![]() The Independence's ownership group had expressed their goal of winning an MLS expansion team when the club was founded, and proposed a major renovation to American Legion Memorial Stadium in 2015 that would make it into soccer-specific stadium. The team moved into a permanent soccer stadium in Matthews, North Carolina, in 2017. Unsuccessful MLS bids Ī separate professional team, the Charlotte Independence, was founded in 2014 and replaced the Eagles in the second division (now named the USL Championship). The area also has a large soccer-playing population, centered around recreational leagues that have led other efforts to attract a professional team to Charlotte. Since a renovation to Bank of America Stadium in 2014, the city has hosted several friendly and international matches, including the CONCACAF Gold Cup and the International Champions Cup, which drew strong attendance figures. The Charlotte Convention Center hosted the MLS SuperDraft and National Soccer Coaches Association of America conference in January 2004. Charlotte was also named as a potential home for an expansion team in both 19, but was passed over in favor of other cities. Ĭharlotte was on the list of cities interested in joining Major League Soccer (MLS) in 1994, prior to the league's inaugural season, but was not awarded a franchise. Professional soccer did not return to Charlotte until the founding of the Charlotte Eagles in 1991, who joined the USISL in 1993. After the league folded in 1983, the team played for one season as the Charlotte Gold in United Soccer League before ceasing operations. It marked Charlotte's first professional sports championship. The Lightnin' won the American Soccer League championship in 1981 in front of 20,163 people at American Legion Memorial Stadium. The Charlotte area has been home to several lower-division soccer teams, dating back to the Carolina Lightnin' in the early 1980s. ![]() The team holds the MLS record for standalone match attendance, with 74,479 at their inaugural home match. Charlotte FC plays at Bank of America Stadium, which it shares with the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League, a team also owned by Tepper the stadium capacity is reduced to 38,000 for most matches. It began play in the 2022 MLS season as the league's 28th franchise. The team is owned by David Tepper, who was awarded the expansion franchise on December 17, 2019. The team competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference. Charlotte FC is an American professional soccer club based in Charlotte.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |