Historic moments and achievements for Fayetteville's newest pre-professional soccer club.

FAYETTEVILLE, NC - It was early Spring 2024 when club founder Marvin Andrade decided to make the step-up from the local Fayetteville league to compete in the United Premier Soccer League (UPSL) - the 4th tier of the U.S. Soccer pyramid. The goal was to bring competitive, pre-professional soccer to a city that was starving for such an opportunity and excitement, while simultaneously giving local youth and adults a pathway to the pros and/or opportunities to be scouted for collegiate soccer.

In order to make this goal a reality Marvin decided to reach out to key soccer enthusiasts within the community to ensure he enlisted the best talent needed to make this vision a success. One of those such enthusiasts was current LAI SC Head Coach, Errol Cumberbatch, known to many in the local soccer circuit as Coach E. Together with a few other partners and local sponsors, Marvin and Coach E worked hand in glove to ensure the club had a team ready to compete in the UPSL Mid-Atlantic Division 1 during the Fall 2024 season. With just a few months of lead time, the group got to work promptly, scheduling and hosting tryouts, scouting and recruiting local talent, and modernizing outreach by establishing an online and social media presence that would serve to promote and ensure the club's stories were told and shared.

Ultimately, all the hard work, commitment and dedication paid off. On 14 September 2024, LAI SC made their inaugural appearance in the UPSL with 20 rostered players from Fayetteville and neighboring Fort Liberty, and even though the final whistle marked the club's first defeat of the season, the moment and the achievement was forever cherished by all who hold a vested interest in the club's success. Fortunately, it was not long thereafter that LAI SC would take the field again, and on 21 September 2024 another achievement was unlocked as a win against local side Villareal Force Academy cemented the club's first ever win and 3 points in a nationally organized semi-professional soccer league. This historic moment for the club was capped off with the right to call themselves the best semi-pro soccer team in town.

Today, the club remains steadfast on the path to success. We caught up with Coach E after the recent victory and when asked what a successful season looks like for the club, he stated "A playoff berth in our first season would be fantastic, but we are taking one game at a time. In fact, at this stage in our growth as a club, every time we field a team on match day, whether we win, lose or draw, I consider that a success, and long may it continue."

At the time of this article Liberty Arsenal International will be preparing for their next match against Briar United FC. To stay updated on everything LAI SC, join their online mailing list at www.fflarsenalintsc.com, follow the club on Instagram @libertyarsenalintsc and subscribe to @CoachETV24 on youtube to view all games streamed live on matchday.