2024 North Carolina FC season

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.

North Carolina FC
2024 season
OwnerStephen Malik
Head coachJohn Bradford
StadiumSahlen's Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park
USL ChampionshipEastern Conference: 8th
USL Championship PlayoffsEastern Conference Quarterfinals
U.S. Open CupRound of 32
Top goalscorerLeague: Oalex Anderson & Evan Conway (12 goals)
All: Oalex Anderson (13 goals)
Highest home attendance3,187 (May 4, against Rhode Island FC)
Lowest home attendance1,359 (May 14, against Loudoun United FC)
Average home league attendance2,094
← 2023
2025 →

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

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As of July 22, 2024[4]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK   USA Jake McGuire
2 DF   ENG Paco Craig
4 DF   SEN Justin Malou
5 DF   USA Daniel Navarro
6 MF   USA Jacori Hayes
7 DF   USA Lamar Batista
8 FW   FRA Louis Perez
9 FW   VIN Oalex Anderson
10 FW   PUR Jaden Servania
11 FW   USA Evan Conway
14 FW   BRA Rafael Mentzingen
15 MF   USA Michael Maldonado
16 MF   BRA Rodrigo da Costa
17 MF   USA Collin Martin
No. Pos. Nation Player
25 GK   JPN Akira Fitzgerald
27 DF   USA Bryce Washington
28 DF   USA Shaft Brewer
42 DF   USA Ezra Armstrong
44 MF   SKN Raheem Sommersall
48 MF   USA Kyrome Lumsden
60 FW   SLV Raul Avalos
61 DF   USA Xavier Holloway
62 FW   USA Kevin Aguilar
63 DF   USA Luc Lavielle
64 DF   USA Benjamin Salter
65 MF   USA Jaxon Silverman
66 MF   USA Finn Sundstrom

Competitions

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USL Championship

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Standings

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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

Match results

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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
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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
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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 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
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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
Assistant referees: 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
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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
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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
Report
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
Assistant referees: Aaron Riley
Fourth official: Josiah Parke
September
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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
Report
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
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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
Referee: Matthew Thompson
Playoffs
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November 2 Conference Quarterfinals Louisville City FC 3–2North Carolina FCLouisville, Kentucky
7:30 PM EDT
Report
Stadium: Lynn Family Stadium
Attendance: 8,875
Referee: Matthew Corrigan

U.S. Open Cup

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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

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  1. ^ "North Carolina FC to rejoin USL Championship in 2024". northcarolinafc.com. North Carolina FC. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  2. ^ White, Herbert (August 7, 2023). "NCFC makes the jump to USL Championship in 2024". www.thecharlottepost.com. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  3. ^ "John Bradford promoted to head coach and sporting director". North Carolina FC. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  4. ^ "Roster". USL Championship. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  5. ^ Staff, USLChampionship com (December 18, 2023). "USL Championship Unveils 2024 Regular Season Schedule". USL Championship. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
  6. ^ Org, Partner (2024-04-13). "Three NC teams, including High Point's Carolina Core, enter Round Three of the Open Cup". Triad City Beat. Retrieved 2024-07-23.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ NC Courage Communications (May 8, 2024). "Open Cup Recap: NCFC 1-2 Phoenix Rising". North Carolina FC. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
  11. ^ 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.