2020 North Carolina FC season
| 2020 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner | Stephen Malik | ||
| Head Coach | Dave Sarachan | ||
| Stadium | Sahlen's Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park Cary, North Carolina (Capacity: 10,000) | ||
| USL | Conference: TBD | ||
| USL Playoffs | TBD | ||
| 2020 U.S. Open Cup | TBD | ||
| Top goalscorer | League: Fortune (4) All: Fortune (4) | ||
| Highest home attendance | League/All: 3,515 (March 7 vs. Louisville) | ||
| Lowest home attendance | League/All: 0 (home games starting August 1 played without crowd because of COVID-19 pandemic) | ||
| Biggest win | NC 1–0 BHM (August 1) MEM 0–1 NC (August 8) BHM 1–2 NC (September 2) NC 3–2 MEM (September 13) | ||
| Biggest defeat | NC 0–3 CHS (August 19) | ||
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The 2020 North Carolina FC season is the 14th season for North Carolina FC and its second in the USL Championship, the second-tier professional soccer league in the United States.
The season was suspended March 12 after the opening week because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] It restarted July 11 with a restructured format and schedule, with NCFC's first game scheduled for July 17.[2]
The team partnered with rapper J. Cole's Dreamville Festival for kit sponsorship for the season.[3]
Roster
Template:North Carolina FC current roster
Competitions
Friendlies
| 8 February | North Carolina FC | v | Richmond Kickers | Cary, NC |
| 12:30 PM EST | Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park | |||
| Note: Result not published. | ||||
| 15 February | Charlotte Independence | 1–1 | North Carolina FC | Matthews, NC |
| 2:00 PM EST |  |
Report | Miller 7' |
Stadium: Sportsplex at Matthews |
| 22 February | North Carolina FC | v | Loudoun United FC | Cary, NC |
| 1:00 PM EST | Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park | |||
| Note: Canceled | ||||
| 29 February | North Carolina FC | 1–2 | Greenville Triumph SC | Cary, NC |
| 3:00 PM EST | Albadawi |
Report | Pilato Morrell |
Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park |
USL Championship
Standings — Group G
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | PPG | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charlotte Independence | 16 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 24 | 22 | +2 | 28 | 1.75 | Advance to USL Championship Playoffs |
| 2 | Birmingham Legion FC | 16 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 29 | 19 | +10 | 25 | 1.56 | |
| 3 | North Carolina FC | 15 | 6 | 1 | 8 | 17 | 21 | −4 | 19 | 1.27 | |
| 4 | Memphis 901 FC | 15 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 24 | 31 | −7 | 16 | 1.07 |
Source: USL
Match Results
All games broadcast on ESPN+ as part of the USL Championship's rights agreement with the platform.[5] Home games broadcast locally on WRAL-2.
| 7 March 1 | North Carolina FC | 0–1 | Louisville City FC | Cary, NC |
| 2:30 PM EST | Kristo  88' Taylor 90+3' |
Report | Lancaster 63' |
Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 3,515 Referee: Adam Kilpatrick |
| 17 July 2 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 2–2 | North Carolina FC | St. Petersburg, FL |
| 6:45 PM EDT | Guenzatti 7' Fernandes 22' Mkosana 40' |
Report | Fortune 56' Kristo 83' |
Stadium: Al Lang Stadium Attendance: 141 Referee: Gabriele Giusti |
| 29 July | Charlotte Independence | v | North Carolina FC | Matthews, NC |
| TBA PM EDT | Stadium: Sportsplex at Matthews | |||
| Note: Postponed until August 26 because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.[6][7] | ||||
| 1 August 3 | North Carolina FC | 1–0 | Birmingham Legion FC | Cary, NC |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Donovan 29' Fortune 51', 90+2' Kristo 87' |
Report | Akinyode  33' Brett 45' |
Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 0 Referee: Kevin Broadley |
| Note: Played in empty stadium because of COVID-19 pandemic | ||||
| 8 August 4 | Memphis 901 FC | 0–1 | North Carolina FC | Memphis, TN |
| 5:00 PM EDT | Paul 65' |
Report | Ward 15', 38' Fortune 21' |
Stadium: AutoZone Park Attendance: 901 Referee: Matthew Thompson |
| 15 August 5 | North Carolina FC | 0–2 | Birmingham Legion FC | Cary, NC |
| 8:30 PM EDT | Donovan 48' |
Report | Servania 18' Brett 21' (pen.)A. Crognale 42'Akinyode 46'Van Oekel 59'Lopez 60' |
Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 0 Referee: Matthew Franz |
