The South Central Division: Unparalleled Growth

The South Central Division adds three new teams, cementing their footprint.

There’s been a lot of movement in the 2024 offseason and USL League Two is growing rapidly. Historically, League Two has been known for having a lot of movement, with clubs regularly joining or departing the League. Over the past few months, League Two has added 29 new clubs, just shy of its record of 34 clubs added in the 2022 offseason. Out of the 29 clubs announced so far, three of them have been in the South Central Division.

The first club announced to be joining the South Central Division departed the Gulf Coast Premier League and rebranded from Alabama FC South to their new moniker, Montgomery United FC. The team quickly branched a gap between the two existing Alabama teams, Birmingham Legion FC 2 and Dothan United SC. Led by head coach Tate Dean, the team has successfully recruited several local players and has brought back several key pieces from their inaugural season to make the transition to USL League Two.

The next club announced was Apotheos FC, a Georgia-based club with a unique flair. Sponsored by a local coffee company of the same name, Apotheos Roastery, the Locomotives had success in the NPSL, making the NPSL National Championship in 2023 and advancing to the second round of the U.S. Open Cup in 2024. In their fourth season, they make the move to USL League Two to compete against some of their fellow clubs in the Atlanta-metro area. They play their home matches at Atlanta Silverbacks Park, Atlanta’s first soccer-specific stadium. Under the leadership of head coach Jonathan Mercado, Apotheos FC looks to make an impact in their first season in USL2.

Finally, and most recently, Columbus native JD Hester and American soccer mogul Michael Hitchcock have made the decision to move Columbus United FC, along with multiple of Hitchcock’s other clubs, to USL League Two for the 2025 season. Columbus United, coming off of an impressive inaugural season, come to the South Central Division as a geographic center, and boast an impressive resume. In 2024, they won the NPSL Gulf Coast Sunshine Conference, won the NPSL South Region, and advanced to the NPSL Final Four. Led by head coach Brett Teach, Columbus looks to cement their place in USL2 this season.

These three teams are slated to join a stacked division consisting of Asheville City SC, Athens FC, Birmingham Legion FC 2, Dothan United SC, East Atlanta FC, Southern Soccer Academy, and Tennessee SC. While the recent influx of clubs displays an overall growth in the League as a whole, the South Central Division remains one of the more populated divisions. Boasting clubs from all over the state of Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee, the South Central is a division that creates intense rivalries and has the ability to kickstart significant development for young players. The addition of these clubs will prove to be monumental in the growth of each organization, the development of their players, and the culture of each fanbase. 2025 will be the season to keep an eye on this division.