda City"... the white pieces are simply the bubbles of the soda -- never served flat!

You currently play in the UPSL - has that always been the case? Of all of the leagues available and even new ones cropping up, does the club ever evaluate the options or are you solidly a UPSL team?
We have been in the UPSL since our inception. To a large degree, the UPSL could perhaps see what Soda City FC could become before we could. Since that time, our relationship has been mutually beneficial. In three seasons, we've claimed two division titles, one conference title, and a trip to the National Semifinals. Quality performances in the UPSL, and in U.S. Open Cup Qualification has enhanced our brand, and in turn we've developed quality relationships with other leagues, as seen by our invitation to the NISA Independent Cup... but right now, we're happy with our UPSL relationship from a competitive, organizational, and financial standpoint. We shall see what the future holds though, and we're always evaluating what is best for our club.

We often hear about all the soccer in the bigger markets, what's the scene like in South Carolina? How far away is your closest competition? Do you have any rivals?
The thing that we hear the most from teams who travel to Columbia is how surprised they are with the support for local soccer here. There are incredible numbers of youth players in the Columbia area, with more than a handful of clubs to participate with. From the state level, SC has always enjoyed a rich tradition of soccer, from the youth to the HS programs (typically 2-3 teams rank among the nation's top-10 of Spring season states), to the collegiate programs (11 NCAA D1 programs, alone), to multiple USL League 2 teams, a 2nd-year USL 1 team, and the long-standing Charleston Battery in the USL Championship. For us in the UPSL, there have been as many as four other in-state teams, as well as a handful in Charlotte (just an hour away). Although, our biggest rival is the Savannah Clovers (GA). We've developed great relationships with their organization, and we speak with the regularly about how we can continue to progress.

Masked up and responsibly distanced - Soda City does it right.

You recently participated in the NISA Independent Cup; what are your thoughts on the competition? Does it lead to something bigger and better going forward or was it just a nice opportunity to play some soccer?
Getting an invitation alone to the NISA Independent Cup was remarkable. From a competitive standpoint, we hadn't been able to step onto the pitch since our UPSL semifinal, so we were excited the renew our rivalry with a new-look Savannah side. We started a quality relationship with the Georgia Revolution after their reserve team visited Columbia for a U.S. Open Cup match, so we looked forward to seeing their full NPSL team in action... and since we were founded, we had viewed Chattanooga FC as a benchmark for what we wanted to accomplish from a full organizational standpoint. The matches were spirited (although we learned quite the lesson in the group finale against CFC), but working with NISA gave us a great indication on the differences and nuances of a professional organization. To say that we didn't consider our "next step towards advancement" would be untrue, but before then we recognized the improvements that we'd have to make to get to that point.

What's next for Soda City? Should we expect to see you in league play in the fall or has that been cancelled?
For now, we continue to train and improve the roster. We remain in constant communication with the UPSL Southeast leadership about the status of the 2020 Fall season, and in the meantime, we're hosting evaluations to prepare for whenever we take the field again.