| Note: Played in empty stadium because of COVID-19 pandemic | ||||
| 19 August 6 | North Carolina FC | 0–3 | Charleston Battery | Cary, NC |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Pecka 73' Donovan 90' Fortune 90+6' |
Report | Kelly-Rosales 29' Piggott 56' Daley 69' Zarokostas 81' |
Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 0 Referee: John Griggs |
| Note: Played in empty stadium because of COVID-19 pandemic | ||||
| 26 August 7 | Charlotte Independence | 1–0 | North Carolina FC | Matthews, NC |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Ortiz 59' |
Report | Ward 42' Pecka 68' |
Stadium: Sportsplex at Matthews Attendance: 0 Referee: Kevin Broadley |
| Note: Played in empty stadium because of COVID-19 pandemic | ||||
| 29 August | North Carolina FC | v | Memphis 901 FC | Cary, NC |
| TBA PM EDT | Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park | |||
| Note: Postponed as part of the protests over the shooting of Jacob Blake.[8][9] Rescheduled for September 10.[10] | ||||
| 2 September 8 | Birmingham Legion FC | 1–2 | North Carolina FC | Birmingham, AL |
| 7:00 PM CDT | Kobayashi 45+1' Kasim 59' Brett  90' |
Report | Albadawi 24' Fortune 62' (pen.) |
Stadium: BBVA Field Referee: Lukasz Szpala |
| 5 September 9 | Charlotte Independence | 3–1 | North Carolina FC | Matthews, NC |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Kelly 10', 20', 43', 79' Lacroix 18' Martínez 51' |
Report | Smith 35' Taylor 60' Fortune 90+1' |
Stadium: Sportsplex at Matthews Referee: Jonathan Bilinski |
| Note: Played in empty stadium because of COVID-19 pandemic | ||||
| 10 September 10 | North Carolina FC | 2–3 | Memphis 901 FC | Cary, NC |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Pecka 45+1' Fortune 64' Kristo 86' Taylor 90+1', 90+7' |
Report | Mentzingen 30' Baxter 36' Paul 55' Hundley 75', 90+8' Jennings 89' |
Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Referee: John Matto |
| Note: Played in empty stadium because of COVID-19 pandemic | ||||
| 13 September 11 | North Carolina FC | 3–2 | Memphis 901 FC | Cary, NC |
| 6:00 PM EDT | Barry 29', 58' Donovan 55' Ward 65' Albadawi 89' |
Report | Jennings 24', 35' Carroll 45+1' |
Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Referee: John Griggs |
| Note: Originally scheduled for September 12. Rescheduled to accommodate for rescheduling of previous game.[10] | ||||
| 19 September 12 | North Carolina FC | v | Charlotte Independence | Cary, NC |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park |
| 23 September 13 | Memphis 901 FC | v | North Carolina FC | Memphis, TN |
| 7:00 PM CDT | Stadium: AutoZone Park |
| 26 September 14 | Birmingham Legion FC | v | North Carolina FC | Birmingham, AL |
| 7:00 PM CDT | Stadium: BBVA Field |
| 30 September 15 | North Carolina FC | v | Charlotte Independence | Cary, NC |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park |
| 4 October 16 | Loudoun United FC | v | North Carolina FC | Leesburg, VA |
| 11:00 AM EDT | Stadium: Segra Field |
U.S. Open Cup
As a USL Championship club, North Carolina FC will enter the competition in the second round, which was to be played April 7–9.[11] Pairings for that round were announced on January 29.[12] The first three rounds of the tournament were postponed on March 13, 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.[13]
| 7 April 2nd Round | North Carolina FC  | P–P | North Carolina Fusion U23 or SC United Bantams | Cary, NC |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park | |||
| Note: Postponed amid COVID-19 pandemic[13] | ||||
Squad statistics
Source: Match reports
Appearances and goals
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | USL Championship Regular Season | U.S. Open Cup | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| 1 | GK |  GRE
|
Alex Tambakis | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | DF |  USA
|
Manny Perez | 9 | 0 | 6+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | USA
|
Caleb Duvernay | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | DF |  CAN
|
Alex Comsia | 7 | 0 | 6+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | DF |  NZL
|
Sam Brotherton | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | MF |  BRA
|
Pecka | 9 | 0 | 8+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | MF |  TRI
|
Dre Fortune | 9 | 4 | 7+2 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | MF |  NED
|
Marios Lomis | 7 | 0 | 3+4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | MF |  PLE
