| 2020 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner | Stephen Malik | ||
| Head coach | Dave Sarachan | ||
| Stadium | Sahlen's Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park Cary, North Carolina (Capacity: 10,000) | ||
| USL | Group G: 3rd Conference: 10th | ||
| USL Playoffs | Did not qualify | ||
| Top goalscorer | League: Fortune (6) All: Fortune (6) | ||
| Highest home attendance | League/All: 3,515 (March 7 vs. Louisville) | ||
| Lowest home attendance | League/All: 432 (October 3 vs. Charlotte) (six home games played without crowd because of COVID-19 pandemic) | ||
| Average home league attendance | 1,974 | ||
| Biggest win | NY 0–3 NC(September 30) | ||
| Biggest defeat | NC 0–3 CHS (August 19) | ||
The 2020 North Carolina FC season was 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]
As of 26 April 2021 [update] [4]
| No. | Position | Nation | Player |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | MF | Pecka | |
| 10 | MF | Nazmi Albadawi | |
| 11 | FW | Robert Kristo | |
| 15 | DF | Malick Mbaye | |
| -- | MF | Luis Arriaga | |
| -- | MF | Nelson Blanco | |
| -- | MF | Josh Coan | |
| -- | DF | Max Flick | |
| -- | MF | Malyk Hamilton | |
| -- | MF | Jay Tee Kamara (on loan from Louisville City FC) | |
| -- | GK | Damian Las (on loan from Fulham FC) | |
| -- | MF | Shermaine Martina | |
| -- | DF | Nelson Martinez | |
| -- | GK | Jake McGuire | |
| -- | MF | Selmir Miscic (on loan from Philadelphia Union) |
Source: [5]
| February 8 | North Carolina FC | v | Richmond Kickers | Cary, NC |
| 12:30 PM EST | Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park | |||
| Note: Result not published. | ||||
| February 15 | Charlotte Independence | 1–1 | North Carolina FC | Matthews, NC |
| 2:00 PM EST | Report | Miller | Stadium: Sportsplex at Matthews |
| February 22 | North Carolina FC | v | Loudoun United FC | Cary, NC |
| 1:00 PM EST | Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park | |||
| Note: Canceled | ||||
| February 29 | North Carolina FC | 1–2 | Greenville Triumph SC | Cary, NC |
| 3:00 PM EST | Albadawi | Report | Pilato Morrell | Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park |
| 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 |
All games broadcast on ESPN+ as part of the USL Championship's rights agreement with the platform. [6] Home games broadcast locally on WRAL-2.
| March 71 | North Carolina FC | 0–1 | Louisville City FC | Cary, NC |
| 2:30 PM EST | Kristo Taylor | Report | Lancaster | Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 3,515 Referee: Adam Kilpatrick |
| July 172 | Tampa Bay Rowdies | 2–2 | North Carolina FC | St. Petersburg, FL |
| 6:45 PM EDT | Guenzatti Fernandes Mkosana | Report | Fortune Kristo | Stadium: Al Lang Stadium Attendance: 141 Referee: Gabriele Giusti |
| July 29 | 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. [7] [8] | ||||
| August 13 | North Carolina FC | 1–0 | Birmingham Legion FC | Cary, NC |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Donovan Fortune Kristo | Report | Akinyode Brett | Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 0 Referee: Kevin Broadley |
| Note: Played in empty stadium because of COVID-19 pandemic | ||||
| August 84 | Memphis 901 FC | 0–1 | North Carolina FC | Memphis, TN |
| 5:00 PM EDT | Paul | Report | Ward Fortune | Stadium: AutoZone Park Attendance: 901 Referee: Matthew Thompson |
| August 155 | North Carolina FC | 0–2 | Birmingham Legion FC | Cary, NC |
| 8:30 PM EDT | Donovan | Report | Servania Brett A. Crognale Akinyode Van Oekel Lopez | Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 0 Referee: Matthew Franz |
| Note: Played in empty stadium because of COVID-19 pandemic | ||||
| August 196 | North Carolina FC | 0–3 | Charleston Battery | Cary, NC |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Pecka Donovan Fortune | Report | Kelly-Rosales Piggott Daley Zarokostas | Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 0 Referee: John Griggs |
| Note: Played in empty stadium because of COVID-19 pandemic | ||||
| August 267 | Charlotte Independence | 1–0 | North Carolina FC | Matthews, NC |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Ortiz | Report | Ward Pecka | Stadium: Sportsplex at Matthews Attendance: 0 Referee: Kevin Broadley |
| Note: Played in empty stadium because of COVID-19 pandemic | ||||
| August 29 | 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. [9] [10] Rescheduled for September 10. [11] | ||||
| September 28 | Birmingham Legion FC | 1–2 | North Carolina FC | Birmingham, AL |
| 7:00 PM CDT | Kobayashi Kasim Brett | Report | Albadawi Fortune | Stadium: BBVA Field Referee: Lukasz Szpala |
| September 59 | Charlotte Independence | 3–1 | North Carolina FC | Matthews, NC |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Kelly Lacroix Martínez | Report | Smith Taylor Fortune | Stadium: Sportsplex at Matthews Referee: Jonathan Bilinski |
| Note: Played in empty stadium because of COVID-19 pandemic | ||||
| September 1010 | North Carolina FC | 2–3 | Memphis 901 FC | Cary, NC |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Pecka Fortune Kristo Taylor | Report | Mentzingen Baxter Paul Hundley Jennings | Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Referee: John Matto |
| Note: Played in empty stadium because of COVID-19 pandemic | ||||
