Carolina Core FC

Carolina Core FC

Full name	Carolina Core Football Club
Founded	November 10, 2022;2 years ago (2022-11-10)
Stadium	Truist Point High Point, North Carolina
Capacity	5,000
Owners	Megan Oglesby Matt Penley Mark Penley
General manager	Eddie Pope
Head coach	Donovan Ricketts
League	MLS Next Pro
Website	https://www.carolinacorefc.com
Home colors Away colors
Current season

Carolina Core FC is an American professional soccer team based in High Point, North Carolina. They were founded in 2022 and have participated in MLS Next Pro as an independent team since the 2024 season.

History

On November 10, 2022, MLS Next Pro announced that a new independent club from North Carolina would join the league in 2024. The club was to be led by Eddie Pope as its Chief Sporting Director and owned by Megan Oglesby, Matt Penley, and Mark Penley. Their announced home venue, Truist Point, would undergo renovations to increase the seating capacity to 5,000. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]}

Carolina ended their inaugural season with 12 wins, 12 losses, and four draws with three penalty shootout victories. Head coach Roy Lassiter was relieved of his duties following the season. ^[6] He would be replaced by Donovan Ricketts during the offseason. ^[7]

Players and staff

Current roster

As of April 5, 2025

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
0	GK	USA	Alex Sutton
1	GK	USA	Andrew Pannenberg
2	DF	USA	Daniel Chica
3	MF	USA	Zion Scarlett
4	DF	USA	Kai Thomas
5	DF	USA	Angel Aguas
6	DF	ARG	Juan Pablo Rodriguez
8	FW	ATG	Drake Hadeed
9	FW	COL	David Polanco
10	DF	ENG	Jacob Evans
11	FW	LBR	Anthony Sumo Jr.
12	MF	TAN	Alenga Charles
13	FW	HON	Josuha Rodriguez
14	DF	USA	Jathan Juarez
15	FW	USA	Tony Pineda
16	MF	USA	Corey Lundeen
17	MF	IRL	Glory Nzingo (on loan from Swansea City)
18	FW	USA	Jeremiah White IV
19	MF	COL	Mateo Sarimento
20	DF	FRA	Ibrahim Covi
21	MF	DOM	Derek Cuevas
22	FW	USA	Jesus Ibarra
24	MF	ARG	Facundo Canete
26	DF	FRA	Paul Baptiste Behe Leonardi
28	FW	ARG	Federico Stachuk
29	MF	COL	Santiago Cambindo
31	GK	USA	Robert Bailey
77	MF	CHI	Jonathan Bazaes
99	MF	LBR	Aryeh Miller
—	MF	USA	Mohamed Diakite

Staff

• Eddie Pope – Chief Sporting Officer
• Donovan Ricketts – Head Coach
• Amado Guevara – Assistant Coach
• JC Martinez – Assistant Coach
• Robert Ritchie – Director Of Soccer Operations

References

1. "New Independent Club led by soccer legend Eddie Pope to join MLS NEXT Pro in 2024". MLS NEXT Pro (Press release). November 10, 2022. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
2. Gilkey, Jaelen (November 10, 2022). "High Point city officials release the name of new minor league soccer". WFMY-TV . Retrieved November 10, 2022.
3. Hill, David (November 11, 2022). "High Point pro soccer team to be in MLS pro development league, be called 'Carolina Core'" . Triad Business Journal . Archived from the original on May 2, 2024. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
4. "Local ownership group brings professional men's soccer to the Triad". Yes! Weekly . November 11, 2022. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
5. Stamps, Brayden (November 10, 2022). "Name of High Point professional soccer team revealed". WGHP . Retrieved November 10, 2022.
6. "Carolina Core FC Relieves Head Coach Roy Lassiter". MLSNextPro.com. MLS Next Pro . Retrieved October 15, 2024.
7. "Donovan Ricketts Named Carolina Core FC Head Coach | MLSNEXTPro.com". mlsnextpro. Retrieved March 11, 2025.

External links

• Official website