Sporting Club Jacksonville, the United Soccer League’s expansion franchise, has announced several player signings as the club prepares for its debut season. These athletes will form the foundation of Sporting JAX’s inaugural roster as the team brings professional women’s soccer to the First Coast.
Those signed were: Georgia Brown, Ashlyn Puerta, Zara Siassi, Caroline Murray and Parker Roberts.
“We are thrilled to announce these key additions to our first-ever team at Sporting JAX,” said Stacey Balaam, head coach of Sporting JAX.
Brown, a 6-foot 2-inch, 22-year-old center back from Highworth, England, and a standout at the University of South Florida, set a school record by scoring four goals in a single game and earned First Team All-American Athletic Conference honors in 2024. A two-time Academic All-America selection, she most recently excelled for Florida Elite, where she was named USL W League Defender of the Year in 2024, led her team to a No. 1 national ranking last season and scored 11 goals.
Brown also played for Oxford United Women’s First Team in England for three years in the FA Women’s National League. Additionally, she has been called up for international duty to the Scotland Women’s U23 national team for two matches against Iceland and qualified for selection through grandparent nationality.
From San Diego, California, midfielder/forward Puerta has been part of the U.S. women’s youth pool since she was 14. She made an immediate impact at Florida State University this past season as one of the top five goal contributors on the squad. Puerta played in all 21 games and tallied four goals and five assists during her freshman year, which included a goal and an assist in FSU’s NCAA Tournament victory over Samford.
The 18-year-old was also a member of the U.S. Youth U-15 national team that won the CONCACAF Championship in 2022, scoring five goals and providing three assists while receiving invitations to U-16, U-17 and U-18 national team camps. She has recently been selected for the 2025 CONCACAF Championship USWNT U-20 squad. Puerta previously received an offer to play for NWSL Gotham FC when she was 16 and trained with European giants Benfica (Portugal) and Madrid CFF (Spain) at the ages of 15 and 16.
Siassi, a native of Lake Worth, is a well-known name among soccer fans in Northeast Florida. A star at the University of North Florida, Siassi was named the ASUN Defensive Player of the Year in 2024 and earned recognition as a fourth-team All-American during her final year with the Ospreys. She was selected for the All-ASUN First Team in 2024 and made the ASUN Academic Honor Roll four times.
Originally from New Canaan, Connecticut, Murray has played professionally since 2016, competing in Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Iceland. Most recently, she played for Throttur Reykjavik in Iceland, and prior to that, she was with AIK Football in the top division in Sweden, as well as Sudet Jalkapallo in Finland. She excelled at Ohio State University and the University of New Hampshire, where she scored three goals and added 13 assists. As a senior, she also won the America East Conference Midfielder of the Year award.
Roberts, originally from Leawood, Kansas, played five seasons for the Florida Gators (2016-2021) before competing in six games with the NWSL’s Orlando Pride. She began her college career at the University of Kansas after being named the Kansas Girls Soccer Player of the Year twice, scoring 55 goals for Blue Valley North High School. Additionally, she has represented the United States on the U20 and U23 teams and played for Sporting JAX associate head coach Alan Kirkup, who was an assistant at Florida during that time.
The Sporting JAX pro team will take the field for its home opener against DC Power FC at 7 p.m. Aug. 23 at the University of North Florida’s Hodges Stadium, with all regular and postseason soccer matches streaming live on Peacock. The club will announce its preseason home schedule and local broadcast schedule in the coming weeks.
The 2025-26 season marks a historic milestone, not just for the club but also for the city and region, as it introduces professional women’s team sports to the First Coast for the first time.
Sporting JAX will play a 28-match regular season from August 2025 through May 2026, divided into a fall and spring schedule with a mid-season winter break, while competing in the nine-team USL Super League.
This announcement follows the club’s recent unveiling of its adidas home and away kits last week. The complete 2025-26 schedule was also released to provide fans with the full slate of matchups to mark on their calendars.
Season ticket packages and group ticket deposits are now on sale, starting at $10 per match. Fans can also receive a complimentary inaugural season scarf (while supplies last). Go to sportingjax.com/tickets or call 904-863-KICK to be part of the season from the beginning.
For the latest Sporting JAX news, matchday updates and behind-the-scenes access, follow @Sporting_JAX across all social media platforms.
