Garrett McLaughlin brings a wealth of experience to the Sarasota Paradise. Provided photo.

Rome was not built in a day. The Sarasota Paradise, the city’s newest professional sports team, was not either. From the time the Paradise first began play in 2023—competing in the United Soccer League (USL) League Two—founder and CEO Marcus Walfridson's goal has been to bring professional soccer to the area. In 2025, that dream became a reality, when the team announced that it will be competing in the fully professional USL League One (USL1) in 2026. The Paradise took another step in its journey on November 12, when the team announced the signing of its first professional player, forward Garrett McLaughlin.

The 28-year-old McLaughlin, a native of Oklahoma City, was a standout at Southern Methodist University from 2016 to 2019, scoring 36 goals and notching 12 assists, before beginning his professional career in 2020. McLaughlin brings a wealth of experience to a club entering its first season in the highly competitive USL1—after starting his career with the Rio Grande Valley FC of the USL Championship, he played for Toronto FC II, North Carolina FC and Forward Madison FC of USL1 from 2021-2025. McLaughlin ranks near the top of the USL1 all-time leaderboard in goals scored with 34 and won the League One Final trophy with North Carolina FC in 2023.

“We’re looking to bring in players that want to be a part of what we’re doing here,” said Head Coach and Technical Director Mika Elovaara in a press conference on October 30. “We’re a young club, there’s a lot for us to build and grow upon. We want players who want to be a part of that process, because it’s very unique.”

The arrival of McLaughlin marks a shift in the Paradise’s direction. While 2025’s highly successful USL2 season saw a number of local standouts such as Andres Freire take the field, the majority of the roster will not return for 2026. USL1 operates in the third tier of American professional soccer—Major League Soccer tops the pyramid, with USL Championship just below—and has a season that will run from March through November. While USL2 is still a high level of play, USL1 is a step above.

“You are going to see players who you will have never seen in USL League Two. You will see players who have played at the top level of the game in the Bundesliga, you’ll see players who’ve played senior national team games for the USA,” says Elovaara. “People who don’t know League One will be surprised by the level of play—because it’s professional soccer, you’ll have players who just missed out on making it to the top level and players who will one day reach that level of the sport.”

Garrett McLaughlin brings a wealth of experience to the Sarasota Paradise. Provided photo.

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