Asheville City SC Coach Scott Wells Wins USL League Two Coach of the Year
Asheville City SC Coach Scott Wells Wins USL League Two Coach of the Year
Wells and the Blues were undefeated in League Two play all the way to the national semifinal, where they fell 1-0 to the Seacoast United Phantoms
The most successful soccer team in North Carolina this year may end up being Asheville City SC, the pre-professional club that reached the USL League Two semifinals last week. Now, the league has honored Asheville coach Scott Wells with its Coach of the Year award.
“Extremely grateful to receive [USL2] coach of the year,” said Wells on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Thank you to Asheville City SC and the [South Slope Blues supporters group] for always believing in me. It’s a group effort and we got here together so thank you to my players and staff for their tireless commitment through the summer.”
Wells also serves as coach of Gardner-Webb Men’s Soccer, an NCAA Division I team in the Big South Conference.
The Blues were dominant for the entire regular season. The undefeated team averaged 2.67 points per match (second in USL2) with a goal differential of 31 (second in USL2). Asheville easily won the regular season title in the South Central Division, finishing 12 points ahead of Tennessee SC after 12 league matches.
In the USL2 tournament, Asheville won three matches, advancing to the national semifinals and winning the Southern Conference for the first time. While the Blues would go on to lose 1-0 to the Seacoast United Phantoms, it was their only loss in USL2 play all season.
“This was an important season for the club before we ever kicked a ball - the stars really aligned across both teams and staffs and we all knew it was going to be special,” said Asheville City SC general manager Tim Blekicki in a statement to Soccer Sheet. “But that didn’t just happen. It came in large part because of Scott and his efforts in recruiting and building out his staff. People trust Scott Wells - with their careers, with their time, and with their community. We’re all proud of him being named USL League 2 Coach of the Year and City is lucky to have him call Asheville home.”
“My responsibility is to leave Asheville in a better place every season, and this year we went two better,” said Wells following the July 28 defeat. “Thank you to my staff for their tireless work and to the South Slope Blues for believing in this team. Always a Blue.”
Footy Awards Prizes Courtesy of the Carolina Core
As you may know, voting is open on the first ballot for the midseason Footy Awards!
Thanks to our friends at the Carolina Core, we’ve got an official jersey and an official scarf to give away to anyone who casts their vote by tomorrow night at midnight.
Cast your vote here, or if you’ve already voted on the first ballot you’ll automatically be considered.