2024 North Carolina FC season
| 2024 season | |
|---|---|
| Owner | Stephen Malik |
| Head coach | John Bradford |
| Stadium | Sahlen's Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park |
| USL Championship | Eastern Conference: 8th |
| USL Championship Playoffs | Eastern Conference Quarterfinals |
| U.S. Open Cup | Round of 32 |
| Top goalscorer | League: Oalex Anderson & Evan Conway (12 goals) All: Oalex Anderson (13 goals) |
| Highest home attendance | 6,083 (October 26, against Las Vegas Lights) |
| Lowest home attendance | 1,359 (May 14, against Loudoun United FC) |
| Average home league attendance | 2,094 |
The 2024 North Carolina FC season was the 18th season of the club's existence, and their fourth season in the USL Championship, the second division in the American soccer pyramid, after three years in the USL League One, the third division of the American soccer pyramid. North Carolina is coached by John Bradford, his sixth season with the club, and played their home games at Sahlen's Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park.
During the offseason, North Carolina experienced multiple promotions. It was announced on August 7, 2023, that North Carolina will return to the USL Championship for the 2024 season.[1][2] Along with their return to the second division, coach John Bradford was promoted to the position of Sporting Director along with his duties of Head Coach, after five seasons with the club.[3]
Roster
- As of July 22, 2024[4]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Competitions
USL Championship
Standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 34 | 14 | 12 | 8 | 55 | 46 | +9 | 50 | Playoffs |
| 7 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 34 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 41 | 28 | +13 | 48 | |
| 8 | North Carolina FC | 34 | 13 | 12 | 9 | 54 | 43 | +11 | 48 | |
| 9 | Birmingham Legion FC | 34 | 13 | 15 | 6 | 44 | 51 | −7 | 45 | |
| 10 | Hartford Athletic | 34 | 12 | 14 | 8 | 39 | 52 | −13 | 44 |
Source: USL Championship Standings
Rules for classification: 1) head-to-head points; 2) head-to-head goal differential; 3) points-per game within conference; 4) total wins; 5) total goal differential; 6) total goals scored; 7) points earned against top four Conference finishers; 8) disciplinary points; 9) coin toss or drawing of lots
Rules for classification: 1) head-to-head points; 2) head-to-head goal differential; 3) points-per game within conference; 4) total wins; 5) total goal differential; 6) total goals scored; 7) points earned against top four Conference finishers; 8) disciplinary points; 9) coin toss or drawing of lots
Match results
On December 18, 2023, the USL Championship released the regular season schedule for all 24 teams.[5]
All times are in Eastern Standard Time.
March
| March 9 1 | North Carolina FC | 0–0 | Charleston Battery | Cary, North Carolina |
| 7:00 PM | Somersall 39' Placias 87' |
Report | LaCava 20' Conway 84' Torres 90+4' |
Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 2,576 Referee: Jeremy Scheer |
| March 16 2 | Loudoun United FC | 3–1 | North Carolina FC | Leesburg, Virginia |
| 9:30 PM | ElMedkhar 23' Leggett 37' Ryan 61', 71' Aboukoura 85' |
Report | da Costa 36' Maldonado 38' |
Stadium: Segra Field Attendance: 3,810 Referee: Elvis Osmanovic |
| March 23 3 | North Carolina FC | 1–1 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | Cary, North Carolina |
| 7:00 PM | Mentzingen 75' | Report | Maldonado 63' (o.g.) Dezart 90+3' |
Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 1,796 Referee: John Griggs |
| March 29 4 | North Carolina FC | 2–0 | Hartford Athletic | Cary, North Carolina |
| 7:00 PM | Report |
|
Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 1,465 Referee: Thomas Snyder |
April
| April 6 5 | Detroit City FC | 1–0 | North Carolina FC | Hamtramck, Michigan |
