NCFC draw Birmingham in Sunday showdown
April 14, 2024 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
North Carolina FC News Release
CARY, N.C. - North Carolina FC drew Birmingham Legion FC, 1-1, to cap off Week 6 of the 2024 USL Championship season on Sunday, April 14, at WakeMed Soccer Park. With the draw, NCFC ends the week in eighth place with six points from six games.
Rodrigo Da Costa got the scoring going early, converting from the penalty spot in the 2' for his first goal in an NCFC jersey. Rafa Mentzingen drew the penalty, beating Legion goalkeeper Matt VanOekel to a loose ball before being brought down by the diving keeper.
Birmingham equalized in the 23' via Tyler Pashner, who slotted home a cutback from Stefano Pinho on the counterattack.
NCFC ended the game with a narrow 9-8 advantage in total shots, while completing 87.4% of passes and allowing just one shot on target.
Match Notes
Sunday's match against Birmingham Legion FC marked John Bradford's 100th game as North Carolina FC head coach, being named to the position to start the 2021 season. That figure includes 90 USL League One regular season games, six USL Championship regular season games, two USL League One playoff games and two Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup games.
Garrett McLaughlin made his 100th USL regular season appearance during the draw, coming off the bench in the 71' for Rodrigo Da Costa.
Up Next:
North Carolina FC will host Carolina Core FC in the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at WakeMed Soccer Park on Wednesday, April 17, at 7 p.m. ET.
Tickets for the game will be $10 and cans of Lioness Lager and The Sitter and the Striker from Bombshell Brewing Company will be $5. Tickets are available here.
Box Score
NCFC (3-4-2-1): Jake McGuire; Justin Malou, Paco Craig ©, Adrian Pelayo (Bryce Washington- 90'); Ezra Armstrong, Mikey Maldonado, Collin Martin, Rafa Mentzingen (Shaft Brewer Jr- 62'); Louis Perez (Jaden Servania- 62'), Rodrigo Da Costa (Garrett McLaughlin,- 71'); Julian Placias (Oalex Anderson- 62').
Subs Not Used: Nelson Flores Blanco, Jacori Hayes, Antonio Carrera, Daniel Navarro.
BHM (4-1-4-1): Matt VanOekel; Moses Mensah, Phanuel Kavita ©, Alex Crongnale (Miguel Perez- 59'), Mujeeb Murana; AJ Paterson, Kobe Hernandez-Foster, Enzo Martinez, Tyler Pasher, Prosper Kasim (Preston Tabort Etaka- 69'); Stefano Pinho (Dawson McCartney- 59').
Subs Not Used: Brock Marlow, Ramiz Hamouda, Diba Nwegbo.
Score:
NCFC: 1
BHM: 1
Goals:
NCFC: R. Da Costa (PK)- 2'
BHM: E. Martinez (S. Pinho)- 23'
Cautions:
NCFC: -
BHM: A. Paterson- 30', E. Martinez- 58', M. Perez- 90'+5'
Ejections:
NCFC: -
BHM: -
Attendance: 1,807
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