Trident FC Performs Well at The Soccer Tournament (TST) The team representing W&L alumni advanced to the knockout stage of the $1 million winner-take-all event in Cary, North Carolina.
Building upon its inaugural showing in The Soccer Tournament (TST) last June, Trident FC advanced past the group stage in 2025, making it to the Round of 16 at the $1 million winner-take-all event held June 4-9 in Cary, North Carolina.
The team, established by Washington and Lee alumni Mikel Parker ’99 and Jason Jarecki ’99, and featuring the play of Parker and Grant McCarty ’24, posted a 2-1 record during the group stage, dropping its opener to Seleccion Potrero (2-0), led by former Manchester City striker Sergio Agüero, on ESPNU before collecting successive wins over Certified Lions FC (3-1) and Atlético de Madrid (4-3).
The group performance qualified Trident FC for the coveted 32-team knockout stage, where it registered a 2-1 victory over Saturdays Football. The squad then saw its impressive run come to an end with a 4-0 loss to eventual semifinalist Pasha Luxury FC.
“What a team in the way they came together, and what a group of supporters who inspired us to play as hard as we could,” said Jarecki of his experience at the tournament. “We exceeded our goals of getting into the knockout round. I think we ran out of some steam in the Sweet 16, but we didn’t back down from anyone and outworked and outplayed some very good soccer teams.”
Parker noted that several moments stood out to him during the six-day event, including the presence of W&L supporters in Cary — particularly with a W&L flag on display at the venue for all to see.
“That was priceless,” he said. “I am so thankful to have had so many W&L alumni fans support us both in person and from afar. Thank you so much for all the kind words and for helping us pull out some tough wins! It meant a lot, and I hope we have created fans for life.”
Another top memory was the win over the Certified Lions, the team’s first-ever TST win.
“The sheer euphoria when our shot went into the goal was indescribable, and it unleashed the reality that we can compete in TST,” said Parker. “I’ll never forget either of those moments.”
Parker and Jarecki expect to compete again in next year’s TST event and have hopes to better their 2025 Sweet 16 finish.
“I don’t know when, but I am confident we will be champions at some point,” said Parker. “Furthermore, Jason and I hope to build Trident FC into a bigger soccer presence. We are working on this incrementally, so stay tuned.”
As the popularity of small-sided soccer (games played with fewer players on a smaller field) advances so, too, do the aspirations for additional opportunities for Trident FC to participate in more competitions.
“Mikel and I will have to see how big this gets ahead of the World Cup next year and determine if there could be other additional professional outlets for Trident FC to participate in coming years,” said Jarecki.
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