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 (2) All: Fortune (2) | ||
| 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 | 1–0 (August 1 vs. Birmingham) (August 8 at Memphis) | ||
| Biggest defeat | 0–3 (August 19 vs. Charleston) | ||
|
| |||
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
| 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[6] | ||||
| 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 8 | North Carolina FC | v | Memphis 901 FC | Cary, NC |
| TBA PM EDT | Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park |
| 2 September 9 | Birmingham Legion FC | v | North Carolina FC | Birmingham, AL |
| TBA PM CDT | Stadium: BBVA Field |
| 5 September 10 | Charlotte Independence | v | North Carolina FC | Matthews, NC |
| TBA PM EDT | Stadium: Sportsplex at Matthews |
| 12 September 11 | North Carolina FC | v | Memphis 901 FC | Cary, NC |
| TBA PM EDT | Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park |
| 19 September 12 | North Carolina FC | v | Charlotte Independence | Cary, NC |
| TBA PM EDT | Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park |
| 23 September 13 | Memphis 901 FC | v | North Carolina FC | Memphis, TN |
| TBA PM CDT | Stadium: AutoZone Park |
| 26 September 14 | Birmingham Legion FC | v | North Carolina FC | Birmingham, AL |
| TBA PM CDT | Stadium: BBVA Field |
| 30 September 15 | North Carolina FC | v | Charlotte Independence | Cary, NC |
| TBA PM EDT | Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park |
| 4 October 16 | Loudoun United FC | v | North Carolina FC | Leesburg, VA |
| TBA PM 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.[7] Pairings for that round were announced on January 29.[8] The first three rounds of the tournament were postponed on March 13, 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.[9]
| 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[9] | ||||
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 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | DF |  USA
|
Manny Perez | 5 | 0 | 4+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | USA
|
Caleb Duvernay | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | DF |  CAN
|
Alex Comsia | 4 | 0 | 3+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | DF |  NZL
|
Sam Brotherton | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 7 | MF |  BRA
|
Pecka | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | MF |  TRI
|
Dre Fortune | 6 | 2 | 4+2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | MF |  NED
|
Marios Lomis | 3 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | MF |  PLE
|
Nazmi Albadawi | 4 | 0 | 2+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | FW |  BIH
|
Robert Kristo | 6 | 1 | 5+1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 16 | MF | USA
|
Graham Smith | 6 | 0 | 2+4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 17 | MF | USA
|
Ben Speas | 6 | 0 | 3+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | DF | USA
|
Conor Donovan | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | FW |  ITA
|
Daniele Proch | 5 | 0 | 1+4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 27 | DF | USA
|
D.J. Taylor | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | DF | USA
|
Akeem Ward | 4 | 1 | 3+1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 31 | MF | USA
|
Steven Miller | 6 | 0 | 4+2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 92 | FW |  GUI
|
Hadji Barry | 6 | 0 | 5+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 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2 | FW |
|
11 | Robert Kristo | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| DF |
|
30 | Akeem Ward | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| TOTALS | 4 | 0 | 4 | ||||
Disciplinary record
| Number | Nation | Position | Name | USL Championship Regular Season | U.S. Open Cup | Total | |||
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | |
MF | Dre Fortune | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 20 | |
DF | Conor Donovan | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 7 | |
MF | Pecka | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 11 | |
FW | Robert Kristo | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 30 | |
DF | Akeem Ward | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 27 | |
DF | D.J. Taylor | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 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.
- ^ "2020 Regular Season Schedule". North Carolina FC. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
- ^ Birkedal, Morgan (July 24, 2020). "North Carolina FC Match Against Charlotte Independence Postponed Until August 26". NorthCarolinaFC.com. Retrieved July 27, 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.
