Current print subscribers can create a free account by clicking here
Otherwise, follow the link below to join.
To Our Valued Readers –
Visitors to our website will be limited to five stories per month unless they opt to subscribe. The five stories do not include our exclusive content written by our journalists.
For $6.99, less than 20 cents a day, digital subscribers will receive unlimited access to YourValley.net, including exclusive content from our newsroom and access to our Daily Independent e-edition.
Our commitment to balanced, fair reporting and local coverage provides insight and perspective not found anywhere else.
Your financial commitment will help to preserve the kind of honest journalism produced by our reporters and editors. We trust you agree that independent journalism is an essential component of our democracy. Please click here to subscribe.
Phoenix Rising FC has signed defender Laurence Wyke, the club announced Friday.
“Laurence has been a high-quality player with an extremely competitive team in this league,” Rising head coach Danny Stone shared in a press release. “He was a big part of the success they enjoyed in Tampa Bay [2021 USL runners-up]. He will add competitiveness, quality, versatility, and presence here in Phoenix.”
Wyke, 27, spent last season with Major League Soccer side, Nashville SC. He appeared in three U.S. Open Cup matches, playing the full 90 minutes in each. Nashville SC earned shutouts vs. San Antonio FC and FC Dallas in those matches, allowing just 0.66 goals per game.
Wyke assisted on Alex Muyl’s goal in a 2-1 loss to Inter Miami in the U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 after sending in a dangerous cross from the right flank.
“I’m really happy to be heading to Phoenix, the reigning USL Champions,” Wyke stated. “I’ve always had my eye on Phoenix. I like the way they play. It’s a very professional environment.”
In addition to his appearances in the U.S. Open Cup for Nashville, Wyke played two matches for Huntsville City FC in MLS Next Pro and appeared twice for the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the USL Championship.
“I have a bite to me,” Wyke stated when asked about his playing style. “I’m a very passionate player. I’m quite technical on the ball and with my distribution. Defensively, I am very solid, but I like being on the ball, dictating the play.”
Wyke, 27, signed with the Youth Academy of Manchester United as a 7-year-old in 2004. After a decade in the Man U system, Wyke changed his focus to education, eventually making his way to Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. He made 46 appearances for the NCAA Division III side in 2015-16, scoring 11 goals and four assists before transferring to Furman University.
Following college, Wyke took part in the 2018 MLS Combine and was signed by Atlanta United 2. He made 29 appearances during the 2019 USL Championship season, scoring three goals.
Wyke made seven appearances for Atlanta United in MLS in the shortened 2020 season, then joined Tampa Bay for the 2021-22 seasons. He played in 64 matches for the Rowdies, scoring three goals and helping the team win the 2021 regular season Title by allowing just 23 goals in 32 matches.
The Rising captured the USL Championship this past November with a 3-2 victory in a penalty shootout against the Charleston Battery after the sides had played to a 1-1 draw through regulation and extra time.
Phoenix Rising FC is the highest-level professional soccer franchise in Arizona history. Established in 2016, the club also won the 2023, 2020 and 2018 Western Conference titles.
