Sporting Jax make historic first professional signings

Two familiar faces to Sunshine State soccer fans join Sporting Jax's USL Super League side

Sporting JAX’s USL W League and League Two sides have already taken the pitch, but today the club announced two professional signings to its Super League roster.

Ashlyn Puerta who was part of Florida State’s outstanding side last season is no stranger to fans in the state and she is joined by former USF and Florida Elite standout Georgia Brown as the first two signings for the club.

The USL Super League side will make its debut on August 23 versus DC Power at UNF’s Hodges Stadium. Puerta some might recall has been highly-touted for years and now will be plying her trade in Jacksonville.

Brown played in the First Coast region last season helping lead Florida Elite to the best regular season campaign in the USL W League. She was named the league’s Defender of the Year for her efforts and scored eleven goals which incidentally was more than the backline she anchored gave up all season. A dynamo in the air, she’s valuable on set pieces at both ends of the pitch.

Puerta scored four goals and had five assists for FSU last year including a goal and an assist in the NCAA Tournament. Florida State, the defending National Champions and top overall top seed in the tournament was bounced out in a monumental upset by Vanderbilt whose coaching staff included Stacey Balaam. Puerta will now be coached by Balaam with Sporting Jax.

Both players have been called into international duty this week with Brown being called into the Scotland U-23 team and Puerta will join the US for the U-20 CONCACAF Championship.

Brown Bio:

Georgia Brown, a 6’2,” 22-year-old center back from Highworth, England, and a standout at the University of South Florida, set a school record at USF 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 #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.

Puerta bio:

From San Diego, CA, midfielder/forward Ashlyn Puerta has been part of the US women’s youth pool since she was 14. She made an immediate impact at Florida State University this past season, played in all 21 games, scored 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 US Youth U-15 national team that won the Concacaf Championship in 2022, scoring five goals with three assists and receiving invitations to U-16 and U-17 national team camps. She has just 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 15 and has trained with European giants Benfica (Portugal) and Real Madrid (Spain) at the ages of 16 and 17.

Coach quote:

“These exceptional players set the tone for the type of team we want to be – competitive, disciplined and proud to represent Jacksonville,” said Sporting JAX Head Coach Stacey Balaam. “We’re building something special for this club and this community. Each of these players brings leadership, a relentless work ethic and a genuine commitment to the game.”