|
Nazmi Albadawi | 8 | 1 | 6+2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | FW |  BIH
|
Robert Kristo | 10 | 2 | 6+4 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | DF |  SEN
|
Malick Mbaye | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | MF | USA
|
Graham Smith | 9 | 0 | 4+5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | MF | USA
|
Ben Speas | 9 | 0 | 4+5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | DF | USA
|
Conor Donovan | 9 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | FW |  ITA
|
Daniele Proch | 7 | 0 | 1+6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | DF | USA
|
D.J. Taylor | 10 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | DF | USA
|
Akeem Ward | 6 | 1 | 5+1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | MF | USA
|
Steven Miller | 10 | 0 | 6+4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 92 | FW |  GUI
|
Hadji Barry | 10 | 0 | 9+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Goal scorers
| Place | Position | Nation | Number | Name | USL Championship Regular Season | U.S. Open Cup | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MF |
|
8 | Dre Fortune | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| 2 | FW |
|
11 | Robert Kristo | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 | MF |
|
10 | Nazmi Albadawi | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| DF |
|
27 | D. J. Taylor | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| DF |
|
30 | Akeem Ward | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| TOTALS | 9 | 0 | 9 | ||||
Disciplinary record
| Number | Nation | Position | Name | USL Championship Regular Season | U.S. Open Cup | Total | |||
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | |
MF | Dre Fortune | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 7 | |
MF | Pecka | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 20 | |
DF | Conor Donovan | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 27 | |
DF | D.J. Taylor | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 11 | |
FW | Robert Kristo | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 30 | |
DF | Akeem Ward | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 16 | |
MF | Graham Smith | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | |||
References
- ^ "USL Championship Temporarily Suspends Play". uslchampionship.com. March 12, 2020. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
- ^ "North Carolina FC Set to Return to Play with Schedule Announcement". North Carolina FC. July 2, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
- ^ "North Carolina Football Club Announces Dreamville Festival as NCFC Front-of-Jersey Partner". North Carolina FC. February 27, 2020.
- ^ "North Carolina FC Announces Preseason Schedule". North Carolina FC. January 22, 2020. Retrieved January 23, 2020.
- ^ "USL Reaches New Rights Agreement with ESPN, ESPN+". USLSoccer.com. August 27, 2019. Retrieved September 2, 2020.
- ^ Birkedal, Morgan (July 24, 2020). "North Carolina FC Match Against Charlotte Independence Postponed Until August 26". NorthCarolinaFC.com. Retrieved July 27, 2020.
- ^ Scott, David (July 24, 2020). "Coronavirus concerns move Charlotte Independence vs. North Carolina FC match to August". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
- ^ "Memphis 901 FC considering skipping Saturday's game vs. North Carolina FC". WREG.com. WREG. August 27, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
- ^ "Saturday's NCFC home match with Memphis 901 postponed". WRALSportsFan.com. WRAL. August 28, 2020. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
- ^ a b "North Carolina FC Sets New Dates for Matches Against Memphis 901 FC". NorthCarolinaFC.com. September 2, 2020.
- ^ "Restructured Competition Format For 2020 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Provides Opportunity For More "David vs. Goliath" Matchups In 107th Edition Of U.S. Soccer's National Championship". U.S. Soccer Federation. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
- ^ "2020 U.S. Open Cup Second Round Pairings and Host Scenarios" (Press release). U.S. Soccer. January 29, 2020. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
- ^ a b "U.S. Soccer Temporarily Suspends 2020 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Due To COVID-19 Outbreak" (Press release). U.S. Soccer. March 13, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