| 2:00 PM | Report |
|
Stadium: Keyworth Stadium Attendance: 5,155 Referee: Nabil Bensalah |
| April 14 6 | North Carolina FC | 1–1 | Birmingham Legion FC | Cary, North Carolina |
| 5:00 PM | da Costa 2' (pen.) | Report | Martinez 23' 58' Paterson 31' Perez 90+5' |
Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 1,807 Referee: Velimir Stefanovic |
| April 20 7 | North Carolina FC | 2–3 | New Mexico United | Cary, North Carolina |
| 7:00 PM | Placias 16' Armstrong 28' Craig 87' |
Report | Hurst 19' 29' (pen.) Bailey 33' Rivas 90+1' |
Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 1,916 Referee: Matthew Corrigan |
| April 27 8 | Indy Eleven | 2–1 | North Carolina FC | Indianapolis, IN |
| 7:00 PM | Report | Stadium: Carroll Stadium Attendance: 10,071 Referee: Eric Tattersall |
May
| May 4 9 | North Carolina FC | 0–0 | Rhode Island FC | Cary, NC |
| 7:00 PM |
|
Report | Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 3,187 Referee: Jeremy Flores |
| May 14 10 | North Carolina FC | 2–0 | Loudoun United FC | Cary, North Carolina |
| 7:26 PM | Mentzingen 1' Craig 24' Somersall 41' Armstrong 67' 90+7' Batista 74' 90+12' |
Report | Erlandson 13' Skundrich 26' Fauroux 32' |
Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 1,359 Referee: Jonathan Bilinski |
| May 18 11 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | 1–1 | North Carolina FC | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 7:00 PM | Report |
|
Stadium: Highmark Stadium Attendance: 5,113 Referee: Natalie Simon |
| May 25 12 | Miami FC | 0–4 | North Carolina FC | Miami, Florida |
| 7:00 PM | Report | Stadium: FIU Soccer Stadium Attendance: 1,039 Referee: Trevor Wiseman |
June
| June 8 13 | Louisville City FC | 2–1 | North Carolina FC | Louisville, Kentucky |
| 8:00 PM | Gleadle 31' Ordoñez 62' Totsh 70' (pen.) Wynder 83' |
Report | Washington 25' Conway 90+2' Batista 90+5' |
Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium Attendance: 9,733 Referee: Abdou Ndiaye Assistant referees: Matt Trotter Eric Burton Fourth official: Matthew Fotia |
| June 16 14 | North Carolina FC | 2–0 | Monterey Bay FC | Cary, North Carolina |
| 6:00 PM | Anderson 28' Mentzingen 34' (pen.) Perez 85' |
Report | Martinez 26' Guzmán 32' Rebollar 45+3' |
Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 2,047 Referee: Esad Omanovic |
| June 22 15 | North Carolina FC | 0–0 | Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC | Cary, North Carolina |
| 7:30 PM | da Costa 32' Maldonado 44' Armstrong 44' Malou 58' |
Report | Walti 44' Griffin 52' Suber 64' |
Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 1,996 Referee: Muhammad Hassan |
| June 28 16 | Charleston Battery | 5–2 | North Carolina FC | Mount Pleasant, South Carolina |
| 7:30 PM | Markanich 45+5' 80' Myers 58' 90+2' 90+8' (pen.) Dossantos 84' Rodriguez 88' Conway 90+4' |
Report | Conway 27' 37' Batista 42' Armstrong 45+3' 50' Brewer 45+6' McGuire 90+1' |
Stadium: Patriots Point Soccer Complex Attendance: 3,876 Referee: Abdou Ndiaye |
July
| July 6 17 | North Carolina FC | 4–1 | Miami FC | Cary, North Carolina |
| 7:30 | Craig 11' Mentzingen 50' Conway 63' 64' Anderson 77' (pen.) da Costa 90+3' |
Report | Knutson 7' Balogun 18' Cardona 45+2' Mitrano 57' Biek 66' |
Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 2,161 Referee: Sergii Demianchuk |
| July 13 18 | Sacramento Republic FC | 0–0 | North Carolina FC | Sacramento, California |
| 11:00 PM | Portillo 62' Fernandes 90+1' |
Report | Mentzingen 66' Maldonado 74' Craig 87' |
Stadium: Heart Health Park Attendance: 9,388 Referee: Corbyn May |
| July 19 19 | North Carolina FC | 1–1 | Detroit City FC | Cary, North Carolina |
| 7:30 PM | Armstrong 5' Anderson 56' Conway 67' Servania 86' Batista 90+2' |
Report | Bryant 10' Amoo-Mensah 26' Bezerra 90+3' Matthews 90+4' |
Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 2,054 Referee: John Matto |
| July 27 20 | Rhode Island FC | 2–1 | North Carolina FC | Smithfield, Rhode Island |
| 7:30 PM | Report | Stadium: Beirne Stadium Attendance: 4,045 Referee: Eric Tattersall |
August
| August 3 21 | Orange County SC | 0–1 | North Carolina FC | Irvine, California |
| 10:00 PM | Sorto 84' | Report | Batista 21' Malou 27' Servania 90+5' |
Stadium: Championship Soccer Stadium Attendance: 3,353 Referee: Benjamin Meyer |
| August 10 22 | North Carolina FC | 4–1 | Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC | Cary, North Carolina |
| 7:30 PM | Batista 25' Anderson 40', 78' 79' Conway 46' 65' Servania 87' Armstrong 89' da Costa 90+5' |
Report | Foster 57' | Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 2,387 Referee: Thomas Snyder |
| August 17 23 | San Antonio FC | 1–0 | North Carolina FC | San Antonio, Texas |
| 9:00 PM | Hernández 50' Brigido 79' |
Report | Craig 17' Anderson 51' Maldonado 69' |
Stadium: Toyota Field Attendance: 6,729 Referee: Adam Kilpatrick |
| August 24 24 | Phoenix Rising FC | 0–0 | North Carolina FC | Phoenix, Arizona |
| 10:00 PM |
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Report |
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Stadium: Phoenix Rising Soccer Stadium Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Muhammad Hassan |
| August 31 25 | North Carolina FC | 4–6 | Louisville City FC | Cary, North Carolina |
| 7:30 PM | da Costa 11' Anderson 29', 56' Adams 45+3' (o.g.) Craig 58' |
Report | Adams 10' Wilson 18', 29' Craig 32' (o.g.) Malou 36' (o.g.) Harris 60' (pen.), 69' Serrano 67' McFadden 70' |
Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 2,219 Referee: Lorenzo Hernandez Assistant referees: Eric Del Rosario Gandara Aaron Riley Fourth official: Josiah Parke |
September
| September 7 26 | North Carolina FC | 5–0 | Oakland Roots SC | Cary, North Carolina |
| 10:00 PM | da Costa 6' Mentzingen 8' Craig 32' 88' Conway 44' Washington 54' Martin 59' Armstrong 63' |
Report | Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 1,946 Referee: Elvis Osmanovic |
| September 14 27 | Memphis 901 FC | 3-0 | North Carolina FC | Memphis, Tennessee |
| 8:00 PM | Lopes 10', 22' Fernando 70' Cissoko 77' |
Report | Malou 3' Martin 64' Anderson 71' |
Stadium: AutoZone Park Attendance: 2,610 Referee: Calin Radosav |
| September 21 28 | North Carolina FC | 2-0 | Indy Eleven | Cary, NC |
| 7:30 PM |
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Report |
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Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 2,478 Referee: Jeremy Scheer |
| September 29 29 | El Paso Locomotive FC | 1-0 | North Carolina FC | El Paso, Texas |
| 4:00 PM | Calvillo 29' Ortiz 88' Rivas 90'+2' (pen.) |
Report | Martin 19' Maldonado 45'+1' Malou 88' Craig 90'+1' |
Stadium: Southwest University Park Attendance: 4,014 Referee: Muhammad Hassan |
October
| October 6 30 | Birmingham Legion | 2-3 | North Carolina FC | Birmingham, Alabama |
| 6:00 PM | Martínez 32' Rufe 45'+3' Hernandez-Foster 46' Zouhir 80' 89' |
Report | Armstrong 8', 65' Anderson 59' |
Stadium: Protective Stadium Referee: Alejo Calume |
| October 9 31 | North Carolina FC | 2-0 | FC Tulsa | Cary, North Carolina |
| 7:00 PM EDT | da Costa 19' Perez 30' Armstrong 36' Conway 81' (pen.) |
Report | Seagrist 22' Bibout 33' Booth 45'+3' Sanchez 84' |
Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 1,959 Referee: John Matto |
| October 12 32 | Hartford Athletic | 4-3 | North Carolina FC | Hartford, Connecticut |
| 7:30 PM | Report |
|
Stadium: Trinity Health Stadium Attendance: 5,500 Referee: Adam Kilpatrick |
| October 19 33 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 0-2 | North Carolina FC | Cary, North Carolina |
