Pictured: Sarasota Paradise celebrating a goal during their July 9 win over Miami AC. Photo courtesy of the team.

Soccer has officially made landfall in Sarasota. In just their second season, the Sarasota Paradise of the United Soccer League Two (USL2), cemented their status as Sarasota’s soccer team. 2024 was a season of firsts for the Paradise: they won their first South Florida division title, thanks to a dominant 8-1-3 record. They secured their first playoff berth, a landmark achievement for the club. Most importantly, perhaps, they secured the fervor and passion of a local fanbase, one that followed the team throughout the season, both at home and away.

“I’m extremely proud of the group we had, from the staff to the coaches to the players and the fans, who were huge this season in propelling us forward,” says Captain Felipe Rojas. “I’m happy that we were able to bring home a division championship and qualify for the playoffs for the first time in the team's history. I think it just builds momentum for the seasons to come.”

The Paradise’s season, which came to a close on July 19 in an extra-time loss in the first round to Brave SC, was a dramatic one that saw the club climb from the bottom of the division all the way to the top. The team’s success was chartered by the resolve and chemistry of their players–a loss in their first game and a tie in their second contest made a postseason berth seem all but impossible.

Their early season struggles, however, only seemed to motivate the Paradise even more. On the backs of leading scorers Seth Mahlmiester, Will Pierce and Kai Tamashiro, the Paradise fought tooth and nail to earn a postseason berth and never lost again for the rest of the year. The team’s landmark moment came at the end of the year: after beating division rival Miami AC, only one win separated them from a division title. Fans came out to support the team in droves, traveling to St. Petersburg to watch the Paradise secure a postseason berth in a dramatic, rain-soaked 1-0 victory over St. Petersburg FC. “We learned that with the right chemistry you can go really far,” says Rojas. “ For a team that’s in its second season, that lost its first game, tied the second game and then to make the turnaround that we did is a testament to the good people that are running the club.”

Pictured: Sarasota Paradise celebrating a goal during their July 9 win over Miami AC. Photo courtesy of the team.

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