Ashlee Fontes’ vision for TLH Reckoning was clear when she founded the club and entered it into the USL ranks.
Build on Tallahassee’s soccer community and provide local players a chance to play and develop at a high level, without the hassle of travel to cities like Jacksonville or Atlanta that many players had to do in the past.
Fontes is a decorated figure in U.S. soccer. A former Florida State soccer player who holds a doctorate, she was the former chief operating officer for the NWSL Washington Spirit and was the first woman of color to be elected president of the United Soccer Coaches.
She’s using that experience to build the Reckoning. Since its founding in 2023 and first season in 2024, Fontes has seen developmental success, with players recruited into the college ranks, and local high school programs in the Big Bend have increased success.
“There’s proof and concept. This is going to sound funny, but it was Buster Rhymes that I heard say this. Some people, your ideas can seem delusional to them, right? Because they can’t see it, but I see it, you know, and I’ve seen it because of the talent that we have here, the character that we have here, the uniqueness of Tallahassee,” Fontes told the Tallahassee Democrat.
“The growth is proof of concept, and it’s been absolutely amazing. It’s been incredibly, incredibly hard, but you know, take, take one at one day at a time, and keep your eye on the grand vision, and can just keep grinding away”
The proof of concept has opened multiple doors, including a visit from one of the most prominent players in U.S. soccer history. World Cup winner and Olympic Gold Medalist Crystal Dunn, who retired in January, will be in Tallahassee for the Reckoning’s (4-3-2) final game of the USL-W season against Fort Lauderdale United.
Dunn won the NWSL Golden Boot and NWSL MVP honors in 2015 with the Washington Spirit and won three NWSL titles. For the USWNT, she made 160 appearances and was a key piece of the 2019 World Cup-winning team and 2024 Olympic gold medal team.
Her visit is significant for the club, and Fontes hopes it shows both the players and aspiring athletes in the area the impact they can have.
“I hope that when they see and understand a person like the magnitude of Crystal Dunn showing up in Tallahassee and being on the sidelines for Tallahassee Reckoing, I hope they realize how much people care outside of Tallahassee and they’re willing to invest,” Fontes said.
“There’s something really, really special going on here, otherwise she wouldn’t be here… I hope it inspires them, the young girls, to realize, ‘hey, wait, that’s because of me.’ Crystal Dunn is here because of me, whether I’m just starting right now or it’s me, like seven years down the road. I want the girls to feel how incredibly loved they are, and through the sport, how much opportunity they have.”
The Reckoning has more than just its pre-professional teams in the USL-W league and WPSL, as the club serves as a full-time academy for local players. It’s helped increase the development of local athletes − like Charlotte Reynolds, the 2026 All-Big Bend Player of the Year from Chiles, who competes for the USL-W team, among others.
While the growth and development of the club have been a net positive, Fontes said further support from the community is needed to take things to the next level. The club currently averages attendance in the hundreds, but Fontes said numbers in the thousands are needed to keep the club sustainable.
A visit from Dunn could draw in new fans, and pair that with the surge of momentum that soccer has gotten with the 2026 men’s World Cup in North America, and there is an opportunity for further growth for the club. Especially ahead of the 2027 women’s World Cup in Brazil, where the USWNT will be heavy favorites to win a fifth World Cup.
With the club offering programs for youth players via its MLS Go program, alongside the academy and pre-professional teams, Fontes hopes that will help attract new eyes to the Reckoning and Tallahassee’s sports community.
“Come see them before they go pro. Because that’s always a fun story to tell. ‘Hey, I knew so and so before they even went pro, and they became this mega star named Crystal Dunn,” Fontes said. “We hope people start to watch the World Cup and want to see what’s offered in our community, and then they find us if they don’t know us already.”
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Crystal Dunn brings World Cup glory to TLH Reckoning
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