| 7:30 PM | Bodily 35' Niyongabire 81' |
Report | Conway 41' 70' Anderson 49' Craig 60' Niyongabire 81' |
Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Referee: Greg Dopka |
| Note: Match was to be played in St. Petersburg, but due to the effects of Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, the match was moved to North Carolina, with Tampa retaining the "Home" side label | ||||
| October 26 34 | North Carolina FC | 2-1 | Las Vegas Lights FC | Cary, North Carolina |
| 4:00 PM | Craig 12' Martin 32' Anderson 45' 45'+1' Perez 63' McGuire 76' Mentzingen 78' Batista 90'+8' |
Report | Bennett 9' Smart 37' |
Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 6,083 Referee: Matthew Thompson |
Playoffs
| November 2 Conference Quarterfinals | Louisville City FC | 3–2 | North Carolina FC | Louisville, Kentucky |
| 7:30 PM EDT | Report |
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Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium Attendance: 8,875 Referee: Matthew Corrigan |
U.S. Open Cup
As a member of the USL Championship, North Carolina FC entered the U.S. Open Cup in the Third Round, faced against Carolina Core FC, an independent club in the MLS Next Pro league, a team in the third division of U.S. Soccer.[6] After winning 1–0 at home,[7][8] North Carolina was matched up by the U.S. Soccer Federation on April 18, 2024, against fellow USL Championship team Phoenix Rising FC, again at home.[9] They would eventually end up losing 1–2 in added extra time in a match that saw three players shown red cards.[10][11]
| April 17 Third Round | North Carolina FC (USLC) | 1–0 | Carolina Core FC (MLSNP) | Cary, North Carolina |
| 7:00 PM | Report | Ndoye 41' Covi 71' Orejuela 78' Rodriguez 88' Canete 90+6' |
Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 1,112 Referee: Josh Parke |
| May 8 Round of 32 | North Carolina FC | 1–2 (a.e.t.) | Phoenix Rising FC | Cary, North Carolina |
| 19:00 EDT | Report | Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 822 Referee: Guido Gonzales Jr. |
References
- ^ "North Carolina FC to rejoin USL Championship in 2024". northcarolinafc.com. North Carolina FC. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
- ^ White, Herbert (August 7, 2023). "NCFC makes the jump to USL Championship in 2024". www.thecharlottepost.com. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
- ^ "John Bradford promoted to head coach and sporting director". North Carolina FC. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
- ^ "Roster". USL Championship. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
- ^ USLChampionship com Staff (December 18, 2023). "USL Championship Unveils 2024 Regular Season Schedule". USL Championship. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
- ^ Org, Partner (April 13, 2024). "Three NC teams, including High Point's Carolina Core, enter Round Three of the Open Cup". Triad City Beat. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
- ^ Northam, Mitchell (April 17, 2024). "2024 US Open Cup Round 3: North Carolina FC's youth "mission" pays off, 1-0 over Carolina Core". thecup.us. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
- ^ Spencer, Sam (April 25, 2024). "Independence, NCFC Advance to U.S. Open Cup Round of 32, Carolina Core falls". Triad City Beat. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
- ^ Rueter, Jeff. "U.S. Open Cup draw: NYCFC II is only MLS Next Pro team in last 32". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
- ^ NC Courage Communications (May 8, 2024). "Open Cup Recap: NCFC 1-2 Phoenix Rising". North Carolina FC. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
- ^ Northam, Mitchell (May 9, 2024). "2024 US Open Cup Round 4: Doratiotto's OT winner sends Phoenix Rising past North Carolina FC, into Round of 16". thecup.us. Retrieved July 23, 2024.