WEEK ONE RECAP: New League, New Faces, and a Shiny New Star

North Carolina FC kicked off their 2024 USL Championship campaign renewing their rivalry with Charleston Battery.

Making Moves

When last we left our intrepid Dead Whales, they were celebrating their USL League One final victory over arch-rivals Charlotte Independence and looking forward to the move up to USL Championship.

Side note: Contrary to speculation from some USL commentators, the move back to Championship had been in the works for some time and was not a self-promotion resulting from winning the League One championship.

Now that we got that out of the way, where were we? Oh, right: there was a whirlwind of new player signings announced soon after the end of the season. 

In all, North Carolina signed 14 new players, which speaks to the work John Bradford (who was promoted to Head Coach and Sporting Director in December) and the front office had put in throughout the 2023 season, identifying players who would form a winning cohort and strengthen the club’s mission to provide a strong youth-to-pro pipeline.

North Carolina FC 0 – 0 Charleston Battery

North Carolina FC had a strong showing in a 5-2 pre-season game against Carolina Core FC, but now it was time to see how well the new players and returning veterans would blend in league play.

The verdict? Not a bad showing in their first game out. They held the 2023 USL Championship Eastern Conference champions scoreless, thanks to a new-look back line anchored by new team captain Paco Craig, Lamar Batista, and Bryce Washington. Jake McGuire earned a clean sheet in his first game back for NCFC, coming up with the game’s only save to keep the Battery off the board. 

Raheem Somersall, the team’s MVP in 2023, proved again how valuable he is on offensive and defensive transitions. He and former San Diego Loyal standout Collin Martin are already forming a solid partnership, directing traffic through the middle of the park.

It was a first game out for this North Carolina lineup, so there are plenty of knots to work out, but there are also plenty of positives to take away from the match. Charleston had a big advantage in possession on the night (66.6%), but NCFC had far better quality going forward. 

Rafa Mentzingen and Ezra Armstrong delivered plenty of energy down the flanks with Louis Pérez, Oalex Anderson Jr., and Rodrigo Da Costa creating some tantalizing scoring opportunities, giving NCFC fans a taste of what’s to come once this lineup has time to gel.

Early in the match, Da Costa played a great ball in for Anderson who looked like he had the game’s first goal on his boot. Only a spectacular defensive slide tackle from Charleston captain Leland Archer prevented Anderson from bagging his first goal of the year.

In the 34^th minute, Anderson drove through the Battery defense before laying the ball off to Da Costa, who made the overlap run into the box. Da Costa needed a couple of touches to get the ball out of his feet, finding himself near the endline, where he popped a cheeky backheel to Armstrong, but the Charleston defense was able to reset and prevent him from getting a good shot away.

Bradford had to balance giving his lineup a chance to develop their chemistry on the big field at Wake Med Soccer Park, with making sure he didn’t let players get over-tired right out of the gate. Fortunately, he had plenty of talent available on the bench, with Nelson Flores Blanco and Jaden Servania returning to play from the 2023 squad, and Evan Conway and Julian Placias making their debut for North Carolina FC. 

“I think the guys that came off…are not 90-minutes fit, and the pressing and transition is a little different than it was in the first half,” Bradford said after the game. “But I thought the guys that came on, Jaden and Julio and Nelson, all of them gave a spark to the group and showed some energy as well.”

Martin gave his assessment of the team’s performance in his post-game remarks. “I thought we were strong in the defensive moments, and you can tell we have quality going forward. So, I think we didn’t find the success today on it, but that’s an area that I think will be good going forward, and we’ll continue to work on it and sharpen up a little bit, and, yeah, I think we will start to create a lot more chances.”

NC v CHS: The Lineup

GK: Jake McGuire

Defense: Bryce Washington, Lamar Batista, Paco Craig

Midfield: Rafa Mentzingen, Raheem Somersall, Collin Martin, Ezra Armstrong (Nelson Flores Blanco 71’), 

Attacking Midfield: Rodrigo Da Costa (Julian Placias 85’), Louis Pérez (Jaden Servania 85’)

Striker: Oalex Anderson, Jr. (Evan Conway 71’)

New Season, New Captain

Defender Paco Craig was named team captain for North Carolina FC for the 2024 season. The veteran clearly made an impression with the coaching staff and his new teammates. Bradford told the media after that match that the staff left it to the players to decide who would wear the armband this season.

“We gave a team vote, and I think it speaks volumes when your teammates make you the leader and give you that confidence that they have in him.

“Since Paco got here on day one of training, he’s had a voice; he’s obviously got experience. He’s been a champion in this league, so that’s rubbing off on the other guys, and we have a lot of other guys that are leaders as well.”

When asked to describe his leadership style, Craig talked about the importance of leading by example.

“…I’m in early, trying to leave [training] kind of late. [I] look after my body extremely well; do a lot of things off the field and at home that help me perform well.”

Craig also talked about the “unique aspect,” that everyone brings to the team and getting the best out of his teammates by treating them with respect and helping each team member play to his strength.

Quote of the Week

”It’s a very high standard for the USL. So, I think anyone who gets to play on it as a footballer, who enjoys playing good looking, attractive football, is lucky to be on it, to be honest.”  – Paco Craig on the field conditions at Wake Med Soccer Park following a day of heavy rain