UPSL: Palmetto Player Spotlight - Tom Marriott, South Carolina United Heat

Forrest Wimberly
2 hours ago
2 min read

NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com

Today’s Palmetto State spotlight is on South Carolina United Heat forward Tom Marriott!

After knee injury sidelined Marriott last spring, the UPSL Premier League 2024 Fall Golden Boot winner is back on the pitch and back scoring goals this season for the Heat. Marriott now has 13 goals on the Spring 2026 season, putting him in third place in the UPSL Premier Golden Boot race after scoring a brace last weekend at Electric City.

“I’ve had two ACL surgeries now and I’ve been coming off the bench a lot but I’m still managing to score,” said Marriott after his recent brace at Electric City. “Coach Ivan Vlek is trusting me to play a good 60 to 70 minutes and this season is looking good, we’re in a good position, 7-0…haven’t lost a game and right now no one can really stop us.”

The Nottingham, England native was a standout at Lander University in Greenwood from 2019 to 2021 making 41 appearances scoring 23 goals for the NCAA D2 Bearcats. Prior to coming to the States, Marriott played for English club Mansfield Town in limited duty making one appearance in 2016 in an EFL Trophy match.

After his Lander playing days, Marriott played in 2021 for the USL2 Charlotte Eagles and in 2022 for the USL2 NC Fusion in the US Open Cup before joining the Heat in Columbia. Since joining the Heat, Marriott has been one of the top goalscorers in the UPSL and won the Fall 2024 UPSL Premier Golden Boot with 27 goals during the campaign.

When asked about his mindset in front of goal Marriott simply replied “hit the target.” When asked about the secret to his success Marriott turned the conversation away from himself and to his teammates who were cheering him on off camera during the interview.

“A lot of it is about playing with the right people,” said Marriott. “If they play in the right positions, you get a few chances a game. If you hit the target…a few of the times it’s going to go in. The players behind you help you, they put you in a position where you can score goals, that’s my job and I’m definitely going to do that for them.”

Marriott’s South Carolina United Heat are 6 points clear at the top of the Mid-Atlantic South table with just four regular season matches remaining on the schedule. And if the goals keep coming for Marriott…the trophies will follow for the Heat.