| September 1311 | North Carolina FC | 3–2 | Memphis 901 FC | Cary, NC |
| 6:00 PM EDT | Barry Donovan Ward Albadawi | Report | Jennings Carroll | Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Referee: John Griggs |
| Note: Originally scheduled for September 12. Rescheduled to accommodate for rescheduling of previous game. [11] Played in empty stadium because of COVID-19 pandemic. | ||||
| September 1912 | North Carolina FC | 0–1 | Charlotte Independence | Cary, NC |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Albadawi Taylor Donovan Fortune | Report | Kelly Miller Martínez Maund Lacroix | Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Referee: Matthew Franz |
| September 23 | Memphis 901 FC | Canceled | North Carolina FC | Memphis, TN |
| 7:00 PM CDT | Stadium: AutoZone Park | |||
| Note: Postponed after a member of the Memphis 901 FC organization tested positive for COVID-19. [12] Game was not rescheduled after both teams were eliminated from playoff contention. | ||||
| September 2613 | Birmingham Legion FC | 1–2 | North Carolina FC | Birmingham, AL |
| 7:00 PM CDT | Cromwell Servania Williams | Report | Perez Fortune Kristo | Stadium: BBVA Field Referee: Jonathan Bilinski |
| September 3014 | New York Red Bulls II | 0–3 | North Carolina FC | Richmond, VA |
| 5:00 PM EDT | Cummins Hot Toure | Report | Fortune Speas Tolkin | Stadium: City Stadium Referee: Matthew Franz |
| Note: Neutral site game scheduled after both teams had upcoming games against Loudoun United FC canceled because of COVID-19 outbreak. [13] | ||||
| October 315 | North Carolina FC | 0–1 | Charlotte Independence | Cary, NC |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Report | Haakenson Kelly Gebhard Sabella | Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park Attendance: 432 Referee: John Griggs | |
| Note: Rescheduled from September 30 to accommodate for newly scheduled match against New York Red Bulls II. [13] | ||||
| October 4 | Loudoun United FC | Canceled | North Carolina FC | Leesburg, VA |
| 11:00 AM EDT | Stadium: Segra Field | |||
| Note: Match cancelled due to multiple positive COVID-19 tests in Loudoun United FC organization and a lack of rescheduling windows. [14] | ||||
As a USL Championship club, North Carolina FC was scheduled to enter the competition in the second round, which was to be played April 7–9. [15] Pairings for that round were announced on January 29. [16] The first three rounds of the tournament were postponed on March 13, 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. [17] On August 17, the tournament was canceled. [18]
| April 7 2nd round | North Carolina FC | v | | Cary, NC |
| 7:00 PM EDT | Stadium: WakeMed Soccer Park | |||
| Note: Canceled because of COVID-19 pandemic [17] | ||||
Source: Match reports
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | USL Championship Regular Season | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| 1 | GK | Alex Tambakis | 14 | 0 | 14 | 0 | |
| 2 | MF | Manny Perez | 14 | 1 | 11+3 | 1 | |
| 3 | DF | Caleb Duvernay | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| 4 | DF | Alex Comsia | 11 | 0 | 9+2 | 0 | |
| 5 | DF | Sam Brotherton | 11 | 0 | 10+1 | 0 | |
| 7 | MF | Pecka | 14 | 0 | 13+1 | 0 | |
| 8 | MF | Dre Fortune | 14 | 6 | 11+3 | 6 | |
| 9 | MF | Marios Lomis | 12 | 0 | 8+4 | 0 | |
| 10 | MF | Nazmi Albadawi | 12 | 2 | 8+4 | 2 | |
| 11 | FW | Robert Kristo | 15 | 2 | 6+9 | 2 | |
| 15 | DF | Malick Mbaye | 1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | |
| 16 | MF | Graham Smith | 14 | 0 | 7+7 | 0 | |
| 17 | MF | Ben Speas | 14 | 1 | 8+6 | 1 | |
| 20 | DF | Conor Donovan | 14 | 1 | 14 | 1 | |
| 21 | FW | Daniele Proch | 11 | 0 | 1+10 | 0 | |
| 24 | GK | Paulo Pita | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 27 | DF | D.J. Taylor | 15 | 1 | 15 | 1 | |
| 30 | DF | Akeem Ward | 11 | 1 | 10+1 | 1 | |
| 31 | MF | Steven Miller | 11 | 0 | 6+5 | 0 | |
| 92 | FW | Hadji Barry | 15 | 1 | 11+4 | 1 | |
| Place | Position | Nation | Number | Name | USL Championship Regular Season | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MF | | 8 | Dre Fortune | 6 | 6 |
| 2 | FW | | 11 | Robert Kristo | 2 | 2 |
| MF | | 10 | Nazmi Albadawi | 2 | 2 | |
| 4 | MF | | 2 | Manny Perez | 1 | 1 |
| MF | | 17 | Ben Speas | 1 | 1 | |
| DF | | 20 | Conor Donovan | 1 | 1 | |
| DF | | 27 | D. J. Taylor | 1 | 1 | |
| DF | | 30 | Akeem Ward | 1 | 1 | |
| FW | | 92 | Hadji Barry | 1 | 1 | |
| Own goals by opponent | 1 | 1 | ||||
| TOTALS | 17 | 17 | ||||
| Number | Nation | Position | Name | USL Championship Regular Season | Total | ||
| 8 | | MF | Dre Fortune | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 20 | | DF | Conor Donovan | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 27 | | DF | D.J. Taylor | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 7 | | MF | Pecka | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 11 | | FW | Robert Kristo | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 30 | | DF | Akeem Ward | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 10 | | MF | Nazmi Albadawi | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2 | | MF | Manny Perez | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 16 | | MF | Graham Smith | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 92 | | FW | Hadji Barry | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 26 | 1 | 26 | 1 | |||