2024 North Carolina FC season

North Carolina FC
2024 season
Owner	Stephen Malik
Head coach	John Bradford
Stadium	Sahlen's Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park
	← 2023 2025 →

The 2024 North Carolina FC season is 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. 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

USL Championship

Standings

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	L	T	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
8	Birmingham Legion FC	26	10	11	5	29	37	−8	35	Playoffs
9	Loudoun United FC	26	9	10	7	36	30	+6	34
10	North Carolina FC	26	8	9	9	40	32	+8	33
11	Hartford Athletic	26	8	12	6	24	41	−17	30
12	Miami FC (E)	27	3	22	2	25	63	−38	11

Updated to match(es) played on September 7, 2024. 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
(E) Eliminated

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	Perez 25' (pen) Anderson 35' Batista 44' Rafa 71' Maldonado 80' Servania 90+3'	Report	Asiedu 25' Chapman 31', 72' Beckford 69' Mushagalusa 80'	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	Blanco 9' (o.g.) Diop 26' Murphy 66' Levis 77' Amoo-Mensah 86'	Report	Rafael Mentzingen 25' Batista 75' Craig 83' Malou 89'	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	Ikoba 45+1' Maldonado 48' (o.g.) Martínez 75'	Report	Perez 51' Placias 72' Armstrong 74' Brewer 85' da Costa 90+1'	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	Perez 50'	Report	Holstad 32' Nodarse 40' Twumasi 90+3'	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	Osumanu 6' Kizza 44' Etou 67' Sample 85'	Report	Conway 58'	Stadium: Highmark Stadium Attendance: 5,113 Referee: Natalie Simon

May 25 12	Miami FC	0–4	North Carolina FC	Miami, Florida
7:00 PM	Molina 5' Knutson 12' Jean-Francois 90+2' Mitrano 90+4'	Report	Conway 51' Anderson 69' Maldonado 76' da Costa 89'	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 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

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	Nodarse 15' Kwizera 65' Doyle 74' Herivaux 84' 90+1'	Report	Maldonado 30' Brewer 72' Craig 89'	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	v	North Carolina FC	San Antonio, Texas
				Stadium: Toyota Field

August 24 24	Phoenix Rising FC	v	North Carolina FC	Phoenix, Arizona
10:00 PM				Stadium: Phoenix Rising Soccer Stadium

August 31 25	North Carolina FC	v	Louisville City FC	Cary, North Carolina
7:30 PM				Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park

September

September 7 26	North Carolina FC	v	Oakland Roots SC	Cary, North Carolina
				Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park

September 14 27	Memphis 901 FC	v	North Carolina FC	Memphis, Tennessee
8:00 PM				Stadium: AutoZone Park

September 21 28	North Carolina FC	v	Indy Eleven	Cary, NC
7:30 PM				Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park

September 29 29	El Paso Locomotive FC	v	North Carolina FC	El Paso, Texas
4:00 PM				Stadium: Southwest University Park

October

October 6 30	Birmingham Legion FC	v	North Carolina FC	Birmingham, Alabama
5:00 PM				Stadium: Protective Stadium

October 9 31	North Carolina FC	v	FC Tulsa	Cary, North Carolina
7:00 PM				Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park

October 12 32	Hartford Athletic	v	North Carolina FC	Hartford, Connecticut
				Stadium: Trinity Health Stadium

October 19 33	Tampa Bay Rowdies	v	North Carolina FC	St. Petersburg, FL
7:30 PM				Stadium: Al Lang Stadium

October 26 34	North Carolina FC	v	Las Vegas Lights FC	Cary, North Carolina
7:00 PM				Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park

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	Servania 27' Lumsden 83' Hayes 87' Placias 60' 90+8'	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	Craig 9' 40' Malou 54' 80' Somersall 85' Anderson 86' Armstrong 90+2' 95' Placias 90+6'	Report	Wyke 7' 24' Azócar 9' 90+8' Doratiotto 110' 111' Gallardo 117'	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 19 December 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.
^ Staff, USLChampionship com (December 18, 2023). "USL Championship Unveils 2024 Regular Season Schedule". USL Championship. Retrieved June 25, 2024.
^ 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.
^ 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.

[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.

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