April 11, 2024 – United Soccer League Championship (USL)
North Carolina FC News Release
CARY, N.C. – North Carolina FC today announces its participation in the 2024 iteration of ‘The Soccer Tournament’ taking place at WakeMed Soccer Park this June 5 through 10.
North Carolina State soccer alum and current NCFC Academy coach Dewan Bader will coach the 7v7 team for a second straight year, leading a squad comprised of a combination of North Carolina FC (nee Carolina RailHawks) alumni and soccer greats with ties to the Triangle in the quest for the winner-take-all $1 million prize.
No current members of the North Carolina FC USL Championship roster will play in TST. Players will be added to the TST roster over the next several weeks with announcements periodically throughout the buildup to the tournament. The announcement of a men’s team comes just weeks after announcing Jessica McDonald will captain a Courage-sponsored team in the women’s bracket.
“We’re thrilled to participate in TST once again this summer. Our organization had a tremendous experience in 2023, bringing back great alumni and connecting the past and present within our club. The pageantry and fanfare around the event last year was a great showcase of what soccer means to our community and this will be a great opportunity to represent our brand on our home field in front of a broad audience,” said North Carolina FC president Francie Gottsegen.
The 48-team men’s field will commence with group play on June 5-6, with teams being split into 12 groups of four. Thirty-two teams will emerge from the group stage to the knockout rounds, beginning on June 7. TST’s round of 16 and quarterfinals will take place on June 8, and the two semifinal matches will be played June 9.
TST’s inaugural women’s bracket will feature eight teams competing for an equal $1 million, winner-take-all prize. The women’s event will begin June 7, and be broken into two groups of four. Two teams will advance from each group to play in the semifinals on June 9.
Both the men’s and women’s events will conclude in a winner-take-all championship doubleheader on June 10, with a total of $2 million in prize money being awarded.
The inaugural TST included globally renowned clubs such as Wrexham AFC, Borussia Dortmund, West Ham, Wolverhampton, and sports stars like Clint Dempsey, Steve Nash, Cesc Fabregas, and Chad Johnson, among others. More than 25 players with U.S. National Team experience and a combined 1,444 caps on both the men’s and…