Mississippi Brilla entered the PDL in 2007 to a great deal of fanfare, as the first soccer franchise in
Mississippi since the demise of the
Jackson Chargers in 1999. Under head coach Dave Dixon, Brilla tied their first game 1-1 at home to
New Orleans Shell Shockers in front of over 1,000 fans, with the honor of the first goal in franchise history going to James Gledhill. Although the average attendance remained high throughout the season, the on-field results were not quite as impressive. Brilla won their first game next time out, 1-0 over
DFW Tornados, but then failed to register a victory in their next four games. In the end, too many ties caused Brilla's downfall - 5 on the season - and despite some impressive results, including a 5-1 win over the
Baton Rouge Capitals in June and 5-0 win over the
Nashville Metros in July, it was not quite enough to make the playoffs, and they eventually finished their freshman year fourth behind divisional (and eventual national) champions
Laredo Heat. James Gledhill was the team's top scorer, with six goals, while Chris Rash and Tripp Harkins led the assists stats with three apiece. Brilla's second season in the PDL was pretty much on an equal footing with their first. With new head coach Steve DeCou at the helm, attendances remained high, often topping 900 fans per game, and the team enjoyed a number of exciting victories, including a hard-fought 2-0 win over the eventual divisional champions
Austin Aztex U23, a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over
New Orleans Shell Shockers in mid-June, and a 6-2 final day victory at home against
Houston Leones in which Tripp Harkins scored a brace. As was the case in 2007, however, Brilla's downfall was a lack of consistency, and their inability to string a series of results together to gain momentum: their longest streak was a 5-game run in late June and early which included three wins and two ties, including the aforementioned victory over New Orleans. Mississippi ended the season in 4th place in the Mid South Division, just four points out of the playoffs, and with plenty to build on in 2009. Phillip Buffington was the team's most prolific goalscorer, with 8 for the season. In 2009 Brilla had its most successful start in team history. Brilla qualified for the
U.S. Open Cup for the first time in franchise history by going undefeated in their first four games, winning three and drawing one. ==Players and staff==