Technical Staff

Julie Carlson

HEAD COACH & TECHNICAL DIRECTOR, W LEAGUE

This will be Carlson’s fourth season with the Triumph. Carlson is the Head Coach and Technical Director for the Greenville Liberty. She led the team to the USL W Semifinals, a South Atlantic division title and a 6-0 home record in the club’s inaugural campaign. Carlson leads the day-to-day operations of the team and is involved in the club’s youth programming, fan development and community relations initiatives for the Greenville Liberty. She is also an inaugural member of the USL Pro Preseason Residency Program. Carlson served as Director of Operations for women’s soccer at Clemson University from 2018-2021. She holds a US Soccer Federation ‘A’ license and was the head coach of the women’s soccer programs at Anderson University, Jacksonville State and the Virginia Military Institute, where she built the women’s soccer program from the ground up. Carlson worked as a volunteer assistant coach for the Clemson women’s soccer team from 2014 to 2016.

Blakely Mattern

performance coach

Mattern is on board as the Assistant and Sports Performance Coach of the Greenville Liberty. Mattern has been in the industry since her playing days at the University of South Carolina. From 2015-2023, Mattern was the Co-founder and COO of 11.11 Training, a soccer development facility for aspiring college athletes. She brings years of experience competing in professional league across the world, including the Netherlands’ FC Twente, Sweden’s Mallbacken IF and the Atlanta Beat in the U.S. Prior to her professional journey, she was a 4-year starter at USC, 2-year team captain, First-team All-American (first in program history), and 2007 SEC Defensive Player of the Year. Mattern’s ties with the Gamecocks remain strong, as she was inducted into the University’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022, only the second women’s soccer player in program history.

Alison Stelling

Assistant Coach & Video Analyst

Stelling will serve as the Assistant Coach and Video Analyst for the team. This will be her third season as part of the technical staff. Stelling’s main focus is coaching the Mauldin High School Mavericks girls soccer team and teaching mathematics. This is her second year as Head Coach and seventh year on the Mauldin staff. In her first season at the helm, she was named Region 1-AAAAA Coach of the Year and holds an undefeated record of 18-0 and top-five national ranking.

Josie Rix

Player Development & USLW Talent
ID Coordinator

Rix joins the Greenville Liberty technical staff ahead of the 2025 season. Rix began her third year as an assistant coach at the University of Florida in the fall 2024. Before joining the Gators, she spent four seasons as associate head coach at Samford University, where she helped lead the Bulldogs to Southern Conference championships every year she was on staff (2018, 2019, spring 2021, and fall 2021). Under her guidance, Samford also captured the Southern Conference Tournament titles in 2019 and fall 2021, earning NCAA Tournament berths both years. As a Player Rix played 40 matches for the University of Alabama from 2009-2012, helping the team reach its first NCAA Tournament since 1998. She was named to the 2011 SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll and 2012 SEC Community Service Team. After graduating, she played semi-professionally for the Knoxville Lady Force. Rix was inducted into the Girls Preparatory School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019.

Lyndsey Thompson

Equipment Manager & Game day operations

Steven Diaz

Goalkeeper coach

Diaz joins the Liberty SC from Brooklyn FC in the USL Super League, where he specialized in goalkeeper development and tactical training. His coaching career includes goalkeeper coach roles with the New York Cosmos and assistant/goalkeeper coach at Briarcliffe College (2011-14). As a player, he competed for Briarcliffe College (2008-09), Cortulua Professional Soccer Team (2010), FC New York (2011), Real Murcia (2013), and the New York Cosmos (2014-18).